Listen I love this place ok and I'm still giving 5 stars because truly no hate but I had the worst day of my life and I just wanted some cookout right okay anyways so I order and ask for my giant cheerwine per usual and they tell me they're out of big cups. No big deal I'll survive, so I get home and go in my room and put my (small) drink on my nightstand, and what do I see? ANTS. Lots of ants. There's no f-ing food in my room besides my beautiful burger (plain with just mustard if you were wondering). So I'm panicking right, I call my friend who proceeds to just laugh at me and she's googling how to get rid of random ants that apparently live in ur nightstand and I have none of the ingredients to commit mass genocide on these stupid little insects anyways the point of this review is that after my initial panic I grabbed a bottle of hairspray and went to town on these mfs and I meant went to townnnnn. My room is covered in hairspray now and once I was good and sweaty from freaking out and committing mass merder on these things I sit down and I'm like thank god I can finally eat my big double burger tray with double Cajun fries and I open the shining glorious styrofoam box and there's literally not a speck of seasoning on my now soggy fries. I can't stand this life read more

Cook Out - Stupid tray with no stupid seasoning - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Found a string in my Oreo milkshake and in the other Oreo milkshake there was just a whole Oreo in it and I just discovered a piece of plastic . The lady who made are milkshakes kept glaring at us while she was making them I think she said thought we were laughing at her but we weren't and when she handed them to us I said thank you and she ignored us and slammed the door. This is truly disgusting. read more

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This was a spur of the moment stop, since we were on vacation, after going to Carolina Beach. (I'm not sure if this is the exact location because the visit was a couple of years ago). I was particularly hungry, so I got their burger (with some basic condiments), fries (not the best I've had), and white cheddar cheese curds (I'm a cheese fan, so I could have eaten 3 orders of this alone and been VERY happy). I also shared an Oreo milkshake, which was SO thick we needed a spoon for it (that's okay by me). If I'm ever in the area again, I will be getting the same order (minus the fries) and hopefully will be JUST as happy. read more

I fully stand corrected!! What a difference a couple of weeks make! The burgers, proported to be 1/3 of a pound, are instead about two inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. I'm so pissed off about this. Tiny burger on a lot of bun. I guess you're McDonald's now. You used to be great. Not anymore. read more

Awesome choice for fast food, need to review the menu before going due to the 2 choices of sides per tray, but the milkshake was awesome and food was more than enough. Will be back. read more

I have always loved the staff at this location and often complimented them to management, but the last two times I have gone (during the day), the food has been down right NASTY. I ordered the cheddar grilled chicken, Cajun fries and the quesadilla. I could not even bite through my chicken sandwich because the chicken was so dry it looked like it had been dehydrated!! The bun was so soggy it looked like it was soaked in grease. The fries were not fully cooked and soggy as all get out and WAY TOO MUCH seasoning. Theeeeen I'm like it's cool I have a quesadilla to eat at least, but NOPE. Same dehydrated dry as the Sahara desert chicken and the tortilla was wet like it sat in water. Heck even my cheerwine was watered down like the machine is runnin out. Staff is rushing, they are young and need guidance at window to be polite and slow their role so they stop messing up the food and wasting people's hard earned money. This will be my last time going to cookout during this shift because it's gawd awful. Order number: 1221 at 6:39pm on Sep 3rd Cashier: Maria read more

Cook Out - Receipt. - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I don't like Cookout! Overall it's just not for me and I don't encourage anyone else to spend their money on it. Especially because it's location preys on the budget of unemployed college students. I promise there are better options. The service is rude most times which is understandable because the line is always too long and flowing out onto college road which has created numerous car accidents. Their Cajun fries are the only thing on the menu I would recommend. It's a drive thru so there is no ambiance. read more

My freaking charbroiled chicken breast sandwich was bomb! I the tomato was so fresh and the chicken itself tasted like an actual BBQ. The building itself is really hard to find if you are not looking. read more

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Quick service, reasonable cost, good taste. Server is prompt with food. Buns are fresh, patties are cooked throughly.

It's just something you've gotta try... pro-tip, ask the staff what the special is and go with that.

Waited on a car line 10 minutes to be told that there is no chicken today . That's half the menu. Literally waiting in line now to get out of the drive through line but there is no way the guy in front of me is getting his food any time soon. The only option is drive through and she couldn't hear one thing I said . The worst of the worst . Hostage in a drive thru line . read more

Cook Out...brings to mind picnics, backyard grills, and even the ballpark. Well, surprise, surprise, it's quite good. I had been cleaning (I know, that's a miracle in itself), was stinky and dirty but hungry. Instead of using my fingers to dial, I decided to use the car and head to some drive-ins. As I left my drive, the decision to try The Cook Out had me turning left. The menu is surprisingly extensive, which made my choice more difficult than I thought. The Cookout style hotdog with chili, mustard, onion, and slaw (chopped, of course) had to be my choice. Hadn't had a good hotdog in awhile, but one lives in hope. I sipped my Arnold Palmer and let the anticipation build. WHAT?! I was totally taken aback with the taste of a hot dog that was just taken off the grill! I'm not kidding, I was impressed - especially when you consider I spent a grand total of $5 and change for dog and drink. Cheap eats are only good when the food is. I give this two thumbs up. I'll be back. read more

Throughly impressed with this location. Got here around 1015 after getting off work and of course they were a bit busy but despite being a smaller cookout location the line moved pleasantly quick. Man working the window tonight was kind, food was a nice temperature upon arriving home, and sweet tea was well made! Will definitely be visiting this location more often on the way home from work! read more

YES! Finally a late night place you can get thru the drive thru in under 30 minutes (it took about five minutes). These employees deserve a raise, they were doing their job. Thank you!! read more

Cars are lined up down the road and there's always a wait no matter what time of day but it is so worth it. Got hush puppies which were good and so reasonably priced. However, the real star of the show was the shakes. Ordered a banana pudding and chocolate chip cheesecake and they were so delicious. Can't wait to go back for my late night shake craving. read more

Cook Out - a person holding a cup of food - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

This is a go-to drunk spot that I find myself eating sober. The combo's are incredible. So many options that are so affordable. I wish this location could accommodate the amount of car and foot traffic it gets, which is the only struggle here. Regardless, I will continue to come back because those corn dogs/ quesadillas/ burgers/ onion rings/ shakes keep me in the drive through window. 4/5 read more

Go here pretty often not bad all the time but they skimp. Got fries and cheese bites and this was all they gave me read more

Cook Out - a tray of french fries and a sandwich - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

You've got to the pretty dumb to mess up 2 hamburgers, but this cookout location has managed to do that consistently. I always ask for no cheese and yet there is always cheese. Like... really? How many brain cells does it take to read the order and see no cheese and then the person that should have checked didn't. C'mon cook out, get a better crew. It's Saturday at 2:30 pm, if you can't get a burger right, close down. read more

The food was exactly what you would expect from Cook Out...guilty pleasure. The staff here was excellent. Very friendly and fast, despite the line being wrapped around the building. read more

Confession: Having lived in NC for a year and a half now (or so), this weekend was the first time that the bf and I ever had Cook Out. I realize this is some sort of Carolinian blasphemy, but I'm hoping that this positive review spares us from any lashings we might otherwise have been due. Both T and I went for their "Tray" -- for $4.25 you get your choice of sandwich or dog, two sides and a fountain beverage (or a shake if you add $.99 to the deal). I went for a 1/4 lb cheeseburger with grilled onions, sides of onion rings and a corn dog (because Tom had never had one and I demanded that he try it). (Sidebar: Where else can one get a corndog as a SIDE?! Crazy Southerners!!) Tom got a double burger "steak style", so it had lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and A1 as well as cheese. His sides were fries (skin-on... yay!) and a cup of chili. And we both got Diet Cokes... we recognize the irony in that, but hey, we're used to the taste, ya know?! Anyhow, the found the burgers to be juicy and enjoyable -- the sides, hot and fresh. We're not really "fast food people", and were happy that the burgers tasted more like something we'd have at a friend's BBQ than like something that would come from the flat top at PT McFunster's. We'll certainly be back (probably after many hours of cardio) and plan to indulge in a shake next time. read more

Cook Out - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Located conveniently beside UNC-W & hidden by the trees. Place has a double drive thru and walk up window. Great food as always! Cashier was hilarious and very pleasant. Double hotdog tray and Cajun fries was cooked to perfection. It certainly filled me up Highly recommended if you're ever in Wilmington read more

Cook Out - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Last week, I was visited Wilmington with my family... we spent our time laying by the pool and going out to dinner each night. Well, one night we wanted to do something a little more low key. We had driven by Cookout many times during our trip and decided to give it a try after reading good reviews. And I am so happy we did! The burger was exactly what I had been craving - freshly grilled to perfection. While the service was fast, this does not taste like your typical fast food burger. The toppings were also fresh and they even offer melted cheddar to top your burger with (which I am actually really annoyed I did not get!) You can't beat the prices! For under $5.00 you can get a burger, 2 sides, and a drink. The only con was, and this may be my fault for not asking, but they did not include ketchup or mustard in our to-go bag! What am I supposed to dip my fries in??? read more

Cook Out - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Love the pricing, speed of the double drive thru, and the 40 flavors of milkshakes. Dislike the horrible speakers. I can't understand what anyone is saying most of the time. Was told that all the cookout restaurants have crappy speakers. Please fix them. The Double Drive thru at this location means you can drive thru and pay from your passenger side, or from driver side. Was confusing at first but, now I realize was faster. The employees were pretty quick and polite, but all seemed extremely high. Maybe that is why they were polite, unlike the slow McDonald's and other fast food nearby. read more

Meh, burger was ok. Fries were limp and not that hot. Not worth it. On the plus side, they were efficient and ordering was quick.

This is possibly the third time this happened to me. I write a good amount of reviews good and bad. But I try not to make a bad review because I like cookout. But come on. Detail people detail. Yeah. Thanks for the Cajun corn dog and cheese less fries. 3 stars cause ya still got good food. Just keep missing stuff. read more

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Disappointed in my recent visit. My order was wrong, the fries were soggy, and despite slaw and barbecue sauce, the burger was so dry it was hardly worth eating. So disappointed read more

I was pleasantly surprised to find a cookout restaurant while on vacation in NC. That bacon cheeseburger tray is everything! Clearly the cookout are the same in every state.. long lines, fast service and good inexpensive food. read more

Bring yourself a pillow for the drive-thru line and enjoy the campsite! It goes without saying this place IS the spot, but my word, when the line is THAT ridiculously long every day can management please hire some folks to take and deliver orders outside like the also amazingly overcrowded Chic Fil-A to speed things along a bit? Also, somebody should maybe fix the drive-thru voice box, because for the last two years it's sounded like Darth Vader incomprehensibly screaming into a wind tunnel after huffing copious amounts of helium, so I never really know if they heard my order, or what they asked, or anything. But hey, whatever they end up giving me is usually pretty good most of the time, so that's dope, 3 outta 5, stay gangsta. read more

A college students favorite!! This place is fast and has two lines so it's a little bit shorter of a wait. The only thing that can be bad sometimes is the cashiers can be sooooo rude sometimes. They act like anything you ask for is the end of the world. read more

Fast food that completely blows every other fast food joint out of the water. Cook Out is a gift from the foodie gods, with not one but TWO drive thru's on each side of it. They've got everything. Pulled pork, dogs, chicken, burgers, BLT's and quesadillas. Oh and thick shakes with literally a thousand flavors to choose from. The cheddar burger is my fav, next time I'm adding pickles to cut through all the delicious creamy cheesiness. Hush puppies are a must. And you HAVE to get a shake. I've heard amazing things about the tray you can't go wrong with those either! I wish we had one closer to home, it's always a treat having these down south. read more

I stopped a Cook out today and ordered two hot dogs with chili and slaw. The young lady who took my order was in such a hurry to get rid of me. She cut the mike off and I had to sit there and wait for her to come back on the speaker for several minutes to complete my order. I told her when she finally came on the speaker that I was not finished with my order that I need two BBQ sandwiches with out hot sauce I repeated this twice. I finally received my order shoved at me through the window. Went to eat our food. The hot dogs were so soggy my boyfriend had to get out a plastic fork to eat a hot dog. My BBQ sand witch was loaded up with hot sauce. The manners of this server was hateful and she allowed them to put hot sauce on my food. I do not recommend anyone waste their time at this take out. read more

I'm basing these fives stars solely on a comparison to other fast food places. Are there better burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc. out there? Of course! But not at this convenience and cost. I absolutely love Cookout! I think the late hours are great. My husband and I are night owls having worked second shift for the last few years and being able to grab a bite when most other places are closed and you don't feel like cooking is awesome. The number of sides you can chose from is great. You can get fries with a variety of different toppings or plain, onion rings, hush puppies, slaw, and so on. If you order your sandwich with the plate you get two of these sides (your choice). From personal experience, the Cookout Style char-grilled burger and the Cajun Style char-grilled chicken sandwich are both amazing. I'm salivating just thinking about them. The best part about Cookout is monstrous number of milkshake options they have! Hubby and I each got a sandwich plate and substituted milkshakes for our regular drinks and still came out under $12. Lower cost than two meals at the golden arches that would just come with a soft drink and one side. Much better quality than that other place, too! Love it. read more

WHY DO PEOPLE EAT HERE? I usually see long lines of cars here, so I thought I'd try it out. From reading the other reviews, I see that people like the low cost and quick service, but I don't get it. I guess the milkshakes are good???? I can't do dairy, so idk. I went there out of curiosity and was mad that I wasted my $$. I ordered 2 small burgers and a chicken sandwich with fries. The fries were good. The burgers were thinner than McDonald's sorry excuse for a burger patty. Same thing with the chicken sandwich. It was flat and gristly. I seriously questioned what I was biting into with that chicken sandwich. The bread was soggy and mayo and whatever other sauce they added were just dripping from the sandwich. Yuck. The fries were the only thing that I can compliment. I gave my dogs the burgers, but threw away the chicken. I didn't want to do that to them... Needless to say, my curiosity is satiated, but my confusion is greater. Do people really enjoy this stuff? read more

One of the tastiest fast food joints in town. Great if you're looking for a late night, quick bite to eat and very cheap. Overall a great place and I would highly recommend the onion rings and the hush puppies. Need a better drive thru speaker though, guy got my order wrong. read more

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While I tend to avoid fast food most of the time, while on vacation in Wilmington I discovered Cook Out. It is a double drive through similar to a Checkers or Rally's, but with less neon or "old diner" appeal. The menu boasts over 200 combos of milkshakes and the only fast food place I've been to that has hush-puppies on the menu. The burgers are awesome, freshly cooked to order and taste about as close to a 5 Guys burger as you can get. The corn-dogs are out of this world and the prices are fit for someone on welfare.... The service was very friendly and they are open all night. I heard that the hours are late because it is next to UNC Wilmington. The parking-lot was crowded and full of college kids, but luckily I didn't have to run any of them over in my quest for an amazing burger. If you look closely on the bag you will notice some bible script. Don't let this get your liberal ass down. They don't preach to you when you order. I feel their Christian undertones possibly add to the quality. I also love how NC has sanitation ratings posted on the doors and drive through windows. (1-10 statewide). This Cook Out had a 10 rating. However, my friend from town informed me that generally Cook Outs are in pretty "hood" neighborhoods....and after seeing the one in Charlotte, I can attest to that....but who cares. Good fast food. I honestly like it better than Sonic.....and I used to be a sonic fan girl driving 40 miles to the closest one. read more

Sometimes you need a delicious burger after a long day out at the beach. Our prayers were answered. I had always saw crazy drive-thru lines and we finally decided to stop. They have a combo meal and a drink for under $5!!! They have hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken burgers, quesadillas and an enormous choice for sides. I had hush puppies and they were good. A bit dry, though I forgot to ask for a dipping sauce. The burgers were hot and tasted so fresh and delicious. We were very impressed! Now I understand why that place is always busy. Oh and they have over 40 milkshake flavors! I will try one next time for sure! read more

Brothers and sisters! I have seen the light, and it is a Cookout milkshake!!! **40 milkshake flavors? Check. Peanut butter + banana for the win! **Fast, cheap burgers with innumerable toppings? Check. **Super fast service? Check. I'm in North Carolina for a week and I am 100% certain I would take a Cookout milkshake every day. **Summary of a Recent Conversation** Brother-in-law: "You still want Cookout tonight?" Me: "Abso-damn-lutely!" B-I-L: "Okey dokey." read more

Food we know we should not eat, but we do. 40 cents more for another quarter pound patty? That's just wrong. Chocolate malt shake is pretty close to crack and should be outlawed. read more

Leaving 4 stars because they could be a little more diligent with wiping down their milkshake machine. I had a allergic reaction to my chocolate milkshake (with no peanut butter) read more

Went here this past Sunday around 1230pm or so before we headed for some shopping at Dillards so we wouldn't be hangry. There were quite a few cars in both drive-thru lines but DAMN, the line moved quickly. In and out with our delicious food in under 5 minutes. Highy reccomend this Cookout! read more