Yes, Harold's was featured on Diners Dives and Drive-ins and I've had it bookmarked since then. I rarely get this far off the interstate but today, we're passing through Gaffney downtown and it's dinnertime and I figured, let's do it! Surprisingly empty on a Thursday evening, I was welcomed by the two ladies working and I took a seat. My drink and food order was taken and my cup of sweet tea arrived a moment later. The chiliburger plate with fries was the special dinner of the day. Two burger buns loaded with their chili and a big pile of fries. The chiliburger is halfway between "Sloppy Joe" and "Meatball Sub" and it's delicious. This was a good portion, very inexpensive, very filling. I enjoyed it very much! [Review 192 of 2025 - 1249 in South Carolina - 23756 overall] read more

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While on a road trip today, my daughter-in law and I stopped by Harold's Restaurant after spotting a sign along the interstate. It advertised the location as one visited by celebrity foodie Guy Fieri, which piqued our interest enough to give it a try. When we arrived, we learned that Guy had actually stopped by years ago. Unfortunately, the waitress we spoke with wasn't familiar with his visit or what dish had earned his attention it was before her time. Stepping inside felt like walking straight into the 1960s: the décor, the atmosphere, even the energy gave off vintage diner vibes. The waitress greeted us with a smile, but seemed somewhat puzzled, especially when we asked about substituting fries on one of the menu items. She informed us plainly that no substitutions were allowed. My daughter-in-law and I both ordered the chili burger, which ended up tasting more like a sloppy Joe. The burger itself was thin, greasy, and reminiscent of something you'd find in a kids' meal. That said, the restaurant was clean, both the dining area and the restroom, and service was impressively fast. There's also a bar tucked away near the back by the restrooms. All in all, I was expecting something more memorable, especially given the celebrity endorsement. While the menu does offer many inexpensive options, the experience didn't live up to the hype for me. Harold's isn't a place I'll make a point to revisit. read more

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I got a plate of wings and they tasted stale and the place really isn't to clean I just don't recommend this place at all seriously Do not come here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The fries are soggy and u have to practically beg for some sauce in this place and the wings taste like cigarettes smoke just do not come here if you want to have good food honestly.... - Kylie Harris read more

Stopped here passing thru on the way to Greenville. Had a taste for a hot dog so ordered the special. I thought they would be grilled and it would take a lil min for my food to be fixed. No sooner had I ordered my plate was in front of me. Bland, boiled flavorless dogs that I didn't notice were sitting in hot water when I walked in, or else I wouldn't have ordered them. Fries were hot and crispy but no seasoning. Sweet tea was delish though so that's a plus. read more

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Harold's is an institute of great food and memories of years past. Today I got an always delicious bologna burger, slaw chili dog , and pimento cheese fries! All were great and I love Harold's b/c it doesn't change. Great service and Harold's takes you back to the good ole days. read more

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Took over 30 minutes to get our food, with our meals being brought 10 minutes apart-- which was nothing but simple sandwiches and fries.... One of them being 2 pieces of toast with pimento cheese spread on it. And that's with a total of 3 customers with 3 employees through out the ordeal.....Steak houses don't even take that long to cook a steak. The large fries looked like a kids portion, and the sandwiches were less than mediocre... we ate about a quarter of our sandwich and brought the remainder of it home to feed to some stray cats. Save yourself a ridiculous amount of time for disappointing food.... Seriously. Just don't. read more

This is a wonderful place for a good meal. Thankful to our local friends for this. Don't know why anyone would downvote it! The food was amazing, *and* I was so hungry that I could have eaten everything on their menu, but I lean vegetarian. So I got mostly the fried veggie options,.Even so, the food is so delicious and, it was very filling. Thank you! read more

What a spot of Americana. This place is awesome. The kind of place that you wish you had near you!! Good diverse menu. Decent prices and nice down home people. This was featured in the very first episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. read more

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Good combo! The price: 9.90 ouch! I had a two hotdog, fries, and drink combo today! My dogs were cooked perfectly! The buns were steamed and were the right temperature! The fries were hot and delicious! Right out of the deep fryer! They were the highlight of my dinner experience! There were only two employees behind the counter but they ran the restaurant. They worked super hard; had great attitudes; took great care of their customers! The wait staff gets 5 stars all day long! But on the negative side of things ; the chili needs some work! I can easily make this same stuff at home. But what I can do at Harold's is take a nostalgic trip back in time! I can relieve my younger days because I've been a customer here ever since I've been big enough to hold a hotdog! Again my thanks to the two employees that I encountered today! You are the ladies that make this place alive and welcoming! I recommend this place! read more

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If you're thinking about it because you see the Guy Fiere signs every where, just don't. I have no idea how this place stays in business. The food is awful and the atmosphere isn't great either. It's very much a dated diner. The people there were nice. That's all I have. read more

First impression? I sat in a booth and the menus at the table were stained. Final impression? I cannot wait to go back!!! 10 wings, extra crispy with potato wedges. I got 2 different flavors and they do charge for additional flavors. Not real happy with that but it is what it is. Server did not know many of the beer selections but that's no big deal. read more

Given the choice between week old road kill and Harold's, I would seriously consider the road kill if only because of the fresh air and less horrific stench from the venue. The first that will hit you at Harold's is the stench of cigarette smoke coming from the connected bar. The service has to be the highlight of this establishment on par with a small town dive, but all the southern hospitality can't save this sinking ship. The burgers, hotdogs, and chicken are on par with the finest high school cafeterias. Everyone liked the side dishes better (though some needed to be a little warmer). I am not sure if the quality has nose dived since they were on DDD (the sign off the interstate has been standing for MANY years by the looks of it), but today it is an embarrassment to Food Network. read more

Great little diner place in downtown. Chili burger was unique and delicious. If I lived closer I'd be going a lot. I look forward to getting it again. read more

Went a while back. Beans were bland. Chicken salad was fair. Service was chaotic, very nice to me and fellow customers, but noticeably and loudly trash talking fellow employees. read more

Lass than Desirable ! We have been to lots of Food Network little dives but this is one that should have been skipped. However the waitress was super nice and very helpful. read more

While driving home from Atlanta I went online to find quirky places along the way that we could stop at to experience something local. We found Harold's on the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives app so we decided to check it out. They make their own chili and use it to make chili burgers. Their 'burgers' consist of two meatballs on a bun covered in chili. The chili is delicious but the meatballs are a little hard and lackluster. I thought a grilled cheese sandwich with their chili on it would be delicious. That's not on their menu but they went ahead and made it for me. It was amazing!! I think they should really add that to the menu. Their menu was surprisingly quite extensive. Check it out! I like the laid back atmosphere of the place. It's very quaint and down-home. Be prepared to wait a little bit because the person that waits on you also must cook and prepare your food, serve you, and ring you up at the register. I didn't know that and was left wondering why I could not get anyone to ring me up while my poor waitress was rushing around the kitchen preparing food. Our waitress was fantastic but I think the other staff could have utilized a team approach and helped her out. read more

Harold's Restaurant - American Near Me - Gaffney, South Carolina

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When I saw Guy Fieri face from up the street I knew that's where I don't would be going for lunch. It a definitely has the diner feel. The staff was super friendly. Omg the hotdog was so good. The chili had like a smoked flavor to it which was different but delightful. I liked the wings. I wish the teriyaki sauce would have been thicker. The lemon pepper wings were a little too salty for my taste. And I loved the dorito taco salad. That was interesting. It was a very enjoyable experience. read more

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Probably like you, I have seen the Harold's sign off I-85 a hundred times and never stopped. Last night was the night, we ventured off the highway, down the 2 miles and on the left was this old, tired and sad establishment. I typically have excellent luck when following the food god, Guy Fieri from DDD. In fact, I follow the many websites and have a few apps on my phone to tell me where the spots DDD has visited. On a Friday night at 7 pm, the place was totally empty. Probably a clue. I looked at the DDD edition on YouTube and it was filmed 11 years ago. The place has not changed in 11 years, the decor, paper signs, counter, everything is the same. In fact, the filth has not changed either. It is interesting that the old show, looked old. The production quality was not that great, it was almost like DDD filmed the episode on an iPhone, compared to now-days DDD, it is terrible. Even Guy looks young and has no tats, LoL. I will have to agree with the majority of Yelp reviews, the place just is not that good. In the DDD episode, you can see paper signs that say "No Booth Service", the same signs still hang, yet the gal at the order counter told us to go ahead and sit, she can take the order..........Their world famous chili is mediocre and nothing special. Of course I had to order the chili cheeseburger and chili hot dog. These rolls were right off the Sysco truck. The hamburger meatball was a golf ball size of hamburger lacking flavor. The Nacho Cheese sauce was dispensed from the cheese dispensers that you see in gas stations, pump and all. The crinkle cut fries are straight from Sysco truck, to the fryer to my plate. Honestly, I can make a better meal from Cosco with Cosco meat and buns, Hornel, Velvetta and Oscar Meyer dogs. If you have read this far, read on, adventure lurks. The men's bathroom takes you on a journey in time, to what is surely Gaffney's number one nite club, Harolds Game Room. The sexy scent of robust nicotine is very alluring, I looked into the bar, through the smoke and darkness to see three or four patrons bellying up to what looked like a bar. The music was rocking with the Thong Song and on what I thought was the dance floor, was a man in a motorized wheel chair dancing with a very large women dressed in daisy ducks - good for them, getting down on a Friday night :-). I cannot make this up. PS - the vibe coming from the ball is locals only, stay out, go away. I got some dirty, unfriendly looks. LoL. Good times. read more

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Saw the billboard on the highway (going south on I-85. I love trying every restaurant that Guy Fieri has been to (from Food Network's Diners, Drive-One & Dives). According to the waitress, he was here for a couple days back in 2007. I had the chili with cheese & sour cream, with a piece of corn bread. Very fresh and meaty. Perfect combination when mixed together. Then I had the Grilled Bacon & Cheese sandwich. It was very greasy and salty. Could only part of the first half. I would strongly suggest you stay away from the bacon here. When I was finished eating, I went to use the restroom which actually belongs to the BAR next door (they have a connecting area back of restaurant). Anyways, it was totally disgusting that I did not use. Plus the BAR was very smoky I wanted to gag. I was going to give this restaurant 4 stars however they lost a couple by the very salty bacon and restroom. read more

Harold's Restaurant - American Near Me - Gaffney, South Carolina

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Great little place to step back in time and enjoy the food. The staff is great. I really enjoyed visiting.

Just like others, we saw the billboard on the highway on the way from NC to Atlanta, Georgia. We had the fried mushrooms, chicken club sandwich, and wings with house sauce. I liked it all and hubby enjoyed the wings. It's small and with old vibes, but food and service was great!! Bonus: the brownie is crumbly, tasteful, chocolatey, a must try!! read more

Weird smell to the place, unsure what it could be. Floors walls and ceiling all need to be scrubbed to be uo to food standards. I worked in food, but the staff were nice. They won't take orders at tables although there's very many employees that could. Seems to be more unhapppy customers about the wait. Seems pretty simple to have hot dogs. But I think it's the lack of management tasking employees to succeed. Sweet tea is sugar water, no tea. read more

Sought this place out, after reading various reviews - think it was even on TV - how bad can a restaurant in a town that has a tower topped by a giant peach out on the Interstate. Supposedly sells their "home made" chili by the gallon. If it is home made, it is from a broken home. This is the worst hot dog place I've been in since Bill's in little Washington. Having eaten in my share of holes-in-the-wall, I was not deterred by the exterior, actually encouraged remembering adventures of the past - my second mistake of this food hunt - the first of course was starting it to begin with. We arrived early, expecting there would be a crowd at noon in such a popular and well advertised place. There were already a few folks there - four locals bellied up to the bar (2 men, 2 women - this is balance), drinking beer, into which several pour salt, while smoking - they did seem to have most of their teeth, in the front at least. As a precaution, we ordered the hot dogs (yes, we ordered several - mistake #3) to go. This is something I'll do when my food instincts tell me all may not be right here. It took a little while to get our dogs - apparently avoiding stress by refusing to rush around is big here - the 4 at the bar had already ordered another round - it was 11:15AM. We left with our brown sack of dogs, feeling apprehensive, yet strangely excited on several different levels. Back in the car, the first bite was mind numbing - we had found the world's worst Southern chili dog - it was not Southern, nor chili, nor a hot dog. Luckily we had parked near a street side trash can, and I quickly dumped the remains there - this way no animals would be lost by feasting on the leftovers. Not all food adventures end well, but all are interesting. read more

Everyone on Yelp tends to sound a little disappointed about this place. They sounded so disappointed that, although I was driving through Gaffney, I thought I would give it a miss. I'm glad I didn't, because it was a rare experience. Rare, for one reason, because I was the only customer 1130am on a Friday (so, no cigarette smoke). Rare also, because when I sat at the corner and ordered a dog, she handed it to me in a brown paper bag, so instead of eating at the counter, I took the hint, and took the bag and left, though she was really nice about putting the chili in a cup on the side (see pix of the dog outside and with the rental car). Rare, also, because the interior is one of a kind - - absolutely amazing diner fixtures - - incredible to behold (before leaving with the brown paper bag). The chili IS bland and a touch watery, but it might actually be homemade (not from a can as others have suggested)- - it has a lot of ground beef, but on a very innocuous base The dog and bacon were fun, the cheese was not technically cheese, from my perspective. It was, instead, industrial goo. Overall, this is a real curiosity - - the food is probably nothing anybody should travel more than a mile out of their way to seek out. The atmosphere, decorations, and fixtures ARE, however - - a totally unique and cool looking place. The staff there are scary. Inscrutably, frightningly, scary (people kept yelling out of the kitchen or walking in and saying inscrutable things). Surly, insensitive, self-absorbed. This place clocks in 9 out of 10 on the weird-o-meter. There is something strange going on here, for better or worse. 4 out of 5 stars. read more

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A-OK is the best I can come up with. Given that it was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives AND is in Gaffney, SC, it was pretty much one would expect. Not very clean. What surprised me was there is a bar side connected to the restaurant and reeks of smoke. I had to go to that side as that is where the men's room is located. The service was very good - from my waitress only. She took my order, delivered my order, brought me 1 water refill and was nice as could be. When I went to the counter to ask for a refill and some mustard, the woman didn't smile nor did she really say too much... and the place was pretty empty so not like she was busy. When I left, I gave the 2 women near the door a "see y'all later" and neither said anything to me. I splurged and ate very bad.... 2 chili dogs and fries. But, I did drink water! The dogs were pretty good. The chili was a touch too sweet for my tastes. The fries are the crinkle cut kind and were pretty good but not fresh cut. Tip - they charge 79 cents for credit card use. On a $6 lunch that's a 13% surcharge. A little over top wouldn't you agree? I can say I now tried the place with the big billboard on 85 with Guy Fieri's face on it. I won't go back - not because of any issue just doesn't have that 5 star pull. read more

To all the people wondering how this place managed to get on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives: Locals. That's all I can say, really. This place is just one of those places that was a hit back in the day. A lot of locals over glorify it because it's always been there and it used to be good(?). Not to mention every local has been at least once. It's on the street the parade is held on, so afterwards a lot of people go to it and it's almost sort of a traditional thing for most. Still, watch the episode it was featured on, on YouTube. It's a treat. Now, on to my review. Who knows? Back in the 'good ol' days' before these 'damn millennials' changed the idea of good food, this place might have been good. Hell, I remember chowin' down on those egg salad sandwiches like crazy as a kid. But then again, I'd eat just about anything back then. These days, though, this place just isn't up to par. Snooty waitresses that are practically the embodiment of Gaffney, greasy surfaces, and food that doesn't hold up compared to typical gas station food. The 'world famous' chili is watery and bland and makes the cheap buns they serve their so called burger on a soggy mess. Fries are mediocre, as are their hot dogs that are just boiled dogs bought from Wal-Mart. Their wings are decent, but hell, so are a lot of other place's. In short, there's absolutely nothing spectacular about this place, except for maybe how it's still in business. The older locals come because it reminds em of the good ol' days, and soccer moms bring their kids to get a taste of that gritty 'redneck' lifestyle they supposedly experienced from their posh, 'southern' lifestyle. In short, from the mouth of a local, save yourself a visit. Steer clear of this place. read more

We saw the Bill board on 85 and decided to check it out. History shows it was started in 1932. Inside is dated but the food was fantastic. Onion rings were perfect ! We both had hot dogs and they will put whatever you want on them also. read more

Since my last visit the place has cleaned up a little, the seats and barstools have been recently covered and inside seemed a little cleaner and the waitresses was a lot friendlier. read more

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Stopped by on our way to Georgia. Let me tell you I'm not a big fan of chili but decided to order there chili dog. It was amazing. There onion rings were so good and staff was so nice. Would highly recommend trying it. read more

Harold's appears on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives...but the food is just not very good. The flavor is not there. The quality is not there. Our family members just wouldn't recommend it. We've had worse, but this isn't a great place to eat. read more

Excellent Ice Tea!!!!! That's about the only good thing I can say about this place. Famous Hotdog was bland. Service came with attitude and a surprise upcharge was added to the check when I used my debit card. read more

Saw the billboard with DDD's Guy F. so figured we'd try it. DON'T!! We got the "world famous" chili burger and same named hot dog. Awful doesn't describe it. Had a small, hard meatball in the middle of a bunch with watery chili sauce that was cold. Only flavor was the mustard. I spent a good part of my evening getting sick. Fries were good but frozen crinkle cut are available at better places. It is a dive in old town, dead town Spartanburg and so not worth the drive off the interstate. read more

Luckily we got re-routed off I-85 because of accidents/traffic. Found this gem from Diners, Drive-in's & Dives. Ordered the famous Chili Burger and was not disappointed (ended up ordering ANOTHER one). We also double ordered the chili, cheese & bacon dog. Service was outstanding - super helpful with menu questions and suggestions. Thank you Sara. Price was super reasonable also. Will definitely hit this spot again when we are in the area. read more

Nicole the waitress is the bomb. This dive has great chili and the service is like your auntie' s house. I'm not a cornbread fan but this one works well with the chili. Please try the pinto beans on Wednesday for the all you can eat and don't forget the fatback. read more

Harold's Restaurant - Bacon Chili Dog Chili Burger - American Near Me - Gaffney, South Carolina

I was drawn by the promos that Harolds had been featured on DDD w/Guy Fieri. Just goes to prove that the fact that Harolds was on TV does NOT mean that it serves good food. It IS a Diner, it IS a Dive...both of which are good things to me. I love a home town, diner with a big taste of something delicious...this ain't it... The "Chili Burger" was a sloppy joe lite. A bun w/a bit of mustard, a bit of onion and a dollop of their world famous "home-Made" chili. This chili appeared to be ground beef and canned tomato sauce. A Manwich Sandwich at my house would have been better. I also got a hot dog with chili cheese and bacon. Not impressive, Atlanta's Varsity or Alabama's Sneaky Pete's are WAAAAYYY ahead. I am glad I found Harolds and tried it out. Part of the adventure is that there are good, bad and ugly...this one is just bad. read more

My suggestion would be, go to a store buy something in a corrugated box cut a 6 inch square put Hunts ketchup on on side, fold square in half and consume. I just saved you wasting ya money on this,.......thing. I admit it's a Dive, I love dives but it has to have something of taste and substance to the food, this did not. read more

If you are expecting a ok hot dog you will be highly disappointed for not even getting an ok hot dog. DO NOT GO HERE . You have been warned. FYI it's very smelly food and a messy resturant & the bar stinks like cigarets but our waitress was very We are very disappointed in the food read more

One of my favorite places to go to when I go back home. It's a hole in the wall but it is to die for. read more

Harold's Restaurant - American Near Me - Gaffney, South Carolina

While passing through we decided to stop for a bite to eat. It was as I expected and assumed which is extreme hangover cure meets ball field food. After getting about half way through our food a little friend decided to stop by. I named him Guy the cockroach. I'm not sure why this establishment was featured on the food network in general as there isn't anything spectacular to it. Needless to say I won't be returning. (Photo of cockroach and menu at booth posted) the staff however, was very sweet. I just wish their working conditions were better. read more

Harold's Restaurant - Our third wheel. Guy, the cockroach. - American Near Me - Gaffney, South Carolina

We went here because I saw it on Food Network. The food was cheap (in quality also). On the wall they had a magazine page from the review of Food Network where the man said it was hysterical. I guess that was a compliment to them. My chili burger was meat sauce with a meatball in it. My boyfriend got a sauerkraut dog. You could tell the hotdog was sitting in the heater the whole day and the sauerkraut came from a can. The server was very short with her words and when she brought us our drinks she set a can down and a styrofoam cup. We had to pour the drink ourselves. The place was OLD. The furniture looked like it'd been there since WWll. Wouldn't go there again. You can only pay with a credit card if the order is over $20 if I remember correctly. read more