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    Jones Lunch

    4.5 (89 reviews)
    InexpensiveBurgers, Hot Dogs
    Closed 6:30 am - 2:00 pm

    Jones Lunch Photos

    Business Info

    JONES LUNCH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Jones Lunch

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    Reviews With Photos

    Jeff F.

    I appreciate places like this that are basically holes in the wall but still managed to bring in a lot of customers. That said, I don't really understand the hype of this place. It's your basic hamburger and hotdog spot, I ordered a double cheeseburger with chili and slaw and a small french fry. The cheeseburger was okay, but all the flavor came from the chili and slaw, that Hamburg patties did not have any flavor at all. Price were okay but how hard is it to dump a bag of crinkle cut fries and a fryer? Overall I think it's a once and done type place, I really don't see any reason to go back.

    Egg breakfast
    Lenora S.

    Good, just not great. Breakfast review. As always, I grade like with like. A similar diner, local, with similar food. The locals are going to disagree. This is a third place. Many tables were getting up to talk to other tables. My friends over medium eggs and my soft scrambled were cooked correctly. The hot cake was wonderful. Skip the home fries and the cheese omelet. Home fries are some frozen brand with zero seasoning. Cheese omelet had zero lift. Reminded me of chow hall food in the Army. Order a hot dog with chili. Chili is a passible hot dog chili. Enough interesting notes to keep you guessing what's in it. Hot dog bun was almost wet from what ever steam or from the hot dog itself. All drinks are served in to go cups. Hot chocolate was served "not stirred." Again. Friendly place. Come in. Take a seat. I'd have to try lunch to see if the food improves.

    Buretta L.

    A must-try for hot dog lovers! Well-balanced flavors, fresh ingredients. A little pricey but worth it. Will return for sure!

    David M.

    Walking into the Jones cafe gives you the feeling that you are Mart McFly and you are Back to the Future. This is your old time dinner from start to finish. The food is served in paper baskets and on wax paper. The services are family friendly and outstanding. I got a burger and onion rings and my wife got a BLT and fries. Everything was cooked just right. Drinks were refilled and to go cups were offered. The place just had a total feeling of home town. If you are looking for a lunch spot Jones cafe will take good care of you.

    Exterior
    John C.

    Visited Jones Lunch on the recommendation of a friend and after seeing it featured in Our State magazine for their tasty hot dogs. I reviewed the menu, placed an order at the counter, and stood near the back until my order was ready. The woman who took my order was extremely kind and called me "baby" probably 20 times. Bless good southern hospitality. My order was ready quickly: 2 hot dogs with chili, mustard, and slaw and an order of onion rings. You can order beef dogs but if you don't specify, you'll get good ole Carolina red dogs. The chili is tasty and has lots of flavor. It has a similar texture to the finely chopped slaw so they blend together well. Add the tang of the mustard and you've got a great dog. Onion rings were good too. I would have loved a dipping sauce but the ketchup was left out of the bag. No worries. I took my order to go and enjoyed my meal in the park just down the street. Thanks for a great experience Jones Lunch!

    Menu
    Scott H.

    I came here with a party of three, which eventually became a party of 5. This was during the Clayton Harvest Festival and the place was hopping. Initially we were party of 3 and got our drinks and placed our food orders. 2 more showed up and quickly place their drink and food orders. We had placed about 10 minutes before the other two showed up and we were surprised to see that the latecomers got their food ahead of us. Clearly we had been forgotten in some way. Eventually I got my sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich which was just okay for me. The fries were a tad undercooked and sort of soggy. I CAN say that the prices are fantastic and our waitress was attentive and acted quickly when she figured out we hadn't gotten our food yet, so I agree with other reviewers on that part, but the food is pretty basic and maybe my experience was a result of the Harvest crowd. All in all, there are better options nearby (Eggs Up Grill), but I may come back to Jones for lunch or when the kitchen is less busy.

    Hotdog French Fries with Cheese with a sweet tea
    Lexy C.

    Great food and great service! :) It gets a little crowded around lunch time so make sure to plan around that.

    Bridget B.

    What a slice of nostalgia! Loved this place and wouldn't have found it without yelp. This is a wonderful old school diner. All about straightforward breakfast and lunch offerings prepared fast and skillfully. We had 2 hamburgers, a bacon cheese burger & a red hot sandwich (slight spicy Carolina pork sausage on Texas toast/mine had slaw and chili on it), fries, onion rings and sweet potato fries all for under $21 dollars. What a great value! Hands down the Best sweet potato fries I've ever had and the onion rings were up there. Crispy and not at all greasy. Fried food heaven! As a huge bonus, all the patrons were so friendly to my 18 month old nephew & 5 year old niece. And Monica aka "Mo" our server was very friendly, helpful & efficient. And no she didn't pay me to say that;)

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    4 months ago

    Great food, very much enjoyed the lunch. The server, Hannah did an amazing job and I will definitely be back.

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Delicious. Cheap. Great service. Ambiance is okay. Ultimately a great lunch spot! I doubted this place, but I will not anymore!

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    11 months ago

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    3 years ago

    Amazing hotdogs at great prices! The onion rings and sweet potato fries were decent as well. Will head here anytime I'm craving a dog!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food and prices. It's a busy diner but the servers were attentive and friendly.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    To start they have great prices and it is great soda shop food! It's such a cute spot in downtown Clayton!

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    2 years ago

    Great service and the best hot dogs and fries! We go frequently and recommend them to lots of people.

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    3 years ago

    Great food and friendly service! This is a nice hangout for a quick bite and to get to know the locals.

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    3 years ago

    One of our all time favorites. Good food great owners and staff. Please take the time to grab breakfast or lunch

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    The Cardinal Bar

    The Cardinal Bar

    3.4(19 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I've been to this place over a dozen times over the years. Sometimes just for drinks and other…read moretimes for hot dogs and drinks. Brought many family members here when they are in town. My latest experience (a few months ago) will be my last. The service here just ruins the experience. We've had issues here with poor service many times but I've always let it slide. Workers are consistently not friendly and just seem disinterested in their customers and their jobs. Went in with my 2 sons for hot dogs and beers like I've done many times before. We fill out our hot dog orders and stand at the bar a good 10 minutes as the 2 people behind the bar completely ignore us. They were not super busy- just a few bar patrons and two couples sitting at a table drinking. No one came to take our hot dog tickets, or drink order. The one bartender (female) clocked out and bolted after 5-6 minutes. The other bartender (male) never came to our end of the bar like we were invisible. They both saw us, they both knew we had been standing there for quite a while, they just didn't care. I think neither of them wanted to cook hot dogs. We decided to just leave and go elsewhere. I didn't make the decision to leave lightly. I waited longer than I should have and even asked my youngest son what his thoughts were (he is as calm, patient, and level-headed as they come so I deferred to him). He said we should leave since they obviously didn't need our business. Why can't this place just have a dedicated person to cook and do odds and ends and not share the cooking duty with the bartender who often times has no interest in doing so? Such a bummer since this is a cool place with good vibes but they hire the worst employees. Here's a novel idea for the owner- offer just a little better pay to attract some better workers and I'll bet that would increase your business and more than offset the increased costs. But Nope! Owners just never get it and insist on cutting costs at the expense of losing customers due to bad experiences. Done with this place.

    Very disappointed- after getting charged $35 for One beer and 2 hotdogs. I certainly didn't leave…read more that kind of outrageous tip and reached out to Cardinal to correct and they have refused as of today. 8/21/25 I've been to this and several of their other locations and won't be back. Watch your credit card for them and fraudulent charges.

    Photos
    The Cardinal Bar - The bar!

    The bar!

    The Cardinal Bar - My hotdog.... Round 2. Who doesn't want 3 hotdogs and 3 tacos from next door??

    My hotdog.... Round 2. Who doesn't want 3 hotdogs and 3 tacos from next door??

    The Cardinal Bar - That dog is almost done.

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    That dog is almost done.

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - Two hot dogs with mustard. Glass Bottled Sodas. Chili and slaw on the side.

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners

    4.2(184 reviews)
    13.9 mi
    $

    I have always wanted to try The Roast. I had my opportunity today. Very nice waitress. Really tight…read morequarters and lots of trinkets on the shelves near the cook area. The hot dog nor the chili were for me. My dog had an almost burnt flavor and the chili had an overly liquidity density without a lot of flavor. I loved the glass bottle cokes. Very reasonably priced but remember it is cash only. Cheers to the longevity and history of this place. It just wasn't for me.

    This place has been in the hot dog business since 1940 when Greek immigrants open the small…read morerestaurant. There are about 12 or 13 seats in this spot, and while the building is over 100 years old, it seems fairly well maintained. Parking here can be a real issue. The grill is currently operated by George Poniros, grandson of the folks who originally opened the grill. The building is owned by George's uncle. This is a very non-eclectic operation, narrow menu and simple processes. They offer hot dogs with house made chili, tough chopped slaw (rather dry), onions, and mustard - as a long standing rule, they do not offer ketchup, ever! They closed for about a year during Covid, began a Go Fund Me campaign, resulting in some family tension. They are still open and serving hot dogs, just be aware that the opening hours are closer to an estimate than a fact! These are pretty good hot dogs, made so by the chili and soft buns. I do not consider the hot dogs here to be the best in the Triangle area.

    Photos
    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - Incredible inside

    Incredible inside

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - 2 mustard, chili, & onions

    2 mustard, chili, & onions

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - Coke in the bottle, cool

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    Coke in the bottle, cool

    Jones Lunch - burgers - Updated May 2026

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