Luther’s Catering & Beyond

I’m sad this place closed, but it’s been re-​invented as Sam’s Grill, with a lot of the same items and the same great prices and southern friendliness, so yay. I’ll miss the Luther’s ladies, though.

This is as plain and simple as it gets — a tiny, 2 person, walkup window joint that serves a pretty good hot dog — pretty good, not knock you to your knees in the gravel parking lot great — and a very average cheeseburger. There are a couple of small (very small) tables on the porch-​like area in front of the ordering window, and that is all the seating.
The chili dog is nice — red wiener with meaty, relatively thick chili with nice taste. The onions were freshly cut, the bun neither steamed, nor toasted. All in all, a nice Southern chili dog — goes for $ 1.89, 2 for $ 3.75, not the cheapestest in the area, but still a good, solid dog.
Cheeseburger just had very little taste, and what taste there was slightly off, and goes for $ 3.89. Nice order of fries for $ 2. The biscuit here is not to my liking — not at all crusty on the outside, dense and doughy on the inside. The accompanying sausage patty was less than full of flavor, and could have been composed of any number of materials — I’d pass.
Lady at the window is quick and friendly, speed of orders out of the kitchen is fairly slow. I’d stop in for the dog and fries, but I’d probably pass on the rest.

I’ve seen this little stand for years, and finally, I stopped by on Saturday. I ordered two hot dogs the way I like ‘em: mustard, slaw, chili, and onions. I found them to be quite good. I do like a steamed bun, and these weren’t. I thought the service, though friendly, was a little slow.

Neat little «shack» between Broad and Ninth St. The menu is limited to items like biscuits in the morning, hamburgers/​hotdogs/​light sandwiches at lunch.
Tried their cheeseburger and fries. Fries were great, most likely double fried?, very crispy and for $ 2 the quantity was great. Cheeseburger was a slightly different story, the bun, lettuce, tomato were all fresh but the burger was perfectly shaped (frozen patty) and tasted almost hammy (like a burger you would get at a cafeteria in school). It had just about the right consistency and mix (meat/​fat), but it just wasn’t a stellar burger. Would have loved to try their fried chicken sandwich which they couldn’t make (no longer on the menu). For the combo (cheeseburger, fries) with a soda it was just under $ 8. Not bad all in.
There are limited seats available, which is nice just to enjoy your meal conveniently. However, it’s also conveniently near the trashcan and subsequently lots of lots of flies.
Again, it’s a neat place and there looks to be a husband and wife running the show. Definitely give them a shot if you’re looking for breakfast/​lunch on the go. Next time I want to give their biscuits a try!

Well, hello little shack full of Southern goodness! It couldn’t be simpler — a little old house, where you order outside from the posted sign/​menu and park it at one of their two porch picnic tables while your food gets grilled up fresh.
In addition to dogs, burgers, pimento sandwiches, and some other items, there are biscuits all day; so of course I had to get one with sausage, egg and cheese. I also went in for a side of hushpuppies for good measure. The whole deal cost me less than $ 5, and my doggie bag was ready in about five minutes. I carried it home and unwrapped my biscuit. Some grease spots were pooling on the paper, and melted cheese was oozing on it too — this is not meant to be a negative, as we all know that the best biscuits are made with love and butter! I bit down and savored; the patty was thick and spicy and the biscuit was light and delicious. The hushpuppies weren’t as big a winner with me – I found them over-​buttered and too salty, and prefer the sweeter more cake-​like ones that you can get at several bbq places around here. But for biscuits, Luther’s definitely just became my new Sunrise!

Being the hot dog snob that I am I went by Luther’s the other day.
I have had hot dogs all over durham and anywhere I travel.
Most places can’t spell hot dog much less serve a good dog.
My idea of a good dog is mustard, slaw and chili (In that order) with steamed bun and wrapped in paper.
Some places put the slaw on top which is a major no-​no.
Chili goes on top.
That said the gold standard for hot dogs in Durham is Wimpy’s.
There «were» no close seconds. Doyle Cates, Dog House and Pascha’ls tied for third. The «New» King’s Sandwich shop is not on the same page or same book as these others. To walk in the shoes of the «Old» King’s SS (The Old Gold standard of dogs) they have some serious work to do.
I tried them. Nuff said.
Well I pulled into Luther’s expecting some of the old
third place fare. I was surprised. It was pretty good. The dog was hot
and the bun was steamed. The taste was good. Though Wimpy’s tastes better (only slightly) I am going to have to rate Luther’s right there beside Wimpy’s for the best dog in Durham. Why? Because Luther’s came out
better prepared and Wimpy’s needs to bring up the temp of their dog and bun. And be consistent. Larry (Wimpy’s) it looks like there is a new sheriff
in town and he is «coming heavy» for your title of Best Dog in Town. Bring the dog temps up and steam the bun or there will really be a new sheriff
in town named Luther.

Went to Luthers today to get lunch, not just the usual snack of lemonade and fries. I got a cheeseburger and tater tots… I LOVE tater tots, so I was glad that they served them. The cheeseburger was very decent, much better than the fast food chain alternatives. They are open until 3 most days and closed on sundays. I will have to go back and try their biscuits next time!

Luther’s does solid, not mind-​blowing biscuits and southern fair. Their grilled pimento cheese sandwich is ton die for, the pimento cheese, available in mild or hot is homemade, and very crave-​able. The owners, a husband and wife team, are very sweet, and always make us feel super welcome. I love the porch walk up set up, and the little mismatched tables and chairs that overlook a pretty little part of Ellerby Creek. It is a walk up food stand sort of place, and the outdoor seating is just 3 little tables. They operate under old school diner hours, Monday through Saturday. I’m not sure what time they open, but they close between 2 and 3 every day. We used their catering service last summer for our summer party. Everything was delicious, and excellently executed. My fiancé and I actually got to spend time with our guests and enjoy our own party!
The only reason that I can’t bring myself to give them 5 stars is they only have canned beverages, and no recycling facilities.

Their BBQ is delicious, and they make their own sauce, which you can buy in several different varieties.
The cool thing about this little place is that Luther makes your food when you order it. It’s always fresh and always tasty, and he’ll usually accommodate unusual requests. (My friend always gets a hamburger with an egg on top, and loves it.)
I love the fried chicken sandwich. Put lettuce, tomato, and pickles on it, and it’s crispier, fresher, and less greasy than Chick-​Fil-​A.

When I used to get my hair cut across the street at Redz (now the Funky Monkey), I would inevitably schedule myself for a cut at an awkward time of the day that demanded I run out without lunch. Luckily for me, Luther’s was right there with their cheap little hot dogs ready for consumption while I waited.
I was actually surprised to find out that they also served barbeque, and good Q, at that. The sauce is the good ol’ Eastern Carolina vinegar and peppers mixture that makes me reluctant to leave the area, and the pork is slow cooked (the building is much bigger than it looks when you’re on the front stoop of the shack-​looking building ordering up your food) and juicy. Good times.
The place doesn’t look like much, and offers almost nothing in the way of seating (there is a bench on the porch… you don’t go inside), so prepare to take the food with you. Even if it’s to get your hair cut.