The Mecca Restaurant

First time here. Was greeted by friendly waitress immediately. She definitely made us feel welcome, and even assisted with suggestions for dinner. Although they were out of a few things (chili, tomatoe soup, and all deserts) we were still impressed with our meal.
Ambiance: old-​school, relaxed, dimly lit,
Customer service: Great! Friendly, attentive staff (love that)
Food: Great. The food was fresh, and «real» in the sense it didn’t seemed like the standard processed junk you get when getting late night meals. We were impressed, and will return!

I go by this place all the time, but had never tried it. Thought I would give it a shot. The old fashioned booths and a old fashioned cash register, along with some figurines let you know you have walked into a place that has stood the test of time. Was told by a member of the staff it’s the longest running Family owned and operated restaurant in the state. They are on their fourth generation. The food was great, including a delicious cobbler and the prices were reasonable. And the wait staff was very cool.

My meal was terrible. Overdone dry fried trout. Greasy fries. People are really overrating this place. Very disappointed. Chick Filet is ten times better.

Oldest family owned resteraunt in Raliegh. The biscuit and gravy were amazing and corned beef hash was so tasty. Waitress was funny and sweet. Was a wonderful experience

Wonderful friendly diner. A definite for breakfast or brunch downtown.
Had a half order of biscuits and gravy with eggs on the side. The homemade biscuits are worth a try!
The gravy is how one would expect a Southern sausage gravy. A hint of crushed red pepper on top was just right.
The décor while old is relaxing.
Fast service and wonderful staff. Super friendly, attentive, and fast service.

I wanted to find a Diner in downtown Raleigh since I was there on a short day trip around noon. I saw one other comment mention «Ron Swanson» would like it, so I thought okay!
Well I’m not sure that’s right, and I don’t think this is even a Diner but all, but in sum I did like it!
Hilariously the back of the cheque says it’s «Raleigh’s Newest and Most Modern Eating Place», an ode to the slogan in 1930.
Nowadays it is an astonishingly old fashioned and even backward restaurant. The food is basically just meat or meat sandwiches and not even ones you’d expect. But I had the ribeye sandwich and it was spectacular! (got some fixins on it too)
You get the right amount of meat for the price (about eight bucks, so it’s not much meat but a good sammich).
There’s something about the bread roll that drives me wild. It is beautiful.
Fries were okay. Iced Tea was in an absurdly small glass (maybe 10oz?) But my waitress was very attentive on refills.
It is dark and wood-​y like an old steak house in there. And at the back you can’t get any cell phone signal at all!
The clientele at about 1PM on a monday seemed like mostly white businessmen about 50 yrs old. Sometimes groups, sometimes black men. Always men though.
What a place. I can’t wait to go back.

Fish and chips had literally 6 tiny pieces of scallops and everything else was fries. And coleslaw. Not at all worth 13+taxes+gratuity. Was not even a tad bit filling. Considering a single dollar sign price range on Unilocal,the pricing makes no sense. I’d suggest replacing expensive scallops with a cheaper and larger portion of fish!
Average fries and average coleslaw and ok scallops. I did not try anything else but it’s most definitely an overrated place.

The Mecca… Ron Swanson approved.
I have been going to the Mecca ever since I can remember, The Mecca never disappoints, consistency is on point. Food has always been good… breakfast, lunch and now dinner. (back in the day they closed at 5 and on weekends) Growing up in Mordecai we had the Mecca and Krispy Kreme minutes away. It was glorious! Every time I pass through my home town, I make sure to stop in.

This was the second time I had been to the Mecca restaurant. The first time the service was really bad and it took forever to get the check but I thought this time that I would give it another chance. We sat down and it took forever for the lady to even take our drink orders or our food orders. We finally receive our food and then all of a sudden we realize that there was a cockroach on the table. We are really unsure whether not it came from the food or if it was in one of the silverware wraps we showed it to the waitress and all she did was just take it off of the table with a rag with no apology no compensation for our meal. Terrible service, subpar food, will never go back.

Unilocal has gotten it right on this one. This is a great place to experience the Raleigh of yesteryear.
The food is awesome and classic Southern home cooking. The staff is always friendly, and after becoming somewhat of a regular at this place, I feel like part of the family even though I’m on the quieter side and don’t talk often when I’m in there.
Besides the food it’s the atmosphere that makes this place what it is: a good olé’ fashioned Southern dive.

FIRST AND FOREMOST: YASSSS TO THE SOUTHERN STYLE FRIED CHICKEN YASSSSSS! It was so good every time our waitress walked by I let her know just how good all of my food was. The drinks were yummy too, I got a Mai Tai and wound up with another because it was so good. I appreciated that our bartender/​waitress made it pretty just like I asked. The cook came out to check on us and overall we will be back, the service was great, the food and drinks were delicious and the people were really welcoming and nice

I really like Mecca, especially the idea of it being Raleigh’s oldest restaurant and the charm that comes from keeping so much of the original place.
The service is courteous and sincere. They care about their customers.
The food is good, not an outstanding taste experience, but good food and recipes that have endured. I enjoy going to Mecca and definitely recommend it.

Great homemade food at a reasonable price.
Fried chicken. Rice and gravy. Squash casserole. Turnip greens. All 4 were great! There were several other things on the menu that looked good as well. I don’t think my sweet tea was ever less than three quarters full thanks to the constant refills.
I will definitely go back anytime I’m in downtown Raleigh.

Horrible Experience!
My family visited the restaurant, for the 1^st time this past Saturday.
The hostess was rude and not helpful at all.
Our waitress was slow and not willing go over the menu. The place was not busy, our food service was slow. Asking for refills and napkins was a chore.
The food was decent for the $$.
Based on the customer service, we will NEVER go back!

The family-​run Mecca Restaurant has been at 13 E. Martin since 1937, and in downtown Raleigh since 1930. In the 50s, the upstairs opened. In 2009, the late night menu was added, which introduced many more people — including me — to the historic diner.
As a tall guy, I struggle with the legroom at the bar, booths, and the low ceiling by the stairs. But, it’s hard to recommend any changes. This is the only old school restaurant of its kind in the middle of downtown. If you want to go on a downtown Raleigh old school tour, the only other stops are The Roast Grill (1940), Char-​Grill (1959), and Finch’s (1945).
The star of Mecca’s menu is their jumbo hamburger, which is served on a fantastic sesame seed bun — perhaps the best bun at any burger joint downtown. It’s a classic burger, and definitely has a spot in my top 5 Triangle area burgers. You get a handful of fries with the burger, a small portion by today’s standards. But, I don’t think that much has changed since it was first served in 1958. They probably use the same plates too!
Beyond the burgers, there’s a full selection of sandwiches. Eastern NC BBQ is also popular here, and it’s slow-​cooked in-​house.

A great place to experience «Raleigh of Old», have a great burger and a cold beer. From my first visit here a few years ago I’ve loved having a cold beer at the bar or bugler sitting in one of the booths. It feels incredible here. They say they opened in 1930, and hanging out here you can feel the years.
As for the food, I love the burgers being cooked on a flat top, there’s no better burger with lettuce and tomato. The spaghetti a nice hardy meat sauce with delicious spaghetti noddles, but was not impressed with the clam chowder as it was just too watery for me.
I’ll be back to try more dishes soon.

I have seen this neon lit establishment for decades but never went inside. Over the weekend I finally stopped in to have breakfast. All I can say is if the other meals are as good as the home cooked breakfast I had, then I will be a regular customer. Everything was wonderful. The wait staff are on the ball. The portions are just enough served hot and fresh from the kitchen. Clearly this food is made with some love.
Sure the place is a bit dated looking but do not be fooled by the older décor. The food will be awesome — at least from our experience. The price is very reasonable. Parking may be a challenge but plenty of public parking options locally. I definitely will be back!

I eat at Mecca a few times a month because it’s locally owned, good, and close to my work. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to go there– it’s really just a diner, but they have a pretty killer BLT and the servers are really nice. I usually sit at the bar and in the summer it is cooooold in that spot. The AC blows straight down.

One of, if not the oldest, surviving restaurant in Raleigh still does classic southern food right. I’m ashamed to say that I have lived here a decade and this was my first visit, but, I made it!
My husband and I stopped in for lunch on Saturday right around 11AM. It’s a small place tucked on Martin St that has so much character and charm. I ordered chicken salad, macaroni salad, and cantaloupe. My husband had a cheeseburger and fires. Both were all great classics. I will say the macaroni salad is on the mustard side (in case you aren’t expecting it).
The service was on point. I’m pretty sure the owner and his wife were in there working. Personally, I think that tells a lot about a place… mainly, they care.
While I would love to make it down during the week, we look forward to another weekend stop in the future.

So this place may not be super fancy but they do offer reasonably priced drinks and menu times. It is in a good location and in my opinion, worth a stop during a night of bar hopping. The service is fast and good.

Gutbuergerlich auf Amerikanisch?
Eine sogenannte «Greasy spoon»… d.H. einfaches Essen, nicht teuer, in eine uralte Restaurant (fuer Amerikanische Verhaeltnisse alt). Alles sieht aus wie 1948 ohne Kitschig zu sein. Southern Food und auch Burgers… nichts «feines», nette Ambiance, nette Bedienung, sehr gutes Musik, eine gewisse je né sais quoi. Der weinglass wird ordentlich gefuellt fuer 5 – 6 dollar in Vergleich zu anderen die 8 dollar verlangen fuer 0.15l oder so.