Meat & Bite Food Exchange
“Meat & Bite embodies the spirit of what it means to be a neighborhood staple.”
As a food journalist, my pleasure often comes from making plans to visit and experience new food places. I’ve had the privilege of tasting food from Michelin starred chefs across several countries on my journey to find amazing dishes to taste, enjoy, and write about. While those reservations and fancy dinners are well-appreciated, I’ve found that nothing can quite compare to finding hidden gems in what often appears to be the most unassuming storefronts. With an incredibly friendly staff and a humble owner, Meat & Bite Food Exchange in Raleigh, NC epitomizes all the aspects of what I love the most about community eateries.
To quote Snoopy from the cartoon Peanuts, “It was a dark and stormy night” as I drove out in the pouring rain, a peckish medical student looking for a bite to eat. It was quite late - nearing 11 pm - as I googled nearby stores that were still open. Sitting at a red light, a bright luminescent green sign with the words “Meat & Bite” seemed to blaze through the darkness. The door was open despite the rain and food delivery drivers from Grubhub and UberEats seemed to be the only patrons at this late hour. Still, I was intrigued. I pulled into the parking lot directly in front of the store and stepped inside.
The interior of the food joint reminded me instantly of several of my favorite late-night study snack locations during my college days at the University of Virginia. The inside held a modest dining area with benches and tables on the right, with the counter on the left. The kitchen was an assembly line format with glass panes for customers to see their food being prepped. Glancing at the menu, it boasted a wide genre of foods: Tex-Mex, Mediterranean, American South and even a few others. As I asked the cashier what he might recommend for someone who wanted to try a little bit of everything, I met one of the owners, a charismatic gentleman named Mohammad.
Upon hearing that I was originally from out of town and unsure of what to order, Mohammad graciously proposed a custom sample platter made of his personal recommendations and favorites: one chicken taco, one kofta kebab (lamb or beef) taco, and one hot fried chicken sandwich - an offer that was on the house since I was new to Raleigh. After a short wait, Mohammed brought out a steel tray with my food on it, and I asked him to join me at the table to learn more about his food and his story as I ate.
Speaking as the son of refugees, I see Meat & Bite as a beautiful story of the American Dream made real. Mohammad is an Egyptian immigrant who was inspired to start his eatery to bring a sense of “grandma’s cooking” back into this North Carolina neighborhood. In his view, while fast food chains may have the conveniences of having your food ready in seconds, most of the ingredients are processed or frozen and tossed into a microwave before being served to the customer. Seeing this as an opportunity rather than a daunting task, Mohammad and his team found that they were able to bridge the gap between quality food and timely service - the secret, it seemed, being the “simplicity of the menu, perfect execution, and love” - all achieved without compromising on it being great tasting, and let me tell you - it was delicious.
The soft chicken taco was nice and moist with a little kick of spicy drizzle, made with whole chicken breasts brined in a mixture of vinegar, salt, lime, and water. After they’re rinsed, the chicken is then marinated overnight and cooked to serve the following day. The nice acidity of the brine was subtle in the chicken meat and was complemented well with the cilantro, salsa verde, and cheese that topped it. The kofta kebab taco was equally, if not more, incredible. The kofta was prepared by air drying it overnight with roasted peppercorn to allow the lamb to ferment a tad before seasoning it with a dash of salt and cooking it the following day. The meat itself was deep in umami as well with the natural flavors shining through, garnished only with onion, parsley, sumac, and an aioli. The hot fried chicken sandwich was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside with dill pickle chips included. Despite it having hot sauce, I definitely felt it could have been spicier, but I’m going to chalk that one up to me loving spicy foods.
Meat & Bite is one of the first places I’ve been to where I had the opportunity to speak with the owner, chat with staff, and even have someone join me for my meal. Mohammad described his employees there as a “close family” and from observing everyone, it certainly seems that way. At one point, a gentlemen who looked like he might have been in need of warm meal entered while I was there and Mohammad was quick and eager to offer him one. It seemed clear to me that this establishment wasn’t just a quick stop-and-go shop for a lunch rush, but a kind and caring institution of the neighborhood and Raleigh community - an honor that very few restaurants ever achieve, no matter how long they’ve been in business.
I would unreservedly recommend anyone who lives in the area or is passing through Raleigh, NC to make a pit stop by Meat & Bite Food Exchange. A unique store like this one with a passion for serving simple, delicious food deserves to be lauded for its comfort and hospitality. The menu is diverse and will undoubtedly have something for everyone. I will definitely be dropping by again the next time I’m in town, so have a kofta kebab ready for me!
Fun fact: According to The Oxford Companion to Food, kofta appears in some of the earliest Arabic cookbooks, where it consisted of ground lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and saffron. They likely traveled from the Arab world along trade routes to Greece, North Africa, and Spain.
Food Quality: 9.0/10
Meal Value: 8.0/10
Dining Experience: 10.0/10
Overall: 9.00/10
