Restaurants in Taylors

Established in 2009, Mojo’s Famous Burgers mingles classic American eats with rockabilly music and décor inspired by tattoo art at two locations. The menu harkens to '50s diner fare with hand-cut onion rings, old-fashioned milk shakes, and build-your-own burgers with two patty sizes. A selection of specialty burgers crowns premium aged beef with toppings inspired by regional flavors—Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philly, or Hawaiian style—and the chef’s favorite natural disaster. The eatery’s wall of fame commemorates diners who chowed through a food challenge featuring quadruple cheeseburgers or loaded foot-long hot dogs.

Owner Lazaro Montoto maintains a healthy diet, and doesn't believe in sacrificing flavor to do so. That's why he opened Tropical Grille as an alternative to the nation’s preponderance of greasy fast-food dives. Natural light pours from wall-length windows onto his steaming grill, where the smell of sizzling chicken and steamed veggies mingle with the aromatic release of Lazaro's flavor-packed spice rubs. He puts those blends to good use; in addition to spicing up the grill, they also infuse his signature pork, which marinates for 12 hours before taking a trip to the slow-roaster for inclusion in thick sandwiches and hearty wraps.

Everyday Organic’s culinary wizards seek out chemical-, hormone-, and preservative-free ingredients from local farms to healthify mealtime with an organic menu that features light and fast eats alongside hearty sandwiches and salads. Starters encourage pre-entree nibbling on roasted-veggie dip, which perches atop pita wedges like a proud, amorphous bird of prey. Grilled, marinated tofu tumbles over tabbouleh salad, whereas provolone, muenster, and baby-swiss cheeses melt in unison inside a gourmet grilled cheese. Guests can wash down big bites with gulps of milk massaged from mature soybeans.

At the restaurant, a small service counter welcomes guests inside the cozy eatery, where chalkboards announce daily specials and sage-colored tables hover over cherry-wood chairs. White and beige walls soak up the sunlight that pours through a large storefront window, where budding local vegetables can watch their future careers unfold.

Tom Engel burst onto the culinary scene in 1977 when he opened Richards Cafe and Little Richards. Now, in his eponymous house of barbecue, he draws on more than 30 years of culinary experience to roast brisket, chicken, and carolina pork shoulder, drawing out their natural flavors with one of nine sauces. These savory potions—which range from sweet and mild to spicy to Cheerwine sauce—sizzle on the grill, punching up a menu that overflows with homestyle treats such as hush puppies, meaty barbecue baked potatoes, and saucy ribs. Tom's BBQ also deliver catered Southern feasts to parties, special events, and straw houses to send their residents a stern message.

A restaurant with two faces, Corporate Deli and Yia Yia's "at night" aim to sate cravings for Greek flavors at lunch, dinner, and catered events. Deli pros construct 11 specialty sandwiches to anchor lunchtime meals and whip up beef tenderloin hoagies, quesadillas, and melts. Catering brings the in-house recipes to work, weddings, proms, and special occasions, where skilled staff members set up mobile meals. At night, the staff wraps the building in a cocoon of pita to transform it into Yia Yia's, a Greek restaurant that battles hunger with the assistance of succulent kebabs and traditional family recipes made from scratch.

An armory of hookahs launches cool streams of smoke, which meander out onto America's Pub & Grub's open patio. Waitresses tote plates that hint at the comfort-fare traditions of Cajun and European cuisines with fried catfish, shepherd's pie, and other warming creations. Lights dance across the black-granite bar, where cocktails and draught beers mingle with happy chatter or woes about the tin-can-phone industry. Live acoustic tunes occupy the eatery's airwaves on some evenings, and guests croon their favorite tunes during karaoke gatherings.