Amedeo's Italian Restaurant, Raleigh

It makes sense that Wolfpack fans flock to Amedeo's Italian Restaurant. After all, the restaurant was founded by former Wolfpack player Amedeo "Dick" DeAngelis, who moved to Raleigh to play football for NC State in 1954. DeAngelis quickly acclimated to the field and his new town but greatly missed the home-style Italian meals his mother and grandmother used to make back home in Pennsylvania. In 1963, he tackled the issue head-on by opening his own restaurant—one that specialized in his family's recipes.

In the decades since, DeAngelis's restaurant has remained a big part of the local scene. Customers return for pizza; sumptuous pasta dishes loaded with jumbo shrimp or italian sausage; and American-style treats such as buffalo wings, steak sandwiches, and fried mozzarella. The eatery continues to support local sports teams by offering food specials during viewings of Sunday NFL games and by serving Wolfpack-themed cocktails from a full bar.