Clark's Snack Bar
Review! Charlotte, North Carolina // American restaurant // quality deliciousness
The ELEVATOR PITCH
Back in February 2025, when news came of The Good Wurst Company’s closing…I was absolutely heartbroken! Their menu of quality meat sandwiches, burgers, and wursts were something I was going to miss SO dearly. What I didn’t expect, though, was it being reincarnated not more than 2 months after closure…when word came that Clark’s Snack Bar opened—in the exact same location, serving almost the exact same menu—I was overjoyed.
Here’s my letter to you about how Clark’s Snack Bar is basically the best parts of The Good Wurst Company and then some! While we were dining in, we got to chatting with Lincoln Clark, the original owner of The Good Wurst Company when it opened in 2020. Clark comes with 35 years of experience opening restaurants, and had sold the original Good Wurst Company to investors in 2023. But after those investors were forced to close it (possibly due to being overambitious with expansions?), he decided to regain ownership and restore his previous venture back to life.
Clark’s Snack Bar still has the same bones and personality of its predecessor: good ol’ American comfort, grill-out food done right by honoring the integrity of ingredients going into it. Much of the menu is still made-from-scratch using quality ingredients. Clark shared that they’ve revamped their French fry recipe to maximize the super-crispy-yet-super-fluffy juxtaposition that makes their fries a dream to eat (speaking from experience). The secret is their diligent, 3-day preparation method: there’s a very intentional sequence of soaking, refrigerating, par-cooking, drying, then freezing process that goes into each French fry (prior to the final deep fry, of course) to get their unique heavenly texture that you can’t find anywhere else.
Some other new menu additions at Clark’s Snack Bar are the milkshakes and sandwiches. Their milkshakes only use high quality ice cream, and the strawberry uses fresh fruit purée (no high fructose corn syrup here!); there is also the option of adding a candy bar or two as a mix-in if the milkshake’s purity of constitution alone isn’t interesting enough for you. The new sandwiches—tuna salad, chicken salad, fried bologna between white bread, etc.—combine the ideas of nostalgic-lunches-at-grandma’s with we’re-young-and-not-afraid-of-flavor. Each sandwich has some element of tang, zest, or punchy bite that makes for a sassy conversation between taste buds.
I’ll end this by saying: I love a good booth seating arrangement so I am very pleased that new booths were installed by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rest of the interior is still just as laid back and down-to-earth and welcoming to all ages as it was before. It still feels like a neighborhood deli that’s been around for ages and doesn’t need frills because the food speaks for itself; and with Lincoln Clark back behind the helm, I’m excited to see them really embody that!
menu items
honest reviews below 👇
TOASTED TUNA SALAD SANDWICH
Normally I expect tuna salad to be relatively one-dimensional, just mayonnaise with a strong tinned fish taste, so I’m not drawn to buying it at restaurants. But the one from Clark’s couldn’t be more the opposite: there was SO much going in the tuna salad itself (with pickles, herbs, vinegar) and the sandwich with its pickles and raw white onion! If you’re not into bland, overly creamy tuna salad, you have to try this one. And if you think you don’t like tuna salad, this one will change your mind. 💥(rating: 8.8/10)
FRIED BOLOGNA SANDWICH
The first flavor that’ll hit your tongue is the horseradish and mustard—SO peppery. But, not in a bad way! I was surprised to find out that both condiments complimented bologna really well, and minimized the weird off-meat taste that sometimes lunch meat can have (which is historically why I don’t enjoy bologna). The amount of lettuce and tomatoes was also perfect for me, and possibly the first time I saw a restaurant be so generous with their greens on sandwiches. The only con is that the sandwich is messy to eat, but only because of how decked out it was. Ultimately, a record was broken, because this was the first bologna sandwich I enjoyed! (rating: 8.5/10)
FRENCH FRIES
So I’ve had the French fries back in The Good Wurst Company days, and they were the kind where some were soft and mushy, and some are crispy and tough. This one was completely different from that order: every single fry was super crispy, but the interior of each were as fluffy as clouds—a pure textural perfection! On top of that, the sprinkling of salt and pepper was the perfect amount of seasoning. They totally have won my heart as my fave place to get a chunky French fry. (rating: 11/10)
visit #2
honest reviews below 👇
CHICK-A-MOO BURGER
This is basically one of those chili cheese hot dogs you can get at a baseball game but in burger form. Absolutely heavenly, but is VERY messy to eat. Don’t get this if you’re trying to impress anyone lol, but DO get this if you want a super flavorful and well put together burger! (also, the “hot chili oil” isn’t that spicy at all—but in a good way that still adds dimension—so I think anyone can handle it) I probably would’ve replaced the American cheese with cheddar, but that’s my only note ;) (rating: 9.9/10)
REUBEN SANDWICH
A classic ensemble that wasn’t too punchy, actually. When you read the ingredients, it sounds like a sandwich with a lot of assaulting flavors, but the pastrami and Swiss really mellow out the sauerkraut and Russian dressing! The flavor overall is subtly tangy, but mostly savory. Overall super satisfying. (rating: 10/10)
VANILLA MILKSHAKE
They offer to blend up candy bars—but did you know you can also buy a house made chocolate chip cookie and add that in?! I was intrigued, so it happened. Disappointingly, though, the milkshake melted super fast, and wasn’t able to hold the cookie chunks in suspension very well, so everything sunk to the bottom. Also, I don’t think they have straws that are meant for milkshakes, since this one was too narrow to really get the cookie bits. Outside of the milkshake eating logistics, the vanilla flavor was very milky and had a nuanced depth of flavor that I enjoyed, and the cookie itself was tasty with a decent amount of chocolate bits! All in all, pretty overpriced for what it was, and I’d rather get other items on their menu ($12.95 base price + $2.10 for the cookie, so ~$16?! after tax). (rating: 3/10)
visit #3
honest reviews below 👇
1/2 LB. FRIED HADDOCK PLATTER
I love my battered & fried fish (between buns, with chips, etc. etc., just hand it to me), and I love Clark’s, so when I saw this Friday special I knew I had to make my way over to see how this marriage would work out! You get all of this for $20, which is an absolute steal—the portions of the fish and French fries are huge! Totally shareable or you may not need another meal afterwards (lol). The only thing I would do differently next time is use more of the pickles in my sandwich (I think the extra tang would’ve elevated the flavor experience to the next level), I totally forgot/didn’t think to do it this time because I was so shocked by the size of this fried fish 😂 I’m also not a person who enjoys constructing my sandwich, and would rather all of the toppings & condiments be already added for me as recommended to enjoy, so maybe I’ll ask them to top it for me next time 😝 (rating: 9.8/10)
1/2 LB. GRILLED MORTADELLA
(aka: Chef B’s Mortadella) If the Fried Bologna Sandwich were a song, the 1/2 lb. Grilled Mortadella is that song but turned up to max volume, blasting out professional speakers with subwoofers. And if you think, “that’s waaay too much mortadella for me” (because mortadella cold can have a strong deli meat taste that I’m not always in the mood for myself), the thick slices and the fact that it’s grilled gets rid of any “off meat” taste completely and gives off a ham vibe instead. Basically, I’m trying to tell you that I was so surprised it didn’t taste like the thinly sliced mortadella I thought I knew, so don’t write it off before you try it! Finally, the Dijon mustard is subtle and the provolone and mayo blend together almost to the point where you can’t tell them apart when you’re eating this (I didn’t mind the homogeneity). If you enjoy the Fried Bologna, I highly recommend this for you! (rating: 10/10)
check out my previous review on The Good Wurst Company for other Clark’s Snack Bar menu items — but stay tuned for future updates to this post as I go back to re-try them!
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 3001 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
operations // Monday - Thursday, 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM; Friday, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Saturday, 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
⭐ Saturday - Sunday, breakfast served 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
logistics // free parking available in front of the building but also in the back
amenities //
2 bathrooms, no changing table
table shuffleboard available to play
walk-up order window
plenty of indoor & outdoor seating options (pet-friendly!), for parties of all sizes (family-friendly!)
vibes // deli counter dive that gives off “casual neighborhood joint,” with retro, hole-in-the-wall energy
menu // all goods produced from scratch; locally sourced when possible
beverages ($2.00 - $4.00): water, coffee, juices, teas, Dr Brown sodas, fountain drinks, spiked breakfast drinks
entrées:
breakfast sandwiches ($4.00 - $15.50): various combinations of: egg, cheese, bacon, sausage, pastrami, Taylor ham, smoked turkey, smoked Lox
⭐available on a Kaiser roll or a freshly-baked-in-a-wood-fired-oven Montreal-style bagel (sourdough base, slightly thinner in shape, denser in texture, sweeter in taste)
⭐bagel options ($2.50): plain, cinnamon sugar, asiago cheese, garlic, everything
other mains ($6.95 - $16.95): bratwursts** & hotdogs, burgers & chicken/turkey sandwiches & wraps; pastrami & corned beef** sandwiches; salads & bowls
**house made
⭐hotdogs are from Hofmann's
sides ($3.95 - $8.49): French fries (thick-cut), tater tots; kettle chips, sweet & spicy pickles, Cole slaw, cucumber salad, potato salad, baked beans, chili
⭐fries can be served: Belgian, Chili Cheese, Currywurst
desserts ($2.10): house baked chocolate chip cookie
⭐$13.00: milkshakes (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)
recs // their French fries are unbelievably crispy yet super fluffy in the middle and have opened my eyes to how chunky French fries can be delicious too!
site // Clark's Snack Bar
Yep those fries sound like a must try.
And I’m Always down for a done well truly retro bologna sandwich!
Wow, that tuna salad sandwich looks delicious! Also, love the vibe you described. I feel like CLT needs a low-key deli with good sandwiches. I'll have to stop soon :)