Summer’s Sweet with Sweet Tea

Ah! It finally feels like summer in the South. Hot, muggy and sticky can only mean one thing: It’s time for sweet tea! Whether you like it half-n-half, as an Arnold Palmer or syrupy sweet, here are a few of our favorite places to get sweet tea in downtown Raleigh.

• Bojangles – It may be inconsistent at times and that drive-through line may sometimes frustrate us, but there’s no better place for a quick sweet tea-fix than the Bo’, especially when you’re driving out of downtown on the way to the beach! Extra large sweet tea to go, please! 1013 New Bern Ave.

• The Mecca – Really, can you order anything else with lunch at this classic Southern diner? The sweet tea recipe is as old – and as sweet – as the restaurant itself (which dates back to 1930). Nothing goes better with the Mecca’s crispy fried chicken, mashed potatoes and butter beans than Mecca’s pucker-up sweet tea! 13 E. Martin St.

• Big Ed’s – This downtown Raleigh staple might be known best for its hearty breakfast plates but who says you have to order coffee? The sweet tea at Big Ed’s is worth it every time. It pairs perfectly with pancakes, bacon and eggs over easy! 220 Wolfe St.

• The Pit Authentic Barbecue – If you’re eating a plate of Eastern North Carolina barbecue and all the fixins, of course, you have to order the sweet tea. It’s practically the law in North Carolina. And The Pit brews up tea as sweet as it comes. They even sell it by the gallon to go! Perfect for tailgates. 328 W. Davie St.

• The Raleigh Times – We love that the former owner of The Raleigh Times (newspaper) used to ask for an Arnold Palmer when he got his chopped salad at The Raleigh Times (bar and restaurant). The Raleigh Times’ Arnold Palmer was Frank Daniels approved, so the lemonade-sweet-tea concoction must be top-notch. 14. E Hargett St.