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I also noticed that I don't think anyone recommended any Vietnamese places, and that confuses me as I read somewhere that there is a Vietnamese population in WS, so was hoping that community would open some more places...I think I only came across one pho place in my research.
There's a Vietnamese population in Greensboro (not Winston) and several good places for pho, banh mi, etc. there. Some of the Thai restaurants in Winston do have Vietnamese items (or even entire Vietnamese menus). Thai Sawatdee, for example, has some tasty Vietnamese options.
But no, as you say, almost nowhere on the east coast that I've been -- apart from the biggest cities-- stands up to the west coast for quantity and usually quality of Asian food options.
I did check out restaurants downtown, as mentioned I ate at Mary's Diner, Sweet Potatoeos, and Mozelles, but I honestly don't feel like there was a lot for a downtown in a city of WS size. I am glad that people mentioned some Thai places, but I found it funny that a number of people mentioned one in Clemmons as that's not even in WS. You have to understand that where I am currently there is a Thai place on every block, just like there is a Starbucks on every block. I did Google Thai restaurants online, but as shunketsu mentioned the Thai restaurant downtown is waaay overpriced and when I looked at the menus for Thai restaurants outside of downtown, many didn't seem authentic, kind of like PF Chang's is not really Chinese food
I also noticed that I don't think anyone recommended any Vietnamese places, and that confuses me as I read somewhere that there is a Vietnamese population in WS, so was hoping that community would open some more places...I think I only came across one pho place in my research.
However, as SanMateo Mom said, WS is on the east coast and therefore I can't expect the plethora of Asian food there that we have in the West as being so much closer to Asia. Plus, I also lived in Bangkok so I am a little spoiled when it comes to great 'hole-in-the-wall' tasty and cheap Thai food.
Appreciate the suggestions and I will be sure to try some of them out next time I go.
I think you should rethink moving to W-S. Its not Seattle, and it won't ever be. It sounds like you're going to spend all your time comparing it (unfavorably) to your current home, and that is only going to lead to unhappiness.
There's a Vietnamese population in Greensboro (not Winston) and several good places for pho, banh mi, etc. there. Some of the Thai restaurants in Winston do have Vietnamese items (or even entire Vietnamese menus). Thai Sawatdee, for example, has some tasty Vietnamese options.
But no, as you say, almost nowhere on the east coast that I've been -- apart from the biggest cities-- stands up to the west coast for quantity and usually quality of Asian food options.
Basically this. Asian food is just simply not a strong point anywhere in North Carolina (with some exceptions, but they are scattered).
Basically this. Asian food is just simply not a strong point anywhere in North Carolina (with some exceptions, but they are scattered).
And why would it be? It all boils down to immigration patterns. There are more recent Asian immigrants and Asian ethnic enclaves on the west coast and in major cities, so you find more (and usually better) ethnic restaurants there. Makes sense.
Of course, there are exceptions when it comes to quality. It doesn't take many people to start a restaurant, so there are plenty of smaller towns or cities away from major Asian populations that serve excellent food. Plus there are lots of ethic enclaves in places you wouldn't necessarily think of offhand, like the Vietnamese community in Louisiana or the Hmong community in Minneapolis. Heck, I even think of places like Pok Pok in Portland (OR) that serve great food (Thai in that case) with chefs who aren't even from the region. (Pok Pok's chef is a white dude who was born in North Carolina of all places.)
I think you should rethink moving to W-S. Its not Seattle, and it won't ever be. It sounds like you're going to spend all your time comparing it (unfavorably) to your current home, and that is only going to lead to unhappiness.
I would hope that anyone moving to a smaller city on the opposite coast would know better than to constantly compare the cities and lament about the things we don't have here. It would be insane to do so...that said, there are advantages to living in W-S over Seattle to some people - everyone is not the same and is not looking for the same things. W-S does often make lists of "best cities". But I generally would not try to compare a city of 650,000 to one of 3.6 million.
I did check out restaurants downtown, as mentioned I ate at Mary's Diner, Sweet Potatoeos, and Mozelles, but I honestly don't feel like there was a lot for a downtown in a city of WS size. I am glad that people mentioned some Thai places, but I found it funny that a number of people mentioned one in Clemmons as that's not even in WS. You have to understand that where I am currently there is a Thai place on every block, just like there is a Starbucks on every block. I did Google Thai restaurants online, but as shunketsu mentioned the Thai restaurant downtown is waaay overpriced and when I looked at the menus for Thai restaurants outside of downtown, many didn't seem authentic, kind of like PF Chang's is not really Chinese food
I also noticed that I don't think anyone recommended any Vietnamese places, and that confuses me as I read somewhere that there is a Vietnamese population in WS, so was hoping that community would open some more places...I think I only came across one pho place in my research.
However, as SanMateo Mom said, WS is on the east coast and therefore I can't expect the plethora of Asian food there that we have in the West as being so much closer to Asia. Plus, I also lived in Bangkok so I am a little spoiled when it comes to great 'hole-in-the-wall' tasty and cheap Thai food.
Appreciate the suggestions and I will be sure to try some of them out next time I go.
Um...Clemmons is part of Winston-Salem, much like Shoreline is part of Seattle. They are in the same county and close enough (adjacent) to consider part of the main city.
I hope you give W-S a chance...it is not going to be much at all like Seattle, so you would have to come here with an open mind ready for a new experience. You'll love things like the traffic and the friendly people - not to mention the barbecue. Asian food is not a big thing here due to the lack of Asian population, but you can get great Asian food in Atlanta or Washington DC...close enough for a weekend trip. Otherwise you'll have to get used to what is offered here. You might find better Mexican food here than in Seattle.
Last edited by JoeTarheel; 02-21-2016 at 06:06 PM..
@UnderTheLiveOaks now that you mentioned food delivery, I have to say in general I was surprised that for a city of a quarter million, that WS did not have more restaurants. Oh I saw plenty of fast food places, but I didn't see a whole lot of ethnic food, particularly Thai or Vietnamese....in fact I think I only saw one listing for a Thai place when I looked online and that is my favorite food Even in the downtown area, there weren't hardly any restaurants...I did have breakfast at Mary's Diner, lunch at Sweet Potatoes, and dinner at Mozelle's, but it feels like I covered all downtown dining with that! I was thinking about this as I left work last night in Seattle and really noticed the sheer number AND variety of restaurants here...I actually think we have too many restaurants whereas I would like to see more of other types of businesses as these days the only new buildings that go up are restaurants and condos. Yes, people need a place to live and somewhere to eat, but they need businesses to work in to have the former. Unfortunately, the volume of restaurants and competition does not lead to lower prices, not when Seattle has raised the minimum wage to $20/hr another thing that doesn't make sense. Personally, I don't believe that unskilled work like flipping burgers should make that wage when I have friends who are teachers with degrees who don't make that for work that is frankly more important. It's also not sustainable as what do restaurant owners do, charge high prices to cover such high wages. When I was a student I worked these kinds of jobs, but they were not meant to be permanent jobs to raise a family on...but the mentality of Seattleites insist low or no skilled jobs have to be paid this highly.
Enjoy the holiday weekend good people of Winston Salem!
I'm a Winston-Salem native, so I can only speak to there. I knew about Seattle's higher wage, but I'll assume that is related to housing expenses. My one gripe with people who say that restaurant and retail jobs shouldn't have living wages is that those businesses are a convenience to people when students are in school I, too worked fast food and grocery store in college. There were also a handful of "adults" in both places raising families and now as an adult, I don't know how they made it on such a low wage at 40 hours a week. I think when the unskilled jobs have a living wage, it eventually pushes wages up for everyone. The reality is that those jobs are necessary and higher wages provide stability for businesses. Costco is a great example of that.
Been considering a move back to North Carolina and was considering Winston-Salem but someone I know in Asheville was telling me there is a lot of crime in Winston Salem. I take that with a grain of salt because Asheville residents can be such snobs and every city has its criminal element. I was born in NYC but my family moved to SW Florida when I was 5, then I moved to Long Island in my 20's, back to FL, then Eastern North Carolina and now back in FL.
I am not interested in good schools, great restaurants or night life. I just turned 61 and just want to live somewhere that has 4 seasons (but not too much snow) where people are friendly but not too pushy or nosy. The only must for me is a good hospital and doctors.
What do you locals love about WS? What would you miss if you left? How are newcomers with slight New York accents treated?
Been considering a move back to North Carolina and was considering Winston-Salem but someone I know in Asheville was telling me there is a lot of crime in Winston Salem. I take that with a grain of salt because Asheville residents can be such snobs and every city has its criminal element. I was born in NYC but my family moved to SW Florida when I was 5, then I moved to Long Island in my 20's, back to FL, then Eastern North Carolina and now back in FL.
I think that's overblown. There is some crime in Winston, sure, but most of the areas where you'd want to live are perfectly safe.
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I am not interested in good schools, great restaurants or night life. I just turned 61 and just want to live somewhere that has 4 seasons (but not too much snow) where people are friendly but not too pushy or nosy. The only must for me is a good hospital and doctors.
Winston has all of those things, and people are not generally overbearing. You'll likely find people more likely to talk to strangers and that interactions are slower-paced than you're probably used to, but having spent time in NC, you're likely prepared for that.
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What do you locals love about WS? What would you miss if you left? How are newcomers with slight New York accents treated?
I think it's beautiful. I love the hills and not being too far from the mountains. The arts are present and accessible and (this matters for us, not necessarily for you) there's a lot to do with kids. It's very affordable but there's still plenty of the amenities we like. There's not too much traffic or too many crowds, but there's enough activity to feel like you're part of a community.
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