Earl’s

Earl’s is a Southern kitchen, whiskey bar, and live music venue in the Industry Hill district of Winston-Salem, NC — opened in November 2018 inside a portion of the former E.G. Forrest food distribution warehouse, next door to the Ramkat and across from Wise Man Brewing. Co-owner Herbie Gimmel has described the concept as a country Americana restaurant and bar built to showcase country and folk music, drawing on the food scenes in Nashville and Austin.

The house specialty is Joyce Farms fried chicken, the bar stocks over 100 whiskeys, and there’s free live classic country, Americana, and bluegrass on Friday and Saturday nights plus select weekdays. Seating is casual and self-serve, and it’s family-friendly for lunch and dinner.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Earl’s before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Warehouse, the Boot, and the Trees

Earl’s occupies part of the old E.G. Forrest warehouse in Industry Hill — a stretch of former food distribution buildings on the north edge of downtown that has become one of Winston-Salem’s more interesting adaptive-reuse corridors. In the early days, the only sign the restaurant was open was a lit-up cowboy boot tacked to the side of the building, and there wasn’t even a designated parking lot yet.

Inside, the space features dark hardwood floors, high ceilings, exposed brick, and shades of emerald green and teal on the walls. Two bare trees are planted directly into the floor and strung with lights, flanking a long communal wooden table. Giant marquee letters spelling “Earl’s” backward sit atop the near-floor-to-ceiling bar. Tin-can candles and Edison bulbs handle the rest of the lighting.

Co-owner Herbie Gimmel — who grew up in High Point and runs the restaurant with Joel Ornstein and Wade Robinson — took his cues from Nashville and Austin. “I thought the concept would be a hit in Winston-Salem,” he told Triad City Beat. The original head chef was Matt Pleasants, previously of the Bahtmobile food truck.

The building’s neighbors matter to the experience. The Ramkat, one of Winston-Salem’s primary live music venues, is right next door, and Wise Man Brewing sits across the street, which makes this corner of Industry Hill a genuinely walkable night out.

The Food, the Whiskey, and the Music

Fried chicken is the house specialty, made with Joyce Farms chicken. The namesake EFC (Earl’s Fried Chicken Sandwich) anchors the menu, with the Winston Hot Chicken as its spicier sibling — topped with creamy slaw, pickles, mayo, and Earl’s own dry hot rub. Nashville hot wings and chicken and waffles round out the poultry side.

Beyond the chicken, the kitchen leans into Southern bar food done with more care than the category usually gets: Hatch chile pimento cheese, Cheetos-flavored pork rinds, a fried bologna sandwich, crispy Brussels sprouts, and shrimp and cheese grits. Sunday brunch runs late morning into the afternoon with twists on the classics.

The whiskey bar is the other half of the identity — over 100 bottles, alongside cold beer and a cocktail program that includes mainstays like the gin-forward I Fall to Pieces. For a restaurant that could have coasted on fried chicken, the bar is a serious operation.

Live music is free and runs on select weekdays plus every Friday and Saturday night — classic country, Americana, and bluegrass. That programming is central to what Gimmel set out to build rather than an add-on, and it’s the reason the room sounds like it does on a weekend evening.

Good to Know

• Location: 121 West 9th Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (Industry Hill)
• Phone: 336-448-0018
• Hours: Open daily from late morning into the night, with later closing on weekends and Sunday brunch running late morning through the afternoon — check the Earl’s website for current hours
• Opened: November 2018
• Co-owners: Herbie Gimmel, Joel Ornstein, and Wade Robinson
• The building: Part of the former E.G. Forrest food distribution warehouse; two trees planted into the floor, exposed brick, and backward “Earl’s” marquee letters over the bar
• House specialty: Joyce Farms fried chicken — the EFC sandwich, the Winston Hot Chicken, Nashville hot wings, and chicken and waffles
• Also on the menu: Hatch chile pimento cheese, Cheetos-flavored pork rinds, fried bologna sandwich, crispy Brussels sprouts, shrimp and cheese grits, sandwiches, and salads
• The bar: Over 100 whiskeys, cold beer, and a full cocktail list
• Live music: Free classic country, Americana, and bluegrass on select weekdays and every Friday and Saturday night
• Brunch: Sundays
• Seating: Casual, seat yourself; family friendly for lunch and dinner
• Best for: Fried chicken eaters, whiskey drinkers, live country and bluegrass fans, groups, and anyone making a night of it in Industry Hill
• Pair with: The full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Wise Man Brewing directly across the street; a show at the Ramkat next door; Camel City BBQ Factory and Broad Branch Distillery nearby downtown; or our guide to the top breweries to visit in Winston-Salem

A Winston-Salem Highlight

Earl’s is three things at once, and it pulls off all of them. A Southern kitchen built around Joyce Farms fried chicken. A whiskey bar with more than a hundred bottles. And a free live music room running country, Americana, and bluegrass every weekend. Most restaurants that try this many identities end up doing none of them well — Earl’s is the exception.

The room does a lot of the work. Two trees planted straight into the floor and wrapped in lights, exposed brick, dark hardwood, emerald and teal walls, and giant marquee letters spelling the name backward over the bar. It reads like a place that was designed rather than decorated, and it’s a substantial part of why the space works as well at 11 p.m. as it does at lunch.

Order the EFC if it’s your first visit, or the Winston Hot Chicken for the spicier version with the house dry rub. Come Friday or Saturday night for the free music, or Sunday for brunch. And if you’re making an evening of it, Wise Man Brewing is across the street — this corner of Industry Hill is built for exactly that.

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Resources

Earl’s Website

Earl’s Facebook

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