Spotted Dog

Located at 111 East Main Street in downtown Carrboro, Spotted Dog serves appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and a few entrees for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. The establishment has full ABC permits and outdoor seating. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options are available, and there is a late night menu on Fridays and Saturdays.

Spotted Dog is a place that wouldn’t really make sense outside of Carrboro (or, perhaps, Asheville). The name evokes a well-worn neighborhood bar, and while this is a bar with the requisite wood and brick, it’s well-maintained and adorned with local art. No, the dog theme is literal: nearly everything on the menu has a canine connotation. In addition, there is a strong vegan-friendly bent. Add to that the building’s triangular shape, and if nothing else, the Spotted Dog stands out.

But there is more than just novel design/branding here: the menu selection gives some separation from the pack as well. You can find everything from seafood (crab cakes, fish and chips) to Mexican and Asian-influenced specials to classic sandwiches in both meat and meatless iterations. For our first visit, my wife and I went with the radical rooben (tempeh, avocado, and the usual Reuben accoutrements), the Carolina crab cake sandwich, and an order of puppy ciao (a Mediterranean artichoke/olive/spinach/cheese dip). The dip was tasty, and several layers of flavor came though at once. My crab cake sandwich didn’t skimp on the crab, and the hint of bourbon made for an interesting twist. While my wife enjoyed the rooben (it wasn’t a greasy mess, as Reubens sometimes are), I found the tempeh a poor facsimile for corned beef. All told, the food was considerably better than average bar fare.

Unfortunately, while the staff were friendly, service at Spotted Dog was quite slow. Fellow patrons were few and far between when we visited on a Saturday afternoon, yet we wouldn’t have guessed from the wait times. Pricing here is a bit mystifying as well. A crab cake sandwich and a side for $9.50 was certainly affordable, as were several other menu options. But the vegan rendition of the crab cake is actually more expensive than the real deal, and some of the lunch features ($13.50 for vegan pozole verde, $13.95 for fish tacos) are definitely a stretch.

Spotted Dog is intriguingly funky, and chances are, you will find something worth trying here. Whether you are willing to wait for it, on the other hand, is another story.

7.75/10