South 21 is less than one laden swallow's flight from Ovens Auditorium and Independence Arena.

It's an old drive-in.

You pull up beside a little stand with a menu and a microphone, park, roll down your window and
place your order. Soon, out comes a carhop-type guy with the trademark South 21 black fedora hat
 and red jacket (no matter how hot it is) to deliver the food to your car. Then the fun begins.

Now, this is just a drive-in, not some fancy-shmancy place with tables and coasters and a four-star
European menu. It is the great American burger joint, and the old standbys are all in attendance.

The two most-advertised entrees are the "Super Boy" deluxe burger, with all the traditional trimmings;
and the Fish-O-Burger, which is two pieces of Leviathan-sized fish somehow piled neatly onto a
minuscule bun. Cue the saliva.

The chicken sandwiches are good, the fries are good, the cheeseburgers are some of the best I've ever
had, and the milkshakes are so tasty you'll think it's a crime to enjoy it. Seriously.

But the onion rings outshine everything.

South 21's onion rings are the only correct way to prepare onions. Period. Whether it's a Bloomin Onion,
diced onions on a hamburger, etc., stop now; you're doing it wrong. All else is but a pale and tarnished reflection. Sweet, crunchy, golden brown, circle-shaped slices of bliss. Oh, South 21's onion rings.

They are my love, my life, my soul. For God so loved the South 21's onion rings that he gave his only begotten South 21's onion rings, so that whosoever believes in them shall not perish, but have eternal South 21's onion rings. Ketchup, if it had a voice, would thank you for dipping South 21's onion rings into it.

South 21, with its drive-in atmosphere and its food, will always hold a place in my heart (or more specifically, the places where the arteries are getting clogged from too many visits to South 21).

Travis Oates - Matthews Union Power

South 21 Drive-In

The Drive-In opened in 1955 and is family-owned and operated. Their food is just as good now as it was in the beginning. Also, if you have ever eaten there before and call in a carry-out order, they will probably know who you are without asking your name.

Cheryl Ollis - Charlotte Union