Wooly McDuff’s Neighborhood Grille has something for most in Laurinburg

Photo by Kim McKinney

A recent stay at the Comfort Inn in Laurinburg, NC, had me walking steps away from my hotel several nights to eat at Wooly McDuff’s Neighborhood Grille.

With a varied menu and enthusiastic staff, it was an easy and convenient choice when hungry after a long day at work when I didn’t want to spend time driving around town. I felt lucky that a good dinner option was so close by.

The first night there I tried one of the specials - Salmon Oscar. It is a rich dish, salmon on a bed of asparagus covered with crabmeat and a creamy Bernaise sauce. I chose a sweet potato to accompany. The salmon was cooked rare, as requested. It was a great choice and one I recommend if you are looking for a different kind of comfort food.

Another night I had a side salad and a cup of chili. The chili was topped with a bit of cheese and sour cream (scallions also available). It was meaty with a mild chili taste and satisfying on a cool night. The salad was not memorable, but a good accompaniment.

Photo by Kim McKinney

The third night I sampled the feta chicken. It is a grilled chicken breast with feta and mushrooms, with a cream sauce. Mine was served with a baked potato and asparagus. I enjoyed the mixture of flavors, and it was a generous portion.

I didn’t try any of the sandwiches while I was there, so probably would do that if I were to go back, and perhaps try a steak, too. The varied menu gives options that will suit many different tastes. Bread service is available on request.

The staff is excellent, though the wait staff seemed to run pretty hard.

I was told one night that my waiter had several tables seated at one time, so I would experience some delays. I appreciated the heads up.

My servers were friendly and nurturing and did a great job of remembering any request I had made, Water fill-up were sometimes lacking. That’s forgiven seeing them work as hard as they do and realizing the restaurant is probably short staffed.

I’d suggest to get there early if you can, especially towards the end of the week or weekend when you should expect a wait. One Thursday night there was going to be a long wait, so I retreated to my hotel for an hour before I went back. It didn’t help - they stayed busy until closing. Still, they do try to seat people as soon as possible and are very realistic about wait times.

As a single business traveler I appreciated not being forced to eat at the bar.

The restaurant is located at 1705 US Highway 401 Bypass South.

Hours are supposed to be Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. I’d keep an eye on their Facebook page, though, as I know they were closed on a Monday when I was in town and looking at the page there seemed to be other “one off” closings. You’ll also find a copy of their menu on the Facebook page (it is missing on their website).

I’d definitely go back and recommend you give them a try.