Clyde Cooper’s is a true hole in the wall, a tiny brick restaurant nestled between the two biggest skyscrapers downtown.

It’s been a family barbeque place on Davie Street for more than 70 years, and every time I pass by with my grand daddy, he tells me stories of throwing a ball around in the restaurant’s back alley. The building was erected in 1884, and the restaurant opened in 1938, so the cooks have had a lot of time to perfect their recipes.

The establishment has grown up with Raleigh, and the decorations certainly show it. Inside, above old wooden booths, there are as many black-and-white pic tures of historic Raleigh that could possibly fit on the walls. A picture of a parade on Fayetteville Street from 1938 si ts next to a photo of a city trolley from 1909. There’s even a pho to of the state capitol when it was first built, along with many others.

It’s not as if time stopped for Clyde Cooper’s, however. Signed posters of current N.C. State athletic teams are framed and proudly dis played, and along with an American flag that was flown in Afghanistan during Op eration Enduring Freedom.

It is, in short, the quintes sential Raleigh restaurant, and its food matches its at mosphere. Like any good traditional North Carolina restaurant, they serve bar becue. Pork skins, their spe cialty, come with everything free of charge. They do charge for hushpuppies, but consid ering the sandwiches are $3, another buck for a side of hushpuppies is well worth it. To add to the Southern authenticity, Clyde Cooper’s offers sweet tea so thick that the sugar settles on the bot tom. The menu also includes slightly seasoned Cajun fries, and 10-cent candy at the cash register.

North Carolina is known for two sig nature styles of barbecue sauce, vin egar-based and sweet . While Clyde Cooper’s is located in the Eastern part of North Car olina, where vinegar-based sauces dominate the barbecue landscape, Clyde Cooper’s of fers its patrons both styles.

The style of the restaurant and its food is simple and slow. It’s what home cooking should be. For many N.C. State students, the friendly small-town atmosphere is like going home, and it gives out-of-state students an op portunity to experience a true cultural staple. With cheap, filling food that is just plain good, the restaurant is a college student’s dream come true. For those want ing a Clyde Cooper’s-fueled tailgate, they also sell in bulk.

Unfortunately, while the restaurant won’t be closing, it will be moving from its historic location soon, as it’s being pushed out for develop ment. After September it may be gone for a few months, and when it reopens it will never be completely the same place, so I suggest visiting soon and often.

Even though parking near Clyde Cooper’s is a challenge, the restaurant is well worth the trouble. It’s only a few miles from campus, and you can explore downtown while you’re there.