Have you ever wondered where the best place to eat in Apex is? Or do you want to know where you can get the most food for your money when you go off campus for lunch? We surveyed Apex High School students about their favorite places to eat to find out what the true taste of Apex is. Continue reading to see the results of these restaurant superlatives:

Overall Best Fast Food Restaurant: Chick-fil-A

44% of students surveyed picked Chick-fil-A as the best fast food restaurant. The other most popular votes were for Cook Out, Jersey Mike’s, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

Best Sit-Down Restaurant: Daniel’s

Apex students were all over the board with this category, but 11% of those surveyed chose Daniel’s. Other contenders included Olive Garden, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Kabuki, and the Cheesecake Factory.

Best Coffee: Wake Zone

This category ended up as a battle between Common Grounds and Wake Zone, but ultimately Wake Zone came out on top with 60% of those surveyed picking it. The other 40% of the votes were all for Common Grounds. Surprisingly, when asked what their favorite coffee place was, not a single student surveyed chose a national chain like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts as all responses were one of these two local coffee shops.

Best Milkshake: Tie Between Cook Out and Chick-fil-A

44% of the votes were for Chick-fil-A, and another 44% of the votes were for Cook Out. Students commented on the creaminess and milky flavor of the Chick-fil-A shakes, which they really enjoy, while others argued that Cook Out’s extensive flavor options can’t be topped. There were also a couple of votes for McDonald’s and PDQ. Help us break the tie by letting us know who you think has the best milkshake!

Best Breakfast: Waffle House

Waffle House received 43% of the votes, and IHOP and First Watch were the runner ups with about 28% of the votes each. Apex students commented on the fact that there really aren’t many breakfast options other than fast food in Apex, so adding more nice breakfast restaurants would be a great improvement to the town.

Best Lunch Spot: Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A claimed another win in this category, but it was by a very narrow margin. When asking Apex students where the best place to go off campus for lunch was, there was a large variation in responses. Zaxby’s, Food Lion, Bojangles, and Costco all received a fair share of votes, but Chick-fil-A managed to come out on top with about 20% of the votes. Apex students advised others to avoid the drive thru during lunch time and said to order online for pick-up for the best use of your time.

Best Bang for Your Buck: Cook Out

With 56% of the votes, Cook Out came in first. McDonald’s was the runner up with 22% of the votes, and Taco Bell and Waffle House also received a small percentage of the votes. If you’re looking to get as much food as possible for the least amount of money, according to Apex students you should head on over to Cook Out!

Best Sandwich: Jersey Mike’s

The top contenders in this category were Panera, Firehouse Subs, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzsky’s, but Jersey Mike’s came out on top with 38% of the votes.

Best Dessert: Fresh. Local Ice Cream

For this category students had to pick the overall best dessert, so they could vote for an ice cream place, bakery, or anywhere they thought you could buy the best sweet treat from. Fresh. Local Ice Cream won, but there were also multiple votes for Daniel’s, Asali Cafe, the Cheesecake Factory, and Sweet Spoons.

Best Pizza: Anna’s Pizzeria

Anna’s received 33% of the votes, but that was enough to win because Apex students were once again all over the board in this category. Papa John’s, MOD Pizza, Jet’s, and Johnny’s were popular choices as well.

Overall Best Food in Apex: Tie Between Salem Street Pub and La Rancherita

For the final category, Apex students had to pick one best place to eat overall. This was a difficult choice for the students surveyed, but Salem Street Pub and La Rancherita both received 22% of the votes. Surprisingly, some students named fast food restaurants as the overall best food in Apex, and there were outlying votes for Panda Express, Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s, and of course, Chick-fil-A. Still, it seems that if you are looking for the absolute best food in Apex, you should head downtown and try the restaurants on Salem Street.

Do you agree with these restaurant superlatives? Let us know below or on our social media, and thank you to all students who participated in this survey!