Angie’s Restaurant is a dream made real for Angie Mikus, after 20 years of waiting tables in local Garner eateries. “I had an idea, of how I think people should be treated,” Mikus said, “a place where people could sit and talk, and stay all day if they want to. And I’ve always wanted my own place, to have control of my own destiny.”
Angie’s customers would follow her from restaurant to restaurant, asking to sit only at her tables. Now with her own restaurant, she offers home style Southern cuisine with the same friendly service that made her locally famous. Diners come from as far away as North Raleigh or Smithfield to dine on country fried steak, pork chops, meatloaf, fried chicken and flounder.
Now in her second year of operation, Angie makes it a point to support her local Garner community that she says were such a big part of helping her achieve her dream. She has held fundraisers for local civic groups and for the family of Joey Johnson, the victim of a drunk driving accident. For two years in a row she has opened her doors on Thanksgiving day and offered a free Thanksgiving meal to anyone who came in, going so far as to rent a van to give rides to local homeless people to and from the restaurant, and delivering meals to the elderly. “Since my grandmother passed away, I was always kind of lost, and the holidays weren’t the best for me,” says Angie. “I feel like Garner is my family, and they’ve done so much for me through the years. I wanted to do something to give back.”
For her service, she has been recognized by the Garner Rotary, as well as the Town of Garner’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Celebration Committee.
Angie’s Restaurant is ranked as one of WRAL’s “Five Faves,” has a 4.5-star rating on Yelp!, and a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor. Her motto, “A Taste of Friendship,” is something that she strives to live every day. “It’s what I feel. I grew up in this town, and no matter where I’ve gone people have always been supportive. I’m truly grateful. It’s like this was meant to be.”
