Punk for Change 2009: Where to grab a bite to eat/drink

There are several places to go to grab a bite to eat or something to drink that are nearby The Spot. If you are looking for a place to eat, your best bet is to either hit Presto or Wash St. Alehouse, venture into Trolley Square or head up to Concord Pike, where there are tons of fast food and restaurants.

Here are a few of my faves:

Downtown Wilmington:

Presto - Nice gourmet-type cafe with sandwiches, tapas, fruit shakes, coffee and fresh baked pastries. Relaxed environment w/ free wi-fi. They won't kick you out if you want to hang for a while. Next to Washington Street Alehouse, 1206 N Washington St., Wilmington.

Washington Street Ale House - Decent size bar with tons of TV, plus nice seated area. Food is pretty good for bar food, not stellar, but gets job done. Go here if you want to hang and drink. 1206 N. Washintgon St., Wilmington.

Mikimoto's - My least favorite of the trio of joints on Wash. St. Upscale sushi bar. Play bad techno music. Pricey. But if you are in mood for fresh sushi or seafood and you have some $$$ to plunk down, go for it. 1206 N. Washington St. Wilmington.

Tijuana Taco Shop - This is THE BEST mexican joint in town. Inexpensive, ultra fresh and super good. They have Twin Lakes Local 52 on tap, which is a great local brew. 1815 Lancaster Ave., Wilmington.

Logan House - Local bar that you can hang out at, get drunk and no one will get mad at you. 1701 Delaware Ave., Wilmington.

On 202 (Concord Pike):

Lucky's Coffee Shop - Retro-y kind of diner joint at former site of Ranch House on 202. Very good food, reasonably priced. Scraggly/hipster wait service. Fun place to go, kid friendly. 4003 Concord Pike, Wilmington.

Charcoal Pit - The best place for a 202 Wilmington hang. Killer triple thick milkshakes, char-burgers, char-dogs and fries. Go for ambiance and true N. Wilmington experience as much as the food. This is where all the DE punks used to hang out in the '80s. 2600 concord pike, Wilmington.

Five Guys - Also on 202, better burger than Charcoal Pit, but also way greasier. Fries are really good too. Be warned: A regular burger is actually two patties! I go for the mini-burger, which is only one. 2217 Concord Pike, Wilmington.

La Tolteca - Authentic Mexican joint. Food usually comes out fast, hot and fresh. You can get some decent margaritas here. 2209 Concord Pike, Wilmintgon.

Grotto Pizza - There's a Grotto on Pennsylvania avenue that has a full bar. People go there to watch games a lot, so be warned if you want to get your drink on, but are annoyed by drunken sports fans. And of course, the greasy ass pizza is good every once in a blue moon. 1819 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington.

Booze:

Kreston Liquors - This is probably closest booze store in neighborhood that is reputable (i.e., you won't have to order/pay through a revolving bullet proof window). They close at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. http://www.krestonwines.com/ 904 Concord Ave.

Frank's Union Wine Mart - 1206 N. Union St. - Another non-sketchy booze store. Next to where Union Station was a million years ago. 1206 N. Union St., Wilmington.

There are also many shops on Market street heading out of the city (street numbers going up). I can't really recommend any of them.