Table Of Content
Specifically, a plate of blackened catfish with pickled field peas and rice grits piled in a shallow pool of smoked fish stew. The cocktail list is always in flux, too, and the bar uses the same seasonal ingredients as the kitchen to reduce waste. That means you can enjoy a drink with beet gastrique, carrot cordial, and Carolina gold rice orgeat and act like you were the key vote to pass climate legislation. If you want to experience Charlotte as the neighborhood city it really is, Letty’s will give you just that.
NODA / NORTH CHARLOTTE
The 18 Essential Restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina - Eater
The 18 Essential Restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina.
Posted: Thu, 18 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The entire South is obviously obsessed with meat and animal products, so Sanctuary Bistro, with a rotating all-vegan, gluten-free, and organic menu, is a really welcome addition to the restaurant scene. This is a place where stuff like soy, tofu, and mushrooms mimic the textures, richness, and meatiness of meat and cheese. In other words, you won’t have to sell dishes like jackfruit bourguignon or crispy tofu au poivre too hard to your cousin who only eats chicken tenders. We like Sanctuary best for a weeknight dinner, where we can post up in the dining room at the bar. And since it’s located in a shopping center, there’s always a parking spot.
El Veneno Food Truck
While there’s no food menu, there is a whole shelf dedicated specifically to notorious hot girl foods — tinned fish and cured meats — to be perched atop saltines on the house. By day, the inside is lovely, with the sun casting flirty shadows on the oodles of natural wine bottles, but visitors will want to sip their amber and pink-hued drinks outside on the balcony or patio. Because it’s a small house with a front yard (and a parking lot), it really feels like someone’s yard party. By night, it’s moody with generous specials and a backdrop of something funky on aux, vinyl, or even live. The thrifty art on the walls and a sign that pokes a little fun at “natty wine” culture show this place's lighthearted, self-aware personality.
Mert’s Heart & Soul
Like a proud curtain call, the Big Deborah, a fresh-baked and double-the-size take on a Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pie, nostalgically closes out the meal. Tracking down the smoked meat served in to-go pizza boxes at Union Barbecue is worth the effort — like an oh-so-satisfying game of hard-to-get. Is there a better success story than WTF’s move from food truck to restaurant? Greg Williams and Jamie Barnes have turned fast food on its head, with creative takes like lobster mac and cheese fries, housemade tater tots, and burgers. Throw in a few treats like sweet potato bread pudding and a crazy list of milkshakes, including turmeric-tinged Golden Milk, and their signature “yum yum sauce” takes on a new meaning. Drop in for a hot cup of coffee or a bite to eat at this whimsical space (counter service makes it snappy).
Church and Union CharlotteArrow
The decor is stunning — feathered lamps hang above the bar and the restaurant ceiling is covered in writings from The Art of War. With brunch, lunch, late-night eats ,and dinner (from seared scallops to lamb burgers) plus a strong cocktail lineup, there’s something for every occasion. Described as a “Southern steakhouse meets potluck,” Supperland covers a lot of ground, from a spatchcocked branzino to a bone marrow broccoli, to a service of caviar that’s sustainably farmed in North Carolina. Veteran restaurateurs Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel brought in Chef Chris Rogienski to handle the kitchen in this former church.
Dine on a discount — Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week is back for the summer. - Charlotte Observer
Dine on a discount — Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week is back for the summer..
Posted: Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
If you’re feeling peckish afterward, consider ending the meal with a slice of pound cake. While new restaurants tend to get all the hype, the older establishments—the ones that have been greeting guests for decades—quietly and steadfastly serve their well-loved dishes day in and day out. Mama Ricotta’s, an Italian stalwart in Midtown, has been open for about three decades, and if you’re craving a chicken parm sandwich or a plate of penne alla vodka, it won’t disappoint. Part of Charlotte’s FS Dining Group, Mama Ricotta's sister restaurant, Little Mama’s, opened in 2020. Whether you’re meeting a blind date, your entire bird-watching club, or a coworker who’s always begging for an after-work Happy Hour, Dilworth Tasting Room is the place to go.
Jon G's Barbecue
Take one look at the chicken sandwich served at Haberdish—a lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch spot in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte—and you won’t be able to think about anything else. Part Southern kitchen, part cocktail bar, the restaurant harkens back to the neighborhood’s history as a mill town, and its menu features dishes made with the same ingredients and techniques that have been used for centuries. If the food menu is the definition of straightforward Southern comfort (the fried chicken is a crowd favorite), the cocktail menu is its inventive, whimsical cousin.
Check out the original location on Central Avenue, because the plywood walls, laminate floors, folding tables, dartboard, and midcentury-modern light fixtures make it feel like your coolest high school friend's basement hangout. The small team and secret tasting menu at Kappo En, in the back of Menya, respect the tradition and elegance of a guided omakase, prioritizing an intentional dining experience over a trendy and flashy night out. For a pre-paid $185 per person, diners will be presented courses with ingredients straight from Japanese markets, and a catalog of sake and wine, with an option for beverage pairing.
James Beard semifinalist Chef Greg Collier and his wife and business partner, Subrina Collier, however, have managed to solve this riddle at Leah & Louise. Billed as a juke joint with ties to the Mississippi River Valley foodways, the restaurant introduces its customers to menu items that combine the familiar in order to create the nuance of taste. For years, the Queen City has steadily marched toward becoming a top food city in the South—with recent nods from the James Beard Foundation validating its expertise and growth. While barbecue and typical Southern fare can certainly be found within Charlotte’s city limits (check out Sweet Lew’s BBQ or Noble Smoke), the culinary landscape is more so defined by its creativity and variety in cuisine. In fact, when your options are this vast, the only issue is choosing where to go—so we did the work for you. Taqueria Mal Pan’s tortillas make it stand out from other Mexican spots in town.
Sustainably caught or raised seafood is the star here, headlined by the $150 Penthouse, a tower of oysters, mussels, shrimp, scallop ceviche and butter-poached lobster tails. There are plenty of non-seafood items here too, like the duck breast and wagyu flatiron, but the truly adventurous eaters should opt for The Treatment, a $65 chef's choice sampler that includes a $5 donation to charity. You don’t need to book a ticket to New Orleans to get your fix of Cajun dishes. Instead, head to Eddie’s Place in the Cotswold neighborhood, where she-crab soup, muffuletta sandwiches, and po’ boys are menu staples.
Work through the line at Yafo Kitchen, a fast-casual Mediterranean concept that shines as the local version of Washington, D.C.-based Cava. Soak up the bright and classy atmosphere (white and blue tones are reminiscent of the sand and sea) over fish and shellfish delivered daily. The restaurant works to keep at least 12 types of oysters on the raw bar menu around the clock. Sandwiches and entrees range from the crab cake BLT to the poke bowl with tuna and salmon. With lots of accolades on his resume already, chef Greg Collier turned to his roots with Leah & Louise. Here he’s serving up the Soul Food inspired by the foods back home in Memphis, like chips made from chicken skins and smoked rabbit with grits.
Coquette, a French buvette by the team behind neighboring Mariposa, is a quiet patisserie by day and a buzzy dinner service/wine bar by night. It’s convenient (minus Uptown parking) in its walkability to popular uptown Charlotte event spaces and offices, and in its open-all-day hours, with caneles and tea at the ready. The white negroni with Lillet Blanc or a classic French 75 sips well with the minerally Prince Edward Island oysters, and balances the richness of the duck fat fried chicken and coq au vin. Inside, it feels dressed up in blue, gold, and pink, fairytale-esque, and ornamented with marble tabletops. The menu can seem pricey, but it’s packed with local ingredients and it’s all meant to be shared, like a family dinner at a table loaded with deliciousness.
