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Yes, there are classic tacos, but there are short ribs in green tomatillo broth, tamarind-glazed fish, and mole, too. As seen on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, the traditional soul food and Gullah-inspired dishes fall in step with the bright, jazzy hand-painted decor. The soul roll egg rolls kick with black-eyed peas, rice, and collard greens. Fast-casual and family-friendly, this Neopolitan pizzeria now has two locations — one in Dilworth and one in South Charlotte. Pizzas are cooked in wood-fired ovens for 90 seconds and served hot and crisp (just look for the leoparding on the crust). The pistacchio pizza is easily the most-talked-about, with its jade-tinted pistachio pesto sauce and clouds of ricotta and buffalo mozzarella.
Charlotte Restaurant Week 2024 Is On The Way With Exciting Choices For North Carolina Diners - Country 103.7
Charlotte Restaurant Week 2024 Is On The Way With Exciting Choices For North Carolina Diners.
Posted: Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Brooks’ Sandwich House
If the menu has a pasta dish with seafood, and it usually does, you legally have to order it (or we’ll appear out of nowhere and attempt to make a citizen’s arrest). The restaurant stays true to the organic theme, with fresh flowers on the wood tables, stoneware dishes, and a general, upscale granola energy. Union BBQ is boldly serving Texas barbecue in North Carolina out of a weekend-only food truck. Dynamic duo Holden Sasser and Chase Young serve a mean, best-in-class brisket with a charred crust that turns into a tender, layered, smokey bite, paired best with sour pickles. The lime zest on the pork spare ribs is a quiet hero, and the beef cheek barbacoa sandwich, deluged in rajas con crema and a touch of cilantro, is sloppy in all of the right ways.
12 Spots for an Exciting Lunch Break in Charlotte
Shareable items include zucchini cakes and shishito peppers, while the entree list features Mediterranean spice lamb rack with tomato confiture, bacon-wrapped rabbit saddle with carrot puree, and beyond. There are lots of Italian restaurants offering fresh pasta, but not many make it the way Flour Shop does, which is right in the middle of the intimate dining room. Besides the pasta itself, the restaurant’s dishes include produce grown in the area and locally sourced meats.
Green's Lunch
Fin & Fino, Jon Dressler’s creative seafood palace, has added lunch hours, a sure sign of a returning uptown office culture. The Treatment, the $65 multi-course dinner tasting menu, isn’t available, but you can go with appetizers, salads, sandwiches (including a worthy fried fish on brioche for $15), and entrees like poke bowls. Located in the eclectic NoDA neighborhood, Haberdish’s menu is packed with hearty Southern favorites like fried chicken, BBQ ribs, cornbread pudding and dumplings. While Haberdish’s decor is farmhouse-esque and casual, don’t be surprised to see people dressed up for a night out on the town, here in part for the craft cocktail menu. As an extra special touch, drinks often include an ice sphere full of edible flowers.
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.
Union Barbecue
Currywurst frites have a following, but for the money, Reuben fries with crunchy pastrami bits are too good to be missed. The restaurant has also added packaged meats, like its pastrami, in the deli case. To highlight our ever-evolving food scene, we have compiled a list of 101 must-try restaurants in and around Charlotte. Fondly called Al Mike’s by locals, this Charlotte staple that opened in 1983 offers a low-key tavern experience with unpretentious food. It’s impossible to go wrong with the quinoa black bean vegetable burger or the reuben on rye (get a basket of Cajun fries, too).
All-day breakfast is another defining factor of the eatery—omelets, breakfast burritos, eggs Benedict, and chicken and waffles are a solid start to any morning. A “best restaurant” label doesn’t necessarily mean sky-high prices; in fact, Brooks’ Sandwich House—where cash is the only accepted form of payment—serves $4 hot dogs and $8-a-pound beef chili. The nearly 50-year-old, family-run roadside stop recommends getting your cheeseburger made “all the way,” which includes mustard, onions, and the house made beef chili. Since 1998, Mert’s Heart and Soul has given Charlotteans the gift of soul food—and a national audience got a peek at the restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2015. Menu standouts include the Soul Roll (egg roll wraps with black-eyed peas, rice, collard greens, and diced chicken), the mini loaves of cornbread, and the fresh salmon cakes.
Neighborhoods
Calle Sol is as dependable as a 1998 Toyota Camry—it’s the restaurant we turn to whenever we want a guaranteed excellent lunch or dinner. For lunch, go with a Tampa- or Miami-style Cuban sandwich with a side of fried sweet plantains. And even though you might have other responsibilities, you should still pair it with an off-menu spicy margarita that uses muddled rocoto chili peppers. This spot sits on a corner in one of Charlotte’s most walkable neighborhoods, which means it’s always buzzing, and you should definitely make a reservation. There’s no parlor — you’ll either get it to-go or sit at a picnic table — and the lines are already legendary. But Cheat’s gets the bread right (traditional Liscio’s Bakery rolls), and it slices the top-round steak in-house.
Led by Chef Robin Anthony, who also holds the title of owner and Certified Sake Adviser, the Ballantyne destination serves up Edomae-style sushi. No matter what you order—be sure to try the black truffle salmon, though—the self-taught chef will ensure you enjoy a top-tier meal, often topped with his signature edible flowers, grown by a local farmer in Charlotte. The bread at this tiny order-at-the-window restaurant is so damn good, they named the whole restaurant after it. They use Japanese white bread dough to make puffy donuts and cinnamon rolls that people line up for, especially on weekend mornings. The restaurant has only a handful of outdoor tables, so be prepared to either wait for one or make your own seat on the curb. In a lot of ways, Charlotte is still a teenager trying to figure out who it’s going to be.
This elegant establishment boasts farm-to-fork oysters grown in North Carolina, as well as other fresh seafood offerings sourced from the coasts of the Carolinas when available. Settle in for oyster shooters (there’s the Oyster Jammer with vodka, pale ale and mignonette), fish tacos, and steam buns, plus house favorites like fried catfish and paella with the daily catch from North Carolina. The most amazing aroma wafting along the North Tryon Street sidewalk by day or by night (it’s impossible to ignore after stepping out of a show at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center). This cash-only mobile restaurant serves hot food straight out of its walk-up window including chicken and lamb over rice with pita, falafel salad, Philly cheese steaks, and chicken gyros. Two dozen vendors in the city’s first food hall include offerings from several of the region’s favorite chefs, like Charlotte’s own The Dumpling Lady and fried chicken spilling out from a fluffy bun at Charleston’s Boxcar Betty’s. A space brightened by big windows inside and a large patio outside creates a vibe that’s more of a destination than just a simple food court.
Whatever it is, it drove partners Ryan Hart, Greg Balch, and Hannah Smith — all familiar names from other spots, including the Crunkleton — to stake their claims with a popular spot on the geographic cusp between Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth. It’s a walk-up counter with limited outdoor seating, and fans stand in long lines to grab a classic version of a Philly. Fig Tree’s menu blends French and Italian cuisines, a comprehensive wine list and a sophisticated yet unpretentious setting.
Try the Crispy Umami, with tempura shrimp, avocado, eel sauce, and shoestring sweet potatoes, and pair it with something off their list of 70 sakes. No matter where you are in Charlotte, you aren't far from a fantastic meal. The city's restaurant scene has spread, not just geographically, but gastronomically. The tried and true dishes every Southern city ought to have down by now are on offer—fried chicken and barbecue at Midwood that will leave you happily stuffed. But roving restaurants have ignited a food truck frenzy and quirky takes on the classics are all the rage at newer places that continue to pop up. The Queen City also has some truly innovative spots that have earned national recognition, like the ever-changing, multi-award-winning Kindred.
