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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.
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Beef 'N Bottle Steakhouse
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.
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NODA / NORTH OF CHARLOTTE
The restaurant is small and cozy, with exposed brick walls, soft lighting which provides a warm golden glow and simple yet elegant decor. Luckily, Good Food gave up its no-reservations policies, meaning there’s no longer a painfully long wait to get a table. There’s a decidedly low-country Carolina vibe at Fin & Fino, not just because of the fresh seafood on offer but also for the beachy and airy feel of the place.
SOUTH CHARLOTTE
As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. The Super Boy, a double burger with housemade chili and slaw, might be the star of the show at South 21 Drive-In, but the curb-side service restaurant has plenty of other options too. Opened in 1955, the historic eatery continues to whip up Fish-o-Burgers, BLTs, and other favorites for its customers. With such a long-lasting legacy, the family-owned drive-in is proof that good food has been central to Charlotte’s culture for decades—and hopefully it will stay that way for years to come. Authentic Ethiopian fare is present in Midwood thanks to the team behind Abugida Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant.
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Charlotte may be hours away from an ocean, but Fin & Fino takes its role as a “social seafood house” seriously. The restaurant receives a daily delivery of its fish and shellfish—all of which were raised or caught sustainably–to make its roster of seafood dishes. Not to mention, there’s an impressive, playful cocktail menu; Call of the Clam, Endless Breadsticks, and Papa Was a Rolling Stone are all options to wash down your delicious meal. Shopping centers are usually filled with chain restaurants serving 2-for-$20 meals that taste fresh out of the microwave, but every once in a while, you find a gem like Prime Fish. The restaurant has only 20 seats, and you’ll want to take a date to the L-shaped sushi bar to watch the chefs prepare edomae-style sushi with yellowtail from Japan, salmon from Denmark, and tuna from Spain. You can’t go wrong with any of the sashimi and nigiri, but the special rolls are also so good and include Southern influences you won’t find elsewhere.
Beef 'N Bottle SteakhouseArrow
You’ll get brisket, chopped pork that tastes great doused in classic Eastern North Carolina vinegar BBQ sauce, and ribs, plus two sides (the best being the mac and cheese and meaty collard greens). When the weather’s nice, take your metal baking sheet to the patio’s picnic tables and enjoy your ribs in this quiet neighborhood. This Southern-inspired juke joint is a date-night favorite (for friend dates, too!). It’s a cozy place with less than a dozen two- and four-top tables lining the walls, and a short bar that’s the perfect place to share some fried turkey wings and talk about the drama in your knitting Facebook group. The Southern menu changes often, but there are a few staples that should be on your table.
Mert's Heart And Soul
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.
Beef ’N Bottle Steakhouse
And the place is worth the trip alone for Botiwalla, a creation of Asheville's Meherwan Irani that offers Indian street food like vada pav and kale pakoras. Helmed by the esteemed 5th Street Group, La Belle Helene adds a bit of French class to Uptown Charlotte. The menu covers the Parisian classics—French onion soup, ratatouille, saffron mussels, duck a l'orange for two, beef Bourguignon and a honeycomb creme brûlée—and there’s also special menus mid-day and for brunch. The Economy Gastronomy special serves up a three-course menu for $59 per person and includes stars like a foie gras torchon and crispy duck confit. You know that last day of a bachelorette party, when everyone’s a smidge hungover? You’re going to need a solid breakfast, but you also gotta get those last cute pics before you crawl back to reality.
The experience is opened up with umami-dominant small appetizers, then a parade of prized Edomae-style nigiri, followed by a few standout cooked meats, from eel to wagyu, and concluded with an earthy dessert, like a matcha mochi. The counter-style dining area is so intimate that diners, witnessing the precise dance of an open kitchen, may feel like they’re in an artist’s private studio. Located in the Wesley Heights neighborhood, Pizza Baby, like its name, is youthful and playful, with spritzy aperitivos and sprightly menu fonts and doodles. Order takeout, or dine in for an energetic, multisensory experience — scents of fermented sweet-salty-soft dough, sounds of staff serving, and sights of the cool, airy Los Angeles-meets-Rome aesthetic. Save room for chef Trey Wilson’s Brussels sprouts and sesame seed-crusted pizza, inspired by travels to New York, and the plentiful portion of soft serve (add amaro).
Read on for our picks for the best restaurants in Charlotte, and start planning ahead. Even though Charlotte isn’t a coastal city, it’s only 175 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Because restaurants here have prime access to fresh, local, and sustainable seafood. The large restaurant gets busy and chatty, but that won’t keep other people from staring in envy as a waiter passes by with your seafood skyscraper.
It was such a hit, it became the inspiration for the Kindreds’ breakfast and brunch cafe, Milkbread, first in Davidson and now at their stylish reimagining of the classic Central Avenue Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood. Customers can sit down at the Davidson location, while the Plaza Midwood spot is a walk-up counter with limited outdoor seating. The doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, along with the crispy chicken sandwiches, prove that Milkbread has staying power. “Sustainability” and “heirloom ingredients” sound like culinary buzzwords, but they’re true North Stars for Chef William Dissen and his team at Haymaker. The Uptown restaurant whips up its offerings—which include PB&J pork belly, beef short ribs, and bacon fat beignets—using local farm deliveries, artisanal products, and a brick hearth. You may want to try everything on the menu, but the mac and cheese made with Benton’s country ham is a non-negotiable.
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.
Relaxed and cheerful, JJ’s is ideal for a lighthearted lunch outing with the kids or coworkers. Plan to spend a little bit of time at this wide open, one-stop shop for wines, cheeses, coffees and counter-service dining options. Get a cappuccino at Not Just Coffee, artisanal Italian foods at Zia Pia Imports, an acai bowl at Rico’s Acai, a freshly baked pizza by Pure Pizza, a raw juice from Viva Raw — the list goes on. This charming house-turned-restaurant has been serving Charlotte residents for over 30 years and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. A semifinalist for the James Beard Best New Restaurant in America award, Good Food serves a tapas-style menu centered around locally sourced, organic ingredients, so expect the offerings to change seasonally.
Familiar names have pushed into new territory, adding new favorites to the culinary landscape, while new names are rising up to get attention too. North Carolina’s largest city, which sprawls from Lake Norman down to the South Carolina border, can be a hard city for outsiders and newcomers to get their arms around. Really, it’s a city of neighborhoods, with a lot of once-overlooked areas, like West Charlotte, finally challenging the busy Uptown as the place to find everything from regional classics to modern global trends. In a city of tastemakers, chefs, mixologists and brewers work daily to move Charlotte’s gastronomical needle forward. It’s in the dishes and drinks that you’ll find the Queen City's incomparable flavor. Warm and festive, Vida is an easygoing (and spicy) stop before a night out Uptown.
