
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.
Eater Carolinas
Head on up to the counter and order the currywurst frites with a fried egg to share and a really great reuben, which comes with homemade sweet-and-spicy pickles on the side. 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. Drop in for a hot cup of coffee or a bite to eat at this whimsical space (counter service makes it snappy). Light meals include salads, sandwiches and soups (the signature soup with spinach, asparagus and leek is heaven), and a must-have pastry item is one of those cute macarons in the bakery case.

#16. The King's Kitchen
The exposed brick walls compliment the carefully-placed plants to accent Kindred’s corners. Kindred’s cuisine is inspired by the owners’ (a small family from Davidson) traveling and cooking around the world, and the menu changes according to the seasons. Head of Charlotte-based MRG and founding chef of four restaurants—Barrington's, Good Food on Montford, Stagioni, and NC•RED—Moffett is known for creating dishes inspired by both New England and southern culinary traditions. With the simple, compelling aim of making people happy through his cooking, the chef builds immense flavors in every morsel he prepares and serves—and in this lavishly illustrated cookbook he shows you how to do the same.
#8. The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

In a lot of ways, Charlotte is still a teenager trying to figure out who it’s going to be. Sure, this town has technically existed since 1768, but we weren’t invited to sit at the Big City table until the early 2000s. That might explain why Charlotte doesn’t really have that one tangible dish. What’s our version of the juicy lucy in Minneapolis, the half-smoke in DC, or hot chicken in Nashville?
#15. Bad Daddy's Burger Bar
Customshop has been serving farm-to-table dinners since 2007, which is around the same time that people across the country realized their food comes from farms. We’re only sort of joking, but this is one of those restaurants that celebrates North Carolina’s extremely good and varied produce. Come for dinner and definitely get a vegetable-focused small plate or two before moving to a seafood or pasta main.
The Best Restaurants In Asheville, North Carolina
A mix of modern and Southern styles, this quaint hotel restaurant brings approachable dishes like cast-iron biscuits with bacon jam, deviled eggs, a fried chicken sandwich, rice grits with seasonal vegetables, and more. Under the prowess of former Top Chef contestant Jamie Lynch, the Charlotte-based eatery has grown in popularity and expanded to Charleston and Atlanta. The decor is stunning — feathered lamps hang above the bar and the restaurant ceiling is covered in writings from The Art of War.
Alongside a small, specialty wine and beer list for sipping, there’s a classy Earl Grey take on an Old Fashioned, a banana-infused rum cocktail, and a salted, citrusy tequila drink, just to name a few. But if $300 for a 16-course tasting (or $150 for 10 courses at lunch) is a bit rich, consider Omakase’s little sister in Ballantyne. It’s small and classic, with a full offering of rolls, nigiri, and sashimi, plus a great list of sakes. 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.
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15 Best Private Dining in Charlotte - Restaurant Clicks
15 Best Private Dining in Charlotte.
Posted: Thu, 23 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Restaurants across America are chock-full of variety, mixing ethnicities, food regions, and cultures into steaming melting pots of (often) fried deliciousness. MRG is a team of creative, hardworking, inspiring service professionals. We believe in sustainability—across our food, our role in the community, and our employee practices. Okra fries, a fried chicken sandwich at a gas station, and other things you must eat in Asheville, North Carolina. Easy-going and family-friendly, this hot dog joint has a longstanding devotion to Sahlen’s smokehouse hot dogs and sausages, as well as to handcrafting its own pickles, onion rings and chili.
50 Best Restaurants in Charlotte: 2021 - Charlotte magazine
50 Best Restaurants in Charlotte: 2021.
Posted: Sun, 27 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Sister is a French and Greek-inspired American restaurant with a beautiful interior to match its stunning dishes. Not only do they have an elegant striped and stone design, but they’ve got a Liquor Lounge and a Rooftop Terrace as well. Another Elizabeth favorite, Crunkleton focuses on live fire cooking and their deep love of cocktails. Inside, you can marvel at their impressive bar and liquor wall, or take your cocktails outside to the patio for an elegant seat to escape the summer heat.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated restaurants in Charlotte that are listed as "fine dining" on Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Locals are sure to see some favorite eateries and classic go-to restaurants. Keep reading to see if your favorite restaurant made the list—and to see which spots you haven't been to yet. When Plaza Midwood brewery Resident Culture expanded to a cavernous space in South End, it found space for chef Hector González-Mora, whose breakfast taqueria had already attracted a following. González-Mora has thrived, and now El Toro Bruto has a full menu, from breakfast to lunch to dinner.
For something slightly lighter, the house salad with jicama and corn comes in a monstrous portion. Don’t skimp on the drinks — margarita and sangria pitchers are both available for sharing. 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).
The menu of six or so housemade pastas and sharing-size entrees like branzino is rounded out with small plates (toasted hazelnuts and the whole fried artichoke are standouts) that you can keep all to yourself. 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. We love Dot Dot Dot, and we’ve mentioned it before in our speakeasy roundup. Dot Dot Dot is an elegant members-only cocktail lounge with dim lighting, red cushion seating, and oak floors and tables.
The Stanley sits inside Charlotte’s Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood with cuisine whipped up by James Beard Nominated Chef Paul Verica and his Sous Chef Son, Alex. Food is “locally sourced and seasonally driven” with whimsical renditions of classics being offered from inside a bright, clean interior, smooth oak tables, and a pristine white bar topped with industrial-style ceiling lamps. Let’s face it, sometimes the night calls for good food and even better vibes. The atmosphere of a place can really elevate an evening, and we wanted to showcase some of the most beautifully-designed restaurants that Charlotte has to offer. From speakeasies to taprooms to elegant international cuisine, here are 15 stunning restaurants perfect for a night out on the town.
Charlotte’s premiere whiskey & cigar bar has also got some serious style going for it. The turquoise bar stools perfectly compliment the checkerboard-patterned floor. They’ve also got a lovely outdoor patio out front for sippin’ and smokin’, and they’ve recently begun hosting events since they’ve opened, like their Habana Festival.
Try the JJ’s No. 1 Red Hot with chile relish, diced onions, mustard, and a dill pickle spear (with the option to deviate with a turkey, veggie, or all-beef dog). Enter this lighthearted, hipster establishment when searching for a craft beer, bottle of wine, sandwich, or salad (there are plenty of snack-ish items like potato chips and kale chips to pair with either). The second location of its kind, Rhino Uptown is also known for its locally sourced goods (like kombuchas and coffees) and baked items (reach for a cookie). Warm and festive, Vida is an easygoing (and spicy) stop before a night out Uptown. Start with the queso chipotle dip before veering toward the tacos, all served with black beans and red chile rice.
The Southern menu changes often, but there are a few staples that should be on your table. 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.
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