October 7, 2019
10 restaurants you shouldn’t be forgetting about
After years, these places have still got it
Scallops at Barrington’s come seared with perfect technique — and served beautifully. Kristen Wile/UP
It’s restaurant opening season, with several highly anticipated debuts scheduled for the next couple of weeks, like KiKi and The Goodyear House. While we’re super excited to see what these new places add to the culinary scene in Charlotte, there are some standout places that have been doing great things for the city for years. Here are some of the restaurants you likely forget about when planning a night out, but shouldn’t. —Kristen Wile
Carpe Diem
One of the city’s longest-running fine dining restaurants, Carpe Diem has long been one of the most consistent dining experiences in town. Its beautiful interior with classic wood accents, knowledgeable and friendly service, and wide-ranging menu all contribute to why we appreciate this restaurant so much.
Napa on Providence
This wine-heavy restaurant has a new executive chef, Ken Apote, breathing new life into the restaurant’s menu. The dishes are best paired with wine, of course — we’re partial to the duck with a bold glass of red. Servers are knowledgeable about the wine list, leading you to the right pour to enjoy with your meal. A charming patio just adds to the appeal.
Aria Tuscan Grill
With sister concept Cicchetti opening, Aria is getting less attention. The Uptown restaurant is still serving flavorful pastas, big Italian reds, and generous portions in a beautiful interior. The bar program got an update recently when mixologist Bob Peters came on as a consultant, creating an entire menu section featuring the classic negroni cocktail.
Customshop Handcrafted Food
Elizabeth Avenue, once one of the city’s best restaurant-hopping streets, has been a bit quieter lately due to lingering LYNX Gold Line construction. Customshop underwent some construction as well, closing for several months while the interior was updated. The menu also saw some tweaks, shifting away from pastas and focusing more on intricate sauces. The resulting dishes are layered, complex, and delicious.
Global Restaurant
Now in Pineville, some of the city’s best chefs have come up through this South Charlotte restaurant. It’s worth the drive to visit executive chef and owner Bernard Brunet’s place, which serves upscale dishes made with seasonal ingredients. The restaurant takes influence from, you guessed it, around the globe.
Bistro La Bon
When a restaurant’s longtime chef leaves, things can start going downhill quickly. Yet after the departure of beloved chef Majid Amoorpour, output from the kitchen remained steadily delicious. The restaurant’s signature dishes remain, such as the lavender chicken and Swedish meatballs, and the Plaza Midwood spot continues to be the kind of place where you want to be a regular.
Crêpe Cellar
Perhaps it’s the name of this restaurant that makes you forget about it as a dinner spot, but Crêpe Cellar serves much more than crêpes. The warm interior echoes a European establishment tucked off a side street somewhere, as does the menu, with the namesake crêpes served sweet or savory, but also fantastic composed dishes. The soups never disappoint.
Beef ‘n Bottle Steakhouse
There’s nowhere more classic Charlotte than this place. On its face, the interior seems in need of an update and the menu is basic. Yet the nostalgia of Beef ‘n Bottle, a restaurant that has run nearly unchanged for decades, makes it one of Charlotte’s most beloved spots. Expect tender steaks and friendly service from folks that have been working at the restaurant for years.
Halcyon, Flavors From the Earth
The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Tryon Street are an added perk to one of the city’s longtime standard-setting restaurants. Under opening executive chef Marc Jacksina, the restaurant was one of the earliest adapters of the farm-to-table movement. That tradition continues, with quality ingredients setting a high baseline for the restaurant’s seasonal dishes.
Barrington’s Restaurant
Bruce Moffett Restaurant Group includes some of the city’s top spots, such as Good Food on Montford and N.C. Red. Barrington’s, however, in South Charlotte off Fairview Road, is the restaurant that started it all. Back when it opened in 2000, Barrington’s was one of the city’s high-dollar dining spots. Other restaurants have caught up, however, and though many overlook this spot because they deem it pricey, it’s time to readjust that opinion. It’s no more expensive than a lot of the modern Southern spots around town.
Did we miss your favorite mainstay? Let us know in the comments!
Upstream, running 19 years ! 🙂
Upstream & Mimosa Grill
Foxcroft Wine Co! Their South Park and Dilworth locations are community staples… and they’re opening in Waverly soon!
You nailed it – these restaurants are under the radar and should be more acclaimed. I would add one more – The Fig Tree, always delicious, beautiful ambience, great wine list.