Last updated: February 26, 2026

by TM Petaccia

The Rare Roots Hospitality restaurant group has a knack for, as the song goes, “doin’ it and doin’ it and doin’ it well.” Its portfolio boasts some of the top-rated restaurants in the city: Dressler’s, The Porter’s House, Fin & Fino, the soon-to-be revived Dogwood, and Joan’s Bakery & Deli. Rare Roots owners Jon & Kim Dressler’s sixth concept, aptly named Chapter 6, seeks to take its spot alongside its accomplished siblings — and for the most part, it does.

Located in The Link multi-use development, immediately next to Sycamore Brewing along the Charlotte Rail Trail in South End, Chapter 6 explores the not-so-mainstream cuisines of the Mediterranean: North Africa, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, and Spain — with maybe a little Sardinia thrown in.

The restaurant décor pays homage to traditional Moorish designs found throughout that region, white plaster-esque walls with sunk-in alcoves holding various baskets, vases, and other pottery representing those Mediterranean cultures. The dining space itself is clean and spacious, incorporating two main dining rooms, an outdoor patio, and a very attractive bar.

The menu consists of a wide variety of small plates, which are easily shared, along with three larger “for the table” dishes. As you might correctly assume, seafood takes precedence over land-based proteins — including three different octopus dishes — but there are a few choice meat options as well as a number of purely plant-based menu choices, also endemic of the region.

The “Mezze” section of the menu lists various dips and spreads, including standouts garlic confit, verde chickpeas, and “melty” nduja. The garlic confit is a simple, sublime, and maybe a tad hedonistic dive into garlicky goodness. The soft, sweet, and mildly earthy cloves easily spread on the slices of the house-grilled bread. Verde chickpeas is a toothsome combination of fresh chickpeas, charred eggplant, sundried peppers, and pine nuts, tossed with preserved lemon and olive oil, served over yogurt. This is about as Mediterranean as a dish can get. The melty nduja reaches into Italy with the spicy salami paste mixed with fontina cheese, roasted piquillo peppers, and roasted garlic, served with the same grilled bread. All three of these would make for an excellent shared meal with a friend or two, but the following options will make your menu choices more difficult (or maybe just bring more friends).

Among the “tapas,” two or three could make for a fine meal in themselves. Baby octopus tossed with grilled castelvetrano olives, cipollini onions, roasted radishes, fennel, and celery root purée is consistently enjoyable, as are the blistered Anaheim peppers (mixed with za’atar spice and harissa aioli). The star of this section, however, is the braised pork cheeks — ridiculously tender, bathed in a herbed sherry jus, with crispy house potato chips on top. Yes, it’s sharable, but you may not want to. Unfortunately, the salt cod croquettes were a disappointment. A somewhat bland interior was overcorrected with an extremely salty, albeit perfectly fried, coating. Yes, “salt” is in the name of the dish, but there are limits. There are also several skewer options, such as octopus, chicken thigh, and spiced lamb kefta. All make for a nice interlude before moving on to the next piece of the menu.

“Small Plates” is where you’ll find composed dishes, as well as what may be my current favorite plate of food in all of the city. Skate used to be considered a “trash fish” (and they are an absolute pain to clean and prep), until smart chefs figured out how to get the most of of them. Chapter 6 nails it. Dusting the “wing” with chickpea flour and lightly sautéing it with jowl bacon, it is served in a sauce of caper butter and herbs. The dish is totally eye-roll good. Another standout is the braised octopus and chorizo — tender tentacles surrounded by chunks of the spicy sausage with grilled tomatillos, roasted sunchokes, fresno chiles, and cilantro, topped with sunchoke chips. Desserts, aside from cheesecake and occasional specials from sibling Joan’s, are made in-house. You’d do well to check out the olive oil almond cake with mascarpone icing with fresh and dried fruits.

Like its sibling Fin & Fino, Chapter 6 offers “The Treatment,” a chef’s choice evening of 4-6 dishes for $70, with $5 donated to a local nonprofit. One of the best deals in town, The Treatment is a must-try for open palates.

For all the outstanding dishes, repeated visits did reveal an occasional lack of focus, not uncommon in a newer restaurant. The rubbed and seared tuna a la plancha was amazing on one visit and a complete salt bomb on another. The porcini-rubbed hangar steak is well-seasoned with a very smart olive salsa verde, but can occasionally show up overcooked.

The wine list, under the direction of Hilary Demmitt, is a well-composed tour of the Mediterranean. You’ll find heavy Italian, Spanish, and French influences here, but also some creative forays into the wines of countries like Lebanon, Sardinia, Slovenia, and Greece. Like all Rare Roots properties, the cocktail program is under the direction of Brittany Kellum, a consistent UPPY Mixologist of the Year finalist and 2021 winner. Her specialty cocktails combine her deep knowledge of a wide range of spirits and her whimsical nature. “Last Night in Ibiza” is a well-balanced mélange of vanilla-infused mezcal, calvados, green apple, Sancerre reduction, lemon, and apple blossom. For dark liquor lovers, “When In Barcelona” mixes bourbon, rye, Averna, and Cynar, plus a cinnamon and fig syrup, making for a quite enjoyable sipper. The bar staff is well trained, amicable, and doesn’t rely on Kellum’s presence to put out quality work — even on the off-menu items. That level of service extends to the dining room under the guidance of 2023 UPPY general manager finalist Ellis Lindsay. Chapter 6 continues the friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable service its sister concepts are known for, which plays a significant role in making dining at Chapter 6 is a uniformly pleasant experience.

Overall, Chapter 6 has the potential to outpace Rare Roots Hospitality’s other concepts. It has a very popular location, the food concept is solid, the cocktail program is on point, and the staff is well-trained and amicable. It is well on its way to becoming one of Charlotte’s premier places to dine — as long as it can smooth out a few bumps.