Last updated: December 6, 2023

In the Weeds

When restaurants get a significant amount of attention, it’s often because they have a good story. And in a city that longs for a sense of history like Charlotte does, Haberdish’s story is irresistible.

Owners and married couple Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel have owned restaurants in NoDa since they opened Crêpe Cellar during the recession. Growler’s Pourhouse came next, and Haberdish served its first customers in December of 2016. The restaurant owners wanted their latest concept to represent the history of NoDa, which was home to mill workers long before it became a trendy spot to live. They visited fish camps and read books chronicling the lives of mill workers, learning what their diets were and the social traditions around eating.

The resulting restaurant has a stunning interior with antique touches, such as Edison bulbs hanging from the rafters, metal accents, exposed brick, and barn doors that open to the patio. In true Carolina fashion, guests can order smoked deviled eggs, cheese straws, boiled peanuts, or livermush toast, among other items, as appetizers. The plates are adorably mismatched, a simple nod back to meals where millworkers would bring their own plates to community suppers.

The entrée options are just as simple as the snacks: fried chicken (tenders or on the bone), smoked chicken, fried cauliflower, trout, and ribs. The chicken is sourced well, and even the snowflake flour used to make the crispy exterior comes from North Carolina. When Haberdish first opened, I wasn’t sure about it. The fried chicken seemed gummy, almost like it was being overbrined, and my first experience with their chicken and waffles had us picking clumps of hardened sugar out of the waffles. Yet there was potential in dishes like the charred okra and livermush, and with some time behind them, the kitchen is putting out better dishes. The chicken tenders are my favorite order; the chicken is moist and maintains a good crunch. The vegetarian fried option, the cauliflower, is as good as the meat, crunchy and juicy and topped with chimichurri. Order the hushpuppies; the sweet tea butter makes the dish.

The one place Haberdish isn’t so old-school is the bar, where mixologist Colleen Hughes plays mad scientist with alcohol. Drinks that sizzle like Pop Rocks, change as your drink them, or have ice cubes with flowers frozen in the middle aren’t unusual here. Yet even with Hughes’ modern skills, the beverage list ties back to that mill town history in some ways. Those who order coffee with brunch, for example, will enjoy it out of a thermos.

Dining on Haberdish’s patio watching passersby may remind you that you’re dining in one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods. Yet the menu and warm service bring you back to a time when dining wasn’t about the food so much as the company and rejuvenation. Perhaps that’s why Haberdish maintains such a jovial dining room — long before dining was entertainment, it was celebration.