Queen City Bites & Crafts (QCBC) in Uptown. Photo courtesy of QCBC

We know chefs can cook great food, but where do they eat when they’re not cooking for guests or themselves? In this series, we ask a local member of the restaurant industry to share their favorite five local restaurants (not including their own) and what they order. Executive Chef of McNinch House Matthew Shepard prefers to eat at a variety of diverse but casual places throughout the city. —Justin Burke-Samson  

Mr. Tokyo, Pineville
A Japanese restaurant with a diverse list of sushi for the novice or pros
Shepard’s order: Mystery roll and spicy tuna roll

Queen City Bites & Crafts (QCBC), Uptown
All that needs to be said is beer and poutine
Shepard’s order: Southwest cheesesteak wrap and poutine

Soul Gastrolounge, Plaza Midwood
Soul continues to land on lists among industry folks for their small global bites
Shepard’s order: Asian glazed pork belly tacos and shells and cheese

Circle G, West Charlotte
A Classic Southern meat and three restaurant
Shepard’s order: Salisbury steak or grilled hamburger steak with onions and gravy
His pro move: Go at an odd time to snag a seat, the place gets packed during peak lunch hours.

Little Village Grill, Uptown
Fast casual Greek food draws regular customers
Shepard’s order: A lamb gyros with a side of fries (by themselves)

More from this series

Stoke’s Chris Coleman
Craft Cakes Clt’s Brigitte Oger
Verdant Bread’s Tanner Fink
Wentworth & Fenn’s Samantha Allen
Bonterra’s Blake Hartwick
The Fig Tree’s Greg Zanitsch
Good Food on Montford’s Larry Schreiber
Yafo’s Shai Fargian
Zeppelin’s Vince Giancarlo
The Asbury’s Miranda Brown
Barcelona Wine Bar’s Nicolas Daniels
Heirloom’s Clark Barlowe