The one Charlotte people name when you ask where the oysters come from, because they farm and source their own along the North Carolina coast. Get a dozen of whatever the raw bar is pushing that day, and note it is closed Sundays.
129 E 5th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Caroline's Oyster BarRestaurant · $$$ · Uptown
Coastal Carolina raw bar tucked into the JW Marriott, with a patio that does not feel like a hotel at all. Doors do not open until 4pm, so this is a post-show room, not a lunch plan.
120 E Brooklyn Vlg Ave, Charlotte, NC 28202
The Waterman Fish BarSeafood restaurant · $$ · South End
Loud, casual fish house with a rooftop called Topside that fills up the second the weather turns. Order the fried platter and the key lime, park free in the Harris Teeter lot, or ride the Blue Line to New Bern.
2729 South Blvd Ste d, Charlotte, NC 28209
Hello, SailorRestaurant · $$$ · Cornelius, Lake Norman
Joe and Katy Kindred took an old bait shop on Lake Norman and turned it into the seafood room locals drive out for, about half an hour up I-77. Worth the trip for the smoked fish dip and the hushpuppies, and try to land a table at sunset.
20210 Henderson Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
Fin & FinoSeafood restaurant · $$$ · Uptown
The polished option, a proper seafood house with a long oyster list and a bar people go to on its own. Closed Sundays, so check before you plan around it.
135 Levine Avenue of the Arts #100, Charlotte, NC 28202
Cajun QueenCajun restaurant · $$ · Elizabeth
In a Victorian house in Elizabeth since 1985, doing crawfish etouffee and shrimp Creole with live jazz most nights. Nothing about it has been updated and that is exactly why locals keep going.
1800 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28204
Breakfast in Charlotte
The DiamondDiner · $ · Plaza Midwood
A Charlotte diner since 1945, Greek-owned, breakfast served whenever you want it. Vinyl booths, no ceremony, and the cheapest good meal on this whole list.
1901 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
HaberdishSouthern restaurant (US) · $$ · NoDa
Southern brunch built around fried chicken and the mill-town cooking NoDa was named for. Weekends only for brunch, 11am to 3pm, and the cocktail list is better than a brunch list has any right to be.
3106 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
The Goodyear HouseRestaurant · $$$ · NoDa
A restored 1900s mill house a block down from Haberdish, with a patio worth showing up early for. Brunch runs Fridays and Saturdays from 11am and Sundays from 10am, alongside the lunch menu.
3032 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Café Monte$$ · SouthPark
French bakery and brasserie doing crepes, omelets and a proper croissant, and it opens at 9am six days a week. Closed Mondays, and Sunday it shuts at 3pm, so plan around that.
Sunday brunch 10 to 2 with live music and Southern cooking that takes itself seriously. Uptown location means you can walk from most of the hotels. The nicest of the brunch options here.
601 S College St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Sunflour Baking CompanyBakery · $ · Elizabeth
Family run since 2009 and the neighborhood's morning anchor, scratch pastries and breakfast sandwiches with real coffee. Open 7 to 4 daily. The fast, cheap, good option when you do not want a production.
2001 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28204
Steaks in Charlotte
SupperlandRestaurant · $$$$ · Plaza Midwood
Southern steakhouse inside a restored mid-century church. Wood-fired everything and the prettiest dining room in the Carolinas.
1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
Beef 'N Bottle SteakhouseSteak house · $$$ · Sedgefield
Open since 1958 and it looks it, in the best way: dark wood, white tablecloths, career waiters. Nothing about it is trendy, the ribeye is the order, and you need a reservation.
4538 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209
Steak 48Steak house · $$$$ · SouthPark
The big-night splurge Charlotte defaults to now, with a raw bar and a room that stays loud. Doors open at 4pm and not a minute earlier, and last seating runs to 11pm on weekends, which makes it one of the few real post-show options.
4425 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Oak SteakhouseSteak house · $$$$ · SouthPark
Quieter and more chef-driven than the standard steakhouse, with a dry-aged ribeye and a wine list people actually work through. Good if you want conversation instead of a scene.
4777 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
BBQ in Charlotte
Jon G's Barbecue$$ · Peachland
Texas Monthly put this one in the national top ten and it is genuinely that good, but it is an hour east of Charlotte and open Saturdays only, 11am until it sells out. Get there early, get the brisket and the Cheerwine hot link, and treat i
Jim Noble built this as a proper barbecue flagship, cooking Carolina whole hog and Texas brisket side by side over oak and hickory. Chopped pork with the vinegar sauce is the Carolina answer, the brisket is the Texas one, so order both and
2216 Freedom Dr, Charlotte, NC 28208
Sweet Lew's BBQBarbecue restaurant · $$ · Belmont
Lewis Donald's counter-service joint in a small brick building, and the pick most Charlotte cooks name when they are off shift. Ribs and smoked wings are the move, and the sides are not an afterthought.
923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Midwood SmokehouseBarbecue restaurant · $$ · Plaza Midwood
The original Central Avenue location is the one that matters, all hickory smoke and big picnic tables. Burnt ends if they have them, chopped pork if you want the North Carolina version, and expect a wait on weekend nights.
1401 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Top Tables in Charlotte
SupperlandRestaurant · $$$$ · Plaza Midwood
Southern steakhouse inside a restored mid-century church. Wood-fired everything and the prettiest dining room in the Carolinas.
1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
Dean's Italian SteakhouseRestaurant · $$$$ · Uptown, Brooklyn Village
A 4.8 rating across more than 2,300 reviews, dinner until 11pm on weekends, and the short rib gnocchi is the table order.
128 E Brooklyn Vlg Ave, Charlotte, NC 28202
The Fig Tree RestaurantRestaurant · $$$$ · Elizabeth
Fine dining inside a 1913 bungalow with 876 reviews at 4.6 stars, the special-occasion room Charlotte defaults to.