Where can you get a good late-night meal in Charlotte?
In two interviews for unrelated recent episodes of The Good News Is podcast, the same issue with Charlotte dining has come up — Where can you get a good late-night meal in the city?
Shouldn’t we, as a cool, hip, up-and-coming city, have great late-night food options?
The first time it came up was in our conversation with Carolinas Matchmaker Laurie Berzack.
“It seems like there aren’t a lot of late-night places in Charlotte,” Berzack said. “I remember once I landed on a Sunday night and needed to find a place to eat and there were just a handful of places that I could really go at 10 o’clock at night.
“It’s not like New York City where you’re working until late hours and you leave and everything’s open. … So I think the city needs to catch up a little bit with our longer hours.”
Then it came up again, naturally, during our conversation with chefs Bruce Moffett and Clark Barlowe.
“I’d love to see more late-night dining in Charlotte,” Barlowe said. “I know a lot of the cities I’ve been in before you can get out of the kitchen at 11 o’clock and still go get a good quality meal. In Charlotte, if we get out of the kitchen at 10:30, 11 o’clock, like, you’re hard pressed to find something good to eat unless you’re going to cook it yourself.”
We’re not talking about finding a late-night slice of pizza after bar hopping, or a place with a small, limited late-night bar menu. Those serve a great — and delicious — purpose.
But what if you’re looking for more? What if you get off work late and just want to get a nice, sit-down dinner at 10:30 p.m. on a Wednesday?
Unfortunately, your options are limited to mostly diners and places serving bar food.
With the help of a few local restaurant experts — Helen Schwab, Kathleen Purvis and Sarah Crosland from the Observer, and Yelp Charlotte’s Nikki Wolfe — and Berzack’s late-night-eating friend, Jennifer Moxley, we compiled this list of restaurants that keep their kitchens open until at least midnight every night of the week.
Amelie’s French Bakery, NoDa location
– Hours: NoDa location is open 24 hours.
– Food: French bakery; soups, salads and sandwiches.
– 2424 N Davidson St., Charlotte.
Carolina Ale House
– Hours: Open until 2 a.m. every day.
– Food: Burgers/Pizza/American bar food.
– 201 S. College St., Suite 100, Charlotte.
Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse
– Hours: Open until 2 a.m. everyday (except for the Mooresville location).
– Food: Cheesesteaks/burgers/pizzas/wings/salads/etc.
– Various locations in Ballantyne, Huntersville, Park Road, uptown and Mooresville
Jack Beagles
– Hours: Kitchen open until 2 a.m. weekdays and Sunday; 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
– Food: Burgers/sandwiches/mac and cheese.
– 3213 N Davidson St., Charlotte
Landmark Diner
– Hours: Monday-Thursday 6 a.m.-1 a.m.; Friday 6 a.m.-3 a.m.; Saturday 6 a.m.-4 a.m.; Sunday 6 a.m.-midnight.
– Food: Classic diner dishes; breakfast all day.
– 4429 Central Avenue, Charlotte.
Midnight Diner
– Hours: Open 24 hours
– Food: Standard diner food; breakfast all day.
– 115 East Carson Street, Charlotte
Pint Central
– Hours: Food served until midnight daily (bar stays open until 2 a.m.).
– Food: “Argentinian, American, and European-influenced tapas and entrées.”
– 1226 Central Ave Suite A, Charlotte.
The Roasting Company
– Hours: Kitchen open until 1:45 a.m. every day.
– Food: Rotisserie chicken, plus “a menu that creatively mixes southern and ‘south of the border’ ingredients.”
– 1521 Montford Dr., Charlotte
Sir Edmond Halley’s Restaurant and Freehouse
– Hours: Open until 2 a.m. every day.
– Food: Pub fare, “a new take on Old World standards.”
– 4151 Park Road, Charlotte. (Park Road Shopping Center)
Skyland Family Restaurant
– Hours: Open 24 hours
– Food: Home-style, comfort food; breakfast all day.
– 4544 South Blvd. A, Charlotte.
Soul Gastrolounge
– Hours: Full dinner until midnight every day. (Closes at 2 a.m.)
– Food: Tapas/Sushi
– 1500-B Central Ave., Charlotte.
What did we miss? Shoot us an email or tweet us @Charlotte_Five.
Photo: Robert Lahser/Charlotte Observer; Todd Sumlin/Charlotte Observer
This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Where can you get a good late-night meal in Charlotte?."