The 10 hottest restaurants in Charlotte right now, the best Greek spot and more
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Hey, Charlotte. There’s a lot happening on the food and fun front this week — a new Readers’ Choice champion, a French bakery making its South End debut and a comedy club doubling down on its bet that Charlotte wants more stand-up. Here’s a quick spin through today’s CharlotteFive newsletter, with links so you can read the full stories. 👇
🏆 The Mad Greek wins Best Greek Food in Charlotte
After four rounds of voting and 18 initial nominees, CharlotteFive readers picked their favorite spot for gyros, tzatziki and Greek salad — and the winner is The Mad Greek. 🥙 Evan and Heidi report that the South Boulevard mainstay, which opened in 2008, was taken over about a year ago by owner John Pitsonis and his father, Kostas. Recent upgrades include a covered patio, extra parking out back and a new liquor license that means you can now sip a Mythos or Alfa with your souvlaki.
Pitsonis recommends first-timers go for the classic gyro pita and Greek salad, or try the Grecian pork and chicken pitas, which are closer to what you’d find in Greece. And do not skip the baklava cheesecake. “People go crazy for the baklava cheesecake,” Pitsonis said. Illios Crafted Greek took the finalist spot.
📍 5011 South Blvd., Charlotte.
🔥 The 10 hottest restaurants in Charlotte right now
Evan rounded up the tables Charlotte food obsessives are talking about, and the list reads like a snapshot of the city’s growing dining ambition. A few standouts in and around South End and uptown:
📍 Albertine — Mediterranean and North African flavors with a Southern touch in uptown, recently named to Garden & Gun’s must-try list.
📍 Rada — the Selwyn Avenue spot the New York Times called one of the 50 best restaurants in the U.S. last September.
📍 Supperland — the Plaza Midwood steakhouse in a restored church with a beverage program from James Beard nominee Colleen Hughes.
📍 Ardente Kitchen — new Italian in the former Capiche space in Dilworth, importing ingredients directly from Italy.
📍 The Crunkleton — whiskey bar meets restaurant on East 7th, with an award-winning pecan pie.
Evan also gives nods to 📍 Restaurant Constance (James Beard semifinalist Sam Diminich’s seasonal coastal menu), 📍 Café Audire (coffee plus vinyl listening lounge near NoDa), 📍 Lang Van (the Michelin Guide-honored Vietnamese spot) and 📍 Surefire Market at Camp North End.
🍸 South End’s Dilworth Artisan Station gets a refresh
Construction is about to begin at Dilworth Artisan Station, the historic mixed-use arts campus that has anchored a creative corner of South End for decades. New ground-floor food, beverage and entertainment offerings — operated by Hibernian Hospitality — are coming to the 1900s-era building, which previously housed a furniture factory, textile mill and even an automobile storage facility for soldiers’ cars during World War II. 🎨
The good news for regulars, Evan reports: the 20-plus artist studios are staying put during construction, and the monthly First Friday Gallery Crawl will continue uninterrupted. Canopy Cocktails & Garden is already on-site serving craft cocktails and small plates. “For decades, this has been a place where creativity, craftsmanship and community come together,” developer White Point partner Justin Trowbridge said. Parking will shift from the Rail Trail surface lot to The Kingston garage during construction.
📍 118 E. Kingston Ave., Charlotte.
🥐 Maman opens its South End café this week
French-inspired bakery café Maman NYC opens its second Charlotte location Thursday, June 25, at Atherton Mill in South End. Tanasia reports the all-day café — known for the Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies that Oprah made famous — is rolling out two Charlotte-exclusive pastries which debuted at the Plaza Midwood location: a peaches & cream danish and a mac & cheese croissant, both $6. Weekend brunch is on the way too. ☕
The new space is 2,836 square feet with seating for 56 inside, plus another 44 on the patio along the Rail Trail. Expect the same provincial South of France decor, handmade light fixtures and toile-printed espresso machines as the brand’s Plaza Midwood location, which debuted in May. A third Charlotte spot is reportedly in the works for Eastover/Myers Park.
📍 2000 South Blvd., Suite 300, Charlotte.
😂 Duckworth’s comedy club is nearly doubling in size
When The Comedy Club at Duckworth’s opened in January 2025, director of programming James Gaghan hoped to draw about 150 people a week. Théoden writes that they’re now averaging closer to 500. So the club is expanding — moving the stage, knocking out a partition and growing from around 80 seats to between 130 and 140. The room reopens July 30. 🎤
Local comics say the club’s commitment to homegrown talent — including a vetted monthly open mic that feeds performers into ticketed shows — is changing Charlotte’s stand-up scene. “A lot of comics have doubled down on trying to make a living at this,” said Jason Allen King, who was named “North Carolina’s Funniest Person” last year by Raleigh’s Goodnights. Add in The Comedy Zone’s nearly 400 seats and growing touring acts at Spectrum Center, Ovens Auditorium and Belk Theater, and Charlotte’s comedy footprint keeps expanding.
📖 Read Théoden’s full story here.
🍛 ICYMI: A hidden Dominican deli inside Compare Foods
Tucked inside the Compare Foods Supermarket on Milton Road is Tony’s Deli, a Dominican “comedor” serving up the real deal. Andre’s trifecta of must-orders: sancocho (a thick, hearty stew with beef, chicken, pork, corn, plantains, yuca and more), pescado frito (whole fried tilapia paired with moro de habichuelas negra and mangu) and pernil asado — roast pork with skin so blistered and bubbled it rivals the finest chicharrón. 🐟
Pair the pernil with moro con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and platanos maduros fritos and you’ve got yourself a meal.
📖 Read Andre’s full review here.
☔ Bonus pick: rainy-day rooftop
Melissa flags Nuvole rooftop as a surprisingly great rainy-day move — its covered outdoor area has screens that mostly keep the water out, and the cocktails hold up. She recommends the First Bloom (grapefruit, rose, St. Germain) and the Gold Standard, the bar’s chamomile-and-orange take on an old-fashioned.
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This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.