Lake Norman BBQ icon closing after 36 years, plus Charlotte food news
If you haven’t seen today’s CharlotteFive newsletter, here’s what’s on the menu: a beloved Lake Norman barbecue spot is serving its final racks, a new bagel shop is heading to Plaza Midwood, the CharlotteFive team is sharing their favorite June bites — and we’re taking another look at why SouthPark is hitting differently for Charlotteans who’ve moved past the South End rooftop circuit.
🍖 A Lake Norman BBQ staple is closing after more than three decades
Boss Hog BBQ in Sherrills Ford will serve its final plates on July 4, wrapping up a run that began in 1989. Evan reports that the family-owned restaurant on N.C. 150 announced the closure on Facebook over the weekend, thanking longtime customers who “feel more like family” after years of weddings, church luncheons and weeknight dinners.
The 7.5-acre property at 📍 7564 N.C. Hwy 150, Sherrills Ford is under contract through Ascent Real Estate Partners and is valued at more than $800,000, according to Catawba County records.
📖 Read Evan’s full story for the menu favorites Boss Hog is known for — ribs, pulled pork, catfish and hush puppies among them.
🍣 Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse quietly closes in University City
The Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse at 📍 1001 E. W.T. Harris Blvd. was listed as permanently closed as of Monday, June 29, according to Google. The chain’s hibachi, sushi and sashimi spot had also offered half-price sushi on Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus a full bar.
A manager at Kabuto’s Tyvola Road location told Tanasia each restaurant is independently owned and managed, and said he wasn’t aware of the specific reasons for the closure. The other area Kabuto locations — 📍 Tyvola Road and 📍 Pineville-Matthews Road, plus Lake Norman — remain open.
📖 Get the rest of the details.
🧇 The best things the CharlotteFive team ate in June
This month’s roundup leans into a mix of upscale and comfort.
Evan kicked off Pride Month with chicken and waffles at 📍 Eddie’s Place — a pecan-fried chicken breast over a fresh-baked waffle with honey cinnamon butter.
Heidi’s standout was a date-night dinner at 📍 FM Eatery in downtown Fort Mill, where the smoked burrata with seasonal sage and ginger apricot jam set the tone and a fried peach pie with salted caramel gelato closed the meal.
Melissa finally tried the mushroom sliders at 📍 Soul Gastrolounge — vegan, but in the spirit of a Chick-fil-A sandwich — and paired the eggplant chips with a Lavender Fog from mixologist Bob Peters, who’s back at the restaurant that launched his career.
📖 See the full June rundown, and send your own picks to charlottefive@charlottefive.com.
🥯 PopUp Bagels opens in Plaza Midwood on July 10
PopUp Bagels — the Connecticut-born brand known for hot, whole bagels meant to be ripped apart and dipped — is opening its second Charlotte location at 📍 The Commonwealth, 1606 Commonwealth Ave. The grand opening runs 8 to 11 a.m. on Friday, July 10, Tanasia reports.
The schmears rotate weekly, and for the opening, the shop is partnering with Charlotte’s Harriet’s Hamburgers on a limited-time “Good Good Schmear.” The brand’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter — which made a recent return after what the company described as “a very passionate butter movement” — is now permanent.
📖 Get all the opening details.
🥂 Is SouthPark really South End for grown-ups?
A comment Heidi overheard at a recent food event — “SouthPark is like South End for grown-ups” — stuck. Not as a knock on South End, but as an honest read on how the way you spend an evening shifts once you’ve stopped chasing the next rooftop and started looking for a perfectly prepared crab cake and a corner table.
The numbers back up the vibe. The free SouthPark Skipper car service moves about 5,000 passengers a month, according to SouthPark Community Partners — a level of convenience you simply don’t get fighting for parking in uptown or South End. Maddie Chase, the partnership’s vice president of marketing and experience, told Heidi that what sets the area apart is the “market exclusive retail” sitting next to art galleries, churches, the grocery store and great dinner — all walkable from each other.
Quality and craftsmanship drive the dining scene: A5 Kobe and chicken-fried lobster tails at Steak 48; crudo and fried oysters at Peppervine, which hosted the “Top Chef” Season 23 finale; newer arrivals like Salted Melon, The Craic and Laurel Park; and culture-forward spots including Baoding, Calle Sol, Mizu and Moon Thai. Symphony Park hosts SouthPark After 5 free live music in the spring, and a Sunday mariachi brunch at Mal Pan can flow straight into a spa afternoon and a martini tower at DTR SouthPark — no car needed.
🎨🍷 Girl dinner, NoDa-style
Artisan’s Palate is putting its own composition-as-art twist on the girl dinner trend with “Palette to Palate: Create Your Composition.” Guests pick three half-portion dishes from a curated menu and add a half pour of wine for $32. It’s available Wednesday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m.
🍩🧨 Free Krispy Kreme doughnuts on July 4 — if you dress the part
Charlotte-based Krispy Kreme is celebrating America’s 250th birthday by handing out a free Original Glazed doughnut to anyone wearing red, white and blue on July 4. No purchase required, one per person, at participating locations nationwide. The chain also rolled out a Fourth of July collection and two new frozen lemonades, Tanasia reports.
🍔 Also worth a read
Heidi reports that Rock Hill’s Whataburger opening has been pushed to July 16, with additional Charlotte-area locations in the works. And for a deeper look at why your favorite spots cost more these days, Unpretentious Palate has a smart piece on the changing economics of the restaurant business.
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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.