Here are Charlotte’s 20 oldest restaurants and what to order at each.
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Gus’ Sir Beef closes
Owner Thrace Bacogeorge announced on April 10, 2023, that he would permanently close the iconic Charlotte restaurant after 54 years.
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Charlotte’s oldest restaurants are quickly becoming relics. When deciding where to eat, how do we balance the excitement of new restaurant arrivals with our support of its classic establishments?
In a 2017 article, The Charlotte Observer’s Kathleen Purvis listed Charlotte’s 11 oldest restaurants. Six years later, only five of those places to eat are still open. With so many of our city’s classic restaurants closing, including the latest announcement that we would be losing Green’s Lunch, which of our longtime favorites remain?
Here are the 20 oldest restaurants in Charlotte — consider one of these the next time you’re looking for a place to dine:
House of Pizza
Location: 3640 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Eastway/Plaza Midwood
Opened: Around 1979
Owner/founder: Owned by siblings Maria Psilopoulos, Helen Mitsios and Nick Kakavitsas.
Cuisine: Italian
What to order: Famous Philly sub — your choice of steak or chicken — served with provolone cheese, mushrooms, peppers and onion.
Bojangles
Location: 300 West Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203
Neighborhood: Wilmore
Opened: The original location opened in 1977, before it became the chain restaurant we know today.
Owner/founder: Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas
Cuisine: fast-casual Southern
What to order: The easy answer is a Cajun Filet Biscuit or Sandwich combo, complete with seasoned friends and iced tea, but the magic of Bo’s is its variety. Whether it’s breakfast all day, dirty rice or a Bo-Berry biscuit, everyone has their go-to order here.
Nakato Japanese Steakhouse
Location: 8601 University Executive Park Dr, Charlotte, NC 28262
Neighborhood: University
Opened: 1976
Owner/founder: Founded by the Nakato family
Cuisine: Japanese
What to order: Nakato’s Delight is a Hibachi feast of chicken, shrimp and your choice of NY strip or filet mignon.
Carolina Family Restaurant
Location: 4600 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: West Charlotte/Westerly Hills
Opened: 1976
Owner/founder: Founded by the late Pete Gavrilis, now run by his daughter Maria Kotros.
Cuisine: American, comfort food
What to order: The daily special (chuckwagon cheese steak, baby beef liver, spaghetti with housemade meat sauce could all be on the menu).
Brooks’ Sandwich House
Location: 2710 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: NoDa
Opened: 1973
Owner/founder: Founded by the late Calvin “CT” Brooks Jr., now run by his son David Brooks. David’s twin brother, co-owner Scott Brooks, was killed in 2019 while trying to open the restaurant for the day.
Cuisine: American
What to order: Double cheeseburger all the way, with chili cheese fries and a side of slaw.
Arthur’s Wine Shop/Arthur’s Restaurant
Location: Inside of Belk at SouthPark Mall, 4400 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Neighborhood: Barclay Downs/SouthPark
Opened: 1972
Cuisine: American
What to order: Swiss & Mushroom Burger, with Swiss cheese, sautéed onions, mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes served on a toasted bun. Add on the soup of the day.
Kopper Kettle
Location: 11000 Nations Ford Rd, Pineville, NC 28134
Neighborhood: Pineville
- Opened: 1971
- Menu
- Cuisine: American
- What to order: The Original Smash Pot, with tomatoes, cheese, onions, peppers and potatoes.
Riccio’s Italian Restaurant
Location: 9213 Baybrook Ln Charlotte, NC 28277
Neighborhood: Touchstone Village
Opened: 1962
Cuisine: Italian
What to order: Go for a classic here — Chicken Parmesan, with boneless breast fried and topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella.
Bar-B-Q King
Location: 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: West Charlotte/Ashley Park
Opened: 1959
Owner/founder: Opened by Charlie Psomadaski and Jack Law. Sold in 1972 to Pete Giannikas. Now owned by Pete’s brother, Steve Giannikas, and George and Gus Karapanos.
Cuisine: barbecue
What to order: Fried chicken dipped in barbecue sauce, with a side of fresh onion rings.
Beef and Bottle
Location: 4538 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28209
Neighborhood: South Charlotte/Collingwood/LoSo
Opened: 1958, under the name House of Steaks. The new name and location came in 1978.
Owner/founder: Founded by the late George Fine.
Menu: Appetizers, Steaks, Seafood, Combinations, Chicken and Pasta
Cuisine: classic steakhouse
What to order: Your favorite cut of beef, cooked to order — top it with bleu cheese crumbles, brown mushroom gravy or horseradish. The build-your-own-salad at your table is a nice change of pace in this incredible timewarp.
Shuffletown Grill
Location: 10220 Rozzelles Ferry Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214
Neighborhood: Mountain Island
Opened: 1957
Cuisine: American, Greek
What to order: The F-150 is a great breakfast choice — two eggs any style with country fried steak smothered in gravy, choice of grits or hashbrowns, toast or biscuit. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m. on the weekdays and noon on Saturday.
South 21 Drive-In
Location: 3101 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: East Charlotte/Commonwealth Park
Opened: The original (now closed) spot opened in 1954, and the Independence Boulevard location opened in 1959 remains.
Owner/founder: Founded by brothers Sam, George and Nick Copsis. Now owned by Nick’s son-in-law, George Housiadis.
Cuisine: American
What to order: Fried filet trout plate with fries and tartar sauce (it’s discounted on Wednesday and Friday). If you’re still hungry, go for the onion rings.
Circle G
Location: 4818 Rozzelles Ferry Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Neighborhood: Thomasboro-Hoskins
Opened: This location has been open since 1954.
Cuisine: American
What to order: Go for the Ribeye Steak and Eggs for breakfast (served until 11 a.m. during the week and all day on Saturday). You get two eggs any style with an 8 oz. Ribeye steak, grits or hash browns, toast or biscuit.
Tastis Restaurant
Location: 2328 N. Graham St, Charlotte, NC 28206
Neighborhood: Tryon Hills
Opened: The original location opened in 1954 under the name Hutchison Avenue Grill.
Cuisine: American
What to order: Two Grilled Pork Chops and Applesauce.
The Open Kitchen
Location: 1318 W. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: FreeMore West
Opened: 1952
Owner/founder: Founded by brothers Speros and Steve Kokenes; Steve’s daughter Christina Skiouris is the current owner.
Cuisine: Italian
What to order: The Mama K Supreme (pepperoni, ground beef, sausage, peppers and onions, mushrooms and salami) and a side Greek salad.
Original Chicken ‘n Ribs
Location: 1100 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
- Opened: 1952
- Owner/founder: Otis Blackmon Sr. opened it and his grandson Jermaine Blackmon owns it now.
- Menu
- Cuisine: Fried chicken, seafood, burgers, Southern
- What to order: Fried chicken or burgers — and you can’t go wrong with the most popular dish: An order of whole wings without sauce.
Greystone Pub
Location: 3039 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28209
Neighborhood: Sedgefield
Opened: 1947; the original building was torn down to build a shopping center.
Owner/founder: Founded by Tom Kanos. Tom’s son-in-law, Andy Koutsokalis, took over in 1976. Now it is run by Andy’s son, Tommy Koutsokalis.
Cuisine: American, Greek
What to order: Self-proclaimed “Ameri-Grk” cuisine covers the menu — if you’re hungry, try Andy’s Heavyweight, a sandwich with Greek marinated flank steak and grilled onions topped with baked provolone.
Dairy Queen
Location: 2732 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: Ashley Park
- Opened: 1947.
- Menu
- Cuisine: Ice Cream
- What to order: A Blizzard, of course. Or go for a dipped cone, a shake or a banana split.
The Diamond
Location: 1901 Commonwealth Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood
Opened: 1945
Owner/founder: Flonnie and W.A. James; John Fuller and his wife Daphne Aycock are the current owners.
Cuisine: American
What to order: Fried pork chops, sweet potato fries — and, yes, mac and cheese is a veggie here.
The James family built the Diamond Soda Grill in 1945 and sold it to Jerry Pistolis in 1982. While the building is the same, a team that included Fuller took it over in 2010 and gave the inside and the menu a spiffing up, with a retro-modern style.
Providence Road Sundries
Location: 1522 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
Neighborhood: Myers Park
Opened: 1933 (built as a drugstore — it’s unclear when food was added).
Cuisine: American
What to order: Grilled blackened wings and a shrimp bowl with kale and arugula, avocado, tomatoes, onion, Parmesan and honey lime dressing. Don’t miss the chili either.
Do you see anything missing on our list? Email us at charlottefive@charlottefive.com to let us know.
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Here are Charlotte’s 20 oldest restaurants and what to order at each.."
