23 best new Charlotte-area restaurants to visit in 2023
Food lovers are always in for a treat in the Charlotte area, where new restaurant openings are constant. In 2022 alone, more than 135 new places to eat opened up or announced plans to open — and there’s no sign that 2023 will be any slower.
We took a step back to look at some of the food and drink concepts we’re most looking forward to opening in 2023. Those include multiple BayHaven Restaurant Group spots at Camp North End, Lake Norman area restaurants we’ve got our eyes on and fine dining establishments on the way from experienced restaurateurs and chefs such as Constance, Leluia Hall and more.
Here are 23 of the best new restaurants and other food-and-drink hotspots we recommend you make plans to try in 2023:
The Abyss
Location: Camp North End, 201 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
The Abyss, a modern speakeasy, will have 40 seats and a sultry motif. It will focus on craft cocktails and serve dishes from fellow BayHaven Restaurant Group concept Passage Seafood next door, as well as a modern diner menu, served late night.
B.A.D.
Location: Camp North End, 201 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
B.A.D., a counter-service doughnut shop, will be opened by former Leah & Louise pastry chef and Johnson & Wales University alum Jasmine Macon, who started by hosting doughnut popups. She will serve donuts, fritters and cinnamon rolls, with both staple flavors and rotating seasonal menu items.
[SOMETIMES BAD IS GOOD: Get to know the face behind Camp North End’s Beyond Amazing Donuts]
Bird is the Word
Location: Camp North End, 201 Camp Road, Charlotte, NC 28206
A new counter-service restaurant highlighting chicken dishes will be run by chef Greg Collier. It will feature the Leah & Louise chicken sandwich, a weekly smoked chicken family meal, chicken stew, chicken fat donuts and seasonal Southern sides. Bird is the Word will share a covered heated patio with B.A.D.
Constance
Location: 2200 Thrift Road, Charlotte, NC 28208
Restaurant Constance, named after chef Sam Diminich’s daughter, will be in the former Counter- location — adjacent to Diminich’s Your Farms Your Table space at The City Kitch. Expect seasonal dishes that support local farmers and have a personal touch from Diminich’s fine dining background when it opens in early 2023.
New concept by Davidson Ice House
Location: 416 S Main St, Davidson, NC 28036
Davidson Ice House will close on New Year’s Eve to transform into a new concept. There’s no word on whether a new name for the Lake Norman area restaurant will come along with the change by chef and owner Jennifer Brulé, who’s working on the project with Robert Maynard, CEO of Won Life Holdings and co-founder and CEO of Famous Toastery.
Dram & Draught
Location: Vantage South End, South Tryon and Catherine streets
Dram & Draught — which has locations in Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham — features more than 300 whiskeys from around the world, hand-crafted cocktails and mocktails, draft beer and an international wine list.
Intown Golf Club
Location: Apex SouthPark, 4411 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Atlanta-based Intown Golf Club will bring a location of its virtual golf experience and private club to Charlotte’s SouthPark neighborhood. The social hub included in the complex will offer a full-service kitchen and bar with menus created by Frederico Castellucci III, president and CEO of Castellucci Hospitality Group, which operates several restaurants in Atlanta.
Leluia Hall
Location: 1829 Cleveland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203
Leluia Hall will open in 2023 in the former church that was once Bonterra. Diners can expect family-style servings in an upscale casual space with a steak and surf menu at the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group concept.
Midnight Diner
Location: 108 E Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Location: 6538 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28217 (opening in 2023)
Midnight Diner’s railroad car moved a mile down the road in 2022 to make way for South End redevelopment. Now, the comfort food spot plans to open a second location on North Tryon Street where the former Old Hickory Bar-B-Q restaurant was located.
Passage Seafood
Location: 201 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
This modern fish camp run by chef Greg and Subrina Collier will focus on seasonal Atlantic seafood, oysters, raw fish, rotating menu of whole fish, composed vegetables and whole fish charcuterie. It will have indoor and outdoor seating.
Petit Philippe
Location: 1930 Camden Rd Suite 135, Charlotte, NC 28203
What was once Twenty Degrees Chocolate shut down with the retirement of chocolatier Casey Hickey, but the wine shop she co-owns with Mark Meissner has moved into the space. A third Petit Philippe location on Park Road is slated to open soon, as well.
Pět Piv
Location: 990 Market St, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Fort Mill’s Fish Market owner, Selena Kelemen, is breaking ground on a beer garden in the grassy area adjacent to the restaurant. Pět Piv is expected to open in summer 2023, serving pizza and other bar food.
Phat Burrito
Location: LoSo Village, Clanton Rd., Charlotte, NC, 28217
Once-beloved Phat Burrito was originally expected to make a return to Charlotte in spring 2022, but that didn’t happen on time. A spokeswoman for Beacon Partners cited construction delays and recently estimated a summer 2023 opening for the restaurant with a Southwestern spin.
Pie in the Sky Pizza
Location: 250 S Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115
Pie in the Sky Pizza is returning to downtown Mooresville with plans for a bigger dining area, double the pizza ovens and expanded bar options. The Lake Norman area pizzeria’s owners had originally planned a January opening but ran into delays that will push that date back.
Rally
Location: Old Pineville Road and Southside Drive
A Rally pickleball complex that includes a full-service restaurant with a global street food-inspired menu and two bars is on its way to Lower South End. The entertainment venue is expected to open in spring 2023.
Room Service
Location: Camp North End, 300 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
The co-owner of Black Moth Bars at Camp North End is opening a new concept called Room Service, featuring specialty cocktail drinks, beer and wine, along with daytime sandwiches and a rotating menu of shared plates in the evening. It’s expected to open in the Keswick District in spring 2023. Stay Inn will be an upscale specialty market next door, selling items found on the menu or in the lounge at Room Service.
Rosemont Market and Wine Bar
Location: Elizabeth on Seventh, 1942 E 7th St #101-H, Charlotte, NC 28204
Rosemont Market and Wine Bar is expected to open at the new Elizabeth on Seventh development, offering market items along with breakfast, lunch, coffee, wine and beer. A full-service dinner menu is on tap, as well.
The Salty Donut
Location: 1515 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28203
The Miami-based doughnut shop plans to open on the bottom floor of the Dimensional Funds tower in South End, serving craft doughnuts and coffee. Both the design and doughnut flavors at The Salty Donut will have a local influence, CEO and co-founder Andy Rodriguez said.
Slutty Vegan
Location: Charlotte
The details are largely up in the air, but the popular pop-up option that started out as an Atlanta food truck plans to open a new location every month in 2022. “Charlotte has always supported us since day one and every single time that we come, there is a line down the block,” owner Pinky Cole told CharlotteFive in June. Cole told the Washington Post that she searches for areas that are food insecure, lacking in vegan options and generally not attractive to developers.
Soul Gastrolounge
Location: To be determined
The well-loved small plates restaurant Soul Gastrolounge, which closed amid rising rents in Plaza Midwood, has plans to find a new location in spring 2023. In the meantime, it’s still cranking out a variety of skewers and its pork belly tacos while operating as a food truck.
The Teal Turnip
Location: 1640 Oakhurst Commons Dr, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28205
The Tayste Catering team is taking over a new space to work out of with plans to open for dinner service at first and lunch later on. The small plates restaurant is set to open in spring 2023 in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Charlotte.
TRIO
Location: 1513 S Mint St., Charlotte, NC 28203
A Charlotte location of the multi-level nightclub popular in Charleston is set to open in 2023. Expect live music and performances, along with DJs and other events. Bring your fashion A-game.
VANA LKN
Location: 20823 N Main St, Cornelius, NC 28031
VANA’s expansion to the Lake Norman area with VANA LKN was expected to open in 2022 but is now set for early 2023. Look for rustic cuisine with a slightly different menu than the original location at the new Cornelius spot.
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 6:00 AM.