Salty, savory, luxury: Here’s where you can taste the best caviar in Charlotte
I didn’t think I was a caviar person, but after a handful of recent tastings at Charlotte restaurants, I’ve come around to see the beauty in a blini piled high with salt-cured Sturgeon roe.
Part of the appeal may be in the traditional toppings for me — creme fraiche or sour cream, finely chopped hard boiled egg whites and yolks (separated, of course), shallots and scallions.
But caviar also brings an undeniable component of glamour to your meal. It instantly elevates an otherwise run-of-the-mill moment, whether you’re eating by candlelight at home or enjoying fine dining restaurant service.
If you’re looking for a luxury caviar experience, here are the best restaurants and shops to make it happen in the Charlotte area:
Bar a Vins
Location: 3206 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Casual caviar seekers have an option to grab a taste at Bar a Vins’ “Summer of Caviar” promotion, offering half price caviar every Tuesday. At the wine bar, you can pile the salt-cured sturgeon roe on top of potato chips with a touch of creme fraiche and pair it with a glass of wine.
Cost: Varies
Bentley’s
Location: 4620 Piedmont Row Dr #110, Charlotte, NC 28210
Bentley’s — a standout in Charlotte’s French cuisine scene — offers a variety of caviar choices, along with a few caviar-topped appetizers to get the party started.
You can test the waters with Bentley’s Caviar Oysters, floated with rose Champagne and topped with creme fraiche and White Sturgeon Caviar, or try out its Tuna Tartare, with Traditional Caviar on top of premium Hawaiian Tuna, cucumber, avocado and wonton chips.
For a deluxe experience, explore the Caviar Sampler, with a selection of Beluga Hybrid, Kaluga, Diamond Ossetra and Crown Ossetra with traditional condiments and blinis.
Cost: Varies, ranging from $90 for its 1 ounce Crown Ossetra offering to $240 for a Caviar Sampler. Caviar Oysters and Tuna Tartare are $30.
The Capital Grille
Location: 201 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
If you’re more the type to daintily nibble, you’ll want to consider The Capital Grille’s caviar dish, Caviar with Caramelized Onion Dip and Housemade Chips. It’s served chilled with Royal Ossetra Caviar as the star of the show.
Cost: $37
Clean Catch Fish Market
Location: 2820 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte, NC 28209
Clean Catch Fish Market, a shop that offers a variety of seafood flown in daily, offers caviar for you to create a special night to remember at home. Make your selection in store, then grab some potato chips, crostini or bilinis, and creme fraiche to pair with to the salty treat. (Bonus points for minced shallots and hard boiled egg.)
Cost: Varies
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Location: 101 S Tryon St #100, Charlotte, NC 28280
Eddie V’s, a seafood and steak staple in uptown Charlotte, offers Royal Ossetra Petrossian Caviar alongside warm blinis with creme fraiche to dollop on top. But if you’re hoping to try out a dish you won’t find anywhere else, go for the Petrossian Royal Caviar Double Baked Potato, topped with Royal Baika Caviar and creme fraiche, along with a waffle potato chip garnish.
Cost: $85 for the caviar or $70 for the Double Baked Potato
Hestia Rooftop
Location: Ballantyne Village, 14819 Ballantyne Village Way Charlotte, NC 28277
Caviar newbies can dip their toes into the water with Hestia’s A5 Wagyu Striploin Carpaccio, topped with a touch of caviar, caramelized onion and truffle creme fraiche. The melt-in-your-mouth bites are topped with gold leaf, served alongside flower petals.
PRO TIP: While you’re there, make sure to step outside onto the rooftop for a stunning view of Charlotte.
Cost: $25
La Belle Helene
Location: 300 S Tryon St Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28202
La Belle Helene, brought to you by “Top Chef” personality Jamie Lynch and the rest of the Church and Union team, hasn’t been left out of the caviar game. The French bistro’s Oeufs Mimosa appetizer is an eggs-on-eggs spectacular — deviled eggs, topped with caviar — that creates a flavor bomb.
Cost: $16
Leluia Hall
Location: 1829 Cleveland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203
Leluia Hall, Charlotte’s newest steakhouse, there’s a heavy emphasis on fresh seafood that naturally lends toward a caviar pairing. Leluia’s features decadent royal osetra caviar matched up with sea bean and onion potato chips, crème fraîche, chives and egg salad.
Cost: $154
Prime Fish Cellar
Location: Providence Plaza, 2921 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
At Prime Fish Cellar — a close neighbor to sister restaurant Prime Fish Omakase — you can sign up for one of its caviar tasting experiences or order its caviar service. The high-end provisions shop offers a variety of price points for caviar, so you can sip and snack to decide what flavors suit you. Before you leave, you can purchase your favorite to take home for another time.
Cost: Tastings are $125/person. Caviar prices vary, but caviar service ranges from $75-$150.
Sea Grill
Location: Queen City Quarter, 210 E Trade St B120, Charlotte, NC 28202
The very first thing you see on the Sea Gril is Royal Osetra Black Caviar, served with pancakes. But my eye is drawn to the Millionaire’s Oysters, topped with black caviar and served with a wine sauce on the side, plus prosecco. YOLO, am I right?
Cost: $150 for Royal Osetra; $30 for two Millionaire’s Oysters
Sea Level
Location: 129 East 5th St., Charlotte, NC 28202
What says indulgence like a seafood tower? Sea Level’s version — The Truist Tower — is piled high with 24 oysters, 12 mussels, 10 raw clams, shrimp cocktail, seasonal ceviche, salmon poke, Maine lobster and Marshallburg Farm caviar. So you can mix and match the North Carolina-produced caviar with other flavors, or enjoy its briny flavors solo.
Cost: $185
Sixty Vines
Location: 1415 Vantage Pk Dr #100, Charlotte, NC 28203
Dreams come true with a good fried chicken, so why not pump it up a notch and add caviar? Sixty Vines does just that with its Fried Chicken + Caviar shared plate, which pairs buttermilk-brined fried chicken with caviar and lemon creme fraiche. Your dining companions will thank you — if you’re willing to share, that is.
Cost: $19
Steak 48
Location: 4425 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
If you’re looking for a top-to-bottom luxury experience, fine dining favorite Steak 48 offers three levels of caviar service. It’s also got another offering that’s pure heaven: caviar cones, adorned with gold leaf.
If you want a little more than a few bites, select your choice of Sasanian Siberian Osetra, Sasanian Royal Osetra or Sasanian Imperial Osetra Caviar, each with bilinis and other traditional accompaniments for you to pile on top.
Cost: $75 for two cones or $150 for four; $150 for Sasanian Siberian Osetra; $250 for Sasanian Royal Osetra; or $350 for Sasanian Imperial Osetra
Supperland
Location: 1212 The Plaza, Charlotte NC, 28205
Upscale dining in a beautiful, welcoming surrounding is what Supperland does best, and its caviar service falls right in line. Supperland’s Osetra can be ordered as an an add-on item during its brunch buffet service, at dinner and at the bar. You can pick the traditional or classic options, each paired with blinis, creme fraiche, egg salad and chives.
Cost: Brunch buffet is $65/person, plus tax and gratuity, and dinner service is a la carte. Adding on Traditional Osetra Caviar is $89, while the Classic Osetra Caviar is $146.
VINYL
Location: 1440 S Tryon St Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28203
VINYL, a music-themed bar with flavorful bites and cocktails, has recently unveiled a new lineup of dishes and drinks for its popular brunch. Among the options is its Caviar Service, which pairs three buttermilk pancakes with scallions, crème fraiche and 15 grams of American Bowfin Caviar.
Cost: $25
This story was originally published July 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
