The sweet story behind the name of Charlotte’s newest wine bar, Emmy Lou’s
The team members behind Customshop and Marina’s Tapas recently announced they’re opening a wine bar. While they don’t have a set opening date yet, they now have the name for their third concept.
Emmy Lou’s will be the upcoming wine bar and bottle shop from co-owners Alex Bridges and chef Andres Kaifer.
“It’s named after my wife, Emma Louise,” Bridges said. “It’s a name her great-grandmother affectionately called her growing up, and it kinda stuck. We thought it would be a cute name for a wine bar.”
Dining and drinking inspired by a great-grandmother’s love is no strange concept for this restaurateur duo. Marina’s Tapas, which opened in early December 2024, is an ode to Kaifer’s Spanish great-grandmother.
“We keep family at the center of everything we do, so it’s an honor to name this dream and achievement after one of the most important people in my life,” Bridges said.
The name Emmy Lou evokes a somewhat nostalgic, familiar essence, and Bridges said that warm, friend-group feeling will be translated into the bar’s ambiance, thanks to design from Southwick Architecture and Interiors.
But, it’s more than a cute name, really.
Emma Bridges is part of the story that brought Bridges and Kaifer together in the first place. Bridges, Emma and Kaifer all met working together at Vidrio, a restaurant in Raleigh.
“I was there on their first date,” Kaifer said.
Kaifer eventually spoke at their wedding, telling the anecdote about how he knew that Bridges, after a few glasses of wine, was still going to make it home safely after his date night because he was with Emma.
“She’s his home,” Kaifer said. Foreshadowing?
The design at Emmy Lou’s
This quaint 1,200-square-feet spot in Dilworth, that was formerly Mere’s, is in the process of transforming into a homey wine lounge, set to open in late summer or early fall.
“Most likely, early fall,” Kaifer said, knowing how permits can slow the process down.
Bridges describes the space as “a sit down and stay awhile” place, and Kaifer said “it’s the type of place I want to hang out in all the time.”
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Chill, no reservations and cozy. There will be bar seating, communal tables, wine on tap and a bottle shop.
“We want it to feel like you’re at one of your friends’ houses enjoying really good food and wine,” Kaifer said.
“I think we’ve achieved that,” he said. “Well, we haven’t built it yet,” he laughed. “But, in the design.”
On the menu at Emmy Lou’s
When describing the menu, Kaifer said there will be “dip-y” things. It reminded me of when he described Marina’s food as “snacky.”
The menu for “dip-y” includes shareable small plates, like flatbreads and seasonal, rotating plates, similar to what’s available at Customshop.
But, do note: “We are first and foremost a wine bar,” Bridges said. Bridges is committed to sourcing interesting wines from cool producers, meaning wines made with integrity, from growing to bottling, coming from a variety of regions.
He’s particularly obsessed with Italian wines right now — for their complexity and their storied history of political ties and family drama. Bridges is there for the lore.
Guests can expect non-alcoholic beverages, too. Not including them would be “so against everything that we believe in. We want everyone in your friend group to be able to hang out here,” Bridges said.
He plans to experiment with top-notch craft sodas and Phony Negroni.
“I can’t wait to raise a glass and cheers to my great-grandmother and the hard work that Alex and Andres have done to create a beautiful wine bar centered on love and family,” Emma said in a press release.
Back in March, Bridges told CharlotteFive: “When I was like 20-something years old and I thought I might want to have a restaurant one day, I thought of this place. This is always what I’ve wanted to do.”
And now, it’s very much in the works.
Emmy Lou’s
Location: 2400 Park Rd, Suite H, Charlotte, NC 28203
Menu
Cuisine: Wine, small plates
Instagram: @emmylousclt
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This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
