The 7 hardest restaurant reservations to get in Charlotte — and how to score a seat
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charlotte’s toughest tables include Bird Pizzeria, Rada and Leluia Hall.
- New openings, small sizes and social media buzz drive reservation demand.
- Securing seats requires patience, calendar tracking and flexibility with timing.
We’ve all been there. You’re dying to book a dinner at a particular Charlotte restaurant, but you can’t get in — especially when that restaurant is brand new.
You would think some of Charlotte’s most popular restaurants of the moment would be harder to get into, but that’s not always the case. OpenTable recently released a list of some of the most-booked restaurants in Charlotte, and here are the spots it called out:
- Steak 48
- RH Rooftop Restaurant
- Sixty Vines
- Firebirds - Stonecrest
- Kitchen + Kocktails by Keven Kelley
- Epic Chophouse - Mooresville
- North Italia - Ballantyne
- Culinary Dropout
- Chima Steakhouse
- Cafe Monte
“The numbers don’t lie — OpenTable took a look at the restaurants with the most reservations, and these were the crowd favorites,” the booking service said in an email releasing the list.
But popularity doesn’t always make a reservation too difficult to score — most of these restaurants are fairly easy to get into without planning ahead too far.
Instead, the newness of a restaurant in a place like Charlotte — where the crowds are always seeking what’s hot — certainly plays a huge factor. So, too, does the size of the restaurant. And the amount of attention it’s getting at the moment.
Stalking reservation releases and keeping up with calendars is often your best bet to get into some of the spots with Charlotte’s hardest-to-get-into restaurants.
But the biggest tip to get into the restaurant you want? Plan and be patient.
For example, chef Joe and Katy Kindred’s Albertine was extremely difficult to get a seat at when it first opened last September.
Now, seats at the lush Mediterranean restaurant decorated in marble and velvet tones are slightly more available. You may not get into the dining room on a Friday or Saturday night without planning ahead considerably, but lounge seating is a possibility.
Right now, here are the Charlotte restaurants where it’s hardest to get a reservation:
Bird Pizzeria
Location: 510 E 15th St Ste A, Charlotte, NC 28206
Perhaps the single toughest reservation to get in Charlotte these days is one at Bird Pizzeria, which is having a viral moment with its kale Caesar salad. Don’t be fooled, though, it was just as hard to get Bird’s pizza before that. It’s only open Wednesday through Saturday, and the kitchen often sells out before 8 p.m.
Reservations are made available 60 days in advance, and they’re snapped up quickly. Weekdays, weekends — it’s all the same. Your best bet is to keep checking back and click the “notify” button on its reservation page in case something opens up. Another idea: Order takeout. You’ll still need to plan a few days ahead for that, though, as availability is fairly limited.
Leluia Hall
Location: 1829 Cleveland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203
As is the case with many Charlotte restaurants that have recently opened, weekend reservations are hard to come by at Leluia Hall. With upscale steak and seafood offerings set in a beautifully renovated former church that’s already gotten national attention, that’s to be expected.
The new restaurant from the Tonidandel-Brown restaurant group, which brought us Supperland, Haberdish, Ever Andalo and more, has slightly more availability on weeknights, though. Walk-ins are welcome, especially in the bar, plus there’s a remote wait list option via Tock to get you a head start. And if you really want to get in there badly, there’s always the option to shell out an extra $150 for a private dinner in Leluia Hall’s wine cellar.
Rada
Location: 2820 Selwyn Ave Ste 180, Charlotte, NC 28209
Rada, a new — and small — contemporary American restaurant that opened early this year where Little Spoon used to sit, is still a bit of a challenge to get a seat at. It features a tightly curated menu of snacks, small plates and entrees, such as salmon en papillote, veal chop milanesa and Dover sole.
Reservations open 14 days in advance, and the 50-seat neighborhood restaurant leaves room for walk-ins for those who are willing to give it a shot. You may also have luck trying to grab one or two of the eight bar seats, where you can get full service, or trying to make a late-night reservation.
Restaurant Constance
Location: 2200 Thrift Rd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Restaurant Constance, which has gotten plenty of attention from chef and owner Sam Diminich’s James Beard Award semifinalist status this year, remains popular. Its creative dishes put together with heart and the freshest of local farm produce stand out.
With only about 40 seats altogether, it can be tough to get in on Friday or Saturday night — but you can still make it happen. If you didn’t plan well in advance, look to the late-night spots for availability. There’s often a 9 p.m. or 9:30 seating left to be claimed. (And never fear, you will have the same pleasant service, even as you finish up your meal at closing time.)
Seaboy
Location: 20822 N Main St, Cornelius, NC 28031
Seaboy, a new 10-table seafood restaurant in Lake Norman that opened this spring, is a pescetarian’s dream with scallops, chargrilled branzino and blackened local swordfish. But as a smaller spot, peak times can get booked up quickly.
To get into this cozy neighborhood restaurant, look for early and late dinner times — think 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. — or book well in advance.
Spaghett
Location: 224 W 10th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Everyone is rushing to get fresh, handmade pasta and craft cocktails at Spaghett. Reservations for the brand new, 44-seat neighborhood restaurant are released 14 days in advance every morning at 10 a.m., and have been consistently sold out.
A few tables are reserved for walk-ins at the spot owned by James Beard Award finalist Sam Hart, with chef Kendall Moore and executive beverage director Amanda Britton running the show. Your best bet for seating without claiming one of those reservations is to show up early and try to grab one of those walk-in seats or a spot at the six-seat bar, where it’s first come, first served.
Steak 48
Location: 4425 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Many times, I’ve checked around for where to go for a special occasion and found Steak 48’s reservations full, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. This fine-dining restaurant is one case where it’s popular, booked quite often and can still be hard to get into at times.
If you can be flexible on the day of the week to check out the popular steakhouse for yourself, it’s generally not too tough to claim a weeknight spot to savor its shells + cheese or Boursin-cheese whipped potatoes with the steak or seafood of your choice.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
