This Charlotte restaurant is among the 50 best in the US, NYT says. See the review
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- The New York Times named Charlotte's Rada to its 2025 Restaurant List.
- Chef Callan Buckles brings New York culinary experience to Rada’s kitchen.
- Rada's menu highlights include ricotta fritters and a Basque-style martini.
A North Carolina restaurant serving skewers and other light bites is one of the 50 best places in America to have a delicious meal, according to The New York Times.
Rada in Charlotte earned a spot on the newspaper’s 2025 Restaurant List , appearing alongside dozens of other must-try eateries across the country.
The contemporary American restaurant opened along Selwyn Avenue on Jan. 3, and bills itself as a neighborhood bistro with “upscale dining touches” and a unique wine program, CharlotteFive reported.
It’s owned by restaurateur Eloy Roy with chef Callan Buckles serving as executive chef.
“We were aware that someone from the Times was here because they asked for photos, but that was a while ago and we hadn’t heard anything,” Buckles told CharlotteFive. “So this was a huge shock and huge honor, for sure.”
“We’re incredibly grateful, incredibly humble.”
In her review of Rada, NYT reporter Kim Severson gushed over the restaurant’s “New York feel,” describing a sense of enchantment and glow that “spills from the windows like a favorite spot on a West Village corner” before you even set foot inside.
“A salad built with fava beans, snap peas and anchovies, alongside a little dish of clams swimming in butter spiked with vin jaune, is just what you want,” Severson wrote. “Almost every table has an order of ricotta fritters under a drift of pecorino, but deeper cuts include vinegary eggplant escabeche with housemade crackers.”
The big city vibes come as no surprise, seeing as Buckles has worked in some of New York’s most notable restaurants including Claud, Momofuku and The Four Horsemen, CharlotteFive previously reported.
Severson also highlighted Rada’s drink menu, which features nine European wines, a “Basque-inspired martini” and some alcohol-free options.
Other drink and menu highlights include:
- A simple dover sole with pickled shallot and green romesco ($77)
- Beef tartare with crispy sunchokes ($18)
- Selwyn Spritz, with amaro, lemon and cava ($16)
- San Sebastian martini with an olive and anchovy gilda ($19)
For its annual list, The New York Times said it put 14 reporters and editors on 76 flights to eat over 200 meals across 33 states.
Reporters arrived unannounced or booked a table ahead of time, paid for their own meals and did not accept freebies or other special treatment, according to the newspaper.
“What’s behind those stats is the desire to get a true picture of what’s happening in restaurants across the country,” the newspaper said.
Foodies planning a stop at Rada on their next trip to Charlotte can expect a casual, yet elevated dining experience.
“We’re a neighborhood restaurant always,” Buckles told CharlotteFive. “We’re not trying to be anything bigger than what we are.”
We’re “taking the proper steps of service through the lens of a fine dining approach, but our interactions with people are genuine. We’re always aiming to have genuine conversation and connection with our guests,” he said.
Rada
Location: 2820 Selwyn Ave, Ste 180, Charlotte, NC 29209
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Instagram: @rada.clt
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 12:50 PM.