Food and Drink

Catch up: 6 restaurant and brewery stories that have defined Charlotte in 2025

Stories by Charlotte Observer journalists, with AI summarization

Charlotte's 2025 food and brewery landscape reflects a year of transformation defined by closures, reinventions, and a continued push for community-centered experiences. Longtime staples like Wolfman Pizza and Queen City Craft & Gourmet shuttered, while others emphasized evolution over finality, signaling shifts in identity rather than disappearance.

This dynamic churn has been counterbalanced by openings, with new ventures such as Cork & Cap and Chief’s Modern Cocktail Parlor underscoring a blend of craft beverage culture and social gathering spaces. The expanding craft beer scene, recognized nationally, continues to anchor Charlotte’s culinary identity, with new brewery locations like Suffolk Punch’s Lake Norman site contributing to the city's credentials. The Queen City’s restaurant narrative in 2025 captures resilience, adaptation, and an unrelenting appetite for flavor and novelty.

Link & Pin has a restaurant location at The Arboretum in Charlotte and another in Huntersville.

NO. 1: TWO POPULAR CHARLOTTE RESTAURANTS PERMANENTLY CLOSE SOUTH END, BALLANTYNE LOCATIONS

“We’re in the midst of evaluating several exciting opportunities for the future of these spaces — including the possibility of a new dining concept,” the owner said. | Published January 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chyna Blackmon

A customer places an order at Wolfman Pizza in Cotswold on Tuesday, Jan. 21, its last day open for business. By Alex Cason

NO. 2: POPULAR CHARLOTTE PIZZA SHOP CLOSES ITS DOORS AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Here’s why the local pizza joint known for its specialty pizzas, pastas and paninis shut down. | Published January 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chyna Blackmon

Cork & Cap, a specialty beer and wine store, will open in Camp North End in Charlotte.

NO. 3: A BEER AND WINE SHOP WITH TASTING BAR, EVENT ROOM TO OPEN IN CHARLOTTE’S CAMP NORTH END

The owners checked out 1,000 breweries nationwide to make their beer selections. | Published January 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Catherine Muccigrosso

Queen City Craft and Gourmet’s Diner burger. By Cat Read

NO. 4: SOUTH CHARLOTTE RESTAURANT CLOSED FOR GOOD AFTER YEARS OF SLINGING BURGERS, BEER

Fans had just a few days to stop in and grab one of their favorite shareables before saying farewell. | Published February 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Heidi Finley

Enjoy a pint of beer at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s expansive outdoor space in Lower South End.

NO. 5: USA TODAY NAMES THE BEST OF THE COUNTRY’S BEER SCENE, AND THE CHARLOTTE AREA MAKES THE CUT

Charlotte is named as a best beer city. One of our breweries is named a best beer garden, and another is named a best new brewery in the country. | Published March 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Melissa Oyler

The opening of Suffolk Punch Brewing’s third location, in Birkdale Village near Lake Norman, was back on track after construction delays and a year of getting town of Huntersville permit approvals, owner Seth Stidham said on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. By JOE MARUSAK

NO. 6: LAKE NORMAN LOCATION OF CHARLOTTE BREWERY BACK ON TRACK AFTER DELAYS, CO-OWNER SAYS

Look for Suffolk Punch Brewing to open its Huntersville space this year. | Published April 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Marusak and Heidi Finley

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.