I was the first to finish this viral 1 pound appetizer. What I got for $25
At Basilico Italiano, a neighborhood Italian spot just outside Charlotte in Concord, the dish drawing the most attention lately isn’t pasta or pizza. It’s an appetizer that has taken on a life of its own online: the Mega Mozzarella, a one-pound mozzarella stick served with marinara sauce.
Before heading to the restaurant, I found myself wondering about the math of it all. How many normal mozzarella sticks add up to a pound? Google suggested somewhere between 15 and 18. Fewer than I expected, though still enough cheese to qualify as a commitment.
When I arrived, the place was packed. The only open seats were at the bar, so I slid into one and scanned the room, half expecting to see the thing somewhere out in the wild. But no one seemed to have ordered it. The absence felt ominous.
A few minutes later, my server, Haley, stepped behind the bar to take my order.
“Do y’all still have the Mega Mozzarella?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Is that what you want?”
Here’s how my experience went with the Mega Mozzarella.
What’s on the menu at Basilico Italiano?
Basilico Italiano offers a menu of classic Italian-American dishes, starting with appetizers such as garlic knots, fried mozzarella, calamari and steamed mussels, along with soups and salads.
Entrées feature familiar comfort dishes including chicken Parmesan, eggplant Parmesan, shrimp scampi and grilled Atlantic salmon. The restaurant also offers pasta dishes, pizza, stromboli and calzones, along with desserts and a selection of wine, beer and cocktails.
Overall, prices generally range from about $10 to $18 for appetizers and around $17 to $23 for main entrées.
But y’all came for the giant cheese stick.
Here’s everything I got for $25:
- Mega Mozzarella ($15): A one-pound mozzarella stick
- Small harvest salad ($8)
- Garlic knots (Free)
The salad was included at the insistence of my editor, Kimberly, who suggested it might be wise to eat at least a few vegetables alongside the pound of dairy I was about to tackle. The garlic knots came free with the meal – a small bonus that, in hindsight, felt almost excessive.
The Mega Mozzarella arrived first. I actually received it while sitting at the bar, but since it was 73 degrees and sunny, I carried the plate outside. It also seemed like the sort of thing that deserved to be documented for social media.
It had been a while since I’d eaten mozzarella sticks, and that first bite was genuinely excellent. The balance between breading and cheese was just right, and Basilico serves its marinara in what is essentially a small bowl, a wise move, considering the scale of the operation.
A few bites in, I still felt great. I was hungry, but also satisfied enough that I could have reasonably stopped. Haley came outside to check on me and glanced at the plate, looking slightly surprised by how much progress I had made.
Around the halfway point, though, the situation began to change. That familiar feeling of fullness crept in. I tried taking a few sips of water, which only made things worse. Still, as a lifelong member of the clean-plate club, I had already committed to the mission.
Eventually, the mozzarella stick had shrunk to a piece that fit in the palm of my hand. I was close, but struggling. A light sheen of sweat formed on my forehead.
The final bite didn’t take long after that, though I did pause for a moment before finishing it. In the end, I conquered the Mega Mozzarella.
“You’re the first person I’ve seen finish the Mega Mozzarella,” Haley told me. I couldn’t tell whether she sounded impressed or concerned. “I’ve even seen groups of people who couldn’t finish it.”
Later, another staff member mentioned the restaurant sells as many as a hundred of the massive mozzarella sticks a day. I’m still not sure what it says about me that I managed to finish one by myself.
The garlic knots and salad were good, too, from what I remember. But if you find yourself in Concord, you have to try the mozzarella stick. You won’t regret it.
Or maybe you will.
Basilico Italiano
Location: 10020 Edison Square Dr NW, Concord, NC 28027
Cuisine: Italian
Instagram: @basilicoitaliano
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
