3 new restaurants are headed to the Charlotte area. Here’s what to know

A rustic Italian kitchen in Monroe, a Nashville-born taco spot in Dilworth and a gluten-free doughnut shop in NoDa are all gearing up to open.

Here’s another look at the openings I reported this week, recapping what’s coming to the Charlotte-area food scene.

Charlotte restaurant openings

• The team behind Siano’s Pizza and Pasta plans to open Trattoria on Main by mid-April at 109 S Main St. in downtown Monroe, serving fresh pasta, sauces and “dishes inspired by our family recipes.”

• LadyBird Taco, a Nashville-born chain founded by traveling musician Gabe Scott, is slated to open in late summer at 1524 East Blvd. in Dilworth. It will be the brand’s first North Carolina location. LadyBird Taco’s menu features house-made tortillas, queso, salsa and hand-crafted coffee served in partnership with Charlotte’s Hex Coffee.

• Family-run bakery Donut I Love U is nearing the opening of its first brick-and-mortar shop on East 35th Street in NoDa after years operating as a food truck. The 704-square-foot space will serve gluten-free mini doughnuts, coffee, milkshakes and grab-and-go snacks. Donut I Love U’s buildout, originally budgeted at $80,000, has cost nearly $390,000, according to an Instagram post from co-founders Lindsey and Mithoon Patel.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.

This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 12:09 PM.

Tanasia Kenney

Sun Herald

Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.