An A-Z guide to the best food — of all kinds — at restaurants in Charlotte

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story was published in November 2024, and it has been updated.

Charlotte is a stupendous city.

For a personal, food writer reason: It has just enough African restaurants to bolster my chances (and destiny) of meeting Nigerian songstress and superstar Tems if she’s ever in town and has a hankering for jollof rice or even banga soup.

For a broader, less personal, food writer reason: Think of how abysmal the world would be if Bojangles didn’t bestow upon us the fluffy, flaky, buttery, sticky, icky, artificially fruity wonders of the incomparable BoBerry Biscuit.

During my illustrious tenure as the food writer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Chattanooga Times Free Press, I wrote an A-Z guide of dishes to eat there, with each letter of the alphabet representing a different restaurant dish. I compared it to swimming the English Channel or climbing to the summit of Mount Everest. However, curating a guide like this is even more rare than both of those tremendous feats.

First and foremost, whenever Charlotte flexes its diversity, it bulges like Mike Tyson’s bicep. So much so that on any given Tuesday you can have awaze tibs, dulce de leche banana empanadas and Nei Jiang beef noodles, all without leaving the voguish confines of Optimist Hall. Not to mention Bosnian Pljeskavica, Haitian Griot and other foreign goodies elsewhere in town.

Simply put, if this robust level of diversity didn’t exist in Charlotte, neither would this guide.

Even still, the city holds tight to a thick “salted peanuts-in-a-bottle-of-Pepsi” brand of Southernism that’s evident in its annual hosting of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, an ample amount of restaurants serving craggy, cornmeal-battered catfish, deviled eggs and enough buttermilk to fill Lake Norman.

It also checks those trendy boxes that coddle Plaza Midwood hipsters and make housewives of Chantilly giggle with glee: shakshuka, cauliflower au gratin and anything you could ever confetti with small batch chili crisp, slather with whipped ricotta or pair with a full-bodied Petite Sirah. Not to mention, everything in between inspired and influenced by tsunami waves of transplants both international and domestic.

(If you ever find yourself complaining, just close your eyes and imagine living in a town that just recently got its first Chinese takeout restaurant.)

That being said, writing this list has been a gluttonous doozy.

A - Affogato

Ever Andalo

Location: 3116 N. Davidson St., Charlotte, NC 28205

Paulie Walnuts isn’t dead. Nope. He’s here in NoDa at Ever Andalo, taking a break from mafioso matters and Boca Raton, Florida, to enjoy this Italian dessert: ice cream “drowned” in espresso, better known as an affogato.

B - Banana pudding

Lupie’s Cafe

Location: 2718 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205

This was tough, replacing the brioche French toast from the now-shuttered Haymaker. (It had a glorious run.) It was almost the barbacoa tacos from Tacos El Nevado. Then, it was almost the bacon, egg and cheese on that poppyseed kaiser roll from Shreiber’s On Rye. Eventually, I settled on a beloved classic from an even more beloved institution, Lupie’s banana pudding.

C - Cheeseburger

Original Chicken and Ribs

Location: 1100 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216

I know — a cheeseburger from a spot with “chicken” and “ribs” in its name? Trust me. Add chili, and it’s almost like the restaurant’s famous “Fat Boy” without the tomato and lettuce mumbo jumbo.

D - Dutch Baby

The Original Pancake House

Location: 4736 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210

Besides Heineken and Gouda cheese, the Dutch Baby — a popover-style pancake — from The Original Pancake House might be the shiniest culinary gem Holland has ever offered us (even if it’s Washingtonian by way of Germany in origin).

E - El Santo

Pinky’s Westside Grill

Location: 1600 W Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28208

Yes, like the Mexican luchador, the El Santo hot dog at Pinky’s with chili, cheddar, Fritos, jalapenos and sour cream is completely worth the mess it’s bound to make. Plus, anything covered in Fritos is undefeated.

F - Fried Chicken Benny

Leroy Fox

Location: 705 S Sharon Amity Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

I hated whenever Benedict became “Benny.” But I can’t front, the pomp and circumstance behind the gorgeous monstrosity that is Leroy Fox’s Fried Chicken “Benny” deserves to be chased with a mimosa. Or two. Or three.

G - Gyro

Landmark Diner

Location: 4429 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Sure, there are patty melts, Western omelets and other “All-American” dishes that diners are almost obligated to have. But I’m here at Landmark for the Greek stuff: spanakopita, chicken souvlaki and this classic — the gyro.

H - Hot roasted turkey

Diamond Restaurant

Location: 1901 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

May the Lord bless any restaurant like the Diamond. The ones that fry their bologna and spell it “boloney.” The ones that serve, under one roof: boiled peanuts, sloppy joes, tuna melts and “oldy-but-goody” diner staples like this open-faced masterpiece, the hot roasted turkey. You can’t fake it for 81 years.

I - Inari

Yume

Location: 1508 S Mint St Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28203

It’s not as en vogue as the crunchy spicy tuna roll or any of the rolls they’re deep frying now, but I love inari (either in its chubby pouch form or as nigiri) — at Yume, mainly because this tofu is a reminder that sushi does not mean “raw fish.”

J - Jalapeno cornbread waffle

Restaurant Constance

Location: 2200 Thrift Rd, Charlotte, NC 28208

At a restaurant that prides itself on being in harmony with the seasons, the jalapeno cornbread waffle is one of the only dishes at Restaurant Constance that’s constant.

K - Kelewele

Mama Gee’s

Location: 509 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216

I’m a sucker for anything describing itself as “hot and spicy” (food or otherwise) and the kelewele (fried plantains) – the belle of the Ghanaian street food ball — at Mama Gee’s are no exception.

L - Lamb over rice

Halal Food Cart

Location: 101 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202

If the lamb, rice or even the side salad are visible under the overzealous onslaught of both white sauce and hot sauce, you’re surely skimping out on the full experience at Halal Food Cart.

M - Milk Chocolate Donut

Milkbread

Location: 1431 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Anybody who knows me knows that I’m a reasonably loyal guy, but this is the rare time, for the sake of the Milkbread doughnut, I’ll cheat on the almighty Krispy Kreme.

N - New York strip

Beef ‘N Bottle

Location: 4538 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209

It’s hard not to love the antiquated charm of a fried onion ring nestled atop a slab of meat at Beef ‘N Bottle like the halo of an angel sent from the heavens above.

O - Oxtails

Caribbean Hut

Location: 200 W Woodlawn Rd Ste D, Charlotte, NC 28217

I’ll gladly (for a charitable cause) duke it out in a seven-round boxing match with the guy who started the obnoxious trend of putting oxtails on pizza. Thank goodness Caribbean Hut does it the proper way — which is not on pizza.

P - Pernil

Tony’s Deli

Location: 3112 Milton Rd, Charlotte, NC 28215

I reserve the use of the word “succulent” only whenever I wax poetic about pernil — slow roasted pork done the “Boriqua” way. I promise, Tony’s version can hold its own against any cuchifrito in New York City’s five boroughs and Yonkers.

Q - Quiche Du Jour

Haberdish

Location: 3106 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Just when you thought Lorraine was the be-all and end-all, Haberdish, with its nouveau-Southern bravado has unlocked another portal in the quiche universe with its quiche du jour. Merci beaucoup.

R - Reuben

Alexander Michael’s

Location: 401 W 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202

I’m not sure exactly what “4th Ward-style” means, but I do pity the fool who thinks Thousand Island dressing or even Big Mac sauce is on par with Russian dressing for the Reuben at Alexander Michael’s. They’re not.

S - Shrimp cocktail

Fin & Fino

Location: 135 Levine Avenue of the Arts #100, Charlotte, NC 28202

I don’t care what new, cool avante-garde shrimp dishes become viral. A proper shrimp cocktail, like the one at Fin & Fino, is like a tuxedo with a satin shawl lapel. It will never, ever go out of style. No matter what.

T - Tôm Rang Muối

Lang Van

Location: 3019 Shamrock Dr, Charlotte, NC 28215

“Tom Yum,” “Tom Rim,” “Tom Kha Gai” or even “Tom Hanks.” Pretty much anytime I’m at a Vietnamese restaurant, especially Lang Van, I’m ordering the dish that starts with “Tom” — which translates to “shrimp” in English.

U - Ube pancakes

Easy Like Sunday

Location: 1600 E Woodlawn Rd #100, Charlotte, NC 28209

Anybody will tell you this about me: I’m moreso a fan of the janky breakfast spot with the questionably low sanitation score, no frills and table that always seems to be sticky from synthetic syrup than a high-end hotspot like Easy Like Sunday. But even I’m mesmerized by the restaurant’s ube pancakes, a TikToky, Grimace-from-McDonald’s-hued star of Charlotte’s brunch universe.

V - Vada Pav

Botiwalla

Location: Optimist Hall, 1115 N Brevard St UNIT 203, Charlotte, NC 28206

Don’t worry. I’m not going to judge you if you devour one of Botiwalla’s vada pav in a single bite. (I’ve done it before.) But I will judge you if you neglect to lick that tamarind chutney off your cuticles.

W - White Pie (with sausage and mushrooms)

Bird Pizzeria

Location: 510 E 15th St, Charlotte, NC 28206

In my humble opinion, the white pizza at Bird is like the green cherry. It’s misunderstood, underappreciated and for whatever reason doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Until now.

X - Xá Xíu

Vanloi

Location: 3101 Central Ave # 1, Charlotte, NC 28205

OK, I’ll admit it. I might have been a little too overzealous and spoke a little too soon. Remember when I exuberantly claimed that the beef suya from Suya King was my favorite barbecue in Charlotte? Well, that was before I had this sticky Vietnamese version of what the Chinese refer to as char siu, aka barbecue pork, at Vanloi.

Y - Yaki-Tori

Mizu

Location: Apex Charlotte, 3100 Apex Dr 9th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28211

The Yaki-Tori at Mizu is edible, flame-kissed, fancy teriyaki-glazed proof that the Japanese do almost everything better, even chicken thighs on a stick.

Z - Zeppoli

Stagioni

Location: 715 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207

Just think of Stagioni’s “fried pillows of heaven” as French beignets but with the robust voice of Luciano Pavorati bellowing a song from “Madama Butterfly.”

Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.

This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.