These 5 restaurants announced Charlotte openings this week. Catch up quick
Happy Friday, Charlotte! It’s Tanasia, and I’m back with your weekly recap of what’s new and coming to the city’s food scene.
They say variety is the spice of life, and it couldn’t be more true with the mix of restaurants slated to make their Queen City debut. We’ve got giant empanadas, regional Mexican fare with Oaxacan-influences and slow-smoked barbecue from a familiar name.
I’d try them all for research purposes (insert air quotes) if I could. If you get to them before I do, be sure to report back on your favorites!
Read on for more recent and upcoming restaurant openings around the metro:
Zamindar’s Club House
Zamindar’s Club House, the city’s newest fine dining restaurant and lounge, is officially open in South End.
Owner David Pandoria said a grand opening celebration is slated for late June.
“This is something I’ve been planning and putting together for the last 10 years,” Pandoria told me in a recent interview. “This is a dream I’ve had for quite some time.”
Zamindar’s menu draws on “the rich history, flavors, and traditions of Indian cuisine.” Michelin Bib-awarded Chef Vamshi Adi is in charge of the culinary program, offering a contemporary twist on classic dishes like butter chicken, biryanis and paneer.
The restaurant’s in-house lounge, Regiment One55, features a cocktail driven menu and shareable plates.
Raíces
You can find a good Mexican restaurant anywhere, but not all are devoted to the rich culinary traditions of Jalisco and Oaxaca.
That’s what foodies will find at Raíces, an elevated Mexican eatery opening this summer at The RailYard in South End. You all know by now that I love good tacos and margs, but this place will have so much more than that.
Featured menu items will include generational moles, pozole (a traditional Mexican stew) and seasonal dishes made with locally sourced meat and produce.
“While Charlotte has no shortage of Mexican restaurants, we’ve created Raíces to celebrate the diversity and complexity of Mexican cooking beyond familiar expectations, offering a deeper exploration of Mexico’s regional cuisine, hospitality, and culture,” co-owner Amalia Macias said.
Mac’s Speed Shop
Mac’s Speed Shop has officially moved on from Matthews, and is gearing up to open a new location just across the North Carolina line.
The community-loved barbecue joint will welcome customers to its Fort Mill, South Carolina, restaurant “in just a couple of weeks,” co-founder Wynn David told me in a statement. A sign posted outside the restaurant said employee training is underway.
Foodies can expect the same award-winning barbecue, beer, live music and laid back vibes they’ve grown to love over the years, though the new location will have an “elevated” look and feel.
Big Papa’s Empanadas
Big Papa’s Empanadas will be slinging crispy turnovers, tacos and more when it opens in Charlotte’s Historic Fourth Ward this summer.
Led by Chef Jonathan Leonard, the counter service-only restaurant will offer handmade empanadas with unique fillings, like Caribbean oxtail and Cajun crab mac & cheese. And they’re hefty, too.
Leonard told me the half-pound pastries are “literally like the size of my face.”
The concept blends elements of Leonard’s existing catering and meal prep business, Freshly Cracked.
“The empanadas came out of a necessity to try to figure out how to mitigate” food waste, he said. “It kind of correlated with my meal prep (services); I would take the meals, doctor them ... and make it its own new thing.”
Another Broken Egg Cafe
Sundays are perfect for a Southern-inspired brunch spread — but I’ll take it any day of the week.
Another Broken Egg Cafe opened its newest restaurant in Concord, serving chicken & waffles, fluffy French toast, omelettes and other morning favorites daily. Lunch options include a BLT&A sandwich and a classic Cobb salad topped with fried chicken tenders.
Concord locals can also look forward to rotating seasonal offerings. Think: Peach cobbler French toast and a champagne lobster omelette.
Plus, there’s a full bar featuring classic brunch cocktails, mocktails and mimosas.