Restaurant Gems in Charlotte

August 16, 2009 3:30 PM

Foodiefilter: Looking for restaurant blitzkrieg advice in Charlotte, NC

I just found out I'm going to be flying from San Jose to Charlotte on Wednesday this week, and will have Thursday (night) and Friday (all day) free. My traveling companion has requested a whirlwind tour for us of interesting food and things we Shouldn't Miss while we're there. Your challenge is to give me all the advice you can in three days. Not sure how much of a car we'll have, so added weight to suggestions in the city proper. Where should we go? What should we eat? What are the Must See bits of the city? Fancy is fine if you're more inclined that direction, but I'm getting more of a 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' vibe from her.

posted by Phineas Rhyne to food & drink (10 comments total)

Food:

Sushi - RuSans - Dilworth - 2440 Park Road
American - Penguin Diner - 1921 Commonwealth Ave
Beer - Tyber Creek Pub - 1933 South Blvd
Fancy - Pewter Rose - 1820 South Blvd

Freedom Park is a beautiful for a late-afternoon walk, weekends are best.
NoDa - North Davidson is the unofficial arts district, galleries and such.
Myers Park - Queens Road West is a beautiful drive.

Good luck getting around, a GPS/iphone is very helpful, outside of downtown (Uptown) it is very easy to get lost.
posted by limited slip at 4:04 PM on August 16

Dish offers a really cool take on Southern Food, and it isn't too pricey. It's probably my favorite restaurant in Charlotte.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 4:16 PM on August 16

The latest hip place is Therapy on Tryon, downtown. Great food, too.
posted by Rash at 4:34 PM on August 16

Charlotte--a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit there. I grew up there, and have lots of family in the area, but it's not a top-notch vacation destination. Look for barbecue and fried seafood, and be sure to hit a grocery store for Reese's pimiento cheese spread (on white Bunny bread, natch). Bojangles Chicken got its start there, so try that if you don't have that in San Jose. Find a diner and order the liver mush.
posted by MrMoonPie at 4:52 PM on August 16

Price's Chicken Coop on Camden for world-famous fried chicken. South 21 Drive-In on South Blvd for old-fashioned carhop service. Mert's Heart & Soul on College Street for soul food. Old Hickory House on North Tryon Street for pulled pork barbecue. Big Daddy's on East Boulevard or Nix on 5th Street for trendy burgers. Moosehead Grill on Montford for wings and G's soup of the day.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:26 PM on August 16

The Levine Museum of the New South, at the corner of College and 7th, is wonderful and tells the story of post-Reconstruction Charlotte and the South in an approachable, interactive way. Stop by the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, on N. Tryon between 5th and 6th, while you're in the neighborhood. Other than that, there aren't a huge number of tourist attractions. If you like Nascar (or want to take ironic pictures of yourself with race cars), head to the team shops in Mooresville or go up I-85 to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord and then drive over to Rick Hendrick's place.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:29 PM on August 16

Fancy: M5
Barbecue: If you have enough car to get about 15 miles out of town, 521 BBQ is the real deal.
Soul food: Mert's Heart & Soul is good, and convenient if you don't want to leave the Uptown area.
posted by Daily Alice at 5:29 PM on August 16

You have to hit up Alexander Michaels for some drinks and fried pickles. I still dream about those glorious things.
posted by sa3z at 6:40 PM on August 16

Cabo Fish Taco in the NoDa district, near two great music venues: The Evening Muse and The Neighborhood Theatre. It's a casual little bar/restaurant with good food and a good vibe.
posted by ourroute at 7:54 PM on August 16

for burgers, the best place to go is Penguin Diner -- out of this world (and fried pickle chips too!) -- not to mention PBR tallboys.
posted by unlucky.lisp at 11:09 AM on August 17