Off the Eaten Path’s Charlotte Restaurants Guide highlights the growing and diverse culinary scene in North Carolina’s largest city, including the best restaurants in Charlotte and where locals love to eat.Â
Planning a day trip, weekend trip or just looking for other things to do, places to visit, and where to eat across North Carolina? Check out Off the Eaten Path’s North Carolina Travel Guide, which features weekend itineraries, travel, and restaurant recommendations across the Tarheel State.Â
I’ve been eating and drinking my way through Charlotte, NC for over a decade.Â
In fact, exploring Charlotte’s restaurant scene was the main motivation for starting this blog.
I had just moved to the Queen City (and, self admittedly, was a little lonely and bored), so I thought that eating my way through my new city would not only curb my loneliness and boredom, but also help me explore, learn about Charlotte, and get to know it better.Â
What’s a better way to explore your new city than through its local food and drink?
I like to think my Charlotte food experiment worked. I’m still working at the Public Defender’s Office (the reason I moved to Charlotte in the first place), we are now raising our two kids here, and Off the Eaten Path is still going strong.
Although this blog has transitioned away from solely Charlotte restaurant content to include recipes, North Carolina travel, and more, I still love to think of my little corner of the Internet as a place to share and celebrate Charlotte restaurants and the Queen City culinary scene.
The best places to eat in Charlotte, NC
And I get asked all the time, “Where should we got eat in Charlotte?” or, “What’s the best restaurant in Charlotte?”
And I genuinely love helping people find the perfect spot for them!
Consider this your go-to guide for finding the best restaurants in Charlotte. Whether you’re new to the area, a Queen City native looking for a new (or new to you) spot for a date night or birthday dinner, or an out-of-towner visiting our fair city for the weekend, there’s something here for everyone.
I’ve pulled together all of my dining guides and food bucket lists into one spot so you can explore and find exactly what you’re looking for.
Best restaurants in Charlotte by cuisine
Sometimes you just want a certain cuisine. Luckily, we’ve got a little bit of everything here in the Queen City!
I’ve explored dozens of pizza places, brunch spots, breweries, and more, rounding up my favorite restaurants by cuisine so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.
Charlotte’s Best Brunch Spots
Whether you're looking for diners with casual counter service, bottomless boozy beverages, full food service at a brewery, a grab and go bagel, or even a Saturday brunch option, this list has something for you!Charlotte's Best Brunch highlights 10 of my favorite brunch spots in Charlotte depending on your mood or what you're looking for.
It seems like a new brewery is opening in Charlotte every single day, so much so that its hard to keep up with the Queen City's booming brewery and craft beer scene.In this post, my beer loving husband, AJ, and I share our thoughts on all of Charlotte's breweries and then rank our personal top 10.
Pizza is my absolute favorite food, so I have done all the hard work for you in finding the best pizza in Charlotte.Whether you're looking for a Neapolitan-style pizza, pizza by the slice, or the best pizza delivery, you'll find all that and more in this post with my 12 favorite pizza spots.
Wings are total comfort food for me! Give me a big plate of saucy wings and a football game and I'm one happy camper.I've pulled together a list of my favorite places to grab wings, from buffalo to Korean-style. Just make sure you have plenty of paper towels on hand!
You can't visit North Carolina without enjoying some barbecue! Whether you prefer eastern-style or western-style barbecue, Charlotte has a little of everything. This post includes my favorite area BBQ joints. Grab some brisket or sausage links, dig into pulled pork, or even enjoy BBQ tacos! There's bound to be something for everyone here.
We're lucky that you can basically eat outside all year round in Charlotte, which means we have a ton of options in the Queen City when it comes to al fresco dining and drinking.While it barely scratches the surface when it comes to patio dining in CLT, it showcases the best of the best and offers a wide range of food and drink options, price points and ambiance for you to choose from.
If you're craving dumplings, you cannot beat those made by The Dumpling Lady! I had the opportunity to interview her several years ago about her background, recipes, and inspiration, and her dumplings are still my favorite in the area!
Way back in 2015, I started a series called “Charlotte’s Best Bites” and invited my local friends to share their favorite restaurants with my readers.
The result is what I like to call a collaborative dining guide of sorts featuring Charlotteans’ favorite restaurants, breweries and bars all in one place. Think of these as restaurant lists “for the people, by the people.”
Of course, I had to kick off my Charlotte's Best Bites series with a snapshot of my favorite places including: best barbecue, best place to drink beer outside, best place to show off Charlotte to your big city friends, best place to sharpen your skills, and the best beer cheese.
I then bullied my (now) husband, AJ, to write a guest post for my series. This was AJ's first and last foray into blogging, and it only took some minor teeth pulling to get it done. AJ's picks include all of his favorite places to drink beer and the kind of food you can order at each.
In Kaitlin's post, she has us traveling all over the world without having to leave Mecklenburg County, including the Best German Food, Best Sushi, Restaurant You'll Want to Brag About to Your Friends, Food that Can be Mistaken as Art, and a Strip-mall Surprise.
My dear friend Ashley shares here local Charlotte picks with a emphasis on local…all of the restaurants on her list are members of the Piedmont Culinary Guild, a group dedicated to supporting local chefs and farmers in the Charlotte area. On Ashley's list: Romantic Date Night, Dinner with a View, A Carnivore's Paradise, From the Sea, Fountain of Youth, Where the Wild Things Are, Wood Fired Deliciousness and A Foodie Wonderland.
Because one round wasn't enough, I came back with seven more of my Charlotte's Best Bites including: Where to Take Your Parents, Fancy Date Night, Caffeine Fix, Meals on Wheels, Streetcar Stop, Cheap Eats, and South of the Border.
Another one of my local blogging besties coming in hot with her picks: Feel Like a Local, Drinking and Donuts, Beer Dinners, Lunch Spot, Pie Pop Up, Food and Drink Experience and Foodie Store.
Rounding out my best blogging friends contributions is Susannah with her classic Charlotte spots (she's a native after all!). Susannah's picks include: Best Time Machine, Best Fancy Milkshakes, Best Bakery Breakfast, Best Foodie Gifts, and Best Birthday Dinner.
Grace has a wide range of tasty spots with her picks for Some Fine Spots for Fine Dining, Sharing is Caring, Breakfast The Most Important Meal of the Day, and Craft Beer for the New Year.
Emily is not a blogger but is one of my best friends in Charlotte (and also a unicorn native like Susannah), so she had to do a post. And she willfully did it! Emily's picks include: Charlotte Institution, Best Falafel, Wine Night Wednesday, Best Date Night Pizza, and Best $4 Whiskey.
Allie is a mainstay on the Charlotte food scene with her wildly popular platform, Eat Drink CLT. Allie's Charlotte restaurant picks: Trusty Standby, Sharing is Caring, Taco Tuesday, Get the Sushi Boat, Current Obsession, Complimentary Bread on Point, and Southern Twist.
Sadly, Alyssa no longer lives in Charlotte, but her Best Bites list stands the test of time: Underrated Brunch Spot, Sweet Tooth Fix, Guilty Pleasure, Healthy Weeknight Takeout, Frugal and Filling Lunch, and Saturday Morning Spot for Food Lovers.
Before we were blogging friends, Tanya and I were both coworkers in the Public Defender's Office. Her foodie picks include: Injera Me Crazy, It's Macaron not Macaroon, Not Your Regular Sushi, The Best Shrimp and Grits, Fresh Seafood Fix, Go To Budget Hibachi, Quick and Yummy Gyros, and Make Your Own Pizza.
I met Shannon through Instagram and she has some good Charlotte restaurants on her list: A Tapas Party, Aesthetically Pleasing, Sushi Me Rolling, Elevated Pub Grub, Whiskey Business, A Piece of History and Here's the Scoop.
I love how my friendship with Yvonne and Jason has grown…and this was their first foray into Charlotte restaurant list making: On the Promise of Freshness, Meat Shakes, When Buffaloes Fly, Hot Southern Nights, I'm in Love With The and Cheers Moment.
Sara shares her picks for Burgers with Mouth-Watering Combinations, Best Salad Ever, Nachos of my dreams, two spots for Charlotte's Best Sandwiches, and A Delicious Take on Pancakes.
Katy's picks are all gluten free, so if you are looking for gluten-free eats, check out: Brunch and Bubbly, Acai Bowl Goals, Most Impressive Dessert, Best Kept Secret, Taco Tuesday, Wine Night, and Asian with a Twist.
Catherine takes us on a foodie tour of South End with her favorite Charlotte restaurants: Tex-Mex, Picnic Table Dumplings, A Must Eat for a Charlotte Newbie, Treat Yourself, and a Taste of the South.
With her picks, Dana travels with us along the light rail: stop at 36th street for donuts, Arena Station for diner food, Bland street for fried chicken, and East/West Blvd for Ice Cream, Asian fusion and a pop-up market.
I met Brittany through SkillPop (she was my first class manager!) and I agree with a lot of her picks: Best Breakfast Burrito, Best Veggie Burger, Best Vegetarian Dish, and Best Patio Brunch.
Elizabeth shares her favorite diverse Charlotte eateries including Vietnamese Haunt, Gourmet Bodega, Brunch with a Seat in the Action, Ramen for All Seasons, Vegetarian Fare, Premier Gastropub, and Retro Vibes.
Michelle not only has Charlotte restaurants but breweries and ice cream shops on her list: Favorite Low Key Date Night, Best Place to Take Visitors, Downhome Dinnertime Deliciousness, Treat Yo Self, Escape from the City, Favorite Local Beer and Lunch on the Go.
Tapas-style dining is one of Kimberly's favorite ways to eat, so she shares her favorite Queen City small plates restaurants: Girls' Night on the Town, Impress the Parents, Date Night, and Tacos.
Alexis is a beer and brewery blogger, so of course she had to share the top Charlotte breweries with the best food: Best Overall Food Menu, Best Brewery Pretzel, Best Traditional Beer Food, Best Instagrammable Food, Best Brewery Brunch, and Best Newcomer.
With the Charlotte culinary scene constantly growing and changing, honestly its hard to keep up with all the new restaurants opening at, what feels to me, like lightening speed. There’s so much to enjoy here in the Queen City!
For several years I created an annual Charlotte Food Bucket List as a way for me to keep up with new restaurants and old staples I hadn’t yet visited.
Becoming a parent has hampered my ability to keep up with an annual list lately, but my hope is that these posts can give you some inspiration for what you want to add to your own food bucket list!
2017 Charlotte Food Bucket List
This was the inaugural Charlotte food bucket list and that year I checked off several Charlotte food staples including: tea at the Ballantyne hotel, a date night at Barrington's (for my 30th birthday), and a visit to Bang Bang Burgers and Yafo Kitchen.
My 2018 list featured a few 2017 rollovers, as well as new Charlotte restaurants like Hello, Sailor; Dot, Dot, Dot; Flourshop; Angeline's and Merchant and Trade.
