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Axios Charlotte
The 28 most highly anticipated restaurants and bars opening soon in Charlotte
By Alexis ClintonLaura Barrero,
2024-04-30
28 highly anticipated restaurants, bars and breweries are opening in Charlotte in the next year or so.
Here's our list of the most anticipated openings, in chronological order.
State of play: Restaurant opening dates are notorious for being pushed back, especially because of permit approval delays and supply chain issues slowing down build-outs and renovations. Many of the timelines listed are approximated based on the owners' understanding.
This list only includes new restaurants, bars and other establishments in Charlotte. It doesn't feature big expansions like Suffolk Punch's expansion to Birkdale Village or Dilworth Tasting Room's expansion to Plaza Midwood .
Editor’s note: This guide is updated monthly, with the last update on Aug 1, 2024.
A restaurant with an extensive selection of global wines in Elizabeth.
Opening: Aug. 2
The vibe: The 2,700-square-foot space has indoor seating for about 60 people and 25 people on the outdoor patio. In addition to wine and cocktails, the family-owned spot has European-inspired small plates and pizzas cooked in a custom Italian oven.
The vibe: Scorpio will be open seven nights a week and will preserve RSVP's theme of creating a different vibe and sound in each space, including a dance floor, climate-controlled garden bar, private rooftop and parlor.
A new Dominican restaurant replacing Figo36 in NoDa.
Opening: Aug. 13.
The vibe: Expect Family-friendly vibes, approachable food that's fairly priced and a cocktail program designed by local mixologist Larry Suggs . The menu will feature Caribbean dishes like pastelitos, empanadas, chicharrones, Dominican spiced chicken, coconut rice and beans.
A traditional Robatayaki food stand at The Alley in Uptown, formerly Latta Arcade .
Opening: End of August
The vibe: This new restaurant by James Beard-nominated chef Sam Hart (of Counter- and Biblio ) will "serve up local meat and seafood grilled in traditional Hokkaido Japanese methods," per its website .
A bar that highlights and celebrates local artists of all genres
Opening: Late August/early Sept.
The vibe: Expect a chill atmosphere that caters to good conversation, whether it's for a date or a meeting. It'll offer light bites like charcuterie. Its drink menu will have a selection of wines, local beers, and classic cocktails with local spirits.
A fine dining restaurant backed by Joe and Katy Kindred, the husband and wife duo behind the beloved Kindred restaurant in Davidson, will open in Uptown.
Opening: September
The vibe: It'll serve contemporary Mediterranean cuisine in the new, 40-story Duke Energy Plaza on South Tryon.
Popular Charlotte restaurant will open inside The Pass , a mixed-use development near the Independent Picture House, Charlotte Art League and Blackbox Theater.
Opening: Early Fall 2024
The vibe Soul Gastrolounge closed its popular Plaza Midwood location due to rising rent. The beloved restaurant is known for its pork belly tacos, which come topped with watermelon.
A pizza diner specializing in sourdough pizzas opening in Camp North End next to Canteen.
Opening : Fall
The vibe: Expect traditional wood-fired pizza with specialty flavors like lemon ricotta, honey-glazed peach and pepperoni ricotta hot honey. They'll also serve sandwiches, salads and dessert
The vibe: Expect a menu with classic yet modern Spanish tapas, a variety of bocadillos, croquetas, tortilla española, and patatas bravas and desserts like flan.
A new pickleball spot from the co-owner of Protagonist and Hopp will open in Camp North End.
Opening: Fall
The vibe: The 35,000-square-foot facility will include six pickleball courts (four indoor and two outdoor), three bars and a Tex-Mex menu. It will also have golf simulators, ping pong, pool tables, shuffleboard, corn hole and darts.
The Cleveland-based brewery and pizza restaurant will open at 501 E. Morehead St. , across from the Dowd YMCA in Dilworth.
Opening: 2024
The vibe: The two-story brewpub will have an enclosed penthouse space, plus a nearly 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck. There will be at least 20 beers on tap, plus coffee and a full food menu centered on Saucy’s New Haven-style pizzas (thin-crust, coal-fired).
A blend of retail and dining in one SouthPark venue.
Opening: Late 2024
The vibe: It'll have a restaurant bar, outdoor patio and a store selling men's and women's sportswear, swimwear, accessories and home decor, per a press release from the brand.
The vibe: The nearly 1,800-square-foot restaurant will be located on the ground floor of the Inkwell Apartments. It's menu will have ceviche and other seafood dishes including shrimp, calamari and grilled octopus. It'll also offer sushi and nigiri rolls.
Plant-based burgers from Atlanta’s popular Slutty Vegan restaurant are making their way to Charlotte.
Opening: TBD
The vibe: The new location will feature most of the burger and dessert options as the Atlanta restaurant. The dish names are as creative as the recipes, like “The One Night Stand,” a plant-based patty with vegan bacon that is covered in “slut sauce” atop a Hawaiian bun.
Restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown will turn the former Bonterra spot in Dilworth into a surf-and-turf restaurant.
Opening: TBD
What they're saying: "Our goal is to open Leluia Hall have had to shift in order to save the Leeper Wyatt building. That building is slated to be transported to Cleveland Avenue in early August. Once that building is in place, we will be able to shift gears toward opening Leluia Hall. We are so pleased with how the new menu is progressing, and how the space is coming together. It is just requiring an extra dose of patience to see it all come to fruition," Jamie Brown said in a statement to Axios.
The vibe: Expect family-style, shareable dishes, a raw bar program and prime cuts of steak at Leluia Hall. Dishes will be prepared by Tonidandel and Supperland executive chef Chris Rogienski. The new restaurant will feature a 200-plus bottle wine list and a new cocktail program from mixologist Colleen Hughes.
Whataburger is to Texas what In-N-Out is to California : a longstanding burger chain known for its fresh, juicy patties and die-hard following.
Opening: Whataburger expects to be in North Carolina by 2025, the company confirmed, declining to provide additional details.
Whataburger has submitted plans for three locations throughout Charlotte: in a Publix-anchored development on Albemarle Road, in a former bank at 5301 South Blvd. and on 5018 Sunset Road.
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