Five Must-Try Local Restaurants in Charlotte

If you are a native to the Queen City, then you know: the 704 has a great local food scene. But if you are visiting our beautiful city and looking for some must-try local restaurants, I did you a favor and listed my top 5 restaurants in Charlotte that are amazing (and also don’t break the bank!)

5. Alexander Michael’s

Not only is this in the CUTEST part of town, but it has some solid food. Its located in a quaint neighborhood street in historical 4th ward of Uptown with a dope skyline view. I think the street itself is SO cool because it feels like a old suburb but you can walk into the heart of uptown in about 10 minutes. The restaurant is an old convenience store and has that hole-in-the-wall pub vibe.  Last time I was there, I got the last order of fish and chips for the day (they ran out at about 1:30 if that tells you how good it was). Their fried pickles are also great and their Spicy She-Crab Soup is also notoriously a must-try.

4. The Roasting Company

The roasting company has three locations in Charlotte. My personal favorite dish is the Chicken on Rice con Queso. The apples, the cornbread dressing, and the mashed sweet potatoes are all amazing sides (but I’m sure there are more amazing ones that I have not yet tried!). You can also just get a 1/4 or 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken and sides. But why wouldn’t you get something smothered in queso?!

3. Crispy Bahn Mi

Crispy’s Favorite (above) will set you back a whooping $4.95. Every sandwich comes on amazing crispy bread with carrot, cucumber, daikon (a type of radish), cilantro, and jalapeño. Crispy’s favorite has three types of cold-cuts and is the perfect balance of freshness, crisp, salty, and overall greatness. They also have a fried tilapia sandwich that I’m dying to try and trying to come up with a reason to go back and visit.

Also their Vietnamese coffee is amazing and I want to drink it everyday. That is all.

UPDATE: The fried fish sandwich is amazing– get it

2. Kid Cashew

Kid Cashew is located right next to the hospital that I work at. So everyday when I leave work and I’m starving, I drive by Kid Cashew and see their amazingly beautiful outdoor patio and people enjoying a beer and their Mediterranean/American food and feel an insane amount of jealousy. Their outdoor space is what initially drew me in to try Kid Cashew about a month ago, but the food is making me come back again.

We went for brunch and G got the wood fired chicken and avocado sandwich (really good!) and I got the shrimp and grits. I could have licked the plate if it was socially acceptable. Will definitely be spending more time here, especially this summer so I can enjoy their outdoor space 🙂

1. Seoul Food Meat Company

Y’all. This place. Seoul is a Southern BBQ-Korean fusion restaurant and it rocks my world. My absolute favorite dish is the Fire Chicken (it is spicy if you can’t tell by the name) and my husband and I will split the Ramen Mac & Cheese. My husband always gets the crispy pork belly. You can’t go wrong here though. Also, the outdoor area is great, and it’s dog friendly!