Charlotte is known for its financial industry, an abundance of parks with lush greenery and multiple sports teams. But that is not all; the city is also a haven for foodies with a thriving food scene. With an array of restaurants, Queen City offers diverse flavors ranging from southern classics and international fare to innovative fusions and novel culinary creations.
Here is a list of quirky, eclectic, and fun restaurants in Charlotte for a fantastic dining experience.
Cabo Fish Taco
Cabo Fish Taco is a fantastic place for taco and seafood lovers with Southern Californian vibes. With restaurants at two prime locations in Charlotte, the casual, full-service Baja Mexican restaurant is famous for serving fresh seafood, chicken and steaks. Their menu is expansive, with a variety of Tacos, burritos and quesadillas and they also offer gluten-free and vegetarian meals. Besides Tacos, their drinks are also highly popular, featuring a wide range of margaritas, craft beers and wines.
Spacious saloon-like interior, beautiful wall art and colorful platters, with a relaxed and upbeat atmosphere, make this place perfect for fun eating.
Midwood Smokehouse
Midwood Smoke House is a roadhouse-like dining place offering regional BBQ specialties with three setups covering the prime locations of Charlotte. You can enjoy a variety of alcohols, beers, wines and cocktails at the onsite bar while the menu is vast with an option of organic and vegetarian selections.
The famous dishes of Midwood Smoke House are Beef Briskets and burnt ends, baked beans and pulled chicken. They also have a happy drinks hour where you can enjoy drinks at discounted prices.
Common Market
Common Market is another fun place to eat in Charlotte with a general store, a deli and an on-site bar with three service points, including Oakwood, South End and Common Market Plaza Midwood. Each point represents features of its unique neighborhood.
Here, you can get a variety of cuisines, including American, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican and Thai foods. With bumper wall stickers, framed artwork and vintage candies, every nook and corner of the place has something to entertain you. Moreover, Common Market frequently arranges live Jazz, wine tastings and comedy shows to entertain visitors.
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar is a fusion restaurant in South Park, Charlotte, NC. The restaurant offers gourmet burgers, sushi, fusion combos, beer and spirits in a trendy and upmarket atmosphere. The vibrant and colorful interior and live cowfish in a 600-gallon aquarium at the restaurant give it unique vibes.
To enhance your sushi experience, the place has a sushi bar where you can assemble your own sushi rolls. Burgushi is their signature combo, representing the fusion of typical burger features and non-traditional ingredients in a sushi style. The best part about the place? Their burgers are made of 100% natural meats that are hormone and antibiotic-free. You can enjoy your food in the dining room or on their patio. It is one of the top fun restaurants in Charlotte.
Queen City Bites
Queen City Bites and Craft is an excellent food and beverage destination with exposed brick walls and a cozy, casual atmosphere. With a unique interior and large TVs in the indoor dining halls and outdoor patio, it is a perfect sports bar to watch your favorite sports with friends. Popular specialties of the place are poutine fries, black bean quesadilla, Buffalo chicken sandwich and fried pickles. The on-site bar also offers multiple crafted bears, alcohols and wines.
Awesome food, super friendly staff, uniquely designed interior and great music make this place worth visiting.
Pinky’s Westside Grill
Pinky’s Westside Grill in Charlotte is a local American-style restaurant famous for its delicious food, quirky setting and funky dive-bar feel. The menu is vast, offering hot dogs, tacos, sandwiches and cocktails, along with Thai-inspired dishes and barbecues. You can enjoy your food on high chairs in indoor halls or an outdoor covered patio with vibrant decor.
The offbeat space with walls featuring animated faces and cartoon characters, delectable food and super friendly staff make Pinky’s Westside Grill a fun place to eat.
VBGB Beer Hall & Garden
VBGB Beer Hall and Garden is a German-inspired pub in Uptown Charlotte next to the Amphitheatre. The facility features an outdoor beer hall offering the best brews in the area with over 30 flavors, along with a full wine bar. The restaurant also has a large patio with great games, a Ping Pong table, a corn hole, and many board games. You can also satisfy your artistic instincts with an onsite 25 ft chalkboard.
The food bar is amazing with a variety of eatables; visitors highly appreciate their Cinn-A-Yum Pretzel, Tartor Tots, and beef cheese nachos. It is one of the nice uptown Charlotte restaurants.
Goldie’s
Goldie’s is a fun dining place and live music venue located at the south end of Charlotte with a dance floor and a bar. Live music nights represent a fusion of regional moves and various genres. The place also has two outdoor dog-friendly patios and a walk-up bar.
Talking about food, the restaurant has a food hall-like setup with three food serving stalls: Goldie’s kitchen, Tina’s Pizza and Big Weiner hot dog cart. Moreover, the place has one of the best bars with a fine selection of cocktails and beers. Live music, delicious food, great drinks and good vibes make this place one of the top fun places to eat in Charlotte.
Leroy Fox
With serving statins at two historic locations of Charlotte, Costwold and South End, Leroy Fox is a road-style restaurant with a covered patio., offering southern-inspired fried chicken and super good cocktails in mason jars. One of the cool restaurants in Charlotte, Leroy Fox is famous for its variety of cocktails with unique funny names while a good variety of local beers is also available on taps. Popular dishes of Leroy Fox include beef ribs, naked wings, pulled pork, potato swirl, Korean BBQ and Ramen Mac and cheese.
The restaurants have spacious dining area with high or regular top tables as well as a bar seating arrangement. Amazing wall decor and chandelier lights give the place mesmerizing vibes, which are further complimented by a few TVs and good music.
Seoul Food Meat Company
Seoul Food Meat Company is a Korean restaurant with two locations in Charlotte featuring a rustic ambiance. The restaurant offers Korean-style barbecue eats, Asian bears and custom-crafted cocktails. Their famous specialties are TOFU, The BAF wings and KIM BAP fusion Tacos.
You can enjoy their private dining Karaoke rooms for friends and family gatherings. All the rooms have different themes and capacities but the same Karaoke playlist.
The Improper Pig
The Improper Pig is a famous barbecue restaurant in Rea Farms with a casual, cozy, trendy environment. The place is famous for classic dishes such as pulled pork and St. Louis-style ribs. You may also order from the vegetarian varieties of no-pig sandwiches and grilled Portobello mushrooms, Jalapeno cheese grills and sweet potato hash.
You can enjoy your food on high chairs on a mezzanine level or opt for outdoor dining. Live music and a view of the skies over the park outside the restaurant take your dining experience to the next level.
Futo Buta
Futo Buta in Downtown Asheville and South End Charlotte is a Ramen-focused restaurant famous for artistically prepared house-made Ramen, Gyoza, and Japanese fried chicken. The place offers authentic and non-traditional Japanese cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients and tantalizing flavors. An on-site bar with uniquely crafted cocktails, wines and beers further adds to the pleasure. The place also offers outdoor seating, perfect for days when the weather is nice.
With late-night food hours, it is a perfect place for a night to hang out with your friends and colleagues.
The Diamond Restaurant
Located on Commonwealth Avenue, the Diamond Restaurant is a unique hipster-friendly Greek diner. They offer great food with Greek, Italian and Southern flavors in a casual, cozy, and historic atmosphere. The classic diner also houses an on-site bar with uniquely crafted cocktails, wines, beers and coffee. Famous for great coffee, warm, friendly staff and fast service, the place is kid-friendly with a special kids’ menu. It is one of the nice family restaurants in Charlotte NC.
Bang Bang Burgers
Bang Bang Burgers is a hamburger restaurant offering artisanal burgers with hand-shaped brioche-style buns, rich, juicy beef and homemade toppings. Offering a cozy and casual atmosphere with a counter-serve outfit, the restaurant’s menu features various burgers for lunch and dinner, along with vegetarian options. The special Bang Bang burgers with fries, onion rings, and Brussels are must-haves. Their pimento cheeseburger is also famous for its fresh homemade pimento.
Delicious artisanal burgers, excellent service and cool seating make it a fun place to eat with friends and family.
Haberdish
Haberdish is a stylish Southern restaurant located on Davidson Street, Charlotte, serving breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner and a variety of desserts. They offer Carolina-inspired cuisine with fried chicken, syrupy, buttery biscuits, Southern vegetables and uniquely crafted cocktails.
The overall atmosphere of the place is trendy and romantic. However, due to the high popularity of the place, reservations are recommended for dinner. The best-sellers at the restaurant include sweet potato dumplings, smoked deviled eggs, Smokey Mac and cheese and BBQ ribs.
Optimist Hall
Located in the Optimist Park neighborhood right at the boundary of Uptown Charlotte, Optimist Hall is a fun dining site featuring several food stalls and cocktail bars representing the cuisines of different regions of the world. Whether you crave Italian, Mexican, Ethiopian, American or Asian foods or wish to have Charlotte’s local flavors and tastes, the Optimist Hall is the right place for you.
The place also offers various art activities; Optimist Hall frequently organizes indoor and outdoor workshops. There is also a stationary and gift shop with uniquely designed greeting cards, art prints, gift wraps, pencils, books and other desk supplies.
To add to your pleasure, Optimist Hall also has a stall of Collier Candy Company where you can get something for every age, ranging from candies and chocolates to premium sodas. Paradise Plant Shop with house plants is an excellent attraction for plant lovers while a central pet-free courtyard with a pet supplies store is a special place for pets.
Fun Places To Eat In Charlotte: End Notes
Undoubtedly, Charlotte has an array of unique restaurants where every meal represents a unique blend of flavors. These places offer cuisines of the world in amazing environments with a range of fun features. If you are in Charlotte, you must visit these cool places to tantalize your taste buds and have fun with your friends and family.
