Charlotte’s taste for new and innovative culinary concepts continues to attract big-name restaurateurs. Well-known chefs and owners like William Dissen (Asheville’s The Market Place), Craig Deil (Charleston’s Cypress), Gary Crunkleton (Chapel Hill’s The Crunkleton), Ford Fry (Atlanta’s Superica) and Paul Verica (Waxhaw’s Heritage Food + Drink) have all set up shop here.
Hello, Sailor
Opened: December 2017
Concept: James Beard finalist Craig Deihl, formerly of Cypress and Artisan Meat Share in Charleston, now serves as chef de cuisine at Hello, Sailor, the sophomore effort from Joe and Katy Kindred. The restaurant features fish camp-inspired foods (fried and battered, yet high end) as well as a lakeside tiki bar.
Haymaker
Opened: March 2018
Concept: Award-winning chef William Dissen’s new restaurant, Haymaker, serves high-end sustainable foods, much like his Asheville restaurant The Market Place. The Uptown establishment focuses on dinner, but it also offers a rare treat in this busy business district: an early morning weekday breakfast menu.
The Stanley
Opened: May 2018
Concept: Waxhaw chef Paul Verica closed his James Beard-nominated restaurant Heritage Food + Drink in October to prepare for his Charlotte relocation: The Stanley. Set up in the Elizabeth neighborhood, this upscale, farm-driven restaurant boasts Ben Philpott, of Block & Grinder and Lumiere, in the kitchen and mixologist Larry Suggs behind the bar.
The Crunkleton
Opening: Summer 2018
Concept: Drink slinger Gary Crunkleton is known for his eponymous bar in Chapel Hill, which was named one of Garden & Gun’s “Six Best Bourbon Bars in the South.” His Charlotte institution will offer shareable small plates and old-school cocktails, plus a few Instagrammable showstoppers.
Superica
Opened: May 2018
Concept: This Tex Mex restaurant hails from Atlanta, where chef Ford Fry has set up two locations. Its Charlotte iteration is set up in a 7,000-square-foot space in South End’s Design Center and has plans to open a courtyard bar in the fall.
For more great ideas on where to go, what to eat, and things to do in Charlotte, North Carolina visit the official City Guide HERE.
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