The best meals we ate all year: Here are our favorite Charlotte-area restaurants in 2023

As 2023 starts to come to a close, we spent the past couple of weeks asking our colleagues the same tough question we ask them every year: If you had to narrow it down to one best meal you ate at a Charlotte restaurant this year, what would it be?

Some of these restaurants are new, and others are old standbys. But the meals all have one thing in common: They are some of the best food you’ll find in the Charlotte area. Whether it’s a burger from a the place you’ve become a regular or an over-the top charcuterie board from a fine-dining splurge, the meals are memorable here.

We also want to know the best meals you ate this year: Make sure to fill out our survey — and then check out the 15 best meals that our team ate in Charlotte this year:

Barrel + Fork

Location: 20517 N. Main St. Cornelius, NC 28031

Writer: Tonya Russ Price

What I ate: Charcuterie board, Bourbon BBQ glaze pork slab, Burrata salad with crispy shallots, Pan seared scallops with carrot puree, Shrimp & Aduluh Mill grits, Short Rib with red mash, Bone in Veal Parmesan, Taramack Cellars Cabernet, WA

Price: $140 per person with tip‌

We are so guilty of staying in Charlotte city limits but a short drive to Cornelius is well worth the journey. Barrel + Fork is a remodeled house with separate dining rooms, so each room feels cozy and the service is friendly and knowledgeable. You know when you have friends that share your love of food, so you can order everything, Barrel + Fork is the place to go with those friends. The charcuterie board is loaded with meats and cheese, but over the top with all my favorites, jam, mustard, pickles and nuts. I would be fine with a bottle of wine and their charcuterie board.

One course after another, everything was top notch. If I had to choose a favorite it might be the veal Parmesan, just because of the comfort food aspect. I already have a date set with the same friends to visit Barrel + Fork again.

Botiwalla by Chai Pani

Location: Optimist Hall, 1115 N Brevard St UNIT 203, Charlotte, NC 28206

Writer: Adam Bell

What I ate: Bhel puri and lamb burger

Price: $20.98

Botiwalla is an Indian street grill in Optimist Hall from the five-time James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, Chef Meherwan Irani. It specializes in finger foods and snacks, grilled meats and veggies and curry and rice plates and you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

For snacking, the Indian street food classic bhel puri is always a treat. It’s crispy, sweet, savory, and spicy all in one. Follow that up with a chicken tikka roll which is grilled chicken marinated in yogurt, lime juice, Kashmiri chili paste, and North Indian spices all wrapped up in the most delicious naan you’ll ever taste. So buttery and pillowy it will melt in your mouth – I’m drooling just writing about it!

All the rolls are terrific, but a menu standout may be the lamb burgers. They’re slider-style and seasoned with cumin, ginger, chilies, mint, and cilantro. These are packed with flavor and every bite is perfectly spicy and juicy. Specials are typically a fun Indian/American fusion — like the Sloppy Jai, which crumbles the insanely tasty lamb and simmers it with tomatoes, ginger, and spices. I should point out there are many vegan, vegetarian, gluten-friendly and gluten-free options to choose from as well so everyone’s taste buds can go to flavor town together.

The Crunkleton

Location: 1957 E 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204

Writer: Philip Freeman

What I ate: Crispy Calamari, Wedge Salad and Tomahawk Steak

Price: $19, $14, $180

Heading to a friend’s birthday dinner on a wet, dreary night, all I could think about was how much I’d rather stay home. But the cozy lighting, ambiance, and attentive waitstaff at The Crunkleton provided the perfect atmosphere for an intimate dinner with friends. The entire team provides a great experience and the passionate kitchen staff is happy to share recommendations.

The calamari was a delicious way to begin the meal — a generous portion, perfectly cooked with a light dipping sauce. The wedge salad was nice and crisp, and every ingredient tasted fresh. The star of the meal, however, was the tomahawk steak, a 42 oz certified Angus beef ribeye — the accompanying potatoes, vegetables, and bread were nice touches, but the ribeye was perfectly cooked (and fed four of us). We planned ahead and went on a Tomahawk Tuesday, when the entree was marked down 50% to $90.

The Fox & Falcon

Location: 4905 Ashley Park Ln, Charlotte, NC 28210

Writer: Laurie Larsh

What I ate: DB Gruyere Popovers, Pretzel Crab Cake and Burrata Cheese & Burnt Orange Salad

Price: $8.50 (2 pieces) or $15 (4 pieces), $26, $20

Celebrity chef David Burke opened his new restaurant The Fox & Falcon in SouthPark in September, but he brought an old tried and true menu item with him: The David Burke Gruyere Popovers. A constant on his menus across his restaurants, these crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, grapefruit-sized mounds of deliciousness quite literally melt in your mouth. Had I not been with other people I could have (and probably would have) eaten the entire dish. But alas, I had to share … which turned out to be a good thing because the menu had so many other incredible dishes.

If pretzels and crab seem like an odd combination, it’s time to expand your horizons. Served with tomato orange jam and chipotle aioli, the pretzel crab cakes were the perfect mixture of savory and crunchy. To round out our trio of appetizers we selected the Burrata Cheese & Burnt Orange Salad. In addition to the flavors and textures of the burrata and perfectly burnt orange slices, the salad had beets, pistachio pesto, green beans, a balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil, which came together to make you forget you were eating a salad. The Fox & Falcon menu has such a wide variety of options in dishes big and small, but it will be hard to return and not repeat this exact order.

Haberdish

Location: 3106 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Writer: Tamia Boyd

What I ate: Fried Chicken Tenders, collard greens, mac and cheese, charred okra and banana pudding

Price: $3.50 (each tender), $9, $13, $10, $10

This was my first year in Charlotte so everything I had was new, but this particular place, everyone raves on. I stumbled across it on TikTok looking for a place that was dinner friendly for my family who was looking for a good southern place to eat coming from Michigan. Yes, their chicken tenders were great — but the stars of the show were the sides. It felt like I was almost eating directly from my grandmother when I dove into those collard greens.

The flavors exploded in my mouth and I wanted to keep the whole dish to myself. The mac and cheese was very creamy and if you scraped a fork with it, you could hear how crispy the top was. But let’s save the best for last. My family decided to only get two jars of banana pudding because we were all so full. Worst. Mistake. Ever. Just a measly hour following dinner we opened the jars to-go and they were demolished in seconds! Needless to say, I think about that meal all the time and my family brings it up often, too.

Haymaker

Location: 225 S. Poplar St. Charlotte NC 28202

Writer: Heidi Finley

What I ate: Haymaker Salad, Autumn Lasagna

Price: $12, $24

As an editor whose work centers on food quite a bit of the time, I’ve experienced a wide variety of what Charlotte restaurants have to offer — and narrowing down all those fantastic bites into one meal that stands out is a tough task. One that stuck with me the most was a creation from chef Chris Coleman, who took over Haymaker this fall and revamped the menu. The Haymaker Salad, a combination of field lettuces, cornbread crumble, pickled red onion, and a hot bacon and sorghum mustard vinaigrette left me wanting to attempt to recreate that dressing at home. Plus, it’s just pretty! And the restaurant’s Autumn Lasagna blew me away — it was on my mind for days afterward. It’s made with fresh pasta, squash ricotta, creamed collards, collard stem and pepita pesto, and smoked tomato gravy. Pro tip: If you go, don’t miss out on ordering one of Bob Peters’ exceptional craft cocktails — the flavors blend in ways you won’t find in a drink elsewhere.

Island Grill & Pub

Location: 465 S Herlong Ave, Rock Hill, SC 29732

Writer: Mari Pressley

What I ate: Small oxtail plate made with collard greens, plantains, yellow rice and gravy.

Price: $18+

This spot holds a special place in my heart, as it was my first taste of Caribbean food, and it has continued to be a meal I crave at least once a week. While my go-to order comes with roughly five to seven oxtails, I typically opt for yellow rice, collard greens and plantains. Then, I’ll usually grab a cold mango-snapple drink from its fridge.

The generous portions of this Rock Hill gem, perfectly seasoned main items, along with its sweetly caramelized plantains, accompany each other so well and always leave me satisfied with a full stomach. And, to seal the deal, no meal at this Caribbean spot is complete without a scoop of ice cream from PW’s down the street.

Let’s Meat KBBQ

Location: 1400 S Church St B, Charlotte, NC 28203

Writer: Lorenza Medley

What I ate: Bulgogi, squid, pork belly, tofu, sides, peach drink

Price: $64

I had never had Korean barbecue, and I decided one day I should finally try it. I was visiting Charlotte and decided to visit Let’s Meat, a Korean barbecue spot I heard a lot about. My friend and I went on a weekday just after lunchtime, so it was fairly empty. When we entered, there were K-Pop music videos being projected onto the wall. It was a pretty cool experience — we got to enjoy our favorite music while also enjoying some good eats.

I ordered the pork belly and squid, meats that I knew I loved from my experience at sushi restaurants. My friend ordered the bulgogi.

The squid had a nice fishy taste to it that complemented the savory dipping sauce. I admit, I like my pork belly to be a bit soft, so I didn’t cook it as long, but it did not really need a sauce to it. The fat from the pork belly melted in my mouth and was complemented by the crispiness from the grill.

Now for the star of the show: the bulgogi. The sweetness of the beef marinade paired nicely with the crispiness that resulted from being grilled to perfection. The meat melted nicely in my mouth upon first bite. All I can say to sum up the experience of eating the bulgogi was wow! We ended up ordering a second serving.

Mama Gee’s

Location: 509 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216

Writer: Alex Cason

What I ate: Jallof Rice with Chicken

Price: $16

There’s a cool spot just off of 277 on Beatties Ford that is my favorite takeout spot in Charlotte: Mama Gee’s. Gifty Bonsu and her son Kobbi make the rice and sauces daily and the tomato stew is the best in the city — in my opinion! If you’ve never tried Ghanaian food, well, now is the time! I highly recommend the tomato stew with jollof rice, plantains and drumsticks.

I usually pay for an extra serving of tomato stew. Kobbi and Gifty are very friendly as well — and yes — Mama Gee is named after Gifty. I usually order about 15-20 minutes before pickup. All the people I’ve introduced this food to have given this top marks, so give it a try.

MOA Korean BBQ & Bar

Location: 128 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Writer: Théoden Janes

What I ate: Five of us shared the “Beef Special,” a Korean BBQ combo that comes with prime ribeye steak, prime beef brisket, prime short rib, marinated prime MOA galbi, marinated short rib, marinated beef bulgogi and eight sides.

Price: $230

I was born in Korea, but I was raised in the U.S. and have about as much experience eating Korean food as I do with speaking the language — which is to say, virtually none. But if this is a good example of what well-prepared traditional cuisine from my native country tastes like ... I can’t help but wonder why I haven’t sought it out more often over the years. Every piece of meat I put into my mouth at MOA was a) one that I cooked myself, on the tabletop grill, and b) had a smoky flavor that was to die for. Also: You absolutely must both try the corn cheese side dish (perhaps the most American-sounding thing on the menu, but don’t let that stop you) and a glass of soju (the Korean version of sake), served chilled and neat. Overall, this is a gorgeous space with a decidedly upscale feel, and while it would make a nice date night, I think the tabletop-grill concept makes it even better with a group of friends.

State of Confusion

Location: 3500 Dewitt Ln, Charlotte, NC 28217

Writer: Evan Moore

What I ate: Potato Chip Nachos, Skirt Steak Chimi

Price: $13.95, $24.95

Seeing “Potato Chip Nachos” on the menu at State of Confusion reminded me of my attempts to make my own version of nachos in the microwave using Lays chips and shredded cheese when I was 13 years old. The end result was always an inedible mixture of chewy chips, burnt cheese and house that reeked of failure.

Luckily, the nachos at the restaurant were nothing like mine. The crema and two kinds of cheese combined with pico de gallo provided the perfect amount of flavor. There’s also an option to add chicken, beef or steak, which I plan to try on my next visit.

The Skirt Steak Chimi – made with sliced parrilla grilled skirt steak, chimichurri, and served with hand-cut fries, wood fired vegetables – was enough for two, but I managed to finish the entree on my own. It was that good, and just spicy enough for those who like a little kick.

[RELATED: Check out State of Confusion, with funnel cakes and Peruvian-influenced ceviche.]

Verde

Location: 9818 Gilead Rd b107, Huntersville, NC 28078

Writer: Chyna Blackmon

What I ate: Calamar, Arroz con Mariscos

Price: $12, $25

My boyfriend and I are on the hunt for finding the best, most delicious restaurants in Charlotte (seriously, we have a note of our favorites), and Verde is among the top at the list. I had been already stoked looking at the menu beforehand, but the Latin-fusion restaurant truly exceeded my expectations.

Verde prides itself on not having the typical Mexican fare with flavors that are bold and fresh — and I couldn’t agree more. The crispy calamari with chipotle rouille and spicy-sweet chili sauce appetizer we shared was so good, but even better served alongside my Arroz con Mariscos, which was saffron rice shrimp topped with mussels, white fish, clams, calamari, chorizo, onions, peppers and peas. The dishes were amazing and big enough for leftovers.

Wheelz Pizza

Location: 327 W Tremont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203

Location: 901 S. Kings Dr. Suite 150, Charlotte, NC 28204

Writer: Melissa Oyler

What I ate: 10” Three Cheese pizza, Cheesy Garlic Parmesan breadsticks, chocolate chip cookie

Price: $23.97

If you’ve never had sourdough pizza, let me be the person to yell at you from the rooftops that you are missing out. Wilmington-based Wheelz Pizza now has two Charlotte locations. Despite being a relative newcomer to the Charlotte pizza scene, it landed a Top 4 spot in our Readers’ Choice Best Pizza contest back in April.

I order this pizza so regularly, you’d think I have a stake in the company (and I guess I do, in that I’d be devastated if it ever left town!) The pizza, breadsticks, even the cookie are all made with sourdough. The pizzeria uses organic ingredients. I rotate between the Three Cheese (highlighted here) and the White Pizza. You can’t go wrong.

Bonus: If you order all three items I listed, you’ll get at least 2-3 meals out of it!

The Workman’s Friend

Location: 1531 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205

Writer: Mary Ramsey

What I ate: Mussels appetizer, The Working Man’s Burger

Price: $27, plus tax and tip

Growing up, my mom loved to celebrate our Irish and Scotch-Irish heritage with food. That’s why I was delighted to discover the gem that is The Workman’s Friend, an Irish pub, in Plaza Midwood. It’s become my go-to spot for a friends’ night out or dinner with an out-of-town guest.

I’ve got the perfect go-to order down, too. Start with the mussels, a generous serving of melt-in-your-mouth morsels still in their shells and burst grape tomatoes in a rich juice to dip your accompanying bread in. I’m from the coast, so I know seafood. And this is the real deal.

For your entree, you can’t go wrong with the Working Man’s Burger. The huge patty of house-ground brisket and ribeye, topped with Irish cheddar on a pillowy bun, is everything you could want in a sandwich. And it comes with a generous helping of the restaurant’s “hand-cut chips” (a.k.a. fries), served in a brown paper bag to make the experience extra authentic.

If you choose to partake, it also has an excellent drinks menu. My personal favorite cocktail is “A Fine Thing,” which features prosecco, lavender honey and lemon.

YUME Ramen Sushi & Bar

Location: 1508 S Mint St Unit A Charlotte, NC 28203 United States

Writer: Denise Casalez

What I ate: Thai Coconut Curry Ramen and Curry Don with Chicken

Price: $16 for ramen and $17 for curry

I’ve always been a huge fan of ramen, but at the restaurants I go to, I feel like there’s something missing. Whether it’s not enough flavor or doesn’t have that kick it needs, I always leave with a underwhelming taste. I decided to try YUME and see if its ramen or sushi was any good.

I decided to get the Thai Coconut Curry Ramen, and the minute I took a bite, it was like heaven! The broth was so rich in flavor, and the noodles had the perfect texture. It was also a great ratio between the broth and noodles — not too much or too little. My sister ordered the Curry Don and, of course, we had to share. (Sister pact, I don’t make the rules.) The chicken was so crispy and the curry had a perfect flavor. The food was so delicious, I made it my favorite spot to bring my friends, family and colleagues. Every time I go, I never get tired of it!