Charlotte’s first pizza restaurant stays true to its roots almost 70 years later
Editor’s note: As new restaurants open every day in Charlotte, it’s easy to forget about the old standbys, the places that have grown up alongside the Queen City. Our Charlotte’s Classic Eats series highlights the places that you have frequented for years, reminding us why they have stood the test of time.
I walked into The Open Kitchen a bit after 1:30 p.m. — the lunch rush had died down, but the smell of garlic lingered in the dimly lit restaurant. Not the dingy kind of dim, rather the cozy kind that invites you to sit down and stay a while.
The quarter mile stretch of West Morehead between Freedom Drive and I-77 has seen lots of change over the past seven decades, particularly in recent years. In the middle of this stretch, however, The Open Kitchen has survived the test of time. When brothers Speros and Steve Kokenes founded Charlotte’s first pizza restaurant in 1952, they served factory workers and others looking for food in the neighborhood now dubbed the West Morehead Street Industrial Historic District by the the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
“It was very industrial,” Christina Skiouris, Steve Kokenes’ daughter who now runs the restaurant, told CharlotteFive. “We used to watch the Coca-Cola bottling line in the window across the street.”
Steve Kokenes was born and raised in Charlotte and spent a few years living in Washington, D.C., before returning to his hometown. It was in D.C. that he was introduced to pizza — he went out on a limb, bringing it back to the Queen City 69 years ago, and it remains at the heart of the restaurant’s menu.
Skiouris says it’s the sauce that makes the pizza here at “the home of pizza pie.” “All of our sauces are made in-house. We’re not trendy, we just make good food. Our food is rich and fattening,” Skiouris joked with me. To satisfy a big appetite, the Mama “K” Supreme can help — pepperoni, ground beef, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms and salami cover this flagship pie. Diners can also choose from a number of pizzas or build their own, including the option of gluten-free crust.
Pasta also abounds at The Open Kitchen. Lasagne, Eggplant Parmigiana, Baked Ziti and other Italian staples are expected options, but with a a menu of “Italian, Greek, and American cuisine,” you’ll also find specialities like Chicken Livers Greque, Chicken Scallopini and Crabmeat Parmigiana. The Veal Barcelona is Skiouris’ favorite dish, with grilled veal, browned butter, lemon and pasta. “We started as an American restaurant with Italian thrown in — now we’re an Italian restaurant,” Skiouris said.
A new dish called pizza
In its early days, The Open Kitchen drew customers from Concord, Hickory, Lancaster and Shelby who wanted to try this new dish called pizza. It also attracted locals, some of whom still eat here on a regular basis. Like the group of six gray-haired men who stayed to chat for an hour after the last dish was cleared, remarking that they ate here as high school students in the 1960s. Or the brothers from Little Hardware, who always remind Skiouris of their dad’s claim as being the first-ever customer at The Open Kitchen.
There’s newer regulars, too, like Jay Jimenez, who has eaten lunch at The Open Kitchen three times a week for the past seven years. “Everything’s the same seven years later — the ambience, the staff, the food. It’s got a great ambience,” Jimenez said. He loves the lunch specials — most of which include pasta, a side dish and a drink for under $10 — and has even driven to Hickory to pick up his girlfriend and bring her back to Charlotte for her birthday dinner at The Open Kitchen.
“It’s the little places that are struggling,” Jimenez remarked as we ended our conversation. This is a great reminder that the more restaurants we save, the greater our chances of becoming a regular somewhere.
Somewhere, an owner like Skiouris knows your name — and invites you to come in and stay a while.
The Open Kitchen
Location: 1318 W. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: West Morehead/Wesley Heights
Cuisine: Italian, American and Greek
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 4 p.m.-9 p.m.
To order: dine in, order online for pickup or delivery or call 704-375-7449
