Last year, we told you the 23 new Charlotte restaurants to visit in ’23. Here’s an update.

Heidi Finley
·8 min read

A lot can change in a year, and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed of Charlotte’s restaurant scene is no exception.

At the end of 2022, we published a list of 23 food and drink concepts we were most looking forward to opening in 2023. As we head toward the end of the year, a few restaurants we listed have been scrapped, a few haven’t opened yet and one has already closed.

[SEE THE FULL LIST: 170+ Charlotte-area restaurants that have opened — or plan to — in 2023.]

With an often-unpredictable and ever-changing restaurant scene in the Charlotte area in mind, let’s take a look and see what the status of each spot is:

The Abyss

Location: Camp North End, 201 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206

Status: On pause

The Abyss, a modern speakeasy from BayHaven Restaurant Group, is no longer in the works at Camp North End. BayHaven now has plans for similar concept, 3rd & Fernwood, to open this fall at Metropolitan Charlotte in the former Hickory Tavern space.

B.A.D.

Location: 1730 Abbey Place, Suite 4, Charlotte NC 28209

Status: Open

Beyond Amazing Donuts, a counter-service doughnut shop also known as B.A.D., was set to open at Camp North End but instead shifted to Montford Park. The spot opened by former Leah & Louise pastry chef and Johnson & Wales University alum Jasmine Macon serves doughnuts, fritters and cinnamon rolls, with both staple flavors and rotating seasonal menu items.

[SOMETIMES BAD IS GOOD: Get to know the face behind Camp North End’s Beyond Amazing Donuts]

Bird is the Word

Location: Camp North End, 201 Camp Road, Charlotte, NC 28206

Status: On pause

Bird is the Word, another BayHaven Restaurant Group concept, was set to open as a counter-service restaurant highlighting chicken dishes. Plans for the restaurant at Camp North End are no longer under way.

Constance

Location: 2200 Thrift Road, Charlotte, NC 28208

Status: Open

Restaurant Constance, named after chef Sam Diminich’s daughter, has opened in the former Counter- location — adjacent to Diminich’s Your Farms Your Table space at The City Kitch. You’ll find seasonal dishes that support local farmers and have a personal touch from Diminich’s fine dining background, along with a menu of non-alcoholic beverages.

Restaurant Constance offers a full lineup of handcrafted n/a beverages.
Restaurant Constance offers a full lineup of handcrafted n/a beverages.

Dram & Draught

Location: Vantage South End, 1220 S Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28203

Status: Open

Dram & Draught — which has locations in Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham — opened in late June with a grand opening in July. It features more than 300 whiskeys from around the world, hand-crafted cocktails and mocktails, draft beer and an international wine list.

Hot Mess

Location: 416 S Main St, Davidson, NC 28036

Status: Closed

Davidson Ice House closed on New Year’s Eve to transform into a new concept, Hot Mess. The joint venture by chef and owner Jennifer Brulé and co-founder and CEO of Famous Toastery Robert Maynard only lasted a few weeks, however. It temporarily closed and never reopened.

The Tokyo Teriyaki bowl at Hot Mess.
The Tokyo Teriyaki bowl at Hot Mess.

Intown Golf Club

Location: Apex SouthPark, 4411 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

Status: Open

Atlanta-based Intown Golf Club has opened a location of its virtual golf experience and private club to Charlotte’s SouthPark neighborhood. The social hub included in the complex offers a full-service kitchen and bar with menus created by Frederico Castellucci III, president and CEO of Castellucci Hospitality Group, which operates several restaurants in Atlanta.

Leluia Hall

Location: 1829 Cleveland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203

Status: Not open yet

Leluia Hall was set to open in 2023 in the former church that was once Bonterra, but will now open in early 2024 after extensive structure work is complete. Diners can expect family-style servings in an upscale casual space with a steak and surf menu at the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group concept.

Leluia Hall owners Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown. The couple has plans to save and relocate a historic building to the parking lot beside the restaurant.
Leluia Hall owners Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown. The couple has plans to save and relocate a historic building to the parking lot beside the restaurant.

Midnight Diner

Location: 420 E. Trade St., Charlotte NC 28202

Location: 6538 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28217

Status: Open + coming soon

Midnight Diner’s railroad car moved a mile down the road in 2022 to make way for South End redevelopment. The comfort food spot also plans to open a second location on North Tryon Street where the former Old Hickory Bar-B-Q restaurant was located.

Passage Seafood

Location: 201 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206

Status: On pause

Modern fish camp Passage Seafood, a BayHaven Restaurant Group concept that was set to be run by chef Greg and Subrina Collier, is off the drawing board for now at Camp North End.

Petit Philippe

Location: 1930 Camden Rd Suite 135, Charlotte, NC 28203

Location: 4001 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28209

Status: Open + coming soon

What was once Twenty Degrees Chocolate shut down with the retirement of chocolatier Casey Hickey, but the wine shop she co-owns with Mark Meissner has moved into the space. A third Petit Philippe location on Park Road is slated to open soon, as well.

Pět Piv

Location: 990 Market St, Fort Mill, SC 29708

Status: Open

Fort Mill’s Fish Market owner, Selena Kelemen, has opened a beer garden in the grassy area adjacent to the restaurant that’s become popular with an after-work crowd looking to sit outside at tables shaded by umbrellas. Pět Piv serves pizza and other bar food such as giant pretzels, chips and dip, and pork “wings.”

“I wanted to get to know my regulars — see them on their first dates, getting engaged, getting married, having babies and watching their babies grow up. That’s what means so much to me,” Selena Kelemen said about opening Fish Market Bar & Grill in Fort Mill. Now, she’s opened Pet Piv outside.
“I wanted to get to know my regulars — see them on their first dates, getting engaged, getting married, having babies and watching their babies grow up. That’s what means so much to me,” Selena Kelemen said about opening Fish Market Bar & Grill in Fort Mill. Now, she’s opened Pet Piv outside.

Phat Burrito

Location: LoSo Village, Clanton Rd., Charlotte, NC, 28217

Status: Open

Once-beloved Phat Burrito was originally expected to make a return to Charlotte in spring 2022, but it ended up opening this August. New owner Michael Cox is offering the same menu, made with the same recipes, hoping to spark our nostalgia.

Phat Burrito reopened in Charlotte after closing six years ago.
Phat Burrito reopened in Charlotte after closing six years ago.

Pie in the Sky Pizza

Location: 1105 Mecklenburg Hwy, Mooresville, NC 28115

Location: 250 S Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115

Status: Open + coming soon

Pie in the Sky Pizza is returning to downtown Mooresville with plans for a bigger dining area, double the pizza ovens and expanded bar options. The Lake Norman area pizzeria’s owners had originally planned a January opening for its Main Street restaurant but ran into delays that have pushed that date back to fall.

A pizza from Pie in the Sky Pizza in Mooresville.
A pizza from Pie in the Sky Pizza in Mooresville.

Rally

Location: 101 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217

Status: Open

A Rally pickleball complex that includes a full-service restaurant with a global street food-inspired menu and two bars opened this year in Lower South End. You can dine on Neopolitan pizza, munch on a Spanish Riviera-inspired board or savor lemongrass chicken skewers.

Rally combines pickleball with food, cocktails and coffee. Shown above is a lounge and two of the four ping pong tables at Rally.
Rally combines pickleball with food, cocktails and coffee. Shown above is a lounge and two of the four ping pong tables at Rally.

Room Service

Location: Camp North End, 300 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206

Status: Not yet open

The co-owner of Black Moth Bars at Camp North End is opening a new concept called Room Service, featuring specialty cocktail drinks, beer and wine, along with daytime sandwiches and a rotating menu of shared plates in the evening. Stay Inn will be an upscale specialty market next door, selling items found on the menu or in the lounge at Room Service.

Rosemont Market and Wine Bar

Location: Elizabeth on Seventh, 1942 E 7th St #101-H, Charlotte, NC 28204

Status: Open

Rosemont Market and Wine Bar opened at the new Elizabeth on Seventh development, offering market items along with lunch, brunch coffee, wine and beer. Breakfast service didn’t work out, but all-day takeout sandwiches, lunch reservations and a full-service dinner menu are among the offerings.

Rosemont Market & Wine Bar has expanded its offerings throughout the year, adding brunch service, expanding the availability of its popular sandwiches and adding dinner items that pair well with wine.
Rosemont Market & Wine Bar has expanded its offerings throughout the year, adding brunch service, expanding the availability of its popular sandwiches and adding dinner items that pair well with wine.

The Salty Donut

Location: 1515 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28203

Status: Open

The Miami-based doughnut shop The Salty Donut is now open on the bottom floor of the Dimensional Funds tower in South End, serving craft doughnuts and coffee. Both the design and doughnut flavors at The Salty Donut have a local influence, CEO and co-founder Andy Rodriguez said.

The Salty Donut opened at 1515 S. Tryon St. in South End.
The Salty Donut opened at 1515 S. Tryon St. in South End.

Slutty Vegan

Location: Charlotte

Status: Not yet open

The details are still largely up in the air, but the popular pop-up option that started out as an Atlanta food truck is growing and planning a move to Charlotte. “Charlotte has always supported us since day one and every single time that we come, there is a line down the block,” owner Pinky Cole told CharlotteFive last June. Her husband, Derrick Hayes, is opening a Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks location in University City this winter.

Slutty Vegan, a popular plant-based restaurant and food truck, is expanding — and has plans to open a restaurant in Charlotte.
Slutty Vegan, a popular plant-based restaurant and food truck, is expanding — and has plans to open a restaurant in Charlotte.

Soul Gastrolounge

Location: 4100 Raleigh St, Charlotte, NC 28206

Status: Not yet open

The well-loved small plates restaurant Soul Gastrolounge, which closed amid rising rents in Plaza Midwood, plans to open at The Pass, a new mixed-use development in NoDa. In the meantime, it’s still cranking out a variety of skewers and its pork belly tacos while operating as a food truck.

The Teal Turnip

Location: 1640 Oakhurst Commons Dr, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28205

Status: Open

The Tayste Catering team took over a new space to open The Teal Turnip. The small plates restaurant opened in May in the Oakhurst neighborhood. Its cleverly named offerings include Fancy Pantz, a take on panzanella; Gourdeous, a pickled pumpkin and onion bruschetta; and Walks Like a Duck, a sage-flavored duck breast served with grilled zucchini, blue cheese polenta and an orange reduction.

The Teal Turnip is open in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Charlotte.
The Teal Turnip is open in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Charlotte.

TRIO

Location: 1513 S Mint St., Charlotte, NC 28203

Status: Open

A Charlotte location of the multi-level nightclub popular in Charleston opened in May. Expect live music and performances, along with DJs and other events at the hotspot with VIP tables and a 2,000+-square-foot dance floor with LED video throughout.

VANA LKN

Location: 20823 N Main St, Cornelius, NC 28031

Status: Not yet open

VANA’s expansion to the Lake Norman area with VANA LKN was expected to open in 2022 but that hasn’t happened yet. The new Cornelius location was set to offer rustic cuisine with a slightly different menu than the original location.