charlotte food

Charlotte Beer and Travel Guide

Charlotte is where I’ve called home for a few years now so I figured it was time to write a beer & Travel guide for the Queen City! CLT is a large southern city with a plethora of breweries, great places to eat, and fun neighborhoods to explore!

CLT Tips: 

  • The Queen City is distinctly organized into neighborhoods, each with different things to offer and different vibes. If you’re visiting try to organize your time by neighborhood so you’re not crisscrossing all over the place as traffic can be less than ideal.

  • Charlotte is moderately large and somewhat spaced out but once you get to a particular neighborhood you can walk everywhere, so if you are visiting a car is not entirely necessary.

  • What we call Uptown is what you think of as Downtown in any other city.

  • As I said, I live in Charlotte so I could list out hundreds of places to go, but these are my top recommendations overall! Additionally, this guide is focused on the city of Charlotte itself, but there are lots of great options to explore in the suburbs of CLT too! Blog coming soon.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations:

  • Resident Culture Brewing Company: The best brewery in Charlotte, hands down. Their beer is top-notch no matter the style, but I would highly recommend their Hazy IPAs, Lagers, and Stouts. At their original taproom in Plaza Midwood they have a great patio, + frequent events and food trucks. At their newer taproom in South End they have a great BBQ menu and coffee bar.

  • Burial Beer: The Charlotte taproom of this Asheville-based brewery has killer beers and a great space. Highly recommend checking them out in Plaza Midwood for their IPAs, Lagers, Stouts and rooftop patio.

  • Salud Beer Shop & Cerveceria: The best beer bar in America. You don’t have to take my word for it, they’ve won the national title 3 years in a row from USA Today. They have a phenomenal tap list, huge can and bottle selection, and mouthwatering pizzas. If that wasn’t enough already they also have their own brewery and coffee shop upstairs with fantastic beers, particularly their Dairelynerweisse Fruited Sour series. The upstairs and downstairs are very different but both offer chill vibes and incredible food/beer. Located in the heart of the NoDa neighborhood.

  • HopFly Brewing: A great brewery in the Gold District of Charlotte right by the Bank of America Stadium. Every style of beer they make is fantastic, they have a great rooftop patio, and for food Katsu Kart is usually onsite.

  • Inizio: Some of the best pizza in the city! They are located in the Dilworth neighborhood and have a small patio and frequent specials.

  • Supperland: A fancy restaurant with a killer cocktail list and a food menu designed for sharing. Their stunning building is a converted church in Plaza Midwood. They also have a bar next door for drinks and a speakeasy.

  • Stable Hand: A coffee shop with beer, natural wine, food, and chill vibes. They are located in the South End neighborhood with some patio seating as well.

  • Divine Barrel Brewing: A delightful brewery in the NoDa neighborhood with a wide array of beers and a fun patio space.

  • Zada Jane’s Corner Café: A neighborhood spot for breakfast and brunch in Plaza Midwood. They have a diverse menu and patio seating.

  • Dilworth Tasting Room: An adorable wine bar in the Dilworth neighborhood with cheese plates, tasting menus, and a fabulous garden space.

  • Petty Thieves Brewing: A fun brewery located between Camp North End and the NoDa neighborhood with a spacious patio, frequent food trucks and events, and delicious beers.

  • The Hobbyist: A lovely coffee shop, beer bar, and bottle shop in the NoDa neighborhood.

Fahrenheit

  • Common Market: A convenience store, deli and bar with unique vibes. Their breakfast and lunch sandwiches are my top recommendation. They have locations in Plaza Midwood, South End, and Oakwold.

  • Edge City Brewing: A beautiful brewery with top notch beers and a great patio. Located in the MoRa neighborhood off Independence Avenue.

  • The Cellar at Duckworth’s: A classy restaurant in a basement cellar providing almost speakeasy-esque vibes. They have really tasty food, a huge beer selection, and craft cocktails. Located in Uptown.

  • Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop: A great beer bar and bottle shop in South End. They have 24 taps and a large selection of cans and bottles to choose from as well.

  • Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden: A stunningly gorgeous coffee and wine garden! Grab a drink and wander McGill Rose Garden.

  • Fahrenheit: A rooftop bar and restaurant with incredible views located above Skye Condos in Uptown. Their food is superb and the vibes are unbeatable.

  • Legion Brewing: A popular brewery with locations in Plaza Midwood, SouthPark, and West Morehead. Their brunch menu is super delicious and they have tasty beers as well. Juicy Jay IPA is the most popular beer in the city, but I prefer their Sours and darker beers..

  • Rhino Market & Deli: A great spot for breakfast, sandwiches, soups, and salads. They also have a market for grab and go options as well as beer taps. They have locations in Uptown, NoDa, Wesley Heights, and South End.

  • Not Just Coffee: A great coffee shop with several locations around town!

Fonta Flora at Optimist Hall

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

Camp North End

Other Great Spots:

  • Devil’s Logic Brewing: A great brewery with an upper deck patio providing skyline views. Located in Midtown near the university.

  • Undercurrent Coffee: A cute coffeeshop in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood with patio seating, delicious drinks, and a small food menu.

  • Triple C Brewing: A solid brewery in the South End neighborhood with an onsite food truck and nice patio space.

  • Food trucks to hunt down: Studelteig, What The Fries, The Dumpling Lady

  • Two Scoops Creamery: A fantastic ice cream shop located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.

  • Ruru’s: Yummy Mexican food and a great patio. Located in the Myers Park neighborhood.

  • Amelie’s French Bakery and Café: Incredible pastries, but also a full food menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Located in NoDa and on Park Road.

  • Aqua e Vino: A small Italian restaurant with incredible food. This gem is located in Providence Park.

  • Hawkers: A fun spot for Asian Street Food mainly in the form of small plates. This popular spot has a unique cocktail menu and is located in South End.

  • Seoul Food Meat Company: A Korean Fusion BBQ restaurant with a plethora of delicious sides as well. They are located in the Gold District with a second location coming soon to NoDa.

  • Moo & Brew: A fun spot for brunch or burgers in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. They are best known for their Large Marge, a 20-ounce Bloody Mary with two shots of Tito's Handmade Vodka topped with a jalapeño firecracker, Wisconsin cheese curds, an angus burger slider, Applewood smoked bacon and a mini Miller High Life on the side.

  • Pins Mechanical Co.: A game bar in South End with a ton of different activities to keep everyone entertained.

Brunch at Legion Brewing SouthPark

Charlotte Specials

Happy Hour may be illegal in North Carolina, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t specials to save here and there! Check out some of our favorites from around the Queen City:

Rhino Market & Deli

Any deli sandwich + a pint of beer for $11.50 on Mondays

Kid Cashew

$6 Craft cocktails on Thursdays

Taco Boy

$5 Casa Margaritas on Tuesdays

Sea Level

$1.50 Oysters from 2-6pm on weekdays

Salud Beer Shop

Choice of cheese, tomato, or margherita pizza + 4 wings for $15 Monday-Friday 11am-5pm

State of Confusion

$3 Double Mimosas & $5 Bloody Mary’s Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2:30pm

O-Ku

Half off sushi on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-7pm

Craft Tasting Room

$6 cheese and charcuterie plates on Wednesdays

What are your favorite specials in Charlotte? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

Charlotte Brewery Specials (2024)

It's a new year and it’s time to save that money, honey. I am so sick of living in a state where Happy Hour is illegal and constantly paying $8+ for a beer, so I decided to round up Charlotte’s brewery specials for each day of the week.

MOnday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $12 Rewind pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 CLT Brew’d drafts

Burial: $5 Lagers

Divine Barrel: $10 Flights

Fonta Flora: $1 Off pints

Frothy Beard: $5 Pints

Hi-Wire: $4 Select pints

Lower Left Brewing: $1 Off pints

Monday Night Garden Co.: Rotating $5 pint and $8 Mules

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $0.75 Cent wings

Panzu: $6 Pints

Protagonist: 1/2 Off cocktails + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $7 Smashburger and fries and $5 pours of Blue Daisy Pilsner

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off pints

Tuesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $3 Rotating drafts

Brewer’s at 4001 Yancy: 1/2 off Apps

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Prophetmaker

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $10 32oz Crowlers to-go & $4 select pints & half-off glasses of wine

Fonta Flora: 15% Off to-go beers

Hi-Wire: $15 Flagship pitchers

Lenny Boy: 50% Off bottles of wine

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Taco Tuesday pints

NoDa Brewing: $2 Off to-go beers

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $8 Zack’s special

Panzu: $4 Guest taps, taco specials

Pilot Brewing: 1/2 Off shots and 20% off snacks

Protagonist: $2 Off drafts + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Island Times

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $10 Chicken tenders & fries

Wednesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $4 Pints of Lazy Bird, Higher Ground, and Jalapeno

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $1 Wings (in-house, minimum 5)

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Surf Wax

Devil’s Logic Brewing: Half-off apps from 3-6pm

Fonta Flora: $1 Off Appalachian Wild Ales & wine pours

Hi-Wire: $12 Flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $8 Wine glasses + $30 wine bottles

Panzu: $2 Off wine glasses, $8 off wine bottles and $11 wings

Pilot Brewing: $3 Select beers

Protagonist: $5 wine pours and $12 bottles + select Bourbon on special + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Select pints

Resident Culture South End: $5 Drafts, $10 flights, $12 steins, $17 pitchers

Salud Cerveceria: $15 Wine tasting

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half-off salads

Triple C Brewing: $15 One topping pizza & any draft

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off glasses of wine & 20% off to-go crowlers

THursday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Blue Blaze Brewing: $4 Off pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $6 Feature burger + side

Burial Beer: $10 Burger & Fries, $5 Lightgrinder

Fonta Flora: $1 Off in-house cans and $2 off to-go 4-packs

Lenny Boy Brewing: $5 pretzels and $10 flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $10 Signature cocktails + free draft beer with to-go beer purchase

Panzu: $10 Cocktails

Petty Thieves Brewing: 1/2 Off wines—bottles + draft

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Resident Culture South End: $4 Yard Ripper Seltzers

Salud Cerverceria: $5 Side pours + $9 chicken wings

Southern Strain: $1 off pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half off beers and $1 wings

Friday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $10 Growler fills

Lenny Boy: $10 Pitchers + $10 Growler fills

Monday Night Brewing: Buy one get one free pizzas from 12-3pm

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Triple C Brewing: $15 Burger and Beer from 12-3pm

Saturday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Sunday

Another Brewery: $1 Raw oysters + $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $6 Mimosas

Blue Blaze: Half price wine by the glass, $9 pitchers of Yellow Blazer, $4 off all pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 Crowler fills

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $4 Mimosas and beermosas

Divine Barrel: $5 Small batch pours & wine

Fonta Flora: $1 Off dimple pours

Free Range Brewing: Half off mimosas

Frothy Beard: $5 Pints

Hi-Wire: $5 Mimosas and beermosas

Lenny Boy: $3 Kombucha-mosas

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Select Stout, sangrias and mimosas

Panzu: $8 Mimosas + $10 Bloody Mary’s

Pilot Brewing: $5 Goblets, Bloody Mary’s, and mimosas

Protagonist: $6 Mimosas

Petty Thieves Brewing: $5 Mimosas and Saisons

Resident Culture South End: $5 Mimosas, $8 Bloody Mary’s

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Mimosas, beermosas and Micheladas

Southern Strain: $5 Cherrymosas

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Vaulted Oak: $5 Mimosas

Happy savings! Cheers —Alexis

The Best Brewery Food in Charlotte

I’ve done the excruciating work of eating and drinking at every brewery that has their own food in Charlotte and created a ranking of the absolute best food at breweries around the city. A lot of breweries have rotating food trucks, but these are places with a permanent onsite restaurant or food truck.

Brunch at Legion SouthPark

In ranking order, here is the best brewery food in Charlotte:

Monday Night Brewing

Monday Night’s pizza is wildly delicious. It simply cannot be beat. The Hot Honey is my personal recommendation that I have ordered far too many times, but it is a delight. Highly recommend!

Salud Cerveceria

Pizza is also what Salud does best, but their appetizers, salads and sandwiches reign supreme too. Order upstairs in the brewery or downstairs in the beer bar and bottle shop.

Livy’s Neapolitan Pizzeria at Heist Brewery and Barrel Arts

Coming in third place is Livy’s at Heist’s Barrel Arts location. Their Neapolitan pizza is extremely delicious and their appetizers are also fantastic. There is no shortage of pizza and beer in Charlotte.

Resident Culture South End

BBQ is the name of the game at Resident Culture’s South End taproom. Chef Edmar Simoes hails from Brazil and put together a menu of BBQ classics and fresh twists. It includes shareables, BBQ Plates, Sandwiches, Desserts, and even a breakfast menu in their café. Pro tip—don’t skip the mac & cheese. They’ve also got a food truck outpost at the Plaza Midwood location.

Legion Brewing

Legion has four taprooms in Charlotte and they all have kitchens, but the menus at each spot are very similar so I’ve lumped them together versus ranking each one individually. They are in Plaza Midwood, SouthPark, West Morehead and their Trolley Barn location is in South End. Expect apps, sandwiches, salads, entrees, and brunch. The Legion pretzel is always a favorite, and West Morehead and SouthPark also have pizza.

Lenny Boy Brewing Company

Lenny Boy’s menu has a variety of appetizers and sandwiches. Their pretzels are delicious and they offer several different varieties—the everything pretzel with beer cheese and house-pickled veggies is top notch. Lenny Boy’s charcuterie is also not to be missed!

Heist Brewery NoDa

The original Heist location in NoDa has a large menu with anything from an appetizer to a full entrée and even brunch.

The Suffolk Punch

Suffolk Punch specifically crushes the brunch game. They even have weekday brunch instead of just weekend brunch like most places. Their main menu is also delicious and quite large—there is something for every palate!

Katsu Kart at HopFly Brewing

Katsu Kart specializes in Japanese Katsu Sandos that are unique and phenomenal. They have a permanent truck parked on the side of HopFly and another truck that rotates around the city.

Brewers at 4001 Yancey

Yancey’s menu is consistently delicious. Whether it is a unique appetizer, a pizza or a beer dinner, everything is always done well. They have more of a restaurant vibe than a brewery so it is a great spot for a regular sit-down meal.

Brewers at 4001 Yancey

Other CLT breweries with food, in alphabetical order:

Burial Beer Company

Burial’s Charlotte taproom menu is simple with burgers, fries, wings and tacos.

Devil’s Logic Brewing Company

Devil’s Logic has a very small menu with a couple of snacks, two types of pizza, a cuban sandwich and pork carnitas tacos.

Frothy Beard Brewing Company

Frothy Beard makes pizza on the counter top without a kitchen, it’s a no from me.

Gilde Brewery

Gilde has a full menu of German classics such as pretzels, schnitzel, spaetzle and more. They also have brunch on the weekends.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Olde Meck has a full food menu with German fare, salads, appetizers, burgers and sandwiches. They also have brunch on the weekends.

Panzú Brewery

The Caribbean menu here includes tapas, soups, and a lunch-only menu with tacos, sandwiches and more.

Protagonist

Protagonist is best known for their massive pizza slices and whole pies. They also have appetizers and salads.

Sugar Creek Brewing Company

Sugar Creek has a bit of a unique menu with soups, salads, small plates, paninis and doner kebabs.

Sycamore Brewing

Sycamore’s menu includes typical bar foods like apps, burgers, pizzas, salads and spreads.

Town Brewing

Town’s menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, salads, flatbreads and weekend brunch specials.

Izzy’s at Triple C Brewing Company

Izzy’s menu includes pizzas, appetizers, wings and sandwiches. I expect some folks will be outraged with this not being included in the “best brewery food” list above, particularly with the hype around their burger, but I have found the food to be very underwhelming.

Wooden Robot South End

Wooden Robot’s food menu is based around appetizers and sandwiches. They also have their own coffee.

Fonta Flora Optimist Hall

Fonta Flora x Papi Queso at Optimist Hall

Breweries at Food Halls:

Fonta Flora Brewing at Optimist Hall

Fonta Flora is a superb brewery and their location at Optimist Hall makes it easy to snag food from one of the vendors upstairs and bring it to the taproom or patio. My favorite tenants are The Dumpling Lady, Papi Queso and Suarez Bakery, but there is a huge variety to choose from. You can also order online and just pop up into the food hall to grab your goods when they are ready.

Free Range Brewing at Camp North End

Free Range opened a taproom at the fabulous Camp North End. This outdoor food hall and event space is full of different types of vendors. My favorite food stops are Babe and Butcher, Bleu Barn and La Caseta.

What do you think is the top brewery food in Charlotte? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

Your Guide to the NoDa Neighborhood of Charlotte

What does Noda mean?

North Davidson is the main street of the neighborhood, so the abbreviation of that is NoDa! It is in the northern section of the city and one of my favorite neighborhoods! The main area of NoDa is walkable but parking can be a headache so prepare yourself to either pay to park or hunt for a free spot for awhile on the weekends.

NoDa is a very artsy neighborhood with hipster vibes and several murals. The neighborhood has changed a lot over time but has still maintained a lot of its character. Previously it was home to the largest concentration of textile mills in the US and now many of those factories are apartments. The Lynx rail line connects NoDa to Uptown, Southend, and other popular areas of Charlotte now as well.

NoDa Mural + Jeni's Ice Cream

Adventures and Ales Top Recommendations:

Salud Cerveceria and Salud Beer Shop: Brewery upstairs, beer bar and bottle shop downstairs. Each floor has a distinct atmosphere so be sure to check out both!

Idlewild: A unique cocktail bar with no menu—you tell them the types of things you like and they craft something for you. This is a fantastic spot with great vibes. Reservations recommended.

Fairweather: A cute little bar for cocktails with a small food menu. They are the sister restaurant to Idlewild. Oysters are a large menu focus and they are just $1 on Mondays! Reservations recommended.

Ever Andalo: A delicious Italian restaurant! I highly recommend reservations but you can also throw your name on the list and grab a drink from somewhere nearby.

NoDa Company Store: This bar has a great outdoor patio and delicious sangria to enjoy on it.

The Chamber by Wooden Robot: The NoDa location of the popular Southend brewery. They have more farmhouse-style ales and a rooftop deck.

Divine Barrel Brewing: Another great brewery, they are slightly up the road from the main hustle and bustle of NoDa but still walkable. They host frequent events as well!

Heist Brewery: Delicious brewery food and great beers!

Sabor: Counter-service delicious Latin Street food!

NoDa Brewing: NoDa’s Tryon Street is not walkable from the central NoDa area but definitely worth checking out! They’ve got a large outdoor space and a wide variety of brews.

The OG NoDa

The OG NoDa

Other ideas:

Protagonist Clubhouse: A nano-brewery with lots of guest taps and sleek vibes.

Haberdish: A popular Southern-style restaurant with a lively atmosphere. Reservations are limited so plan ahead! Do note they offer brunch on weekdays, but not on weekends.

Billy Jack’s Shack: A dive bar with tasty bar food like fried mac nuggs and sliders, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Cabo Fish Taco: Mexican-style restaurant with solid tacos

Figo36: An Italian restaurant and wine bar. They have a very pretty space and tasty eats.  

The Dog Bar: Exactly as it sounds! A bar where you can bring your dog to run around off-leash. There is an annual membership of $10 and you need to fill out registration forms for your pup, then you can hit the bar while they make new friends!

Reigning Doughnuts: A little doughnut window behind Growler’s with a variety of flavors

Growler's Pourhouse: A beer bar with 14 taps and an accompanying food menu.

Jeni’s Ice Cream: Located next to Wooden Robot, the ever-popular ice cream chain never disappoints

Popbar: Another dessert option, Popbar offers gelato on a stick!

Neighborhood Theater: Local music venue

Goodyear House: A great restaurant with a killer outdoor patio. Reservations recommended.

Bar a Vins: A wine bar with a small snack menu. As a forewarning if you get a bottle they will charge you an additional $10 to drink it onsite even though you are buying it from them.

NoDa Company Store

NoDa Company Store

The Belmont Area

Belmont and Noda are super close together and easily walk or bike-able between the two areas. Be sure to check out these spots in Belmont while you’re exploring NoDa:

The OG NoDa Brewing: NoDa’s original location specializing in sour and barrel aged beers. A smaller, funkier taproom than their newer location on Tryon.

Free Range Brewing: A farmhouse-style brewery with a large event space and chill vibes.

Rhino Market & Deli: A great spot to grab breakfast or lunch with a variety of sandwiches, salads, and soups. They’ve also got beer and coffee.

Amelie’s French Bakery & Cafe: Eventually this ever-popular bakery will be relocating from their original location, but Amelie’s produces some of the best baked goods in North Carolina!

The Hobbyist: A coffee shop, bottle shop, and beer bar combo. Especially nice when the weather is nice and the garage door is open!

Abari: A retro game bar with 9 craft beer taps, cocktails, and spirits.

Optimist Hall: A large food hall with a plethora of options to choose from. Papi Queso and The Dumpling Lady are my favorites!

Fonta Flora’s Charlotte taproom is located in Optimist Hall and definitely worth checking out! They’ve got fantastic wild ales in particular.

Birdsong Brewery: A bit further south but it is still easily walkable from other spots in NoDa! They are solar-powered, make some really tasty beers, and offer free peanuts!

The Chamber by Wooden Robot

The Chamber by Wooden Robot

What’s your favorite spot in Noda? Let me know in the comments!

Your Guide to South End, Charlotte

South End is Charlotte’s booming activity hub and generally caters to a younger population jammed into apartments throughout the neighborhood. There is a plethora of restaurants, bars, breweries, and shops to entertain and Uptown is just a hop skip and a jump up the road. The Lynx Light Rail also runs through South End conveniently connecting it to other neighborhoods of the Charlotte-metro area.

Pop The Top

ADVENTURES AND ALES TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

Resident Culture: The second location of my favorite and the best brewery in Charlotte is in the heart of South End. They partner with El Toro Bruto for delicious food and Mostra Coffee will be coming soon.

Pop The Top: A craft beer bar with 24 taps and a wide selection of cans and bottles. It’s one of my favorite craft beer bars! Check out the full blog here.

Girl Tribe: A fun store with accessories, clothing, and more!

Triple C Brewing: Great beers, indoor and outdoor seating, and frequent food trucks.

Wooden Robot: Self-described as an urban farmhouse brewery, Wooden Robot makes some delicious Sours and Saisons in particular.

Suffolk Punch: A brewery and restaurant with a nice outdoor patio (covered in the winter) and $3 select beers on Thursdays and Sundays!

Lenny Boy Brewing: Homemade beers and kombucha with a small food menu in this fun taproom. A little off the main strip of South End but still easily walkable.

Common Market: Deli, taproom, and market in one!

Explore the Rail Trail: A 3.5 mile trail along the Lynx Light Rail with numerous restaurants, bars and breweries, and shops along it. Generally the Rail Trail is full of people running, walking, biking, and rollerblading!

Triple C Brewing

OTHER IDEAS: Food

Poppy’s Bagels: Fresh-made bagels and schmear!

Bang Bang Burgers: Great burgers on Brioche buns with yummy side options.

Lincoln's Haberdashery: A deli-style restaurant with a market as well. A plethora of soups, salads, and sandwiches to choose from!

Hawkers: Asian street food with outdoor seating and fancy cocktails.

Pepperbox Doughnuts: Upscale doughnut and coffee joint.

Barcelona Wine Bar: Tapas-style menu with a wide variety of wines. They’ve also got a nice patio to enjoy when the weather allows!

Superica: Upscale Tex-Mex menu, also offering brunch!

Fuel Pizza: Solid New York style pizza.

Jeni’s Ice Cream: Expect a line out the door at this location of the popular ice cream chain, but it’s delicious!

Sabor: Counter-service delicious Latin Street food!

Eight + Sand: Casual bakery and cafe with fresh and locally sourced sandwiches, salads, and more!

O-Ku: Fancy sushi! Make a reservation.

Leroy Fox: Southern comfort food and cocktails specializing in fried chicken.

Futa Buta: Ramen house with limited seating so get there early!

Flower Child: Healthy food in a colorful setting with a large outdoor patio.

Midnight Diner: Popular late night diner!

Price’s Chicken Coop: Some say the best fried chicken in Charlotte! Cash only.

The Dunavant: Upscale dining with brunch options and a $25 steak and unlimited fries deal.

SouthBound: Tasty tacos and Mexican street food in a relaxed setting with a nice patio.

Mac’s Speed Shop: BBQ restaurant with outside seating options.

The Waterman: Seafood restaurant with a rooftop bar and cocktails.

Wooden Robot Brewing

OTHER IDEAS: Drink

Pins Mechanical Company: A game bar with duck-pin bowling, free arcade games, free skee-ball, and a full bar. Dog friendly too!

Hoppin’: A self-pour taproom with craft beer, wine, and a nice outdoor space.

Stable Hand: Coffee shop x beer bar x small bites! Chill vibes and a solid tap list.

QC Pour House: The perfect spot to catch a sports game on TV! They’ve got a small food menu and a variety of drinks to choose from.

Charlotte Beer Garden: Boasting the world’s largest draft selection, CBG is new on the scene and super packed. Download the Untappd app before you order.

Rosemont Bar: Adult Capri-Suns and solid drink specials!

Sycamore Brewing: A huge outdoor beer garden with two bars offering wine, beer, seltzer, and cider. Expect a crowd of 20-somethings, families with young children, and a plethora of dogs.

Paddywax Candle Bar: A make-your-own candle spot that is BYOB.

Bulldog Beer and Wine: Dog-friendly dive bar, if you’re lucky you’ll get to meet the two resident bulldogs as well. Frequent live music!

Tyber Creek Pub: Irish pub with a large patio with a full food menu.

Red Clay Ciderworks: Tasty cidery, off the beaten path from other South End establishments but they’ve got solid options to choose from.

HopFly Brewing Charlotte

HopFly Brewing

THE GOLD DISTRICT:

An up and coming area of South End close to Bank of America Stadium and Uptown Charlotte.

HopFly Brewing: A great brewery with excellent beers, a rooftop patio, and Katsu Kart onsite for food.

Craft: A craft beer bar with 36 taps and a wide variety of bottles. They’ve got a small food menu (go for the cheese board!) and a nice outdoor patio.

Seoul Food Meat Company: Meats, a huge variety of sides, kim bap, wings, and tacos!

Lost and Found: Highly instagrammable and popular bar.

Olde Meck

Olde Meck

LoSo:

Lower South End or LoSo is a small hub of several breweries in walking distance of each other. It is just over a mile from the edge of South End. Though you can’t walk the Light Rail Trail all the way to LoSo, there is a sidewalk the whole way if you’re looking to walk/run/bike between the two areas.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: Charlotte’s original brewery with German-style beers and a spacious beer garden to frolic in!

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: Sixpoint, Victory, Southern Tier, and Bold Rock all in one! They’ve got a large space and a great food menu!

Sugar Creek Brewing: Belgian-style beers from one of the few Master Cicerones in the world!

Good Road Ciderworks: A spacious cidery and meadery!

Queen Park Social: A game bar with bowling and other activities—great for groups!

Lower Left Brewing: A smaller brewery with outdoor seating, board games, and yummy beers! Slightly removed from the above recommendations but still very close and walkable!

What are your favorite spots in south end?! Let me know in the comments:

Your Guide to Plaza Midwood, Charlotte

Charlotte has several distinctive neighborhood to explore, but Plaza Midwood is one of my favorites! It is full of great breweries, bars, and restaurants with a hipster-esque and local vibe. Plaza Midwood is just north of Uptown Charlotte with Central Avenue serving as the main launching off point. It is a very walkable neighborhood, taking about 25 minutes to get from one end of the neighborhood to the other.

Resident Culture Brewing Co.

Resident Culture Brewing Co.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations

Resident Culture Brewing Company: My favorite brewery in Charlotte! They have delicious beers, a fun atmosphere, and frequent food trucks.

Burial Beer: A fantastic taproom of the Asheville based brewery. They have a rooftop patio and some of the best beer in North Carolina.

Common Market: Deli, beer and wine shop, bar, and market—everything you need! Their breakfast sandwiches are particularly super delicious. It is a popular local hangout with laid-back vibes.

Legion Brewing: Another brewery option in Plaza with a nice patio and great bar snacks.

Workman’s Friend: Irish pub and restaurant with patio-style seating thanks to their garage door.

Whiskey Warehouse: A bar with a rooftop perfect when the weather is nice. On Sundays they’ve got great deals on mimosas and Bloody Marys!

Undercurrent Coffee: A cozy coffee shop with outdoor seating and a small food menu.

Charlotte Collective: Multiple small local vendors in one store.

Midwood Smokehouse: Award-winning BBQ! One of the most popular restaurants in the area.

Moo & Brew

Moo & Brew

Other Ideas: Food

Yafo Kitchen: Tasty Mediterranean counter-service restaurant, one of my favorite spots to grab food to-go from.

Moo & Brew: Burgers and beers with a nice patio. They’ve also got a Large Marge, a 20oz Bloody Mary that is essentially a meal in a glass.

Two Scoops Creamery: Local ice cream shop with a wide variety of flavors.

Soul Gastrolounge: Plaza’s fancier restaurant, be sure to make reservations! Downstairs they’ve also opened up Sister, an all-day cafe.

Snooze AM Eatery: The ever-popular brunch spot, expect a long wait but super tasty food! Pancake flights, multiple types of Benedicts, and creative twists on classic breakfast foods.

Fuel Pizza: A great spot for late night pizza! Quick, cheap, and tasty.

Zada Jane’s Corner Cafe: A homey spot for breakfast and brunch with a large menu to choose from and an outdoor patio. Eventually the space will also be a tasting room for Cavendish Brewing!

Cilantro Noodle: Vietnamese bowls!

Central Coffee: Your neighborhood coffee shop!

Legion Brewing

Legion Brewing

Other Ideas: Bars and Breweries

Pilot Brewing: A solid brewery with small-batch brews and a weekly Cask Ale.

Thirsty Beaver: A classic, tiny dive bar.

The Bohemian: A wine bar with cheese plates and sleek vibes.

Thomas Street Tavern: Another classic dive bar with a large outdoor patio and pool and ping-pong tables.

Stroke: A putt-putt and cocktail lounge.

Pour Taproom: A chain bar with pour your own beer and wine by the ounce.

Worth Noting

These two spots are technically in the Belmont neighborhood but they are still very close to Plaza Midwood and worth checking out!

Catawba Brewing: A wide variety of beers in a spacious taproom. They’ve also opened an in-house restaurant called Blue Fork!

White Duck Tacos: Super delicious tacos!

Catawba Brewing

What are your favorite spots in Plaza Midwood?!