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 Charlotte 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 in Charlotte:
Camp North End: A large outdoor converted space with a ton of different types of vendors and events. My favorite spots are: Leah & Louise, Free Range Brewing Bar, Babe & Butcher, Black Moth Bars, Bleu Barn Bistro, and Saru Ramen!
Optimist Hall: A large food hall in the NoDa area with great options such as Papi Queso, The Dumpling Lady, and Suarez Bakery!
Fonta Flora Brewing is housed here as well and makes absolutely fantastic brews.
Levine Museum of the New South: A fantastic modern history museum located in Uptown. Tickets are $10 for adults.
Explore the Greenways: CLT is home to sprawling greenways to get out and explore the city. Check out my full guide here!
The Whitewater Center: Massive recreation grounds with whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing & more! They have a bar, restaurants, and frequent live music.
Camp North End
Other Things To do in Charlotte:
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
Dive Deeper into Charlotte with my other CLT blogs:
