Joe and Katy Kindred’s Davidson restaurant Kindred was the area’s first to get serious (and well-deserved) national attention. But Hello Sailor, which dropped anchor in 2017, brings the fun and flare. With a menu patterned on fancier versions of fish camp classics and a dining room that brings midcentury mod and Palm Springs vibes, it’s the place to park at a waterside table on a beautiful summer afternoon with a plate of citrus crab Louie or a basket of fried popcorn shrimp with beef fat fries. 

It had us at “cheese cloud,” a fluffy pile of fluffy Parmesan or pecorino that customers can add to pasta for $3. Restaurant power couple Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown always pay attention to the details, and their foray into Italy is no different. The menu of six or so housemade pastas and sharing-size entrees like branzino is rounded out with small plates (toasted hazelnuts and the whole fried artichoke are standouts) that you can keep all to yourself.

Is there a serious diner in the country who hasn’t heard the raves for multiple James Beard-nominated chef Greg Collier and his wife Subrina? Their Camp North End modern juke joint has introduced eaters to bold interpretations of Southern classics inspired by the Mississippi Delta, like river chips (seasoned, fried crispy chicken skins served with “granch,” an herby dipping sauce), blackened catfish with rice grits, and the soulful pool of pork neck bisque and roasted cabbage that is Leah’s Cabbage. The menu even features a rotating PWYC (“pay what you can”) dish, so every customer can enjoy a meal regardless of financial status.

If you want to experience Charlotte as the neighborhood city it really is, Letty’s will give you just that. Tucked into an old pharmacy building near Eastway Drive, it’s got an eclectic vibe with flea market funkiness and a menu of homey classics, like fried chicken drizzled with honey and pecans or pimento cheese fritters, plus a weekend brunch. The wine selection is a surprise, and there’s a full bar in case customers want something harder.

Chef Sam Hart never follows the rules. The original Counter, with themed tasting menus focused on cutting-edge culinary inspirations, opened in commissary space the City Kitch on Charlotte’s Westside in 2020 and held on, pandemic-be-damned, through 2022. Hart took a short break and has reopened in an elegant space on West Morehead Street that’s tucked in next to Hart’s wine bar, Biblio. The experience isn’t cheap — $175 for 10-course menus and $235 for 14 courses (most courses have more than one item, pushing the number of creations to as high as 50 bits and bites), and wine pairings can add $100 to $300. But it’s regularly selling out, proving that Charlotte eaters are willing to go all in on an experience.

Nestled between the Mint Museum and the tail end of the Tryon Street business corridor, Fin & Fino’s cocktails and impressive raw bar make it a seafood haven. Grilled octopus, seasonal campanelle pasta, and seafood boil paint the menu’s landscape. A noteworthy gustatory delight is the Treatment, a personalized tasting menu that includes a $5 charitable donation to an area nonprofit. Now that office traffic has returned to Uptown, the restaurant added weekday lunch as well.

When Kindred first opened in Davidson in 2015, the cult-favorite dish was milk bread —  pans of golden rolls based on a Japanese baking technique. It was such a hit, it became the inspiration for the Kindreds’ breakfast and brunch cafe, Milkbread, first in Davidson and now at their stylish reimagining of the classic Central Avenue Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood. Customers can sit down at the Davidson location, while the Plaza Midwood spot is a walk-up counter with limited outdoor seating. The doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, along with the crispy chicken sandwiches, prove that Milkbread has staying power.

When Plaza Midwood brewery Resident Culture expanded to a cavernous space in South End, it found space for chef Hector González-Mora, whose breakfast taqueria had already attracted a following. González-Mora has thrived, and now El Toro Bruto has a full menu, from breakfast to lunch to dinner. It’s the kind of thoughtful Mexican cuisine that’s taken a while to find a home in Charlotte. Yes, there are classic tacos, but there are short ribs in green tomatillo broth, tamarind-glazed fish, and mole, too.

Richly spiced stews, warm incense, and East African art make this Eastside spot feel like walking into a well-kempt home. Diners use their hands as well as rolls of the soft-as-lace flatbread injera to scoop and dip into dishes like crispy bits of beef tibs, or stewed chicken doro wat made with spiced butter, onion, and whole boiled eggs. An Ethiopian coffee ceremony perfumes the air as fresh coffee beans are roasted and poured tableside as an after-dinner treat.

What is it about Philadelphia’s favorite sandwich that drives Charlotte so wild? Whatever it is, it drove partners Ryan Hart, Greg Balch, and Hannah Smith — all familiar names from other spots, including the Crunkleton — to stake their claims with a popular spot on the geographic cusp between Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth. It’s a walk-up counter with limited outdoor seating, and fans stand in long lines to grab a classic version of a Philly. Wit or wit-out, of course.

Maybe it’s the cocktails: all classics — paragons — and potent; a single Old Fashioned to begin, and the night will end with dancing. It could be the shrimp cocktail —  star of the starters — and the wicked housemade cocktail sauce that servers warn first-timers to wade into carefully. Or, maybe it really is the steaks and a kitchen with the precise talent needed to cook them just so. Several theories exist to explain the many decades-long staying power of Beef ‘N Bottle Steakhouse, but the most likely one is its defiance to exist in the social media reels of circa now while also refusing to wear labels like “old school” or “vintage.”  Inside the dining room, the traffic noises of lower South Boulevard are silenced, Frank Sinatra plays on the speakers, white Christmas lights hang from low ceilings, and ambiance means sharing a table with pictures of the Rat Pack — time moves slowly within these wood-paneled walls.

Is there a regional cuisine that restaurateur Frank Scibelli hasn’t put his finger in? Little Mama in SouthPark is his upscale sequel to the ever-popular Mama Ricotta’s. Despite the name, it’s a little more grown-up and elegant but still focused on classic Italian American cuisine, with touches like a mozzarella bar with fior di latte or stracciatella, housemade pastas and parms, steaks, and broiled branzino. Open for lunch and dinner, plus Sunday brunch.

Charlotte has a serious sushi experience now, with Omakase in Cotswold. But if $300 for a 16-course tasting (or $150 for 10 courses at lunch) is a bit rich, consider Omakase’s little sister in Ballantyne. It’s small and classic, with a full offering of rolls, nigiri, and sashimi, plus a great list of sakes.