Located in the heart of North Carolina is the flourishing city of Charlotte. "The Queen City" is the largest city in North Carolina and is well-known for its quickly advancing metropolitan area. In the last twenty years, Charlotte has seen the establishment and success of their football team, The Carolina Panthers, two different basketball organizations and recently, the opening of America's first ever NASCAR Hall of Fame. With "The Queen City" mostly known for its sport venues and enchanting nightlife, many overlook one of the most important things when it comes to the reputation of a city, their food.
When people think of North Carolina, they usually think barbecue with the vinegar based BBQ sauce. While the traditional southern cuisine in Charlotte still remains exceptional, people, along with nourishments in this prospering city have become more and more diverse as the years progress. This diversity of people throughout the years have been a blessing for the city of Charlotte.
Not only can you get top-notch barbecue, you can also go down the street to a Mexican Taqueria or even travel to the Orient for superb Asian cooking. Here are a list of restaurants located in Charlotte that I find are divine and delectable. The types of restaurants that have food that is so enticing, it makes eating there feel like a significant and unforgettable part in your life.
If you are in the mood for hamburgers and hot dogs, basically, good All-American food, these are the places you must try:
The Penguin- This old-school burger joint serves everything from old fashioned North Carolina barbecue to distinct dishes like deep-fried pickles and pimento cheese sandwiches but what I come here for are the humongous, mouthwatering burgers. It isn't the massive size or toppings on the burger that make it so tasty, it's actually the actual patty that makes the burger so savory. The meat is freshly prepared and hand-made and cooked perfectly for a scrumptious, juicy patty. Great food and great prices.
Recommendations:
Deep-Fried Pickles
Small-Block Burger, Big Block Burger, and Fully Loaded Hemi (A Challenge for anyone to eat)
Barbecue Plate
Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Winky Dinky Dog
Hand-Battered Corn Dog
Cook-Out - Although this drive-thru restaurant chain serves satisfied customers throughout the state of North Carolina, I still find Cook-Out as one of the top fast food restaurants in Charlotte. Their menu ranges from hush-puppies to freshly spun milkshakes. The burgers aren't bad either, with many different styles to choose from. My favorite and something everyone should experience, the milkshakes. Get more than enough food for around .
Recommendations:
Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake
Peach Milkshake
Cheddar Style Burger and Chicken Sandwich
Cook-Out Style Footlong Hot Dog
Cajun French Fries
Ratcliffe on the Green - This elegant full service restaurant serves everything fresh and local. Most of the ingredients come from local farms with a great presentation of flavors. The French Onion Soup is warm and comforting and their famous Lamb looks and tastes like something that could have been prepared by an Iron Chef. My favorite is the southern classic, Shrimp and Grits. Although the price is rather high, the food is nothing short of spectacular.
Recommendations:
Lamb
French Onion Soup
Shrimp and Grits
Baked Brie
Softshell Crab
Bar-B-Q-King - Some of the best Barbecue I have ever had. It isn't the pork that makes this place special, it's the sweet and tangy barbecue sauce they serve with most of their dishes. While many come here for the pulled-pork, my personal favorite is the Bar-B-Q chicken, which is basically fried chicken dipped in their magnificent NC barbecue sauce.
Recommendations:
Bar-B-Q Chicken
Pulled Pork
Bar-B-Q Beans
Jumbo Shrimp
Fried Trout
Price's Chicken Coop - To me, the key to good fried chicken is the batter and the seasonings. Price's has both excellent batter and seasonings making Price's fried chicken some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Their fried chicken is so good that the employees do nothing but fry chicken from open to close.
Recommendations:
What else? The fried chicken
Hush Puppies
French Fries
While many Americans are familiar with Mexican food, they aren't familiar with authentic Mexican cuisine. Authentic Hispanic restaurants are spread out all over Charlotte and in my opinion, have much bolder flavors than a La Carreta or Mi Pueblo.
Taqueira La Unica - This Mexican restaurant serves many authentic Mexican dishes. All their dishes are prepared fresh with a lot of good, seasonal flavors. Their tortillas are handmade and their salsa is homemade, making the flavors even better.
Recommendations:
Salsa Roja and Verde
Carne Asada Taco
Al Pastor Torta
Queso Quesadilla
(Keep in mind that these tacos and quesadillas are far different from places like Taco Bell. This is REAL Mexican cuisine.)
El Salvador Restaurant - This Salvadorian restaurant serves a dish that is so different and delicious. Pupusas is a dish native to El Salvador that consists of a thick tortilla filled with meat and cheese and served with a side of vinegar based spicy coleslaw. Unlike American coleslaw, the Salvadorian coleslaw doesn't have any mayonnaise. Although most Americans aren't accustomed to Salvadorian cuisine, Pupusas are something that everyone should experience because once you have, you will know what love feels like.
Recommendations:
Cheese Pupusas
Chicken Pupusas
Pork Pupusas
Cabo Fish Taco - This Baja grill serves more of a Tex Mex style type of cooking than Mexican. Cabo's has four different types of fish tacos, all with different types of fish. For those that aren't a big fan of seafood, they also have steak and chicken tacos. What makes the Cabo fish taco extraordinary from other fish tacos is their white cilantro sauce. The savory and spicy sauce is a perfect marriage with their fish.
Recommendations:
Beer Battered White Fish Tacos
Blackened Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
Rasta Pasta
Diablo Shrimp
When people think of Chinese food, they think of those take out boxes filled with General Tso's Chicken and rice. When people think of Japanese food, they think of hibachi steak with white sauce. I am sorry to break it to you but those aren't real Asian dishes. Fortunately, Charlotte has restaurants that serve authentic Asian cuisine, along with the Americanized Asian restaurants. Here are a list of delectable Asian restaurants.
Dim Sum Chinese Restaurant - This is the closest thing to authentic Chinese food you can find in Charlotte. Dim Sum serves dumplings and seafood that are very similar to the types of Chinese food you would find in China. There is a large amount of selections and most of the items are delicious and fairly priced.
Recommendations:
Taro
Pork Dumplings
Pork Porridge
Sesame Ball
Thai Thai Takeout - While most Thai restaurants are full service, my favorite Thai place in Charlotte is Thai Thai takeout. The dishes are actually authentic Thai food, unlike most Thai restaurants around Charlotte. Not only is the food good, the price is great. When you go to a full service Thai restaurant, one plate of Phat Thai costs about while Thai Thai Takeout's Phat Thai plate costs half that price. Quick, good, and cheap.
Recommendations:
Shrimp Phat Thai
Pork Kee Mow
Satay
Pho An Hoa - There are many restaurants around Charlotte that serve Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup that usually contains thinly sliced beef, bean sprouts and Thai basil. Whenever I am in the mood for pho, I head over to Pho An Hoa. The most important thing when it comes to Pho is the meat and the broth. In my opinion, An Hoa has the best broth and meat.
Recommendations:
Pho with Eye Round Steak (For First Timers)
Pho with Eye Round Steak and Well-Done Flank
Bubble Tea
Spring Rolls
Passage to India - Indian cuisine contains some of the boldest flavors I have ever experienced. The good thing is that these bold flavors are delightful and the price is very good too. The thing about Indian food is that it is extremely different. You either love it or hate it, there's no in between. I love it.
Recommendations:
Chicken Masala
Garlic and Butter Naan
Sugar Cheese Balls
Chicken Tikki
Pisces Sushi - If you want to go somewhere for sushi, this is the place to go. The sushi is rolled elegantly and is also a good size. I have tried seven different varieties of their sushi rolls and have enjoyed them all. The fish is fresh and their honey mayo eel sauce is amazing.
Recommendations:
XOXO Sushi Roll
California Roll
Sake Bombs
Sapporo Beer
Being able to eat different types of cuisines and experience so many different cultures is something I find very gratifying. I can never grow tired of eating here in Charlotte because of the different assortments of restaurants and cuisines located throughout "The Queen City." The selections are abundant and comprehensive, all you have to do is look.
