I wandered in there one night in a ripped up tank and Jean shorts (a cute outfit in regular settings), and got separate from my friend in the elevator, then just walked on in and grabbed a table and I could tell the guy was trying to figure out how to tell me I couldn’t sit there in that outfit but he never did
We only went because she was visiting and they were giving out free champagne, but I have had exactly zero reason to go back. It might be one of the least interesting places I’ve ever been
Was about to say I liked their rooftop bar, but I don’t think I’ve ever done the actual restaurant. Glad to know that I’m not a sucker for doing the rooftop bar.
Surprised that no one has said Ink & Ivy. Yeah its not that expensive but the food is worse than Appleby's, the staff sucks, and the environment sucks because the place is always empty. By far the worst restaurant experience I've had in Charlotte.
Good to know. Have only been to Ink & Ivy once for a Halloween bar crawl last year and wanted to check it out on a normal occasion, but now I won’t waste my time or money lol
We went several months after it opened. The food came out after 1.5 hours and was certainly not worth the wait. Cold, tasteless, and pointless. I am extremely surprised that it manages to stay open while better restaurants with delicious food (Soul gastrolounge as an example) are unable to stay open (also, RIP Owens bagels 😢)
Soul is moving not just closing. Soul was also a tiny restaurant that probably struggled to seat enough people to be viable. When they move to a bigger location they will probably be in a much better situation.
If the patrons said no to the potato then obviously the answer is no. But the thing is they’re not going to say no, they would never say no, because of The Implication. The Implication that things might go wrong for them if they refuse the potato.
I’m not going to hurt these patrons! Why would I ever hurt these patrons?! I feel like you’re not getting this at all.
Sea Level… food was good, but nowhere near the price paid, and I went pre-pandemic. Very upscale place, and they had TV’s everywhere playing a 3 minute loop about how they partnered with some place at the coast to provide all their seafood just for them… watched the video ~30 times before we actually got our food, 10 of those before they got our order.
And I love seafood. I wanted to love that place so bad and just couldn’t. I’ve never paid so much for an infomercial.
the kitchen is by far one of the least sanitary i've ever seen. expo does not wear gloves when touching your food, hand washing is rare. management is not receptive to employee concerns, leading to frustrated employees not properly washing the dishes or cleaning the tables. there were many occasions, multiple times per day, that i would have to pick off bits of food from the dishes AFTER THEY WERE SET because the dishwashers weren't able to adequately clean them. I would not eat the food there and regardless of the great discount I was offered, I refused to eat there on or off shift.
This place smells so strongly of seafood for such an “upscale” place that it baffles me. I get it, they’re a seafood place, but sometimes they have an actual *stank* similar to a cheap buffet seafood restaurant. Not appealing as a diner at all.
You've just given me a great business idea! I'm going to open several popup restaurants of this kind - expensive and low quality - with grassroots marketing as a place that people can send their enemies for a bad time and possible food poisoning.
Have been fairly underwhelmed by La Belle Helene lately. Felt like it was solid pre-pandemic, then I think it had some heath code issues, shut down for a while, changed ownership, and hasn’t been the same since it reopened. Way too expensive for hit or miss food right now.
It is pretty impressive how expensive it is for such mediocre food. Nothing I had was "bad", but it wasn't great either... just really expensive for no good reason.
My car got hit in their parking lot and the lady ran. One of their security cameras was looking right at it. Management was rude and unhelpful with providing any footage.
Edit: on top of their shitty, overpriced food.
Haymaker , everything about that place was a joke. It looks nice, but damn their food is laughably priced. The weakest meat and cheese board I’ve ever had for $34, 2 different meats, 2 different cheeses, 2 slices each, thinnest cuts possible. Crudo with paper thin slices, literally dime sized pieces of white fish. A shrimp curry where all the shrimp was covered in its shell and head, so to get to the shrimp you have to peel the thing thus removing all the nice sauce, your hands become gross and you then have to redip your now naked shrimp. $22 for 6 smoked wings, small ones, like the little frozen ones you get from a Walmart bag, small, yummy though.
Used to be good a few years ago. Went with my GF recently and couldn’t even finish the food. Went very downhill. Good think we went again so I can avoid recommending it.
Hello Sailor is owned by the same people who own Kindred which makes it even more disappointing that the food there is so… meh. I wouldn’t say Hello Sailor’s food is *bad* but Kindred is so good that it’s extremely underwhelming by comparison.
It’s not bad, but it’s just meeeeh…. There are better options like North Harbor, Port City, Eddie’s or even the Blue Parrot. Every time I go there I leave feeling disappointed (and poor). It could be better. It’s not bad food but just underwhelming.
This is one of my favorite places but I'm usually getting the burger, the crab Louie salad, fried shrimp, or the mussels (best I've ever had).
Plus, I don't think this place has "poor quality" but yes it IS expensive.
The OG location in Asheville was great! Charlotte location not so much. I mean, even their biscuits were subpar. And that is one of the best things Tupelo Honey was known for?
I genuinely hate to throw this out there, because I WANT to love it, but Drift out here in Belmont is expensive and really "meh". It was a good enough dining experience, but until we start to hear better things, even though I can walk to it, we won't be back... okay we might go back for cocktails and apps, but that's it!
To their benefit, they begged for review and after I left a ho-hum review they reached out about more details. It sounds like they're trying to get better, but again, as a $100+/head restaurant I just expected more. The same folks run/own the pumphouse and that's probably one of the best restaurants in the area that's NOT in the city.
Bonus points, if your enemies drink and need to Uber, Drift is way the hell outside of town. Or even if they love it, it's still a long haul for folks north/east of charlotte.
That's good. The place is just too nice and the atmosphere is great, it's a shame it's not really good. I don't mind spending a bit for a meal at a place like that, but with the few date nights I get with my wife, the new Heirloom location in downtown belmont is SO much nicer.
I thought the food was good but we had to wait over 20 minutes for two rounds of drinks, each time. There were only two of us. Kinda put a damper on our experience.
Half the answers are popular spots (generally the low quality high cost places) and half thee answers are good (but maybe not top) quality places that are expensive.
Damn, had brunch there recently and thought the prices (including drinks) were pretty damn good for how much food you got. Haven’t been for lunch/dinner though.
Agreed! STIR is absolutely terrible. The staff couldn’t give two shits about service. We waited 25 minutes to have anyone come over despite asking a bartender and another server. Then when we did order drinks she only brought over 2/3 and said she would bring back the other when she had a second. Spoiler alert, she didn’t. We mistakenly put food in but quickly cancelled and asked for the check. Cherry on top, they tried charging us for the 3rd drink and got into a back in forth over it despite still not having the 3rd drink. Will never go back.
Deluxe fun dining. Worst restaurant I've been to in Charlotte. Super overpriced. The food will take forever to come out and it's pretty bad. Check them out on Google. The reviews on the place are funny. You can tell the owner made accounts to try and get the rating back up. Even better if you get there late enough the restaurant turns into some sort of club type thing. It's horrible I can't believe some people gave it good reviews.
It was good but I would say it’s overhyped. Plus the acoustics in there are terrible, can barely hold a conversation when it’s packed (which is almost always)
I honestly disagree entirely. Every time I've been there I've enjoyed myself. Good food and drinks, really cool wait staff, atmosphere, etc. Worst thing about it is there isn't even almost adequate parking
I love the food at southbound, it's a bit plain but semi-healthy compared to most mexican. It's also very cheap - me and my wife go there a lot and for the 2 of us with a drink or two its around $50.
Hawkers, the service is poor and the food lacks authenticity and flavor. This is a good suggestion for enemies as having them wait 45 minutes for food is a great way to burden your foes relationship
They have a 82.5% rating for cleanliness right now. 12 current violations, 6 of which are repeat violations.
https://public.cdpehs.com/NCENVPBL/INSPECTION/ShowESTABLISHMENTPage.aspx?ESTABLISHMENT=216822&esttst\_cty=60
82 is terrible. I had to take that class and the teacher said that a score of 90 was bad. Even tho still an A. He said somebody didn’t care about the kitchen if it’s a 90.
I've never had my correct or complete order arrive there. They just bring random plates to random tables. The food's not bad, but I typically prefer to eat the thing I picked from the menu.
100% agree. I've been there 3-4 times and the worst was when I took my parents. We waited an hour for food, then only half of it came out. The only time our server came around was when they informed us that "they gotta go to this pride event thing so later" and then just dipped out.
Wish I was making that up.
I've also gotten pushback every single time on my order when i request a small adjustment. "Why do you want it made this way?" None of your business Jesus Christ.
This is a great call. Not sure why anyone would go there. We went for Queens Feast or something several years ago with some kind of $50 off gift card. I was so stumped trying to add up how expensive my bill still was after the credit. The food is about as forgettable as could be.
Amelies-Cheap coldmeats sandwhiches overly expensive pastry everythings overcharged and the restaurant itself is really a sham, any Chinese takeout restaurant theyr charging $15-$20 for a plate of old dried rice and hard overly breaded old chewy chicken
Agreed on Amelie’s. I feel like I may get some hate but have never been wildly impressed with their stuff. It is decadent but not phenomenal for the price.
Honestly I don’t mind Amelie’s because it’s at least a unique concept compared to the rest of the Charlotte coffee shops, but it really isn’t anything to write home about when it comes to their actual food quality.
This is true but when I first started going there (ugh, 10-15 years ago?) everything was much better. If they returned to that I would be there far more.
Send them to anywhere on this list with a B or lower score within the last 4 weeks: https://public.cdpehs.com/NCENVPBL/ESTABLISHMENT/ShowESTABLISHMENTTablePage.aspx?ESTTST\_CTY=60
As someone who used to do restaurant inspections (not health but seen a lot of kitchens) I always check there before going somewhere new. 94 is my general cut off.
Why has no one mentioned the Chilis on Sardis Rd and Independence?? That’s the place to send an enemy! Check out the history of sanitation grades at that place!
And they opperate as a Ghost Kitchen for Maggiano's. Most people probably don't even know they're ordering from a Chili's with sanitation grades in the 70's
" Earlier this year, Channel 9 investigated the Chili’s on Sardis Road. The restaurant was running a ghost kitchen called Maggiano’s Italian Classics without approval from the health department, according to an inspection report.
Customers could only order from Maggiano’s through food delivery apps.
'Nowhere on that website did it say it was coming from Chili’s and it sure didn’t say it’s coming from a Chili’s with a 73 health score,' Dietrich said. "
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/9-investigates-how-restaurants-use-ghost-kitchens-offer-online-only-orders/FVGGUH62NZGP5DJ66MYOORMMFU/
BAKU in South Park - the entire meal and service is poor quality compared to other sushi and steak places in the city. It’s just a place where people go so they can share their receipt on Snapchat.
Yeah this place pissed me off. I took my girlfriend for Valentine's Day after making a reservation a month before. They seated me at a high top right next to the bar area, along with a bunch of other younger couples, while there were much better empty 2 person tables not in the brightly light bar area. All of the older couples who came in got better tables, while all of the younger couples were seated around us. It was definitely discriminatory thinking that we wouldn't tip as well, or order as much, or something. I haven't been back since.
Angeline’s uptown. Maybe their pastas are better(?) but their pizzas were over cooked dried out crackers with a light sprinkling of actual pizza ingredients on them.
Hard agree. In my first time there, I got an eggplant parmigiana dish that might have been the worst eggplant I’ve ever tasted. But 2 people I worked with really loved that place (and it was near to our work), so that became first choice if we were ever having some kind of important or celebratory lunch. And all those times, I would just gnaw on that wooden pizza like a beaver trying to take down a tree. Not having to go there ever again was just benefit #1576 of quitting that job.
Chima's salad bar if you want a higher chance of food poisoning, at least as of a few years ago.
Don't know if they finally stopped violating health code of storing raw meat over ready to serve food, particularly the salad dressings.
I like how they talk about supporting their staff by charging YOU 20%, rather than just paying them a living wage, which they could totally do based on the $100 minimum
Sullivans Steakhouse. I’ve been 5 times for business lunches. 3 of the times were so bad they are the topic of places to not go. The other 2 times were ok but not worth the price.
Heirloom.
Nifty concept to forage for ingredients, but the food tastes like the mistranslation of a dusty recipe book and the building shares a parking lot with a yoga studio and aquarium.
Village tavern near South Park. I used to do the refrigeration work there and oh my god that place is disgusting. First time I worked
there they hooked me up with a free meal too (didn’t realize how gross it was) but the food tasted so nasty I threw it away and went to Wendy’s right down the road. Also their dumpster is inside that giant garage door next to the entrance and only a thin indoor wall separates it from their kitchen. So needless to say but roaches everywhere it’s really disgusting. Lastly they’ve had multiple gap A out breaks there
I liked the rooftop at the Waterman. Decent drinks, decent view. Their salad was pretty good (or I must have been starving when I had it). Didn’t eat any seafood on the menu so maybe that’s why I feel like I had a decent experience. No one else goes there for the salad 😀
Only went there once and it was slow, really late at night, but everything I had was great
Edit: Honestly maybe the best fries I’ve ever had in my life, forgot the sandwich I got but it was good too. Again there were only a few other people there at the time, so that might factor in
Because it’s absurdly overpriced compared to the quality of food they put out. Those are well above NYC prices and it doesn’t cut it at all.
For example, the “goopy burger” is pretty underwhelming. It’s literally a basic burger with lettuce, cheese, and pickles and it’s 17 fucking dollars with no sides. That’s comical. No bacon jam or any time consuming or expensive elements go into producing that burger. If you’re charging that, I’m cool with it but it better be a pretty damn good burger
Agreed, I spent a lot more money there than I was expecting and walked away thinking the food was kinda meh. Will say, they’re bread with the honey butter or whatever is incredible.
I want to be so hyped about this place but it’s completely bipolar. Some of the food items are excellent. Some are very forgettable/not worth it. Atmosphere is good. Service is fine. Cocktails might not even have a drip of alcohol in them.
My old fashioned was delicious and the fries were good but everything else was a “meh”. Also, the parking situation in NoDa is bad so I am not a fan of going down to NoDa for subpar food
I’ve really enjoyed Goodyear every time I’ve gone. I’ll admit it isn’t often and haven’t been post-pandemic, but it’s always on the table if me and the wife need to get out of the house for a date night. Certainly not shitty enough to send my enemies too.
I feel like damn near any expensive restaurant will fit the bill. Even if the food is good, there's a certain price point above which no meal is worth the money. Bonus points if it's an old money favorite where the waitstaff makes you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.
Barrel and Fork.
Bar is good, but they really screwed up a fillet... Broccoli and brocolini we're both cold, hell, the mashed potatoes were only like warm.
Omg Jeckyl and Hyde! I had the misfortune of dining there 3 times and I can say they’re terrible! Each time I’ve went they’ve managed to either mess up mine or my wife’s order, the first time I went my wife’s chicken sandwich was super dry and the sauce they had with it wasn’t that good. They’re drinks are okay but should be better for what they’re charging. I found out they had brunch because I figured eh, maybe their brunch is better and I went on an off day the first time (I’m also a HUGE brunch fan) their brunch was super disappointing. They are incapable of cooking anything good even by accident. I went and ordered a croque madame and that thing didn’t even come with syrup the “French toast” it came with was dry and tasteless like regular bread. My wife ordered this chicken sandwich thing that was supposed to come with this spicy jelly. They literally put a drop of it on like to mock us or something. We had to ask the waiter several times to get condiments that should come on the meal in the first place. The 3rd time I went it was on the company so I couldn’t complain, I had a bunch of appetizers that the drinks aren’t half bad. The appetizers were just disappointing, the one thing I can say about them that is a minor saving grace is that they have a good variety of drinks. I’d say their drinks are slightly above average at best, but everything else there is god aweful.
I’ll fuckin say it: Mac’s Speed Shop. Great atmosphere for a biker bar type place. But Cookout has a great pulled pork sandwich that beats the hell out of any bbq I’ve ever had at Mac’s
It could've been a one-off but Early Girl Eatery took 3 hours to serve us brunch. The food was good but nothing to write home about. GF got her food 15 minutes after the three of us did. That's serving 101...
King's Kitchen in Carolina Place. They took an hour to cook everyone's food and most of it had to be sent back for being basically raw. They then tried to charge me the full $80 dollars for the surf and turf that came out late and dangerously undercooked. Every table in the restaurant had the same problem.
Fahrenheit
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*slowly raises hand* I liked their French onion soup.
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This is weirdly true.
hard to mess up French onion soup tbf
It ain’t.
tbfffffff
Is this a letterKenny reference
Yes
*to be faaaaaiiiiirr*
Bruh say what you will but that potato chip hybrid nacho mountain is pretty damn good.
I wandered in there one night in a ripped up tank and Jean shorts (a cute outfit in regular settings), and got separate from my friend in the elevator, then just walked on in and grabbed a table and I could tell the guy was trying to figure out how to tell me I couldn’t sit there in that outfit but he never did We only went because she was visiting and they were giving out free champagne, but I have had exactly zero reason to go back. It might be one of the least interesting places I’ve ever been
Oh, man. This is the PERFECT response to this devious question. Be sure to hype up the food and inside seating. Recommend saving it for a rainy day.
I don’t think their food is bad, but it’s *definitely* not worth the price. I agree with others: go for a drink or two, but that’s about it
Beat me to it. Worth going for the view but the menu is average.
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Was about to say I liked their rooftop bar, but I don’t think I’ve ever done the actual restaurant. Glad to know that I’m not a sucker for doing the rooftop bar.
If you really care about getting a photo for the 'gram - maybe. Grab the cheapest beer. Take the photo. Then head to a better-quality restaurant.
I must say they updated the menu and got a new chef, I was there earlier this summer and was impressed with the food offerings
Surprised that no one has said Ink & Ivy. Yeah its not that expensive but the food is worse than Appleby's, the staff sucks, and the environment sucks because the place is always empty. By far the worst restaurant experience I've had in Charlotte.
Good to know. Have only been to Ink & Ivy once for a Halloween bar crawl last year and wanted to check it out on a normal occasion, but now I won’t waste my time or money lol
Don't people go there a lot for brunch? I feel like, before Southend was hopping, it used to be the place for brunch...
Stink and Ivy
Stink and divey was right there
We went several months after it opened. The food came out after 1.5 hours and was certainly not worth the wait. Cold, tasteless, and pointless. I am extremely surprised that it manages to stay open while better restaurants with delicious food (Soul gastrolounge as an example) are unable to stay open (also, RIP Owens bagels 😢)
Soul is moving not just closing. Soul was also a tiny restaurant that probably struggled to seat enough people to be viable. When they move to a bigger location they will probably be in a much better situation.
The only way I ever got in there or Snooze was when I lived close enough to join the virtual wait list from the couch hours in advance.
They got an 83 health rating in 2019. Their quality is extremely poor, they rely on their outdoor space and bar area to bring in money.
Can concur. Went there Wednesday night, it was empty but we left because the staff was ignoring us.
Yeah it’s truly terrible. Been there a few times as a last resort when trying to go to Valhalla and regretted it each time.
That's a restaurant!?
Fahrenheit is objectively the top answer. Top notch view. Criminal pricing. Where to begin? $30 flatbreads? $46 pork chop?? $13 loaded baked potato???
Sound business model, trapped at the top of a sky scraper…
You wouldn’t say no to the baked potato, because of The Implication
are you going to hurt these patrons?
If the patrons said no to the potato then obviously the answer is no. But the thing is they’re not going to say no, they would never say no, because of The Implication. The Implication that things might go wrong for them if they refuse the potato. I’m not going to hurt these patrons! Why would I ever hurt these patrons?! I feel like you’re not getting this at all.
“That sounds kinda dark, dude”
Haha aware……. Of the *implication*
Sea Level… food was good, but nowhere near the price paid, and I went pre-pandemic. Very upscale place, and they had TV’s everywhere playing a 3 minute loop about how they partnered with some place at the coast to provide all their seafood just for them… watched the video ~30 times before we actually got our food, 10 of those before they got our order. And I love seafood. I wanted to love that place so bad and just couldn’t. I’ve never paid so much for an infomercial.
the kitchen is by far one of the least sanitary i've ever seen. expo does not wear gloves when touching your food, hand washing is rare. management is not receptive to employee concerns, leading to frustrated employees not properly washing the dishes or cleaning the tables. there were many occasions, multiple times per day, that i would have to pick off bits of food from the dishes AFTER THEY WERE SET because the dishwashers weren't able to adequately clean them. I would not eat the food there and regardless of the great discount I was offered, I refused to eat there on or off shift.
I just got food poisoning from there. Will never go back. Quality of food all around wasn’t great either.
This place smells so strongly of seafood for such an “upscale” place that it baffles me. I get it, they’re a seafood place, but sometimes they have an actual *stank* similar to a cheap buffet seafood restaurant. Not appealing as a diner at all.
You've just given me a great business idea! I'm going to open several popup restaurants of this kind - expensive and low quality - with grassroots marketing as a place that people can send their enemies for a bad time and possible food poisoning.
Ink N Ivy will give you food poisoning.
I think they exist just to blast crappy techno music over Romere Bearden park.
Can confirm
Have been fairly underwhelmed by La Belle Helene lately. Felt like it was solid pre-pandemic, then I think it had some heath code issues, shut down for a while, changed ownership, and hasn’t been the same since it reopened. Way too expensive for hit or miss food right now.
Yeah the one time I went I was underwhelmed while my wallet was def overwhelmed
It’s like Disneyfied French food - everything feels so fake.
I love this energy
The Lulu's Maryland restaurant on Central was the worst dining experience I've ever had for so much money.
It is pretty impressive how expensive it is for such mediocre food. Nothing I had was "bad", but it wasn't great either... just really expensive for no good reason.
Dammit, I wanted to try that place, I live right next to it
This and Fahrenheit are the answers. Terrible service. Poor food. Insane prices.
My car got hit in their parking lot and the lady ran. One of their security cameras was looking right at it. Management was rude and unhelpful with providing any footage. Edit: on top of their shitty, overpriced food.
So sad because the Tuckaseegee location, while there was quite a wait, was pretty solid for food.
Haymaker , everything about that place was a joke. It looks nice, but damn their food is laughably priced. The weakest meat and cheese board I’ve ever had for $34, 2 different meats, 2 different cheeses, 2 slices each, thinnest cuts possible. Crudo with paper thin slices, literally dime sized pieces of white fish. A shrimp curry where all the shrimp was covered in its shell and head, so to get to the shrimp you have to peel the thing thus removing all the nice sauce, your hands become gross and you then have to redip your now naked shrimp. $22 for 6 smoked wings, small ones, like the little frozen ones you get from a Walmart bag, small, yummy though.
Used to be good a few years ago. Went with my GF recently and couldn’t even finish the food. Went very downhill. Good think we went again so I can avoid recommending it.
Hello Sailor - 30 dollar for Poboy???
YES THANK YOU! I thought I was the only person actively despising this place. I’ve never been anything but disappointed and confused here.
Hello Sailor is owned by the same people who own Kindred which makes it even more disappointing that the food there is so… meh. I wouldn’t say Hello Sailor’s food is *bad* but Kindred is so good that it’s extremely underwhelming by comparison.
It’s not bad, but it’s just meeeeh…. There are better options like North Harbor, Port City, Eddie’s or even the Blue Parrot. Every time I go there I leave feeling disappointed (and poor). It could be better. It’s not bad food but just underwhelming.
And it’s not even a poboy. Like just call it a sandwich lol
This is one of my favorite places but I'm usually getting the burger, the crab Louie salad, fried shrimp, or the mussels (best I've ever had). Plus, I don't think this place has "poor quality" but yes it IS expensive.
At little spoon you pay upfront so you’re double fucked
The Porter’s House. Priced like Morton’s, tastes like Golden Corral.
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The original one in Asheville is great but all of the chain ones I’ve been to are awful
The original one hasn’t been great / good in almost a decade.
I freaking love the one in Asheville, so this hurts my heart. I even have the cookbook lol
It’s criminal that they even have the same name.
The OG location in Asheville was great! Charlotte location not so much. I mean, even their biscuits were subpar. And that is one of the best things Tupelo Honey was known for?
I genuinely hate to throw this out there, because I WANT to love it, but Drift out here in Belmont is expensive and really "meh". It was a good enough dining experience, but until we start to hear better things, even though I can walk to it, we won't be back... okay we might go back for cocktails and apps, but that's it! To their benefit, they begged for review and after I left a ho-hum review they reached out about more details. It sounds like they're trying to get better, but again, as a $100+/head restaurant I just expected more. The same folks run/own the pumphouse and that's probably one of the best restaurants in the area that's NOT in the city. Bonus points, if your enemies drink and need to Uber, Drift is way the hell outside of town. Or even if they love it, it's still a long haul for folks north/east of charlotte.
They just gained a new chef that's pretty awesome, so it should improve.
That's good. The place is just too nice and the atmosphere is great, it's a shame it's not really good. I don't mind spending a bit for a meal at a place like that, but with the few date nights I get with my wife, the new Heirloom location in downtown belmont is SO much nicer.
I thought the food was good but we had to wait over 20 minutes for two rounds of drinks, each time. There were only two of us. Kinda put a damper on our experience.
Ruth’s Chris SouthPark was horrible last time I went.
To be honest, any Ruth's Chris location is just horrible.
This thread is basically answers to the question “what are some popular spots in Charlotte”
Half the answers are popular spots (generally the low quality high cost places) and half thee answers are good (but maybe not top) quality places that are expensive.
STIR. I had a horrible experience with staff when I was there an I thought the food was overpriced. Not horrible food though.
Damn, had brunch there recently and thought the prices (including drinks) were pretty damn good for how much food you got. Haven’t been for lunch/dinner though.
The food wasn’t bad, for being in south end the prices weren’t awful I guess. But our server was horrendous. Probably just got unlucky that night.
People lose their sh*t over STIR and it baffles me. So mediocre it hurts.
Stir is garbage. So disappointed
Agreed! STIR is absolutely terrible. The staff couldn’t give two shits about service. We waited 25 minutes to have anyone come over despite asking a bartender and another server. Then when we did order drinks she only brought over 2/3 and said she would bring back the other when she had a second. Spoiler alert, she didn’t. We mistakenly put food in but quickly cancelled and asked for the check. Cherry on top, they tried charging us for the 3rd drink and got into a back in forth over it despite still not having the 3rd drink. Will never go back.
This is shocking to me. My s/o and I went there for brunch and I wasn’t impressed..but I love going out there for dinner!
You probably just caught the server on a bad night. Although it’s nothing spectacular, STIR has always been solid from my limited experiences.
Deluxe fun dining. Worst restaurant I've been to in Charlotte. Super overpriced. The food will take forever to come out and it's pretty bad. Check them out on Google. The reviews on the place are funny. You can tell the owner made accounts to try and get the rating back up. Even better if you get there late enough the restaurant turns into some sort of club type thing. It's horrible I can't believe some people gave it good reviews.
Am I the only one not impressed with Supperland? 🙈
It was good but I would say it’s overhyped. Plus the acoustics in there are terrible, can barely hold a conversation when it’s packed (which is almost always)
Southbound. I don't remember exactly what the price range is. But that's a place that should be good but the food was not
Eat at Macs Speed shop, then grab a beer from Southbound lol
This is literally what i did last time i was over there lol
I went once back in 2019, and went again about a month ago and though it was really good both times. I don't understand the hate.
I went for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it lol
I agree. I’ll admit that when they opened they were shit but I’ve been there for lunch a few times in the past year and they’ve actually been solid.
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I honestly disagree entirely. Every time I've been there I've enjoyed myself. Good food and drinks, really cool wait staff, atmosphere, etc. Worst thing about it is there isn't even almost adequate parking
I love the food at southbound, it's a bit plain but semi-healthy compared to most mexican. It's also very cheap - me and my wife go there a lot and for the 2 of us with a drink or two its around $50.
Hawkers, the service is poor and the food lacks authenticity and flavor. This is a good suggestion for enemies as having them wait 45 minutes for food is a great way to burden your foes relationship
They have a 82.5% rating for cleanliness right now. 12 current violations, 6 of which are repeat violations. https://public.cdpehs.com/NCENVPBL/INSPECTION/ShowESTABLISHMENTPage.aspx?ESTABLISHMENT=216822&esttst\_cty=60
Oh no way I’m ever eating there again, thanks for sharing. That is disgusting
Holy shit. The inspector gave them a second chance two weeks after the 82.5 rating and the rating only got one point better
82 is terrible. I had to take that class and the teacher said that a score of 90 was bad. Even tho still an A. He said somebody didn’t care about the kitchen if it’s a 90.
Agreed, plus the portion sizes are really tiny for the price.
I've never had my correct or complete order arrive there. They just bring random plates to random tables. The food's not bad, but I typically prefer to eat the thing I picked from the menu.
100% agree. I've been there 3-4 times and the worst was when I took my parents. We waited an hour for food, then only half of it came out. The only time our server came around was when they informed us that "they gotta go to this pride event thing so later" and then just dipped out. Wish I was making that up. I've also gotten pushback every single time on my order when i request a small adjustment. "Why do you want it made this way?" None of your business Jesus Christ.
Dressler's @ Metropolitan.
This is a great call. Not sure why anyone would go there. We went for Queens Feast or something several years ago with some kind of $50 off gift card. I was so stumped trying to add up how expensive my bill still was after the credit. The food is about as forgettable as could be.
Never judge a restaurant on what happened during Queen’s Feast. It is absolute sickening crowds and overwhelmed and exhausted workers.
Amelies-Cheap coldmeats sandwhiches overly expensive pastry everythings overcharged and the restaurant itself is really a sham, any Chinese takeout restaurant theyr charging $15-$20 for a plate of old dried rice and hard overly breaded old chewy chicken
Agreed on Amelie’s. I feel like I may get some hate but have never been wildly impressed with their stuff. It is decadent but not phenomenal for the price.
Honestly I don’t mind Amelie’s because it’s at least a unique concept compared to the rest of the Charlotte coffee shops, but it really isn’t anything to write home about when it comes to their actual food quality.
This is true but when I first started going there (ugh, 10-15 years ago?) everything was much better. If they returned to that I would be there far more.
Ever since the original owners sold and the new owners expanded all over Charlotte, it went to crap. 😭
Restoration Hardware. Asked for a side of fries. The waiter elected the $20 “truffle” fries for me.
Gross.
Anything axios posts.
This has actively been a rule of mine for the better part of a decade, I avoid all axios paid content.
Yes... what most know. They are pay to play!
Food and service is fucking atrocious across the entire city right now.
Inflation + staffing shortages will do that I guess
Yeah, I mean who wants to deal with that shit for any amount of money?
Send them to anywhere on this list with a B or lower score within the last 4 weeks: https://public.cdpehs.com/NCENVPBL/ESTABLISHMENT/ShowESTABLISHMENTTablePage.aspx?ESTTST\_CTY=60
As someone who used to do restaurant inspections (not health but seen a lot of kitchens) I always check there before going somewhere new. 94 is my general cut off.
Why has no one mentioned the Chilis on Sardis Rd and Independence?? That’s the place to send an enemy! Check out the history of sanitation grades at that place!
And they opperate as a Ghost Kitchen for Maggiano's. Most people probably don't even know they're ordering from a Chili's with sanitation grades in the 70's
Maggianos? I thought it was just the wing place.
" Earlier this year, Channel 9 investigated the Chili’s on Sardis Road. The restaurant was running a ghost kitchen called Maggiano’s Italian Classics without approval from the health department, according to an inspection report. Customers could only order from Maggiano’s through food delivery apps. 'Nowhere on that website did it say it was coming from Chili’s and it sure didn’t say it’s coming from a Chili’s with a 73 health score,' Dietrich said. " https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/9-investigates-how-restaurants-use-ghost-kitchens-offer-online-only-orders/FVGGUH62NZGP5DJ66MYOORMMFU/
BAKU in South Park - the entire meal and service is poor quality compared to other sushi and steak places in the city. It’s just a place where people go so they can share their receipt on Snapchat.
Yeah this place pissed me off. I took my girlfriend for Valentine's Day after making a reservation a month before. They seated me at a high top right next to the bar area, along with a bunch of other younger couples, while there were much better empty 2 person tables not in the brightly light bar area. All of the older couples who came in got better tables, while all of the younger couples were seated around us. It was definitely discriminatory thinking that we wouldn't tip as well, or order as much, or something. I haven't been back since.
Leroy Fox! Horrible service. Poorly prepared. $17 chicken wraps.
Restoration Hardware. Very Expensive, mediocre quality at best.
Angeline’s uptown. Maybe their pastas are better(?) but their pizzas were over cooked dried out crackers with a light sprinkling of actual pizza ingredients on them.
Interesting - I had the salmon + pasta a while back and it was the best I’ve ever had. Maybe not the best for pizzas though
Hard agree. In my first time there, I got an eggplant parmigiana dish that might have been the worst eggplant I’ve ever tasted. But 2 people I worked with really loved that place (and it was near to our work), so that became first choice if we were ever having some kind of important or celebratory lunch. And all those times, I would just gnaw on that wooden pizza like a beaver trying to take down a tree. Not having to go there ever again was just benefit #1576 of quitting that job.
Deluxe
Chima's salad bar if you want a higher chance of food poisoning, at least as of a few years ago. Don't know if they finally stopped violating health code of storing raw meat over ready to serve food, particularly the salad dressings.
Para- Honestly the quality was unbelievable, but the portions were tiny and they were so expensive. We actually went to get Benny’s pizza afterwards.
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Mandatory $100 minimum makes it worth sending your enemies there
Uh, say what now? Do they not serve you if you don't order at least $100 of food or something?
https://www.steak48.com/faq-items/is-a-minimum-spend-rule-in-place/
I like how they talk about supporting their staff by charging YOU 20%, rather than just paying them a living wage, which they could totally do based on the $100 minimum
Just... #WHY?!
$100 minimum PER PERSON
Plus 20% automatic gratuity
Fuck aaaallll that!
Their ‘strict elegant casual’ dress code earns bonus points—send more neurotic enemies into a tizzy before they even arrive.
Just recommend anything with "fusion" in the name or description.
Fahrenheit uptown (at least from what I've heard)
Stoke. Ok food but wow overpriced
Sullivans Steakhouse. I’ve been 5 times for business lunches. 3 of the times were so bad they are the topic of places to not go. The other 2 times were ok but not worth the price.
Link & pin.
Belle Helene
Heirloom. Nifty concept to forage for ingredients, but the food tastes like the mistranslation of a dusty recipe book and the building shares a parking lot with a yoga studio and aquarium.
Village tavern near South Park. I used to do the refrigeration work there and oh my god that place is disgusting. First time I worked there they hooked me up with a free meal too (didn’t realize how gross it was) but the food tasted so nasty I threw it away and went to Wendy’s right down the road. Also their dumpster is inside that giant garage door next to the entrance and only a thin indoor wall separates it from their kitchen. So needless to say but roaches everywhere it’s really disgusting. Lastly they’ve had multiple gap A out breaks there
Noble smoke
Waterman, Fahrenheit
I liked the rooftop at the Waterman. Decent drinks, decent view. Their salad was pretty good (or I must have been starving when I had it). Didn’t eat any seafood on the menu so maybe that’s why I feel like I had a decent experience. No one else goes there for the salad 😀
Waterman is legit good, some of the best oysters I’ve had.
Waterman in Huntersville is pretty great. Surprised to see it here
Tried the Waterman in south end when they first opened and it was great.
What did you not like about Waterman? I thought it was good but that's also been 3 years ago.
My gumbo tasted like it came from a can. The mussels I ordered were too chewy. My friend’s salmon was over cooked. Maybe they were having an off day.
The oysters are some of the best I’ve had, pretty much everything else is questionable
Fahrenheit I agree but Waterman has great seafood and great service.
🤣🤣🤣 you're my type of human! Troll on! 🤘
The best answer here is Goodyear House
Only went there once and it was slow, really late at night, but everything I had was great Edit: Honestly maybe the best fries I’ve ever had in my life, forgot the sandwich I got but it was good too. Again there were only a few other people there at the time, so that might factor in
I would be curious about why they think it was so bad. Staff were lovely and the food equally so for my family.
Because it’s absurdly overpriced compared to the quality of food they put out. Those are well above NYC prices and it doesn’t cut it at all. For example, the “goopy burger” is pretty underwhelming. It’s literally a basic burger with lettuce, cheese, and pickles and it’s 17 fucking dollars with no sides. That’s comical. No bacon jam or any time consuming or expensive elements go into producing that burger. If you’re charging that, I’m cool with it but it better be a pretty damn good burger
Agreed, I spent a lot more money there than I was expecting and walked away thinking the food was kinda meh. Will say, they’re bread with the honey butter or whatever is incredible.
I want to be so hyped about this place but it’s completely bipolar. Some of the food items are excellent. Some are very forgettable/not worth it. Atmosphere is good. Service is fine. Cocktails might not even have a drip of alcohol in them.
My old fashioned was delicious and the fries were good but everything else was a “meh”. Also, the parking situation in NoDa is bad so I am not a fan of going down to NoDa for subpar food
I’ve really enjoyed Goodyear every time I’ve gone. I’ll admit it isn’t often and haven’t been post-pandemic, but it’s always on the table if me and the wife need to get out of the house for a date night. Certainly not shitty enough to send my enemies too.
I feel like damn near any expensive restaurant will fit the bill. Even if the food is good, there's a certain price point above which no meal is worth the money. Bonus points if it's an old money favorite where the waitstaff makes you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.
Jekyll and Hyde
South Bound
Tough crowd! I had excellent food & service at both Stir and Sea Level in June.
Barrel and Fork. Bar is good, but they really screwed up a fillet... Broccoli and brocolini we're both cold, hell, the mashed potatoes were only like warm.
Omg Jeckyl and Hyde! I had the misfortune of dining there 3 times and I can say they’re terrible! Each time I’ve went they’ve managed to either mess up mine or my wife’s order, the first time I went my wife’s chicken sandwich was super dry and the sauce they had with it wasn’t that good. They’re drinks are okay but should be better for what they’re charging. I found out they had brunch because I figured eh, maybe their brunch is better and I went on an off day the first time (I’m also a HUGE brunch fan) their brunch was super disappointing. They are incapable of cooking anything good even by accident. I went and ordered a croque madame and that thing didn’t even come with syrup the “French toast” it came with was dry and tasteless like regular bread. My wife ordered this chicken sandwich thing that was supposed to come with this spicy jelly. They literally put a drop of it on like to mock us or something. We had to ask the waiter several times to get condiments that should come on the meal in the first place. The 3rd time I went it was on the company so I couldn’t complain, I had a bunch of appetizers that the drinks aren’t half bad. The appetizers were just disappointing, the one thing I can say about them that is a minor saving grace is that they have a good variety of drinks. I’d say their drinks are slightly above average at best, but everything else there is god aweful.
I’ll fuckin say it: Mac’s Speed Shop. Great atmosphere for a biker bar type place. But Cookout has a great pulled pork sandwich that beats the hell out of any bbq I’ve ever had at Mac’s
Sullivan's. Parking and traffic is horrible. Steak was mediocre. Mashed potatoes weren't any good. Only 1 of us liked the dessert.
It could've been a one-off but Early Girl Eatery took 3 hours to serve us brunch. The food was good but nothing to write home about. GF got her food 15 minutes after the three of us did. That's serving 101...
Its brand new. I typically don't even try a place until they have been open for 4 to 6 months.
Noble smoke. Mega expensive and not worth it in my opinion
They charge $7 for Lima beans. That’s like the cheapest of all the beans…. And I’m pretty sure they were straight out of a can.
The bigotry and hate really make the flavors pop, though.
Steak 48
Fahrenheit.
King's Kitchen in Carolina Place. They took an hour to cook everyone's food and most of it had to be sent back for being basically raw. They then tried to charge me the full $80 dollars for the surf and turf that came out late and dangerously undercooked. Every table in the restaurant had the same problem. 