Food & Drink Critics’ Pick Winners: Best in the Nest 2025
The best in Charlotte's food and drink as chosen by Nerve critics
We are what we eat, and we’re a damn good city.
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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Chef Carmen Vasquez
Carmen Vasquez celebrated her 18th birthday just a few months after arriving in the United States from her hometown in Guadalajara, Mexico. At that time, only her brother already lived in the US, so she had to leave the rest of her family behind and start from scratch. She wasn’t sure what the future held for her, only that she had one objective somewhere down the road.
“My goal was to have a restaurant, but it was so far because, I mean, I’m Mexican, I’m new here in the country. I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s keep working,’” she said.
Fast forward more than a quarter-century to 2025, the year that Vasquez marked 25 years with Frank Scibelli’s FS Food Group. While serving as executive chef at Yafo Kitchen in Dilworth, she is also a partner at the popular fast-casual restaurant’s other locations as well as Calle Sol Latin Café & Cevicheria, Little Mama’s, Paco’s Tacos & Tequila, and Mama Ricotta’s, the restaurant where she started as a prep cook at 21 years old.
She was recognized in March as one of 26 honorees at Charlotte Business Journal’s 2025 Women in Business Awards ceremony.
“It felt like a dream,” Vasquez said of the ceremony at The Westin in Uptown. “I feel like a Cinderella because I’m coming here at the age of 17 and to get there, I mean, it sounds easy, but it’s been a lot of hard work.”
This year was not just one for reflection, however, as Vasquez has been as busy as ever, spearheading the opening of a new Paco’s Tacos & Tequilas in Rock Hill and consulting her protege, Chef Alfredo Alvarez, as he prepared to run the kitchen at the new Yafo Kitchen in Ballantyne, which opened in June.
In the spring, Vasquez discussed her efforts to mentor Vasquez, who started working under her as a dishwasher at the East Boulevard Yafo location and worked his way up under her tutelage to become the executive chef at the Central Avenue location.
“It was hard for me because I come from a place that … it was like no people to give you a hand,” she said. “I feel like it’s a compromise. When I see [workers like Alvarez], I see myself. I’m like, ‘I can share with them all my knowledge, everything that I learned from the journey, so why not?’”
And as for what she would say to her 18-year-old self — or any 18-year-old in the same position she once found herself in?
“Dream big. Work hard,” she said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t because it’s not true. I mean, I’m a good example, and I tell this to all my young people that are working with me: If you are here, you can do it. So just keep dreaming and work for it.”
BEST RESTAURANT: Customshop
Located in the middle of the Elizabeth neighborhood on the Gold Line tracks at 1601 Elizabeth Ave., the new-American restaurant Customshop has stolen the hearts of Charlotteans and visitors since its opening in 2022.
Since executive chef and owner Andres Kaifer and managing partner Alex Bridges bought the space from Flour Shop owner Trey Wilson, the team has emphasized a chef-driven approach that showcases local farms and purveyors.
Best known for its handmade, sustainable plates that showcase the seasonality and beauty of local NC produce, seafood and fresh pastas in an ever-evolving menu, Customshop’s interior is inspired by the welcoming Spanish, Italian and French cultures, aiming to make everyone feel welcome.
Folks rave about the agnolotti, the variety of small plates and perfectly cooked scallops. Customshop is also known for its curated wine list which holds a balance of old-world staples and new and emerging brands.
What’s really impressive is how the team has continued to keep things elevated at Customshop while branching off in a number of other directions, opening the Spanish tapas stall Marina’s Tapas in Optimist Hall earlier this year then following that up by announcing plans to open a wine bar in The Courtyard shopping center off Park Road.
BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Rada
Rada may be one of Charlotte’s newest restaurants, but it’s already earned national attention, recently landing on The New York Times list of the top 50 restaurants in America. Opened in January and led by chef Callan Buckles, who previously worked at acclaimed New York spots Claude and The Four Horsemen, Rada focuses on simple-seeming, perfectly executed dishes.
To the casual diner, the menu might appear minimal, but for anyone with kitchen experience, the care and precision shine through in every bite. The focus on fresh vegetables and exceptional proteins makes each plate feel intentional and quietly confident.
Thanks to being tucked into Tranquil Court, a more urban-style development, Rada feels decidedly metropolitan despite its Selwyn Avenue address. The restaurant transports you the moment you step inside and feels like it could exist in any of the world’s great culinary cities. Its clean, contemporary European aesthetic pairs perfectly with a menu of natural wines, European-inspired cocktails and one simple Spanish beer.
We also look at their collaborations with Stablehand, Customshop, and Substrate highlighting their creative spirit and connection to Charlotte’s broader culinary scene.
BEST FAST CASUAL: ESO Artisanal Pasta
Opened by husband-and-wife chef duo Kristina Gambarian and AJ Sankofa in August 2024, ESO Artisanal Pasta offers an assortment of Italian street food and pasta dishes including arancini (fried risotto balls), polpette (Italian meatballs) and Sicilian fried chicken from their food stall in Optimist Hall.
Shortly after the pandemic shook the restaurant industry in 2020, both Sankofa and Gambarian were laid off from their jobs as cooks at New York City’s Legacy Records. They pivoted by launching a cake and pie delivery service called Babushka’s Pies, with Gambarian becoming known for her cheesecakes and tiramisù. They then opened ESO Artisanal Pasta inside a boutique bakery and cafe in Morristown, expanding to a storefront from which Sankofa offered various handmade pastas and sauces that were packaged frozen and available for customers to pick up and prepare at home.
After appearing on Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, with Sankofa later competing on Chopped, the national attention led them to expand to offer nationwide shipping. They closed their storefront in December 2023 to focus on opening their first restaurant, and Charlotte has been lucky to have poached them from NJ.
Try the gnocchi rago if it’s in stock, or the orecchiette arrabbiata if you’re up for a subtle spicy surprise.
BEST OLD RESTAURANT: Lang Van
Many patrons of Lang Van can attest to showing up around the holidays and being gifted a bottle of wine for being a loyal customer, even if you only make a few trips to the beloved Vietnamese spot in the given year. When you eat at Lang Van you truly are an extended member of her family.
Arriving in America in 1999, Nguyen learned the restaurant business under the mentorship of No Duong, the original owner who opened Lang Van in 1990. The name of the Vietnamese eatery translates to “Land of the Tattooed Men” and comes from a myth-shrouded third-century BCE kingdom that is believed to be the forerunner of Vietnam.
At Lang Van, Nguyen worked diligently, learned the ropes and rose steadily through the ranks. By 2004, she was part owner of the restaurant. In 2009, when No Duong moved to California to be with family, Nguyen took full ownership of Lang Van.
“One of the owners couldn’t work here anymore, but they loved the customers,” her daughter Alice said in 2017, translating her mother’s words. “They made my mom promise to make the customers happy. Mom promised, so now she’s working [hard] to honor her words.”
That extra attention to hospitality came back around in 2020, when Lang Van was on the verge of closing down due to COVID. While restaurants were allowed 50% occupancy under state guidelines, owner Dan Nyugen opted not to have indoor seating at the restaurant and chose to focus on takeout only. Nyugen states that it was out of fear for the safety of her family and patrons alike. She and her husband opted to pay out of pocket to cover her worker’s lost wages, but finances grew tighter and tighter as the months drew on.
Eventually a GoFundMe page was launched by Carly Valigura West on behalf of Tuyen Tran, it went on to raise over $63,000, more than doubling the stated goal, and patrons lined up down the block to cautiously support in person by picking up takeout.
Now in 2025, the restaurant is stronger than ever. For a culinary landmark that has managed to survive 35 years, may they survive for another 35, at least.
BEST INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT: Abugida Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant
Abugida Ethiopian Café & Restaurant is a family-owned authentic Ethiopian restaurant located at 3007 Central Avenue. Run by mother-and-daughter duo Shito Negussie and Yodite Mengesha, Abugida has served east Charlotte for eight years, offering traditional Ethiopian foods like fitfit, injera, sambusa and berbere along with Ethiopian coffee, beer and wine. Each recipe is crafted by Negussie and is inspired by her mother and grandmother.
The restaurant specializes in “delicious and reasonably priced Ethiopian cuisine” including house specialties like the vegetarian sampler, the Abugida Feast — chicken or beef wet with vegetable dishes — kitfo, tender beef tibs, Abugida Mix (Kornis) and the meat lover combination while also offering a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.
The restaurant’s Ethiopian coffee beans are roasted in-house and served in a traditional cup with the option of a traditional ceremony, a must-try experience for folks who are used to chugging down their coffee on the run. Take a seat, breathe, and watch coffee made the right way.
BEST HIDDEN GEM: Copperhead Social Club
If you feel the power of The Force pulling you toward the small, unassuming trailer parked permanently behind Copperhead Social Club in NoDa, it’s not just the sick Star Wars mural that Matt Alvis painted on the side, it’s the intuition of a burger head who knows game. Follow it.
It’s not hyperbole to say that this little food cart serves up the best smash burgers in Charlotte … hell, the best burgers in the city, period.
It’s hard to miss on any of the special burger options they put on rotation out of the window out back, but as for the regular menu items, the Copperhead burger and the Green Chile burger go toe-to-toe for top billing. The former features two smash patties, white American cheese, lettuce, onion, pickled banana peppers and a wonderful special sauce, while the latter features the titular roasted green chiles, cilantro mayo and a big ol’ block of queso fresco, also on two patties.
While burgers are the star of the show, the fries are great supporting actors, not only coming with a slew of topping styles — Copperhead, green chile or pastrami style — but you’ve got the choice between shoestring or waffle fries. Who even does that?! Copperhead does, and we’re all the better for it.
BEST COMEBACK: Soul Gastrolounge
No one understands or captures the cool side of Charlotte like Andy and Lesa Kastanas. Their greatest cultural creation, Soul Gastrolounge, was the flagship of Plaza Midwood until they shut down shop three years ago. Despite hundreds of new hot spots opening since, nothing could quite replace it.
Were there places you could grab a craft cocktail and hear a great DJ? Sure. Did they have pork belly and watermelon tacos, too? Nope. Did their interiors flex the funky estate-sale-meets-disco aesthetic of Scott Weaver? Hell nah. Thank goodness the OG is back in all its former glory.
“Walking into the new Soul should feel like seeing an old friend you haven’t seen in years but instantly pick back up with,” Andy said in the lead-up to the anticipated reopening. “We loved being the place where our guests celebrate milestones big and small, and that legacy matters to us. From the food to the design, every detail was to make sure those memories, and the chance to create new ones, are still part of the Soul experience.”
Soul’s new location isn’t as walkable, per se, but it’s part of the soon-to-be sprawling campus called The Pass, right off the light rail at Sugar Creek station with a nice pool hall called Borderline Bar & Billiards right next door and spots like Independent Picture House, Eighty Eights Coffee & Cocktails, and Blackbox Theatre in walking distance in case you’d like to follow your meal with a movie, jazz or EDM show, respectively.
In a space that’s twice the size of the old spot, upgrades include a reservation system and baklava ice cream on the menu. Other than that not much has changed, which is a dream come true. Same tapas, same sushi, same DJ booth with a rotating roster of Charlotte’s finest, same heart and Soul. Nothing beats a classic.
BEST RESTAURATEUR(S): Jeff Tonidandel & Jamie Brown
In our City Life section, we’ve already recognized the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group for their work in preservation locally, specifically with this year’s opening of Leluia Hall and the 2024 relocation of the Leeper & Wyatt building. You’d think with so many distractions involved in the construction and renovation process, other business operations might suffer. But that’s what makes the work husband-and-wife duo Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown do so damn impressive: once they open up in one of their historic buildings, the food they serve is some of the best you’ll find in the city.
The fall premiere of a new PBS docuseries titled Fork & Hammer gave an in-depth look at what Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group went through in the four years it took to open Leluia Hall while also going back to explore their experiences opening their preceding restaurants: Crêpe Cellar Kitchen & Pub, Ever Andalo, Growler’s Pourhouse, Haberdish, Reigning Doughnuts, and Supperland.
With each of Tonidandel-Brown’s establishments carrying a slightly different variation of the family-style, shared-dining experience that runs through all of the restaurants — Southern fried chicken at Haberdish, Italian at Ever Andalo, steaks at Supperland — Leluia Hall marks the company’s first foray into seafood. Speaking in January before the restaurant opened, Brown said the new menu would more closely resemble what Brown and Tonidandel like to cook at home.
“There are a lot of things at home that we do that are maybe a little bit more unusual than the way the standard American diet is,” she said. “We use a lot of coconut milk and cream at home. We use a ton of avocado and more meat and vegetable or seafood and vegetable type of approach, so that’s definitely influenced what we’re doing here.”
The Dilworth restaurant opened in May, adding brunch in October, and has already become another gleaming star on the Tonidandel-Brown resume.
BEST POP-UP: Jimmy Pearls
There aren’t many culinary operations that have had as rough-and-tumble a few years as Jimmy Pearls.
Devastated by the pandemic despite critical acclaim, chefs Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper closed their space inside the Market on 7th Street in 2021, transitioning their focus to their food truck, Jimmy Ps Street Shack, then returned to the market about a year later.
In January 2024, they planned to shut down the space again to focus on opening a brick-and-mortar, but then news came down that they were nominated for a James Beard Award, building such a renewed buzz that they extended their stay a few more months.
This year, following an extended residency at Free Range Brewing, Jimmy Pearls has gone underground, launching a series of Underground Dining Experiences that included monthly sandwich takeovers at Common Market, and “oyster & wine love affair” at Substrate Wine Bar and more.
One thing’s clear: The team at Jimmy P’s will continue to adapt and evolve in whatever way is most prudent for them to get their signature Virginia-style Southern cuisine in your gullet, and they’ll continue to collab with community partners to do so.
The pair’s Nov. 1 Two Fish, Five Hogs dinner at the Carolina Farm Trust Market on Hoskins Road will bring Cooper and Johnson together with pastry chef “Que” Stewart-Morrow of the Mise En Place Collective, Applied Tech Center culinary instructor Jamie Barnes, Lorem Ipsum mastermind Justin Hazelton, and Marvin Ross of Peculiar Pig Farm.
“This event is special because it’s a continuation of building a network of people who care about their community,” said Cooper. “The addition of Marvin highlights the importance of supporting the local ecosystem while fostering new relationships that may last a lifetime.”
BEST POP-UP EVENT: Already Sammies CMN Benefit
On June 29, Substrate Wine Bar came together with Already Sammies and Premium Sound to raise money for Carolina Migrant Network, a local non-profit that provides pro-bono legal representation for people undergoing deportation proceedings or locked in detention centers and their families
The event featured food by Already Sammies, sandwich artists who run a local pop-up bakery, along with music spun by Luke Stemmerman of Premium Sound. On top of that, local musicians Brut Beat and Curiosidades De Bombrile performed for those in attendance.
Substrate wrote, “There is no neighborhood without immigrants. There is no wine in your glass without immigrants”
This event was entirely necessary given the Trump administration’s use of ICE and the National Guard to move into cities like Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. Recently the local FOP requested that Trump move his military into Charlotte after the unfortunate murder of Iryna Zarutska, citing the incident as proof that Mayor Vi Lyles has lost control of crime in the city.
So while our democratically elected officials stay weak on pushing back against these human rights offenses perpetuated by ICE, we desperately need our local businesses and pop-up events to support underrepresented residents of Charlotte. That’s the meaning of community support.
BEST BREWERY: Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts
On the edge of Camp North End, right off Statesville Avenue, Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts has cemented itself as one of Charlotte’s most impressive brewery destinations. When a kitchen fire temporarily shut down Heist Brewery’s original NoDa location in summer 2024, the focus shifted here, and the team there has stepped up to fill the gap left by the flagship’s ongoing closure.
Housed in a 22,000-square-foot former machine shop built in 1954, the building feels timeless with its arched wooden doors, tall windows and warm millwork that give it the character of a century-old landmark. Inside, the space bursts with bold, larger-than-life murals, plenty of TVs for game days and a bar that seems to stretch the length of the room.
Outside, a wide central green with a stage sets the scene for concerts and community events. And inside, Livy’s Neapolitan Pizzeria serves some of the best brewery pizza in town, rounding out one of Charlotte’s most complete taproom experiences.
BEST NEW BUSINESS MODEL: Distro Beer Hub
Considering Charlotte’s insatiable need for the shiny and new, keeping a brewery alive for 15 years is nothing short of a miracle. After seeing countless breweries open and close over the years, Heist Brewery founder Kurt Hogan has learned what works and what doesn’t.
Before the pandemic, Hogan saw the success that Optimist Hall was seeing just down the street from Heist’s flagship location in NoDa and wondered if something similar could be applied to the craft beer world. He wanted to combine the social dining experience people look for in breweries with a new vibe from what people have grown used to in the city’s many taprooms or brewpubs.
After years of fine-tuning, Hogan’s idea finally became a reality with Distro Beer Hub’s grand opening on Distribution Drive in South End in September.
Distro Beer Hub joins Heist Brewery with NoDa neighbors Divine Barrel Brewing Co., Asheville-based brewery DSSOLVR, and Incendiary Brewing out of Winston-Salem to create a new concept that aims to keep people excited about the craft beer world in a city that’s seen enthusiasm for the model plateau.
BEST LOCAL PRODUCT: KT Winery
If you’ve ever woken up with a wine hangover, you know just how cruel the vino can be the morning after. There are a number of reasons wine hangovers have earned this reputation — congeners like tannins, histamine and sulfites are prime suspects. Then there’s that staple of the American diet: sugar.
Wine doesn’t necessarily have more sugar than beer or spirits, but it can mix with the aforementioned ingredients to worsen that infamous wine hangover.
The team at KT Winery, a Black-, Asian-, and women-owned wine company launched in Charlotte, is pushing back on this bad reputation. With its two brands, Mom Juice and KT Signature, KT Winery is showing that you don’t need all those extra ingredients to make a good wine.
All of KT Winery’s wines are low-sugar, gluten-free and vegetarian. But that’s just the start, says co-founder Kristin Taylor.
“They’re always made with less than nine ingredients versus the 74 ingredients that [other brands] don’t have to disclose to consumers,” she explained. “That can be things like formaldehyde or hydrogen peroxide, which no one would expect would ever be in their wine, but commonly are … I think we firmly fall into the ‘better for you’ category.”
With the adoption of KT Winery products on American Airlines flights this year, the two founders are flying high as they look to continue growing their business in 2026.
BEST LATE-NIGHT MENU: Dilworth Neighborhood Grill
Most people know Dilworth Neighborhood Grill for their lively gameday atmosphere or, for those who haven’t visited, their snarky signs lambasting the Panthers or construction surrounding their business. What real DNG fans know, however, is that it’s the best spot to grab a baked spaghetti or beer teriyaki steak bites after midnight.
The chill sports bar connecting Dilworth to Uptown keeps its full kitchen open until 1 a.m. on weeknights and 1:30 on weekends, which really shouldn’t be the exception but truly is in this city. With that in mind, the already-good DNG menu only looks better as the night crawls closer to closing time, so get your order in while you can.
There’s time.
BEST FOOD MENU AT A COFFEE SHOP: Lottie’s Cafe
Branded as “Your Uptown Third Space,” Lottie’s Cafe opened in the Queen City Quarter in summer 2024, part of the newly rebranded space formerly known as Epicentre. The Black-owned shop offers free Wi-Fi with a soothing aesthetic right near Center City. The menu is made to order and includes items for breakfast and lunch.
The breakfast menu includes Hugo’s Hash Bowl, a handcrafted hash bowl with caramelized onion jam, crumbled bacon, home fries, and over-easy egg, avocado and chipotle aioli. The Deluxe Avo — avocado on white bread, three slices of bacon, an over-easy egg, pecorino and red pepper flakes — is served all day.
The smaller lunch menu includes some of the basics — avocado toast and a chicken club — but we recommend choosing between the Havarti Veggie Sammie or leveling that toast up with the Deluxe Avo, which includes the avocado but with an over-easy egg, bacon, pecorino cheese and red pepper.
BEST COFFEE SHOP: Sumaq Coffee
Opened by brothers Joseph and Nick Castro in the Starmount area of south Charlotte in 2022, Sumaq Coffee is inspired by South American culture, serving craft coffees, artisanal pastries, and snacks like the panko pesto sandwich or the dulce de leche bread.
Pronounced “sue-mock,” the name is a Quechua word from the old Inca language that means the ideal and beautiful fulfillment of life, according to the website.
“For this reason, this space seeks to be a participant in the encounter and conversation, of what is said and what is silent, under the dim company of a cup of coffee to share and remember.”
That’s a beautiful way of saying this is a great place to hold a meeting. And we’re not just making that up, their own mission statement reads: “Sumaq Coffee is a tribute to beauty, to the simplicity of the meeting.”
The inside of the shop is replete with lush greenery, offering the perfect ambiance for workers. The space provides a varying selection of outdoor seating including covered options and cocoon chairs, plus heaters available for those brisk days.
BEST FOOD TRUCK: Tiny Biscuit
“We’re not just in the business of selling biscuits — we’re on a mission to spread the warmth and charm of Southern hospitality wherever we go,” reads the Tiny Biscuit website, and they ain’t lying.
The menu includes chicken & waffles, salmon burgers, a buffalo chicken ranch, gouda bites, crispy Brussels sprouts and all sorts of other stuff, all of which is top-tier. And yes, there will be biscuits: biscuit bowls like the Seafood Gravy Connect and more basic (but still great) honey butter biscuits and the like. There will be something for you whatever you have a taste for, just be ready to eat yourself into a food coma one way or another.
BEST FOOD CART: Halal Food Cart
Halal Food Cart is an undeniable staple of Charlotte — the self-explanatory business title plastered on all four sides of the cart that has stood strong at the crossroads of the Queen City, the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets in the center of Uptown, for more than eight years.
Husband-and-wife duo Damaris and Khuram Bashir opened the flagship cart in the summer of 2016 and have quietly grown the franchise into four operational food carts, two brick-and-mortar shops, three additional carts under construction and four storefront leases signed to open new locations.
Still, the Bashirs and their team keep humble demeanors, serving their halal — an Islamic principle that directly translates to “permissible” — food to those who want and need it. Each location offers heaping servings of its chicken, lamb or falafel over rice, gyros, salads and Philly cheese steaks.
Khuram estimates that, since the cart’s opening, it has distributed around 100,000 free meals throughout the community in organizational fundraising meals, providing iftar (breaking fast) during Ramadan and Hurricane Helene relief. If you’re visiting the Trade and Tryon location, make sure to bring cash or order online before you get there.
BEST COFFEE CART: Caffeto
When she moved from her home country of Colombia to Charlotte about five years ago, Valentina Castellanos knew she would like to work in the restaurant industry, but hadn’t quite figured out how she would do that.
It was around that same time that her family members in Colombia bought a coffee farm. As Valentina pursued a business administration degree from Central Piedmont Community College, it became clear to her that opening a coffee business would allow her to source coffee directly from her family farm, creating a long-distance, family-operated business.
“My family comes from a coffee background … We saw the opportunity when we got the farm in Colombia five years ago,” she said. “So why not? Why not start to bring our coffee here and just give it a chance? I saw the perfect timing. I saved some money, and that’s how I did it here.”
Castellanos celebrated the grand opening of her specialty Colombian coffee bar, Caffeto, on Dec. 14, launching in a lot next to Canvas Tattoo in NoDa. The space provides a great environment to kick back and people watch or get some outdoor work done if the weather is cooperating, with Wi-Fi and outlets at every picnic table.
Castellanos serves hot and cold coffee drinks, matcha, chai and lemonade. There’s a bakery menu with croissants and Danish, but we recommend the cachitos: Venezuelan soft bread stuffed with ham, bacon and cream cheese. The pandebono is also a great meatless morning option.
In April, we broke the news of Caffeto’s first expansion, a partnership with The Outsiders and Co., a mom-and-daughter clothing brand based in Lake Norman, to launch The Outpost, a hybrid coffee and retail shop in Cornelius that will also serve as a community space.
BEST CULINARY PROGRAMMING: Your Farms Your Table, Hopeway Food Program
At first glance, a collaborative project between renowned chef Sam Diminich and HopeWay, a nonprofit mental health treatment center in southwest Charlotte, might seem like an unlikely pairing. For those who have been directly involved, however, it’s a wonder the partnership didn’t come sooner.
From their perspectives, a mental health treatment center teaming up with a culinary organization creates a symbiotic relationship that can possibly be transformative for both.
It was leadership at HopeWay, launched in 2014 to broaden the scope of mental health care and education for adults in the area, who sought out Your Farms Your Table (YFYT), a farm-centered and generally people-centered restaurant group led by chef Sam Diminich of Restaurant Constance, to launch a new onsite food program at the organization’s 20-acre campus in southwest Charlotte.
In February, Diminich’s team began dishing out more than 100 daily meals to the residential patients, outpatient clients, visitors and staff on HopeWay’s campus. The team manages HopeWay’s 9,000-square-foot, in-house kitchen, emphasizing fresh, local ingredients from its farm partners and fresh herbs grown on-site for menus designed to support clients’ diverse dietary and therapeutic needs.
These meals are nothing of the standard medical center sort — stark, bland, dense, nutritionally lackluster food — but the type of vibrant, local, seasonal food that’s made Diminich and Restaurant Constance into popular names within Charlotte’s culinary scene.
The new partnership is part of HopeWay team’s process of making an “intentional, purposeful decision to integrate” nutrient-rich food and further the food education at the organization’s campus, according to HopeWay CEO and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alyson Kuroski-Mazzei.
BEST FARM: Pasquale’s Farm
To drive down Plaza Road Extension in far east Charlotte is to witness change happening in real time. In the area between Hood Road and I-485, new communities like the Cardinal Creek neighborhood already have residents moving in while construction crews are just starting construction on still newer developments across the street.
Easily missed by less observant drivers on the north side of the road is a small, black gate with seven yellow letter signs next to it that spell out “WELCOME.” The message is not only a broad one welcoming those new neighbors to east Charlotte but a literal one that invites folks to enter the gates and check out something special that’s happening at Pasquales’ Farm.
Purchased in 2018, built out during the pandemic, launched in 2023 and opened to the public this summer, Pasquales’ Farm is the passion project of Eliseo and Wendy Pascual, who have turned their 5 acres in far east Charlotte into an urban farming oasis amidst ongoing growth and development.
Over its two years in existence, Pasquales’ Farm has sold produce at area markets such as Rosa Parks Farmers Market in west Charlotte. This summer, they opened their farm stand to the public so folks can shop for produce on the Pasquales’ property on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Eliseo and Wendy have a bigger vision for Pasquales’ Farm than to simply serve as a produce market, however; they want to become a community hub and agritourism destination to educate folks about urban farming and where their food comes from.
“There’s nothing, I think, that brings people together more than food — food and nature,” Eliseo told Queen City Nerve during a September visit to the farm. “If we can put those things together and we don’t bring the community parts, we are missing the point.”
BEST DESSERTS: Oh My Ganache
As a dessert bar focusing on cheesecake and smaller desserts, Oh My Ganache started out small, doing pop-ups at Conn’s HomePlus on JW Clay Blvd before it closed, and Taste of Charlotte, where the line was so long in their first year that the fire marshal had to shut them down in the interest of moving the crowds along.
On June 14, founder Brittani Sheppard celebrated the grand opening of Oh My Ganache, The Cheesecake Bar, her brick-and-mortar space in Camp North End, where customers can build their own customized dessert creations and enjoy specialty crafted drinks known as O.M.G. Sippers.
Oh My Ganache cheesecakes can be ordered whole or by the slice, with customers selecting from three base options – vanilla cheesecake, peach cobbler bread pudding and their signature sweet potato pie cheesecake – and a multitude of topping options including its most popular selection, the bourbon pecan sauce.
“Opening our first permanent home at Camp North End marks a beautiful new chapter for Oh My Ganache,” Sheppard said while announcing the opening. “This space will allow us to not just serve desserts, but to create a community gathering spot where sweet moments become lasting memories.
“The Camp North End team has embraced our vision from day one, understanding that what we’re building goes beyond a bakery,” she continued, “it’s a continuation of family tradition reimagined for today’s Charlotte.”
BEST BAKERY: Manolo’s Bakery
Manolo’s Latin Bakery on Central Avenue has been a Charlotte staple for 28 years, providing the community with traditional Latin breads and pastries, Tres Leches Cakes, coffee and other desserts.
Manolo’s was voted the number two in USA Today’s 10 Best contest for Best Cake Shop and received the World Bread Hero USA Award in 2021 for its dedication to social impact.
Despite recent ICE aggressions along Central Avenue, Manolo’s owner Manolo Betancur, a Colombian-born entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist, remains dedicated to serving his community. He’s not just looking out for his own, either. Through Betancur’s We Care initiative, he has personally visited Ukraine three times to provide financial and humanitarian aid.
A documentary titled The ChangeBaker premiered in May at the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado. The film chronicles how Manolo’s became a symbol of resistance and refuge after a wave of ICE raids in Charlotte, and how Betancur used pastries and purpose to challenge immigration policies, support the homeless and rebuild a bakery in war-torn Ukraine.
“At the heart of this is Manolo’s Bakery — not just a place to buy baked goods but a sanctuary, a home, a piece of the American dream,” said The ChangeBaker director Courtney Davis. “His slogan, ‘Made in America by the hands of immigrants,’ is not just a phrase. It is a truth woven into the fabric of this nation.”
THE GREG COLLIER AWARD FOR BEST CHEF: Chayil Johnson
Like two-time James Beard nominee chef Greg Collier, who gives his name to our outstanding culinary artist award, Chayil Johnson is also a James Beard semifinalist who draws on Black culture for his incomparable cuisine.
As executive chef at Community Matters Cafe, Johnson regularly employs graduates of the Charlotte Rescue Mission’s recovery program, providing job training to men and women recovering from addiction.
Hailing from LaPlace, Louisiana, and influenced by his cultural upbringing in New Orleans, Johnson sees food as a way to share Black culture, history and stories. His popular menu items include johnnycake, a cornmeal pancake based on a recipe developed by Native Americans and enslaved people. The cafe’s rice grits harken to a West African method for cooking broken rice.
Johnson didn’t win the James Beard’s top chef award this year, but his work in the community and in his kitchen is far greater than any award.
BEST EMERGING CHEF: Michael Le
There were no shortage of great restaurants included in this year’s Business Obituary section, but the announcement that Kappo En, an omakase-style sushi space hidden in the space behind Menya Daruma, garnered sincere wailings from the city’s culinary elite who knew what a special thing we had lost.
In a heartfelt public post on Facebook, Sam Hart of Sphagett and Counter- decried the closure.
“Anyone who has asked me if we have a textbook Michelin dining spot in Charlotte, I never say us, I always say them,” Hart wrote of Kappo En. “This experience is akin to what you experience in Chicago, New York, and SF. Expert craftsmanship and sourcing. Using a classic cuisine to showcase not only beautiful Japanese ingredients but local product as well. We have to do better Charlotte.”
As tough as that loss was, lead chef Michael Le popped back up with a different approach, leaning into his popular Hello Uncle pop-ups, which began as a one-time benefit for a friend and have since become one of Charlotte’s most talked-about culinary projects, through which Le showcases signature Southeast Asian flavors for fans who keep a watchful eye on the Hello Uncle Instagram page or just end up in the right place at the right time.
During a March visit to a Hello Uncle pop-up at Common Market, our nightlife writer Aerin Spruill raved about Le’s khao man gai.
“The silky smooth slices of chicken practically melted in my mouth, each bite a delicate burst of flavor. The rice, infused with the love and essence of its chicken broth, was perfectly cooked — so satisfying it could stand alone,” she wrote. “The Singapore chili and khao man gai sauce delivered on all the tangy, funky, spicy goodness we crave in Thai food — slap yo’ mama good! The cucumber, cabbage and cilantro added a refreshing color pop and texture, creating the ultimate comforting bite.”
BEST EDUCATOR: Chef Maria Kemp
Cornelius-based Chef Maria Kemp knows diversity, equity and inclusion better than most, and certainly better than the lawmakers who have dedicated so much time to attacking their understanding of DEI in recent years. Professionally trained with a L’Art de la Pâtisserie certificate from Chicago’s prestigious French Pastry School, Kemp began as a traditional baker but has transformed her business into a hybrid of food education and DEI training.
Having closed her Decadence Bakery and Pastries storefront in Normal, Illinois, and moved to North Carolina after the passing of her mother, she originally launched her company Beyond Decadence as a traditional catering and delivery service.
Forced to adapt during the pandemic, Kemp has evolved Beyond Decadence away from dessert catering and nationwide shipping to DEI baking demonstrations, team-building experiences, and speaking engagements, combining her passion for pastry and diversity under the name Inclusive Excellence.
She has also become a steadfast advocate for caregiving, having been the primary caregiver for both her parents after her mother suffered a stroke and throughout the time that her father struggled with dementia and late-stage Alzheimer’s.
Many people are unaware that caregiving falls under the realm of DEI, Kemp warns, and the elimination of all things under that umbrella could mean a shortfall in funding for critical programs at a time when they should be seeing substantially more investment.
“We’re in a volatile time right now,” she said. “I want people to understand what’s happening in the world now as DEI has been weaponized.”
BEST CULINARY INFLUENCER: Tanya Harris, My Forking Life
Most people roll their eyes when they hear the term influencer, as it often refers to folks who visit restaurants and create content showing off what they’re being paid to eat. Tanya Harris is not one of those influencers. Harris is a chef in her own right, and she’s not bringing you along to some new eatery that’s looking for good PR, she’s inviting you into her kitchen on a daily basis to share quick and delicious recipes.
And she’s got range; one recent afternoon saw her posts go from a video showing her breaking down a 17-pound pork shoulder, the epitome of heavy eating, to a succeeding post depicting a beautifully light cucumber salad.
We’re calling Harris an influencer because she has followers on a range of platforms, from TikTok, Insta and Facebook to her blog at myforkinglife.com, but wherever you catch her daily recipes, they are guaranteed to do more than show off food porn or take you to cool restaurants; they’ll help you elevate your game in the kitchen alongside her.
BEST PIVOT: Rob Clement
When Meshugganah owner Rob Clement’s wife, Franki, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2022, Rob took a step back from the food industry. He had built up his name in Charlotte’s food scene, becoming a beloved chef in The Porter’s House before launching his own venture with Meshugganah. But as much as he loved the kitchen, his family came first.
In January of this year, Franki passed away at just 35 years old following a courageous battle. Clement was faced with balancing his personal and professional life as a young widower and a single father of two in an industry that required his physical presence in the kitchen at nearly all hours.
After much soul searching following Franki’s passing, Clement’s return to the food industry has come in the form of a new venture that allows him to capitalize on his 20+ years of experience in restaurants without demanding the hours that come with running one.
Clement’s newest business model, Meshugganah Hospitality Consulting, provides a fresh set of eyes and guidance for new and existing restaurants, food trucks and breweries. Though the company is still in its infancy stages, Clement has already worked with established businesses to update their menus, retrain staff, develop hospitality analytic programs and track inventory.
Using his experience working with successful restaurants comes in handy but Clement said the experiences he’s had in businesses that failed are more important to his consulting work.
Looking back on his faults with Meshugganah, for example, allows Clement to see the mistakes that led to him being unable to open the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
”Those were all learning experiences and they’ve made me better at what I do,” Clement said. “I’m grateful for the journey I’ve been on and I’m hopeful for the future and what I can help do for people in the business that I love.”
BEST CULINARY NONPROFIT: Carolina Farm Trust
Zack Wyatt founded Carolina Farm Trust in 2015 to rebuild what a regional food system looks like from production to consumption. The organization celebrated its 10th birthday on June 28 with the inaugural Carolina Farm Feast, a unique farm-to-table fundraiser featuring local produce from the Carolinas, at its CFT Market.
Throughout its decade of operations, CFT has supported countless small, community farmers directly through financial, employment and marketing opportunities as well as land conservation efforts.
The next phase of CFT’s mission began in June 2024 with the CFT Market’s opening on Hoskins Road in northwest Charlotte. The market serves as a local food distribution center with a commercial kitchen to utilize its local produce and protein, increasing accessibility to food grown by local farmers more accessible, keeping it affordable to the surrounding areas with an added benefit of maintaining the nutrient density in products.
CFT has also worked to address food insecurity and launch senior nutrition initiatives through the county’s community resource center. The organization plans to continue upping its impact with CFT Market’s second phase, which will include a retail grocery store, teaching kitchen, event space and separate meat-processing facility.
CFT will also incorporate a generator in its main building and meat-processing building so it can be an emergency resource center in the event of a natural disaster.
BEST BRUNCH: The Degenerate
What makes brunch at The Degenerate truly special is how it encourages crossplate creativity. Order a selection of entrees and you’ll see that every element from one plate complements another: the hot honey of the waffle-battered chicken wings perfectly balances the fresh, bright herbs of the tabbouli. The silky turkish eggs can be scooped up on the crisp housemade chips for a multi-sensory texture party. Dip a blackened shrimp in the chili crisp hollandaise from the breakfast banh mi and you’re in the Flavor Town of Guy Fieri’s wettest dreams. He probably laid his head to rest on the pierogies, which are tiny pillows of heaven.
One dish that should not be blended, however, is the bowl of cereal, which is listed at “market price” and comes beautifully presented with a tiny carafe of milk. There’s a rotating selection chosen by a process the chef describes as “highly restrictive.” Finally, somebody is putting the proper respect on cereal’s name and treating it with the reverence it deserves.
BEST LUNCH: Clark’s Snack Bar
For everyone still mourning the loss of The Good Wurst Co., here’s a secret worth sharing. You don’t have to miss it anymore. Clark’s Snack Bar, tucked into the former Good Wurst space on Central Avenue near the border of Country Club Heights and Plaza Midwood, brings the same spirit, the same flavor and, most importantly, the same owner: Lincoln Clark.
The menu is German-forward with an Americana twist, serving up hot dogs, burgers, Montreal-style bagels and house-made sausages that make any Good Wurst loyalist feel right at home. It’s comfort food that is both nostalgic and fresh.
And the details matter. The fries are perfectly crisp, the pastrami is rich and smoky and the bacon, egg and cheese bagel might be the best in Charlotte. Clark’s isn’t just a comeback story; it is proof that some neighborhood favorites never really fade away.
BEST DINNER: Deejai Noodle Bar
Deejai Noodle Bar is tucked away in a corner of NoDa that is shamefully underrated, with one of the city’s best breweries in Divine Barrel, a kickback bar with cool events in Crown Station, and a top-rate distillery in Great Wagon Road. We’re hoping the ongoing development of The Pass just north of these businesses will do the trick in increasing foot traffic and connecting the rest of NoDa to its northern tip. When that happens, don’t say nobody tried to tell you about one of the city’s best dinner spots.
A more relaxed sister bar to Deejai Thai in Myers Park, Deejai Noodle Bar offers up, yes, a noodle bar but a ton of other Thai street food options on the menu. The specialty sushi selections are affordable, the kimchi poke bowl is a joy, and the cocktails are always on point. If you’re looking for a laid-back date spot or just a place for a group of friends to share some plates, Deejai Noodle Bar in northern NoDa (or NoNoDa, as we call it) won’t let you down.
BEST SANDWICHES: La Lima Sangucheria
Peruvian cuisine has taken this city by storm, and La Lima Sanguchería is helping to lead that charge. Opened by chef Bruno Macchiavello and designer Álvaro Carrillo — the team behind Viva Chicken and Yunta Nikkei — La Lima blends their Peruvian roots with a fast-casual sandwich shop concept that feels both authentic and approachable.
Located off East Park Avenue in South End, the space is bright and modern, with clean lines and a laid-back vibe. The menu highlights classic Peruvian flavors through sandwiches packed with tender meats, crisp vegetables and bold sauces layered between perfectly toasted bread. Each bite feels familiar but distinctly South American. La Lima Sanguchería stands as proof that Charlotte’s growing international food scene is here to stay, offering something new without losing the warmth and flavor that make it feel like home.
BEST EXPANSION: The Exchange Pizza Depot @ NoDa Brewing
NoDa Brewing Company has been on a steady roll of upgrades over the last few years, expanding production and rethinking its spaces to better serve the crowds that come for Charlotte staples like Hop Drop ‘N Roll. The latest and perhaps most delicious addition is The Exchange Pizza Depot, which took over a former secondary bar space near the back patio that had long been used for tabling, merch and everything but revenue.
As folks learned during the opening week when pies were going for $10 each, The Exchange Pizza Depot offers up a fun selection of pizzas, two of which are named after Ciganek daughters. The Maddie-Rita features a classic red sauce with sliced mozzarella and fresh basil while Jordan’s Jamboree includes pepperoni, sausage, red sauce and mozzarella.
The variety widens from there, with well-known options like the Caprese or buffalo chicken mixed among more eccentric offerings like The Pinnacle (diced chicken and bacon over homemade cream sauce and mixed cheese) and the Pickle-ickle-ickle (dill pickles over mozzarella and southwestern sauce, finished with a super-secret pickle seasoning #5).
Originally based in Matthews, The Exchange Pizza Depot has built a reputation around the city for serving high-quality pies that hit all the right notes. The version inside NoDa Brewing isn’t fussy about labels — it bills itself as Neapolitan-style, but really, it’s just good pizza. Paired with a cold pint on the patio, it’s the kind of expansion that makes perfect sense for one of Charlotte’s most iconic breweries.
BEST PLACE NOBODY TALKS ABOUT: Arthur’s Restaurant & Wine Shop
If you walked through SouthPark Mall and asked shoppers which department store had a restaurant in the basement, fewer than half would know the answer. But locals in the know have been dining at Arthur’s inside Belk since 1972. It’s a Charlotte institution hiding in plain sight.
Arthur’s is more than a restaurant; it is a full-service experience tucked beneath the bustle of the city’s most prestigious mall. Alongside its diner-style favorites and American classics, you will find a wine bar, a coffee counter serving Dilworth Coffee and even a well-stocked wine shop, all run by Arthur’s.
The food is just as memorable as the setting. The burgers, Triple-Decker Club, and cheesesteaks are standouts, delivering comfort and consistency that have kept regulars coming back for decades. Arthur’s may be one of Charlotte’s oldest hidden gems, but after more than 50 years, it still feels like a secret worth rediscovering.
BEST VEGAN EATERY: Soul Miner’s Garden
In 2023, Soul Miner’s Garden moved into the Camp North End stall vacated by Plant Joy. When vegan God closes a door … or however the expression goes. The story for Soul Miner’s Garden didn’t start then; it began as a food truck a few years before and even held a storefront in Gastonia before moving into their current location.
Owner/chef Sasha Quinn, puts her heart and soul into making vegan food that is packed with flavor.
If you try the loaded nachos — doubled layered with black beans, homemade nut-free and dairy-free queso, lettuce, green onion, fresh salsa, homemade guacamole, fresh jalapeno slices, and a spicy crema drizzle on top — you’ll see why there’s an illustration of the dish placed right above the spot where you order.
Quinn has been a champion of the vegan community in Charlotte for many years and in a city that doesn’t appreciate its vegan establishments enough, it’s an underrated gem, even if you’re a dyed in the wool carnivore.
BEST TAKEOUT: Crispy Bánh Mì
Crispy Bánh Mì is not only a takeout spot, they also provide an exceptional dine-in experience across their multiple locations as a local chain. They’ve expanded to four locations: Shamrock, South Blvd, Ayrsley and Ballantyne.
There’s plenty of exceptional bahn mi locations in Charlotte, but what makes Crispy Bánh Mì a mainstay since 2016 is their reliability in flavor across all of their stores. Owner Trung Do has said that, upon a trip to Vietnam in 2014, he and his wife were inspired to bring more authentic flavors to Charlotte.
Their expansive menu includes a plethora of milk teas that seems to be neverending, but their secret weapon might be the Cajun fries.
BEST ATMOSPHERE: Sen Mee Noodle House
It’s been interesting to watch Sen Mee grow since their opening in August 2024, and to watch the east Charlotte community embrace them with open arms. They’ve incorporated more comfy touches, including the recent much-needed addition of outdoor seating along with some planters to really tie it all together.
“Sen mee” is Thai for rice noodle, like what’s sold at the noodle house, while the full title when said quickly sounds like someone saying, “Send me noodles,” which the staff at Sen Mee is more than ready to do.
“We just play on it as our little quirky personality,” Zajac said, laughing.
Zajac opened the restaurant with three other women: Lin Wilet, Nana Chandara and Sophia Dong. The local restaurateurs were all friends who cooked together and wanted to bring their cuisine to Charlotte residents. The original intention was to make the spot a takeout-only location, but customers’ embraced the new spot so readily that they changed their minds.
“We’re lucky to be able to express how we feel in our culture of food and share with this community as well, especially as a diverse community at that,” Zajac explained in February. “We’ve been lucky enough to have people who [are] adventurous to try our food on top of that. [We’re] just friends who love food who are now operating a place that has our food.”
