50 Best Southern Restaurants in Charlotte

“Very classy and delicious food!!“

“Beautiful place, amazing service and awesome food.“

“Excellent Food and Excellent Service. Thank you to our waiter Owen! Karen and Carol!“

“This place was so nice the employees were the bomb My waiter Greg S was soooooo nice I'm coming back“

“Tired. Salty. Great service. This establishment began it's life as a inspired salute to Southern cuisine. That star has long faded and what's left is an exhausted afterglow of oversalted deviled eggs, tasteless catfish, and reduced menu options. Even the cushions on the seats were flat, their softness consumed in years upon years of use. I long for the old days, when this place was full of energy and potential. The owners should reopen the place after extensive remodel, restroom upgrade, and renewal of the menu. Reclaim your crown New South!“

“I had this waiter cat and she was phenomenal!“

“Just had a delicious lunch at The Southern Pecan. I had the shrimp po’ boy, which was served with a side of fries. Soooo good. Luckily it was too much food so now I have dinner already prepared. Service was excellent - shout out to Lilly!“

“Sardines are no longer offered on the menu but they still have fish…. “MEALS, none finer anywhere MEALS SO MOUTH-WATERING THAT YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU CAME TO CIRCLE G” - 1954 Charlotte Observer Good Morning. Flounder fish (slabs) and grits, hot sauce, eggs, grilled biscuit. $10.50 That is all.👌🏽“

“Had a engagement in a hour. in and out and great service“

“Had a really nice lunch here with the family. The food was fresh, and the staff was super friendly. Definitely coming back next time we’re in the area!“

“perfect dinner... amazing drinks... and the service was awesome.. 10 stars“

“Yesterday I organized a dinner for my family, food was very delicious and tasty. My all family told me that their staff was very professional and kind. Highly Recomended💯“

“Went because I got a gift card, drove from Lake Wylie SC. Our waitress Halie was Fantastic! Very friendly, beautiful smile, had a great time laughing, she explained every question about the menu. She is the one to ask for! 5 Star rating! Food was excellent! Prices are reasonable, the murals are Colorful! Looking to Going again!“

“Delicious food! We arrived 5 mins before closing, but the girl took our order and we ate it in the car. So so so good. Will definitely be back!“

“Get the What The Cluck…that’s all 🥹😍“

“A night to remember at The McNinch House 🌹✨ Growing up, my Dad wasn’t just an industrial engineer—he was a hobby chef with serious skills. He spent his childhood in restaurants, and at home, he brought that magic to our table. I didn’t grow up eating “normal kid food,” and to this day, he’s the best cook I know. My love for food? 100% from him. The McNinch House has been on my list for over a decade—and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Executive Chef Eric O’Connor, who joined just a year ago, blew us away. We had the 4-course tasting menu (I truly don’t know how people survive the 5-course!), and every dish was a standout: *Corn & Clam Chowder – the cream is everything *Bone Marrow – best I’ve ever had *Lamb Lollipops (my husbands) – best I’ve ever had; perfectly cooked *Pork Wellington (my husbands) – the basil took it over the top *Snapper Succotash – the bacon made it *Crème Brûlée – perfectly done From the surprise oyster starter (cool presentation served in a shell over ice) to the palate-cleansing sorbet between courses, every detail was thoughtful and special. Chef Eric personally served our entrée—how cool is that? The service was impeccable, with a main server and 2-3 others helping throughout. At the end, they even handed me a freshly picked rose from their garden. 💐 We dined in a historic 1800s home filled with charm, and afterward strolled through the garden—flowers everywhere, twinkle lights, fountains, and the Charlotte skyline in view. I had to ask for the chef’s autograph and a photo—he’s just that good. We told him he deserves a star, and he smiled and said, “We’re on the list.” So now I’m shouting from the rooftops: let’s help make that Michelin star happen! He absolutely deserves it. Thank you, Chef Eric and the entire McNinch House team, for one of the most enchanting, romantic, and memorable meals I’ve ever had in Charlotte. The whole evening—2.5 hours of pure joy—was not just dinner, it was an experience. ❤️“

“The food was amazing and delicious, very impressed, my family loved it!“

“Amazing food everything tasted fresh chicken and waffles is what we got with the Mac and cheese was 10/10 amazing .“

“Delicious and tasty healthy menu. Love that they have such variety sandwiches, scoops, soups, salads, lots of yummy sides, and the grapes… The grapes!“

“Let's start off with the greeting from the hostess. She was very welcoming with a great personality. I believe our waitress said she was her Manager. Our waitress Marissa is one of the best waitresses I have come across. From the time we sat down until we left. Her customer service was 10/10. She engaged with my six year old daughter. Even when she was being extra talkative. She still engaged with her every time. To the point where my daughter loved talking to her every time she came to the table and walked by. She laughed and joked with her. Her conversations with my mom and I were super genuine. She took our order in a timely manner. She gave us updates while waiting for our meal. She checked on us throughout our meal. Gave us our drink refills in a timely manner. We didn't have to ask her for anything or wave her down. She was on top of it. She has the perfect personality and pays attention to her customer's. I also observed that she was the same with other customer's as well. She has the charisma to Intertwine and comfortability to talk to customer's and not at them. She cares about her customer's. She's an asset to your team. Not only will customers want to come back for your AMAZING FOOD, but for great customer service. Marissa thanks so much! From your new friends from Fayetteville.“

“Awesome experience at Kostas!“

“Me and about 25 of my chapter brothers had our reunion luncheon here last Friday 7/22/22. The food was amazing, literally the best thing I ate in Charlotte. In addition the service was impeccable and the restrooms where spotless. They even kept the Resturant open for an additional hour to accommodate us. I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience for our event. Thank you so much. We will be back.“

“Friendly workers..great food“

“The store is kept clean and well maintained. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious the restrooms are clean and the atmosphere is very welcoming. Chicken salad chick is a well oiled machine so to speak and I will definitely return and recommend. 5 stars all the way!“

“great bar service wonderful pig skins best queso on South side of Charlotte“

“Tried Tryon house out for my birthday dinner and it did not disappoint! Food was amazing, came out very quickly and our waitress Keleigh was fast and very sweet! I recommend the turkey and dressing! It was delicious!“

“waitress was great. food was delicious. had a great experience. thank you“

“Staff was friendly, food was served hot and fresh and affordable“

“That sounds great.“

“Delicious old school southern cooking. If healthy eating is your thing, this is not your place. The interior is comfortably retro, with a couch seating area at the bar. The true star is the food. I ordered the country fried steak. It came with mashed potatoes and gravy. I chose collard greens and a deviled egg as my side, and the entree came with a biscuit. Everything was scratch made. The steak was fork tender, fried Golden brown and covered with lightly peppered scratch gravy. It was accompanied by homemade mashed potatoes, delicious and ever so slightly lumpy. The biscuit was baked to perfection, slightly crunchy and buttery. The collard greens were delicious. I had mine with vinegar. The deviled egg was good but not the best I've ever had. Overall, highly recommended.“

“Very good food, sports oriented bar and restaurant“

“Great food, prices outstanding today!!!!“

“Very accommodating, allowed us to change the table they had selected. Sal, our waiter, was very understand and patient with us. The food was perfect. We had a relaxing meal, arrived at 7pm and we saw they were looking to close before we realized the time......“

“I am a Charlotte area event planner and Taste of Heaven was my caterer for the most recent wedding I produced. They did excellent work! The food was phenomenal especially the soulful eggrolls #yummy I would highly recommend them for any event but especially for a wedding.“

“We had the pleasure of eating there on May 9, 2026. We had 31 people from our Church in Turkey, NC(Sampson County) and the service was fast, food was excellent and the staff was great. Will definitely be back when in Charlotte again!!“

“My hubby and I chose this spot for our anniversary brunch! Everything was amazing, down to the water! Def will be back!!“

“The food was okay but we waited over 1hr and 30 minutes for our food to come out. We ordered waters for the table and didn’t get that until 45 minutes later. Never again. The food was good but after the wait and the horrible service it definitely wasn’t worth it. On top of that they give very small portions. Like you’re telling me I have to wait that long and barely any food even came out? Yeah no cuzzos will not be seeing me again. They were talking about they ran out of dishes and then added 20 minutes to our wait. Overall not a great experience!“

“Amazing for couples for a date night or families with kids! There’s almost always a special of some sort going on, and the food is ALWAYS top notch. 10/10 recommend. ❤️“

“Customer service is EXCELLENT!!! Never a problem with my order. Prices are very reasonable. Maggie and Scott are the best!!!😁“

“We had a great time! Everyone liked the food! We had a large party and the accommodations were great! The decor was great!“

“Nana’s Porch grilled burgers, and provided sides at our backyard event last weekend. We had many compliments on both the food and the staff. The burgers were great, as were the sides. The team that came was so nice, very personable and attentive. I will definitely use them again!“

“Had breakfast room service twice and the portions were very large and the food was excellent. Also had their crab soup yesterday. Highly recommend.“

“It was fine. Not what I was planning or expecting. This is a small hotel spot. Not a “brunch destination”. Bar wasn't staffed during the visit so that limited our brunch drink options. Drafts weren't restocked. Sparkling wine for mimosas was extremely poor and was returned. Food was simply “ok”. Hot honey on the chicken (chicken and waffles) was not hot at all. Chicken seemed overcooked and dry. Waffle was average, likely a premade mix or even premade altogether.“

“love Showmars good food and prices what's not to love“

“Shrimp and grits is sooooo good! The brunch, chicken tenders everything is sooooo good! Best food ever! Service is perfect everyone is soooo nice. Everytime I come to Charlotte every other month I always come here“

“Just wanted to give a shout out to the big black bald guy running (what looked like everything) in the long sleeve brown shirt. when we first got there the man was telling the cashiers to clean up and keep the area tight. when we started looking for a table the man found us a seat. for the finale this man was throwing down on the meat station. I had 3 steaks yall and I'm only a 130 lbs female. Not only was this man's work ethic and meat standards so good, his customer service was awesome. He had an entire line of customers waiting for their steaks (which can't be helped with how busy they were) and some of the customers started half way complaining.. and this big dude yells something about Las Vegas and starts laughing and immediately everyone's reaction was to smile. not even half a min later he was pushing steaks like you wouldn't believe. what makes him even better though was for my second steak I walked up with 5 other people and he pointed at me with his tongs and said med rare? I said yes sir. this man was a 10/10. However... the waiting staff sucked. We had to go up to the registers and refill our drinks like 4 times (just me my dude and our little girl). I had to go up to ask for the a1 sauce. some of our plates were never cleared but yet there was a party of 5 beside us that drinks were always full. BTW they left a 5 and we (for the most part) Always leave a 10. sorry not sorry. we left 3 bucks. being honest we should have just given the bald man the money. he deserved it the most.“

“I came in today with two friends for lunch. We asked our server, Shauna for recommendations and she was spot on with the mahi mahi spinach salad. It was delicious! Shauna gave excellent service. She is very friendly, kept our drinks filled and was always there if we needed something. I will definitely be back and hopefully Shauna will be there when I do.“

“I stop here often. The chicken, the fish, the tacos are all good. Fair prices and friendly service.“

“We ordered takeout from Showmars yesterday (Sunday, May 5 2026) and everything was perfect! The food was absolutely delicious — fresh, flavorful, and exactly what we were craving. Everything was correctly prepared, nicely packaged, and clearly labeled, which made unpacking at home super easy. A special shoutout to the cashier, Carol, who was incredibly friendly and helpful. Her great attitude made the whole experience even better. We’ll definitely be back soon. Highly recommend! 👍“

“I eat here several times a week (usually 4–5 times), and it’s one of my favorite places to grab a meal. The staff is always friendly, welcoming, and remembers their regular customers, which makes it an even better experience.

The food is consistently good, the portions are great, and the prices are very reasonable. It’s hard to beat the combination of good food, great service, and affordable prices. If you’re looking for a place with a friendly atmosphere and reliable food, I’d definitely recommend giving them a try!“