It’s time for the second post in my series of “Why and what I love about Charlotte.”
In my first post I covered 7 Things I Love About Living in Charlotte and today I’m going to be sharing my 7 favorite foodie spots in Charlotte! It’s going to be tough to narrow it down to 7. There’s going to need to be a part 2 to this post!
This post is going to be “foodie” themed, not restaurant specific. These are places that I shop, eat and hang out regularly.
1. The Charlotte Regional Farmers Market
Every Saturday morning you can find me at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market visiting my favorite farmers to stock up on seasonal and locally grown fruits and veggies. I also try to buy most of my poultry, beef, pork and eggs at the market and pick up other items like locally roasted coffee, flower arrangements, homemade breads, local honey and more. While I enjoy eating out, I really love to cook meals at home…especially when I can use local, seasonal, fresh and healthy ingredients!
The Charlotte Regional Farmers Market is really big and my number one tip is to be careful about who you buy from. It’s very common at farmers markets to find produce resellers. (This is exactly why I’ll never call the King’s Road Market a true farmers market.) Talk to the farmers and ask them about how they grow their food, where their farm is located, etc. Mostly everyone in building A is legit (it’s the “Got to be NC building”) but buildings B and C are more specialty retailers and produce resellers. Note, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing but if your goal is local, ask!
Tip: Don’t miss out on the beautiful, well-priced fresh flower arrangements! You can get a very generous bouquet for $10.
2. Earl’s Grocery
Earl’s Grocery is located in Elizabeth and is one of my favorite spots to meet friends for lunch or to hang out and to camp out for a few hours to get work done.
They have a little bit of everything from prepared foods to wine and beer to cheeses and meats to made-to-order food.
I love their kale salad. It’s changes seasonally and is always so delicious.
Tip: Earl’s also has baked goods and a coffee and juice bar. I love the molasses ginger cookie.
3. Saigon Palace
Saigon Palace is a Vietnamese restaurant located on South Blvd near the intersection of Tyvola. It’s in a strip mall but it’s a hidden gem. It’s my favorite place to go for a super casual, affordable ethnic dinner and it’s one of the few places that I will do take-out from.
They have a huge menu packed with all kinds of Vietnamese dishes, including tons of pho varieties. I highly recommend venturing out of the pho safety zone and trying some of their other specialty dishes. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like here.
Tip: glasses of wine are $4, generously poured and surprisingly drinkable. Also, the bo bia spring rolls are a must!
4. Reid’s Fine Foods
Reid’s is located in Myers Park on Selwyn Avenue (with a huge location in SouthPark opening later this year) and it’s my go-to for delicious build-your-own salads, unique wines and a great butcher. Reid’s has a little bit of everything! They have a wine bar that serves incredible food, a deli counter that serves salads, sandwiches, wraps and prepared foods, a market with all the basics you need for your kitchen, artisan goods and food gifts, frozen items, local produce and more.
They’re frequently rewarded for their amazing butcher. I regularly buy meats there and highly recommend their pre-marinated chicken breasts. They’re so easy to cook and taste amazing. They usually have 5-7 different flavors to choose from. I also like their steaks, stuffed chicken and pork chops.
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Tip: Reid’s has a really unique and interesting retail wine selection with bottles that you don’t see everywhere.
5. Good Food on Montford
Good Food on Montford is probably my favorite restaurant in Charlotte. It’s a tapas-style restaurant owned by the Moffett Group and everything that comes out of that kitchen is magic!
It’s small, intimate and cozy. I would say it’s better for a date night or catching up with a girlfriend than for big groups.
Tip: Good Food doesn’t take reservations so be prepared to wait, especially on the weekends. Go on a Monday night for a more relaxed dining experience.
6. Berrybrook Farm
Berrybrook Farm is located in Dilworth on East Boulevard and it’s a quirky little health foods store that serves surprisingly delicious vegetarian food and smoothies.
They offer daily homemade soup specials and their Inspiration Soup is probably my favorite soup in all of Charlotte…if not ever!
Tip: Try the Nutty Fruity Smoothie. It’s crazy good!
7. Sunflour Bakery
Sunflour Bakery is located in Elizabeth and is one of my favorite places in Charlotte! I have spent countless hours here working and chatting with friends.
Sunflour serves my favorite latte in Charlotte. Their soy latte is creamy, foamy and oh so good.
And I LOVE their Morning Glory Muffin.
In addition to the sweet stuff and coffee, Sunflour makes breakfast and lunch sandwiches. You can have your sandwich on a biscuit, croissant or bread that’s baked in-house. They also have a soup of the day. It’s the perfect place to spend some time working or catching up with a friend.
Tip: The cinnamon rolls are AMAZING but huge! Plan to splurge and share one with a friend.
So there you have it! 7 of my favorite foodie spots in Charlotte.
Local readers, I would LOVE to hear about your favorite places!
