Breweries
Heist Brewpub
2909 N Davidson St #200, Charlotte, NC 28205
Charlotte brewpub with amazing beers, many hazy IPAs. Upscale bar food served, indoor and outdoor seating, but not a huge place.
11am – 12am weekdays, 11am – 2am Sat. & Sun.
NoDa Brewing
2921 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28206
Probably Charlotte’s flagship brewery. Well-rounded selection of year-round things and experimental stuff. Can get crowded on weekends, but there’s typically a lot of room outside if the weather is nice. Hop, Drop & Roll is their gold-medal winning IPA. They have around 20 of their beers on tap.
F: 4pm – 10pm, S&S 12pm – 10pm
Wooden Robot
1440 S. Tryon St. Suite 110, Charlotte, NC 28203
Brewpub with lots of indoor seating, a little bit outside; very popular and crowded. Good beer.
Fri: 3pm – 12am, Sat: 12pm – 12am
Salud Cerveceria
3306-C N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Just upstairs from Salud Beer Shop, which has expanded quite a bit in recent years. Upstairs is gorgeous and the beer is excellent. The shop downstairs is great: 15 unique taps and amazing to-go selection.
11am – 12pm
Free Range Brewing
2320 N Davidson St., Charlotte, NC
Farmhouse-inspired beer and a cool vibe to it. Really artsy at what they do.
12pm – 11pm
Resident Culture Brewing
2101 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Relative newcomer to the Charlotte beer scene, but they are killing it. Heavy emphasis on hop-forward beer, so it’s a must-visit for IPA fans. If there’s a can release if/when they visit, expect a line to get it.
F: 3pm – 11pm, S&S: 12pm – 11pm
Legion Brewing
1906 Commonwealth Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Not far from Resident Culture, it’s in the heart of Plaza Midwood in a building that used to be an old piano company. Juicy Jay IPA would be the go-to here.
F: 2pm – 11pm, Sat:12pm – 11pm, Sun: 10am – 8pm
Birdsong Brewing
1016 North Davidson St., Charlotte, NC 28206
On the fringes of NoDa, another solid beer company that’s been around about 5-6 years. Great outdoor area, and if they still have the Weasels on Woodpeckers peach aged saison, it’s worth a try.
T-F: 3 – 10pm, Sat: noon – 10pm, Sun: 10am – 8pm
Craft Growler Shop
1320 S Church St Charlotte, NC 28203
This is probably more of a beer place than food place, but fine-crust pizzas and cheese plates/salad selections are the menu here. Aside from that you’ll find 30-some taps and bottle to go selections.
11am – midnight
Restaurants & Pubs
Amélie’s French Bakery & Café
2424 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Cafe with amazing pastries. Try the twice-baked chocolate croissant, or really? Anything. It’s all delicious.
Open 24/7
JJ’s Red Hots
400 S Tryon St Suite R2, Charlotte, NC 28202
Hot dogs. I haven’t tried this place, yet, but it’s at the top of my list. They have a few locations. Limited hours.
11am – 5pm, M – F
Futo Buta
222 E Bland St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Delicious ramen noodles and stuff.
F&S: 11am -11pm, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Pinky’s Westside Grill
1600 W Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28208
This is a good option for greasy-spoon type food. Kitschy with fun decorations, cheap eats, not fancy. Popular, but plenty of seating.
11am – 11pm
Haberdish
3106 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Some of the new has worn off this place, but still qualifies as a hot destination. A modern take on country style meals in a nod to NoDa’s mill community roots. No reservations, but they use the No Wait app.
F: 5pm – 1am, Sat: 11am – 1am, Sun: 11am – 11pm
Cabo Fish Taco
3201 North Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC 28205
Fish tacos mostly, but also chicken, beef, tofu
11am – 11pm
Rai Lay Thai Cuisine
1520 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC
Fri: 5pm – 10pm, Sat: 12pm – 10pm, Sun: 5pm – 10pm
Crepe Cellar Kitchen & Pub
3116 North Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC 28205
Great food, cocktails, and shares beer taps with sister restaurant/beer place Growlers next door.
11:30am – till
Superica
101 W. Worthington Avenue #100, Charlotte NC 28203
Really new and quickly a favorite for us. Tex-Mex that’s a little pricey, but excellent and in a cool space in South End.
F: 5 – 11pm, S&S: 3pm – 11pm
Alexander Michael’s
401 W 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Or as we call it “Al Mikes.” Neighborhood restaurant in the heart of 4th Ward residences. Deep roots in Charlotte and a long-running favorite.
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm
Pizza Peel
1600 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
A couple of these locations around, but closest to them would be in Plaza Midwood. Excellent beer selection to wash it down. Walkable neighborhood to walk the calories off.
11am – 12am
Roots Cafe
2135 Southend Dr. Suite 109, Charlotte, NC
Sandwiches & diner style menu but better ingredients. Lunch or breakfast spot.
F: 7am – 9pm, S&S: 8am – 3pm
SouthBound
2433 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203
Tacos, Mexican, cocktails
11am – 12am
Arcade Bars
Lucky’s Bar & Arcade
300 N College St #104, Charlotte, NC 28202
F: 5pm – 2am, S&S: 3pm – 2am
Abari Game Bar
1721 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28206
F: 5pm – 2am, S&S: 12pm – 2am
Palmer St Arcade Bar
412 W Palmer St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Mostly pinball
Fri & Sat: 4pm – 2am, Sun: closed
Cafes
Suffolk Punch – coffee bar, cafe, taproom
Smelly Cat Coffee shop
Record Shops
Lunchbox Records
825 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
They have a kickass t-shirt with a robot on it.
12pm – 9pm
Repo Record
3325 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
M – Sat: 10am – 7pm, Sun: closed
Manifest Discs
6239 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28210
Records and CDs
M – Sat: 10am – 9pm, Sun: 12pm – 5pm
2nd & Charles
5331 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28217
Some records, but not a ton. Also books, CDs, video games
10am – 11pm
Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
4450 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209
Lotsa junk; has a record corner
10am – 8pm, Sun: closed