The owners of Havana Carolina Restaurant & Bar in Concord have a new fine dining Cuba restaurant in Charlotte named El Puro. The space is fun and energetic with live music and plenty of neon lights. The menu has all the classics, from paella to ropa vieja to croquetas.

Mac and cheese on french fries? “Why not,” says newcomer What the Fries. The popular Charlotte food truck became a brick-and-mortar restaurant this year. Know for gourmet french fries, tots, and irresistible burgers, fans will no longer need to chase down the mobile kitchen to feed their comfort food cravings.

Atlanta transplant Bocado brings its famous double-stacked burger to Charlotte, along with new Southern American fare like fancy deviled eggs, watermelon salad, and seared chicken thighs in a Tabasco-white wine sauce.

Located inside the Mint Museum, Mariposa offer mezze of international influences for lunch and dinner. Examples of menu items include lamb belly bulgogi lettuce wraps, ceviche aguachile, piri piri chicken, tomato and burrata tart, Gullah paella, and more.

Uptown newcomer Caroline’s Oyster Bar offers a taste of the North Carolina coast with a menu full of oysters, ceviche, and stacked seafood towers. Nautical touches in the dining room add an upscale beach-y vibe, and the 360-bar welcomes patrons to stay for another round.

Japanese restaurant Mizu sits atop the atop the Hyatt Centric in Charlotte’s SouthPark neighborhood. The rooftop restaurant focuses on wood-fired seafood with the star of the kitchen being a robatayaki, a traditional grill often found in izakaya. The menu incorporates Japanese flavors with Southern produce and products.

What started as a pizza hotspot in the Williamsburg, Emmy Squared has rapidly expanded recently with the latest target in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood in Charlotte. The restaurant is widely known for its thick crust pizza and its double-stacked burger on a pretzel bun, which has won multiple best-of awards. The Charlotte location will offer favorites like waffle fries, cheesy garlic sticks, chicken katsu sandwiches, and salads, in addition to all those pizza and burgers.

The only thing missing at sunny spot Calle Sol Latin Café and Cevicheria is the beach. This new Plaza Midwood restaurant transports patrons to the shores of Miami, Cuba, and Peru via its rum-soaked cocktail menu and classic Latin American dishes like ceviches, Cubanos, and arroz chaufa. The dining room is full of fun details and bright colors, making a festive atmosphere.

Two of Charlotte’s favorite coffee shops, Not Just Coffee and Undercurrent Coffee, joined forces to open Night Swim Coffee in Oakhurst. Drinks range from a maple cardamom latte to a Japanese iced coffee. On the food menu, customers will find avocado toast with harissa and lime-pickled onions, as well as a breakfast sandwich with Tender Harmony Ridge eggs and Goat Lady Dairy chevre. This is the first location, with others planned to open in the area.