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Rooftop seating with a view of Charlotte.
The rooftop at Hestia.
Hestia

9 Hottest Restaurants in Charlotte, May 2023

From a rooftop menu full of wagyu to farm-to-table dining

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The rooftop at Hestia.
| Hestia

More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What’s everyone talking about? While the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the “it” places of the moment. Enter the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to highlight the spots crowds are flocking to at the moment or generating a big buzz. Folks are asking, “Have you been yet?” Try one of these newbies today.

New to the list:
May 2023: Hex Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines, Urban District Market
April 2023: Hestia
March 2023: Curry Gate 2
February 2023: Restaurant Constance, Menya Daruma
January 2023: Counter, Biblio

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Hex Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines

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Specialty roaster Hex Coffee moved into a 2,700-square-foot space at Camp North End and now offers plenty of cafe seating, coffee drinks, natural wines, mocktails, and Japanese-inspired fare like karaage with white miso waffles.

Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District

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Popular Korean-meets-Southern barbecue spot Seoul Food Meat Company opened a second location in the Optimist Park neighborhood. Like the original, expect menu mashups like pimento corn cheese, green tea cornbread, soy-pickled deviled eggs, and plenty of smoky meats.

Urban District Market

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The latest food hall to join the Charlotte scene, Urban District Market opened with several meaty stalls and a craft beer/soju bar. Restaurants joining the group include katsu spot Crispy Patty, Hand Chop Burger Company, the Rare Butcher, and more.

Restaurant Constance

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Chef Sam Diminich, owner of meal delivery service Your Farms Your Table, opened his first sit-down establishment Restaurant Constance with the same dedication to local produce and seasonality of the food. Diminich who has spoken about his past struggles with addiction worked his way up through the culinary world from homelessness to arrive at his own restaurant named after his daughter.

Jimmy Pearls

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Chefs Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper opened Jimmy Pearls in 2020 but went on to pursue the food truck life in 2021. Now they are back at food hall Market at 7th Street to bring their famous Uncle Gene’s fish sandwich, shrimp rolls, and other Virginia tidewater cuisine to the masses. Get the Bubba Chunks — basically a warm corn fritter/hush puppy with sorghum butter — a non-serious name, for a seriously good dish.

Biblio is the sister wine bar to tasting menu restaurant Counter. It has the same eccentric expertise as its sibling but is more accessible to those who couldn’t score a reservation next door. Biblio boasts a catalog of over 500 wines, and each is priced to include small plates created to pair with the wine and the customer. A recent Instagram caption read, “We don’t serve cheap wine, we don’t cook shit food,” so it’s a bit of a different attitude for an upscale wine bar.

Menya Daruma

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Menya Daruma seeks to master the art of broth and noodles. The menu is stacked with ramen choices, soba selections, and a few katsu sandwiches. Customers can also start their meal with bao buns or gyoza.

Curry Gate 2

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Popular Indian and Nepali restaurant Curry Gate recently expanded to South Boulevard with all the same menu favorites and more space for customers to dine in the restaurant. Expect chicken tikka masala, aloo gobi, saag paneer, samosas, and all the other classics that made the original location a hit since 2020.

Hestia Rooftop

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Rooftop restaurant Hestia joins Ballantyne Village with views of Charlotte and tons of wagyu beef. There’s wagyu bone marrow, wagyu tacos, wagyu fried rice, a torched wagyu roll, and a $399 wagyu steak. For those not looking for red meat, there is a selection of sushi and other Japanese-inspired dishes.

A chef with a blowtorch over a steak sushi roll.
A torched wagyu roll at Hestia.
Hestia

Hex Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines

Specialty roaster Hex Coffee moved into a 2,700-square-foot space at Camp North End and now offers plenty of cafe seating, coffee drinks, natural wines, mocktails, and Japanese-inspired fare like karaage with white miso waffles.

Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District

Popular Korean-meets-Southern barbecue spot Seoul Food Meat Company opened a second location in the Optimist Park neighborhood. Like the original, expect menu mashups like pimento corn cheese, green tea cornbread, soy-pickled deviled eggs, and plenty of smoky meats.

Urban District Market

The latest food hall to join the Charlotte scene, Urban District Market opened with several meaty stalls and a craft beer/soju bar. Restaurants joining the group include katsu spot Crispy Patty, Hand Chop Burger Company, the Rare Butcher, and more.

Restaurant Constance

Chef Sam Diminich, owner of meal delivery service Your Farms Your Table, opened his first sit-down establishment Restaurant Constance with the same dedication to local produce and seasonality of the food. Diminich who has spoken about his past struggles with addiction worked his way up through the culinary world from homelessness to arrive at his own restaurant named after his daughter.

Jimmy Pearls

Chefs Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper opened Jimmy Pearls in 2020 but went on to pursue the food truck life in 2021. Now they are back at food hall Market at 7th Street to bring their famous Uncle Gene’s fish sandwich, shrimp rolls, and other Virginia tidewater cuisine to the masses. Get the Bubba Chunks — basically a warm corn fritter/hush puppy with sorghum butter — a non-serious name, for a seriously good dish.

Biblio

Biblio is the sister wine bar to tasting menu restaurant Counter. It has the same eccentric expertise as its sibling but is more accessible to those who couldn’t score a reservation next door. Biblio boasts a catalog of over 500 wines, and each is priced to include small plates created to pair with the wine and the customer. A recent Instagram caption read, “We don’t serve cheap wine, we don’t cook shit food,” so it’s a bit of a different attitude for an upscale wine bar.

Menya Daruma

Menya Daruma seeks to master the art of broth and noodles. The menu is stacked with ramen choices, soba selections, and a few katsu sandwiches. Customers can also start their meal with bao buns or gyoza.

Curry Gate 2

Popular Indian and Nepali restaurant Curry Gate recently expanded to South Boulevard with all the same menu favorites and more space for customers to dine in the restaurant. Expect chicken tikka masala, aloo gobi, saag paneer, samosas, and all the other classics that made the original location a hit since 2020.

Hestia Rooftop

Rooftop restaurant Hestia joins Ballantyne Village with views of Charlotte and tons of wagyu beef. There’s wagyu bone marrow, wagyu tacos, wagyu fried rice, a torched wagyu roll, and a $399 wagyu steak. For those not looking for red meat, there is a selection of sushi and other Japanese-inspired dishes.

A chef with a blowtorch over a steak sushi roll.
A torched wagyu roll at Hestia.
Hestia

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