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.

Room Service, an eye-catching cocktail and small plates destination from the same team behind mobile Black Moth Bars, is the newest addition to Camp North End’s offerings. It nails a minimal, non-cramped mid-century aesthetic with sit-down tables and a fun bar top, making it an appealing spot for a date night, a post-work happy hour, or a long lunch with a spritz. Visitors won’t stick to their typical cocktail order here; they’ll want to experiment with over a dozen inventive cocktail concoctions ranging around $14, from a blood orange agave drink to a bright gin and matcha creation. Room Service doesn’t limit itself to being exclusively a cocktail bar, as proven by the whipped feta with fennel jam and hot honey, smash burger sliders, and jalapeno salt and vinegar chips with sweet roasted corn and creamy cotija. The easygoing, accessible location, menu, and atmosphere hints at this spot being hot for a long time. 

Andrew Schools and Larry Suggs have infused their veteran bartending expertise into a new moody bar in Villa Heights. With a steady following born out of Humbug’s pop-up at the Refuge Hotel, the new brick and mortar Humbug is shaking, stirring, and serving an impressive range of $14 cocktails, from a fernet espresso martini with salted cold foam to a crisp fennel-infused Aviation. And somehow, the eight shooters on the menu transform shots into expertly crafted, socially acceptable, even classy drinks at this intimate bar. It’s a walk-in only spot with a limit of six people per party — a choice that reflects a dedication to focused table service and a come-as-you-are neighborhood feel. Enjoy the tucked-away pool table that lives in the back, maybe on Amaro Mondays.

Located in the Wesley Heights neighborhood, Pizza Baby, like its name, is youthful and playful, with spritzy aperitivos and sprightly menu fonts and doodles. Order takeout, or dine in for an energetic, multisensory experience — scents of fermented sweet-salty-soft dough, sounds of staff serving, and sights of the cool, airy Los Angeles-meets-Rome aesthetic. Save room for chef Trey Wilson’s Brussels sprouts and sesame seed-crusted pizza, inspired by travels to New York, and the plentiful portion of soft serve (add amaro). Don’t be shy about blanketing everything — the remnants of crispy crust or the lush burrata — in that bonafide Sicilian olive oil or the dipping trio, featuring a crushable Calabrian chili red sauce. While Pizza Baby is in its infant stage, finding its footing with busy nights and new employees, it has promising potential as a fun adult pizza party.

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. Each wine can be paired with a unique small plate from the creative kitchen team. A recent-ish 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.

Chef Hector Gonzalez-Mora, now better known for his Mexican restaurant El Toro Bruto inside Resident Culture in South End, has returned to Resident Culture on Central Avenue, where he first started as the pop-up Chilito. This time, he’ll have El Toro Bruto as a food truck. The menu is more limited than the full-service version in South End, but will still feature his popular “dilla” tacos, Mexicali bowl, nachos, and breakfast tacos. A bit of trivia: The actual truck had been used by the Dumpling Lady — owners Zhan Qian and John Nisbet are focusing on brick-and-mortar locations, including in South End. Look for the El Toro Bruto truck from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The breakfast tacos will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only.

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.

Although 1957 Hospitality Group is dominating the corner of 7th and Pecan with Rosemont and Crunkleton, Puerta fills a new niche as both an evening restaurant and nighttime lounge. A modern Central American influence is palpable not only through the menu, with lamb birria empanadas, lightly spiced mole negro chicken, and dippable churros, but through the geometric tiled arches, handwoven chairs, and whitewashed brick. The cocktails — some biting (a pineapple and chile liqueur mezcal drink) and some boozy (tequila old fashioned with mole bitters) — are all created with agave spirits and can be sipped during dinner or late night hours, DJ and lounge chairs included.

Monday Night Brewing, a redesigned Southend warehouse with an unmissable mint green exterior, appeals to the varied tastes of Charlotte with a one(big)-size-fits-all aesthetic — a pool parlor, an expansive and firepit-friendly outdoor space, a moody lounge, and weeknight events galore. With chefs slinging Neapolitan-style pizza in the wood-burning ovens and cocktails by renowned Atlanta mixologist Tiffanie Barriere, Monday Night Brewing stays busy even, yes, on Mondays.

L’Ostrica found an untapped market in Charlotte — fine dining — and filled it with a sophisticated, yet inviting, tasting menu restaurant in the Montford neighborhood. Wednesday through Saturday evenings, the menu consists of five to 10 courses — delicate offerings, like a brilliant crispy beet chicharon or a velvety mussel mushroom cappelletti. Also, the caviar service is a must-get when feeling this fancy. For the casual or curious, try the daily to-go offerings from the market (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or pop in for the evening bar snacks menu and cocktails, like the decadent fall whiskey, amaro, and Carolina persimmon drink. On Sunday evenings, L’Ostrica shifts the dining format to a Sunday Supper theme with a rotating a la carte menu. Note: Reservations are required (except for the bar).

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.