Leah and Louise is a soul food restaurant in West Charlotte, Charlotte.
Greg and Subrina Collier's Leah and Louise is the Memphis juke-joint Southern kitchen that left Camp North End in 2024 for a larger home in west Charlotte.
Signature dishes: Catfish, Hot tamale, Mississippi-Delta plates
Must order: The hot tamale, the catfish plate and whatever Mississippi River Valley special is on the board.
Tip: The new west-end home opened in 2025. Check the operator's site or Resy for the current address before booking.
Address: Charlotte's Historic West End, Charlotte, NC
Sam Hart's Counter- earned North Carolina's first Michelin star and a Green Star in 2025, with rotating tasting-menu themes on West Morehead in Charlotte.
Signature: Multi-course tasting, North Carolina sea, mountain, Piedmont menu
Order: The full tasting menu. Themes rotate every three months around a single concept.
Tip: Reserve on Tock as early as you can. Counter- holds the only Michelin star in the Carolinas, and demand jumped after the November 2025 awards.
Andy Kastanas's Soul Gastrolounge reopened in 2025 on Raleigh Street in NoDa, after losing its Plaza Midwood lease, with the original tapas-cocktail menu.
Signature: Pork-belly tacos, Sushi tapas
Order: The pork-belly tacos and a sushi-tapas combination. Same menu as the Plaza Midwood years.
Tip: DJ sets most nights. Walk-ins only and the queue starts at 17:30.
Aria Tuscan Grill at 100 N Tryon is uptown Charlotte's long-running Tuscan kitchen, with a glass-walled wine display and the city's only chef's table.
Signature: Tuscan pasta, Wood-fired meats
Order: The fresh pasta and a glass off the Italian-leaning wine wall.
Tip: The lounge takes walk-ins; reserve the chef's table on OpenTable for a tasting-menu setting.
Fin and Fino at Levine Avenue of the Arts is uptown Charlotte's seafood room, with a raw bar and a tasting menu set across from the Mint Museum.
Signature: Oysters, Whole roasted fish
Order: The oysters and the whole roasted fish for the table.
Tip: Pre-theatre seatings book quickly. Reserve through OpenTable for the early dinner slot.
Sam Hart's Counter- earned North Carolina's first Michelin star and a Green Star in 2025, with rotating tasting-menu themes on West Morehead in Charlotte.
Signature: Multi-course tasting, North Carolina sea, mountain, Piedmont menu
Order: The full tasting menu. Themes rotate every three months around a single concept.
Tip: Reserve on Tock as early as you can. Counter- holds the only Michelin star in the Carolinas, and demand jumped after the November 2025 awards.
Lang Van is the east Charlotte Vietnamese institution that won the city's only Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2025 American South guide for pho.
Signature: Pho, Banh xeo, Bun bo Hue
Order: The pho and the banh xeo crispy crepe; the menu is broad but those are the dishes that earned the Bib.
Tip: Crowds quadrupled after the Michelin nod. Go on a weekday, expect a wait on weekends, and bring cash for the wait time.
Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown's Supperland in Plaza Midwood is a Michelin-recommended Southern dining room set inside a converted 1950s church.
Signature: Sunday supper, Wood-fired sides
Order: Whatever is coming off the hearth; the kitchen builds the menu around live-fire cooking.
Tip: Beverage director Colleen Hughes won Michelin's Exceptional Cocktails Award in 2025. Order a drink from her list, then book the Sunday supper.
