{"id":5233,"date":"2026-07-23T10:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T10:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233"},"modified":"2026-07-23T10:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T10:34:50","slug":"rooftops-waterfronts-and-dives-a-foodies-guide-to-a-weekend-in-charlotte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233","title":{"rendered":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlotte has a growing reputation as a food city, and there\u2019s no shortage of great dining options for newcomers and visitors, along with people in the know.<\/p>\n

Read more ACC football early storylines for UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake. Here\u2019s what to know<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re looking for a gourmet meal or some snacks and craft beer, there\u2019s something for everyone in the Queen City.<\/p>\n

What are my qualifications? Aside from being CharlotteFive\u2019s food writer for all of three months, I\u2019ve lived in the Charlotte area my entire life and have had the chance to try some amazing food over the years. So, just take my word for it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning to visit Charlotte soon, here\u2019s a guide with some restaurants to check out during your stay.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a huge coffee drinker, but you can\u2019t go wrong with any of these spots for a morning cup of joe:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a first-time visitor to the Tar Heel State, you have to try the barbecue.<\/p>\n

North Carolina is known for its pork barbecue, but a longstanding debate divides the state: Is vinegar-based sauce or tomato-based sauce the better match for smoked pork? It depends on who you ask, but check out these places for some quality \u2018cue:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re only exploring for a day or two, here are a few Charlotte institutions to check out:<\/p>\n

Charlotte has its fair share of fine dining options, but there are plenty of places where dinner for two won\u2019t break the bank.<\/p>\n

I write a series for CharlotteFive called \u201cOn a Budget,\u201d where I visit Charlotte restaurants to see how much food I can get for $25. Here are a few of my favorites:<\/p>\n

Charlotte has a handful of rooftops with excellent views of the skyline, perfect for Instagram. Here are some of my favorites (but be warned: all of these spots are pricey):<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in town while your favorite team is playing, here\u2019s where to catch the game:<\/p>\n

Read more NC scientists are studying Triangle deer. Here’s what they’re finding out.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re focused on health, these spots offer plenty of nutritious options, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re into people watching and want to get out of uptown, head to South End, NoDa or Plaza Midwood. I\u2019ve seen at least one person wipe out on an electric scooter at most of these places.<\/p>\n

Here are some spots to check out:<\/p>\n

SouthPark<\/u><\/a> is Charlotte\u2019s most popular shopping destination, home to luxury retailers and many of the city\u2019s top restaurants. Here\u2019s where to eat while you shop:<\/p>\n

New York is the \u201ccity that never sleeps,\u201d and sometimes it seems like Charlotte is the opposite of that. But here are a few spots to check out if you\u2019re up late:<\/p>\n

There are an overwhelming number of breweries in Charlotte. They all have good beer, but these spots are among my favorites because they serve good food:<\/p>\n

Like pretty much everywhere else, cocktails are expensive in Charlotte. Some places make it worth it, though:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for more cheap drinks and less of a bougie vibe, head to one of these dive bars:<\/p>\n

Lake Wylie and Lake Norman are just a short drive away from Charlotte, and both offer plenty of waterfront dining options:<\/p>\n

Dessert is my area of expertise, and these are my favorite places to go in Charlotte for sweets:<\/p>\n

Uniquely Charlotte:<\/b> Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.<\/i><\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 23, 2026 at 5:30 AM<\/span> with the headline “Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Kristen Doute Reacts to ‘Diabolical’ Jax Taylor Dating Brittany’s Publicist<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A local guide to Charlotte dining: coffee shops in NoDa, NC barbecue favorites, rooftop bars, budget meals, breweries and desserts across the Queen City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nRooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A local guide to Charlotte dining: coffee shops in NoDa, NC barbecue favorites, rooftop bars, budget meals, breweries and desserts across the Queen City.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233\"},\"wordCount\":662,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233\",\"name\":\"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=5233#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"A local guide to Charlotte dining: coffee shops in NoDa, NC barbecue favorites, rooftop bars, budget meals, breweries and desserts across the Queen City.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte","datePublished":"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233"},"wordCount":662,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233","name":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-23T10:34:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b765d1ef1d1e4000cdc3049ee3f447f4.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5233#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rooftops, waterfronts and dives: A foodie\u2019s guide to a weekend in Charlotte"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}