Treats and Sweets
It’s the season for indulgence and special treats — I won’t tell your trainer if you don’t! Whether you need to fill out a dessert table for your holiday dinner, or just bring a treat to a party, the holiday season is the time of year when everyone needs a signature bakery to frequent. If you need suggestions, here are four great Charlotte favorites.
Anderson’s Catering
1617 Elizabeth Ave
Charlotte, NC 28204
THE place to order pies for yourself, your friends, or clients. The best part is they ship their famous Pecan ($25) and Chocolate Pecan Pies ($27) anywhere in the US.
Amelie’s French Bakery
Multiple Locations
This indulgent French bakery offers everything you dream of, from Chocolate Croissants to Iced Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. There is nothing here that won’t be a hit.
La Piccola Gabbia
224 E 7th St
Charlotte, NC 28202
Impress the seasoned world traveler in your life this holiday season with a gift of authentic European treats. The recently opened storefront inside the 7th Street Market is known for their Biscotti, Chocolate Cherry Cake, and Cannelé de Bordeaux.
Nova’s Bakery
Multiple Locations
If you want a sure-hit, look no further than Nova’s New York style cheesecake. It comes by the slice ($2.55) or whole ($23.55 for 10-inch). This bakery offers a wide selection of other treats as well!
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
Holiday Woes Catered Away
What’s your favorite part of the holiday season? Is it trying to calculate how many days you need to thaw a twenty-pound bird? How about waking up at 4am to start the meal or All. Those. Dishes!
This season, give yourself the gift of an easier time. Catering sounds expensive and complex, but there is a huge range of options in Charlotte (at all price points) to feed your family and friends without breaking your holiday spirit or leaving the comfort of your home.
Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
4001 Yancey Rd
Suite C
Charlotte, NC 28217
The turkey is covered, but those sides . . . you’re pretty sure you don’t even have enough space in your oven to get everything warm all at once. Enter Alyssa’s Kitchen. Their sides serve 6-8 people, perfect for your holiday get-together.
City Barbeque
(Multiple locations in Charlotte.)
Nothing is better than a barbeque holiday. City Barbeque smokes all their meats in-house, and offers a huge selection of great sides. Don’t forget their Green Beans with Bacon and Corn Pudding!
Copain Gatherings
(Pickup location at Rooster’s South Park)
6601 Morrison Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28211
Chef Jim Noble and Noble Food & Pursuits has your holiday meal covered. The menu includes appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and pies.
Bojangles
(Multiple locations in Charlotte.)
I know what you’re thinking. But Hello Seasoned Fried Turkeys ($39.99)! Combine this with sides like biscuits, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese along with desserts (Bo Berry Biscuits are my fav!) and who is going to complain? Don’t forget to call ahead for large orders, though.
Fresh Market
(Multiple locations in Charlotte.)
The Fresh Market has been a life saver on many special occasions for me. Pick up pre-made dinner boxes for the whole crew (3-14 people). You have to call ahead for availability but they will offer full meals for most holidays . . . and Valentine’s Day!
Harper’s Pineville
11059 Carolina Place Pkwy
Pineville, NC 28134
Here’s another great barbeque option. What? We live in the south. The takeout menu includes a variety of traditional holiday fare, including turkeys ($50), sides ($8-$20), and pies ($15).
La Belle Helene
300 S. Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28202
The complete foodie holiday dinner can be found at La Belle Helene. They offer a rôtisserie Joyce Farms Heritage black turkey, brioche dinner rolls, haricot verts amondine, pommes purée, cranberry & orange chutney, brussels sprouts aux lardons, cornbread & sage stuffing, along with pumpkin Charlotte and pecan caramel tarts. Hungry yet?
Eating With a Conscience
What does it mean to be a conscious eater? It’s not just about choosing food that will nourish your body, but about buying food that also nourishes your community. Luckily, Charlotte has some great offerings for someone trying to eat more intentionally.
The Mayobird & Summit Room + Joe and Nosh & The Packhouse
A dinner only concept features Southern inspired plates and specialty cocktails named after the seven summits and using local, sustainable foods. The tables and chairs are upcycled from local houses and tobacco barns. The owner and operator, Deedee Mills, just recently opened two more restaurants with the same business model. Joe and Nosh, a coffee and sandwich shop, and The Pack House, a dinner spot serving southern cuisine that pays homage to North Carolina’s tobacco industry.
For all four restaurants, 10 percent of net profits go to support Behailu Academy, an after-school refuge for at-risk youth to find peace and opportunity through art.
1531 East Blvd
Open daily, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
1531 East Blvd.
Open Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m. – Close
500 E. Morehead Street, Suite 150-B
Monday-Friday 7am-5pm
(Kitchen will close at 3pm)
Saturday and Sunday Closed
500 E. Morehead Street, Suite 150-A
Monday: closed
Tuesday-Thursday: 4pm-9pm
Friday: 4pm-10pm
Saturday: 10am-3pm, brunch, 4pm-10pm, dinner
Sunday: 10am-3pm, brunch
The King’s Kitchen & Bakery
A non-profit restaurant located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte serving southern-inspired cuisine from Carolina farms and purveyors, The King’s Kitchen & Bakery opened in 2010 on the corner of Trade and Church. The Southern cuisine is a top notch, Jim Noble restaurant. But it’s amazing food with a purpose. The profits and proceeds from The King’s Kitchen go toward feeding the “spiritual and physical needs of those who have the least in our community and to train and equip those previously unemployable in the restaurant trade.”
129 W. Trade St.
Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Monday – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Close
Julia’s Cafe & Books
A quiet coffee shop that’s not too far from Uptown, with excellent parking, and a shared space with Habitat’s ReStore (with a huge selection of used books), Julia’s Café and Books brew locally roasted coffee, serve local and organic breakfast and lunch options and proceeds support Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte.
1133 N. Wendover Rd.
Open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Open Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Community Culinary School of Charlotte Cafe
This cafe on Monroe Road in an unassuming strip mall is well worth a visit during lunch and is easy to get to for a midday break. But the café is part of a local non-profit that provides training and job placement assistance in the food service industry for adults who face barriers to successful employment. As Executive Director Chef Ron Ahlert often says, “We’re not just creating cooks, we’re creating employees.”
Community Culinary School of Charlotte Café
9315-D Monroe Road
Open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Cherubs Cafe
In the heart of downtown Belmont, Cherubs Café is a breakfast and lunch spot featuring fresh-baked desserts and gourmet, specialty coffees, soups, salads and sandwiches, ice creams. The café is part of Holy Angels, an organization that provides compassionate, dependable care and opportunities for high-quality living to those with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions, allowing residents the opportunity to socialize, learn about the business and vocational training which can lead to better employment options. All profits are used to fund programs and services of Holy Angels.
23 North Main St.
Open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
Nine Date Night Spots
Looking for some great Charlotte eateries perfect for your next date? We’ve got you covered.
Haberdish
3106 N Davidson St
A “southern kitchen and craft cocktail bar”, this eatery boasts food that is amazing to both eat and photograph. The dishes have regional touches from Haberdish’s mill history in the NoDa neighborhood. Don’t miss out on the fried chicken!
Haymaker
Heirloom ingredients, preservation, and sustainable meats and seafood is all good, but nothing beats splitting a basket Levain bread with butter as you watch the sun sets across Romare Bearden Park.
Bardo
1508 S. Mint St. Unit B.
The place to go for an intimate vibe, and eclectic, American small plate food. Located in Charlotte’s dynamic South End neighborhood, this is the perfect place for a sweet treat like the carrot cake with ginger, cream cheese and opal basil.
Dilworth Tasting Room
300 East Tremont Ave.
Located in the heart of Dilworth, this circa-1940’s style building creates an atmosphere reminiscent of the wine bars and Enotecas of Europe. On Tuesday’s you can get a free cheese board with a wine flight. Take these treats out to the secret garden and koi pond for a magical experience at night.
Fahrenheit
222 S Caldwell St.
The experience of Fahrenheit is all about the cocktail and the sweeping views of Charlotte’s skyline at night. The new American cuisine is great, but you’ll remember the romance of the view.
Dressler’s Restaurant
1100 Metropolitan Ave #125
or 8630 Lindholm Dr, Huntersville
This restaurant is a relaxed, cozy location for a perfect date that doesn’t try too hard. The signature dish, Just for the Halibut, started as a monthly special that only was available every now and then, but became so popular it was added as a regular menu item.
Halcyon
500 S. Tryon St.
Browse the art in the Mint Museum Uptown before heading to the refined Halcyon, in the same building. An upscale farm-to-table restaurant, Halcyon is a “celebration of artisanal farms, dairies and wineries from the Carolinas and beyond. . . “ Start with the blue cheese souffle.
O-Ku
2000 South Blvd #510
This South End restaurant boasts a fresh and innovative take on traditional Japanese sushi and cuisine. Don’t pass up the edamame with pink Himalayan salt and truffle oil.
Upstream
6902 Phillips Place
After a movie at Regal Phillips Place Stadium 10, walk over to this longtime Charlotte establishment for a sweep of the affordable sushi menu featuring day boat seafood and award-winning Pacific Rim cuisine.
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
Iced Coffee With a Heart
Enderly Coffee Co.’s newest brick-and-mortar store at 2620 Tuckaseegee Road in the Enderly Park neighborhood is a bright and cheery beacon, heralding itself with bright yellow patio furniture. Sitting just beyond FreeMoreWest hotspots like Pinky’s Westside Grill and Rhino Market, the new addition to the neighborhood makes a statement. Inside, the bright feel is followed through with reclaimed wood, walls decorated with local art, and a kids’ play coffee bar built by a high school refugee group at Project 658. But it’s not just the new space that makes this Charlotte business such a big deal. It’s Enderly’s commitment to its community that brings that beating heart into a corporate space.
Owners Becky and Tony Santoro fell in love over coffee, so it only makes sense their business would grow from there. At Michigan State, while volunteering through a nonprofit organization on campus Tony would drop in when he knew Becky was working at the coffee shop. When the two foster parents moved to Enderly Park in 2007, they kept seeing their young adult neighbors graduate — or not graduate — from high school without a clear direction and the two Charlotte-Mecklenburg School teachers felt this opportunity gap couldn’t go unanswered.
Their answer was coffee.
Enderly Coffee started creating jobs, and as it did, it stayed firm to its guiding ethos of strengthening “our community by forging meaningful relationships in our neighborhood and throughout our city.” They seek to encourage and inspire. And they do it in practical ways, roasting beans since 2012 and opening this Tuckaseegee Road location in July of this year. Over the next year, expect to see small-batch roasting happening here on and the expansion of the food menu. As they say, “Life is too short for bad coffee.”
NOW IN ‘SOFT’ OPENING
TUESDAY-SATURDAY
7AM-2PM
2620 Tuckaseegee Rd
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21