5/5 meal no complaints! The food was absolutely delicious and I will 100% be returning!…read more The brunch paella was so DELICIOUS! just bursting with flavors. The avocado toast from here may be the first avocado toast i've ever liked in my life!

Me and a friend dined here during a locally sponsored event and it did not disappoint. Upon walking…read morein, the decor is eye catching, feeling both luxurious and quaint. You could tell they were very busy, so it took a while for a host to come and seat us. Once seated, it then took a while for a server to come to the table. Natalee eventually dropped by with some water, and admittedly let us know they were short staffed for the night. However, after she greeted us, her service remained attentive throughout the course of our meal. Now for the food, everything came out quickly, but one by one as it was ready. The roasted beets came first, which I expected because it was the only item we ordered that didn't need to be cooked. The pistachio butter and goat cheese really complemented each other well. Then came the empanadas and croquetas. Both came out piping hot, so we had to let them sit before trying. The stuffing inside of the empanada was very flavorful, and the croquetas are some of the best I've had in the city. Lastly, the calamari, shrimp, and mussels came in succession. The aioli served with the calamari was delicious and the breading was perfect. My friend ordered the shrimp and mussels, which I didn't try, but both were sizzling upon arrival and she thought they tasted great. Our drinks came in between the food items and while they were good, my friend had to send hers back due to the lack of juniper berry. When Natalee returned with the corrected drink, my friend was able to taste the difference immediately and finally enjoy it. As for my drink, I'm not big on dry red wine, but with the added components, I could barely taste it. We both thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered and we will be back! Additionally, this restaurant does validate parking if you park in the attached garage on the side with the ticketed entry. If you use the QR code to prepay, they will not be able to refund what you spent, so be wary.

Mazi (pronounced ma-ZI, not MA-zi) is a newly opened gem in South End and after the amazing visit I…read morehad today, it deserves more love and attention than it received tonight. It's tucked away in a business park near Lincoln's Haberdashery but signage is good. There is parking in the lot of the u-shaped building, but may be all taken at busier hours if the day. Street parking is available on E. Bland. They have a huge bar and amazing bartenders. I enjoyed my drink. Pretty and tasty. There's lots of seating inside, at the bar, booth and tables. The menu has really good variety I enjoyed pretty much everything I tried. So fresh and so good. My fav were the dips. If you order the whipped feta or hummus you get an order of the amazing grilled bread. When I say it was good, I mean it. Plating was beautiful on every dish. I appreciate the effort that went into not only making the food taste good, but also making it look good. Our server was great - really patient and helpful. He gave great descriptions and recommendations of the menu. The chef came out to greet us, everyone really went out of their way to make it a great visit. What I appreciated most is that the prices are reasonable - Something that is becoming harder to find these days, but that allows you to really enjoy the meal and try various items. That's what I plan to come back and do. I hope they get more media attention because this place is really is amazing.

In my experience, it's not often that you try a new restaurant on Tuesday, then go on to crave it…read moreeach day that follows. Yet, Mazi will easily have you doing just that. Beautiful interior that visibly transports you to a tropical locale. Friendly, attentive, & knowledgeable service that starts at the front door and continues at all touch points throughout your visit. One of the BEST bartenders that I've had the pleasure of meeting & sampling libations from. A menu that will have the phrase "I'll have one of each" repeatedly flashing in your mind, lol. Thankfully, I was out with an excellent foodie friend--which means we came quite close to having one of each. We enjoyed a delightful lineup of scallops--not what I expected, but exponentially better!--lion's mane schwarma, hummus, shrimp, tuna kofta, lamb shank, and the IG-famous baklava sundae. With each dish seemingly more visually impressive, delightful to all the senses, & DELICIOUS--the layers of FLAVOR that Chef Whitney & her squad can fit into a dish never ceases to amaze me--it was hard to declare a clear favorite. All I can say is the shrimp, lamb shank, & baklava are must-haves for me. All of this plus a complimentary shot at the end of the night of a craft concoction featuring house-made orangecello?!!! I am already beyond ready for my next visit! Pro Tip: 1 round of bread will never be enough for your hummus--get extra for dipping...into everything. Cheers!

After a day of visiting breweries, we were hungry but not starving and I thought tapas would be a…read moreperfect solution. Quickly Yelping "tapas", Marina's stood out with good reviews and a fairly convenient location. We took the Blue Line to Parkwood, a short walk from Optimist Hall, the food hall where Marina's can be found. We were able to score seats at the counter and immediately began ordering. The tomato bread was great and I also loved the patatas bravas. Croquettes and garlic shrimp were also easy on the palette. The food was tasty, filling and hit the spot. Service was quick and friendly. I love tapas because I don't leave feeling overly stuffed and there's the opportunity to taste a variety of items so if you want well prepared tapas in a fun environment, Marina's is a place to go!

If you put a Spanish tapas spot in Optimist Hall, know that we be there on opening day. This place…read morewas so good we went back to order a second round before we finished the first!!! Ordered: croquetas, pan con tomate +manchego, gamba al ajillo, patatas bravas, pimientos del piquillo rellenos, and the calamares fritos. Everything was absolutely incredible. In no order: -sourdough on the shrimp and pan con tomato was a delight. -everything was super fresh. -calamari was a delightful balance of light golden fried -croquetas were so good we needed two orders -shrimp and the sauce was fireeeeeeeeee Service was quick and super friendly!!! He told me I'd be back for more . We sadly missed the meatballs, but will return to enjoy each other's presence at a later time.

We stopped by Bulla Gastrobar on a recent layover the Charlotte. It's in a mall, so drop off and…read morepickup was easy. It's a nice Spanish-themed cuisine restaurant, lots of tapas and Mediterranean cuisine. It was good! Decent cocktail and wine menus as well. We dined on muchas tapas... patatas bravas, lentil soup, Spanish meatballs, potato tortilla, gazpacho, just to name a few. All were good. Service was OK too. Typical mall restaurant where ceiling fixtures are crooked, burned out lightbulbs in many fixtures, dirty ceiling tiles. Food gave it 4 stars, the space itself is mediocre!

Their food is delicious, the ambience elegant. It's nice for a slacks occasion or a nice lunch or…read moredinner date. It has an amazing menu and prices were great! Service is excellent very well treated and even got a gift card on my birthday which it sadly expired :( but the experience was eternal and the gesture unforgettable. Highly recommended.

It's been awhile, but this place is still amazing and so good! Hoping it won't be almost 2 years…read moretil I come back. Monday night, half price wine by the glass or bottle, all of them on the list! Love when they do that without limitations. So we went with a glass of champagne! Because why not when it's half price! Service was excellent , and the food just awesome . So fresh and delicious. The menu here is so nice and varied with so many options. We started with the prosciutto carpaccio, paper thin prosciutto with olive oil, and fresh Parmesan and fresh greens, white balsamic and hazelnut. This was amazing, just yummy. The roasted mushrooms, come on a sliced yogurt, with verde hummus, and sumac onions. Again so flavorful and so many different things going on in this dish. Highly recommend this. The short rib bolognese. A fabulous small plate, but plenty for two . This sauce was so good with the fresh grilled bread they serve. The pasta was perfectly cooked, spinach flavored. Truffle ricotta, and crispy prosciutto on top, nice pieces of short rib too. This was an excellent dish. We were truly full so had to pass on dessert but we did get a after dinner espresso martini, called the Salud! A Spanish table toast, peppermint infused tequila, espresso, licor 43, coffee liquor and creme de cacao. Served frozen, this tasted like an Andes mint. Perfect after dinner drink. I hope this stays on the menu! So good. I'm so glad this place is still going strong and busy on a Monday night! I love everything about Chapter 6, such a great spot.

Chapter 6 is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with lots of small plate and drink options in…read moreSouthend. It can be hard to find if you are coming in from the main street as it is located inside a building that has other restaurants and stores inside. But it is rather spacious inside with lovely minimalistic and neutral vibes. The service was pretty great as we were given recommendations and our water was continuously refilled. My friends and I got the Crab Brik, Wagyu Burger, Shakshuka, and Avocado Toast. The Crab Brik came in little triangular wontons that were fried to perfection. I think real crab meat was used which is always nice. There was some aioli on the plate, but certainly not enough to dip with meal in. The Avocado Toast was recommended by our server and it was a top tier choice! It had chili dukka on it so everything from the eggs, sourdough bread, and avocados tasted very seasoned, despite the dish sounding a bit plain. They do not skimp out on the avocado here. My friend said the Wagyu Burger tasted good and I tried the Shakshuka (for the first time in my life) which tasted very tomato-y but still yummy with the bread! I think this is a cute place, especially for brunch. I would rate this place 4.5/5 stars if I could. I want to come back and try their dinner menu which has more food options.

This was an amazing find…read more A cool atmosphere and great service. We ordered appetizers and drinks and just relaxed. I recommend the Lamb Chops and the Steak. One of my dinner companions and I shared. I was able to enjoy the lamb, no sauce needed and an amazing steak. Even the desserts did not disappoint. I would definitely eat here again

This was such a lovely dinner experience! The restaurant/cellar is small but not too cramped, and…read moredimly lit but very lively. Perfect for a small group get together or a date night. The staff were extremely kind and friendly, and they even brought us free dessert for our anniversary! The food was nice, especially the shareables. The truffle fries and gyoza were both great, and the cocktails were delicious!! For mains, I had the scallops which were perfectly cooked and delicious (but portions were unfortunately small), and the NY Strip Steak was solid. I've heard that the burger is AMAZING so I will have to try it next time. Reservations are always filled up so you have to book them in advance, but definitely worth a visit.

Such a fun place to eat! The food and drinks were so good and unique. We loved the atmosphere…read morewith the open air front. We will definitely go back. Service was A+!

My husband and I were in Charlotte for the evening and we took a chance on walking in to The…read moreDegenerate. It was a Friday night two weeks before Christmas, but it was only 5:45pm so I feel like we got lucky. We were able to walk in and be seated right away. We ordered cocktails and embraced the tapas menu, ordering too many things to sample and share. We sadly had to leave some of it behind. Our waitress was a sweetheart and though the restaurant space was big and open, the warm wood and exposed brick inside made it feel welcoming and cozy. There was enough room between tables that we didn't feel crammed in and the table was big enough to hold all the delicious goodness. I felt like two top tables can sometimes barely hold your water glass and bread plate. We head to Charlotte pretty regularly for various things, and I would like to bring our teenage boys back sometime. I think they would really like the menu and style of the restaurant. Nice enough for a quick date night before and event, but casual enough that I feel like we could bring the teens and not have to "dress up".

We didn't make a reservation and just walked in, but if you're planning to get a booth or table, I…read moredefinitely recommend reserving ahead of time. We arrived around 5:30-6:00 PM and were told the next available table wouldn't be until 8:30, so we ended up sitting at the bar instead. Luckily, the barstools were comfortable, so I didn't mind at all. The service was great--fast, attentive, and the bartenders were really friendly. The drinks were also really good. I had a lychee martini that was strong but delicious. We also tried a few of their shots--they had a unique, acquired taste. The only one I didn't enjoy was the Hierba shot because the aftertaste reminded me of licorice, which I'm not a fan of. But if you like licorice, you'd probably enjoy it. As for the food, everything was amazing. The yuca balls were a 10/10. We also had the "Pulpo Anticuchero", which was a Spanish style octopus that came with roasted potatoes that were cooked perfectly--crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, very fresh and flavorful. I ordered the arroz con mariscos (seafood rice), which included calamari, octopus, squid, and more. It was really good, and the portion size was huge--definitely enough to feed 3-4 people, so keep that in mind when ordering. The ambiance was really nice as well. The music was good and not too loud, which made it easy to enjoy the overall vibe. Overall, I'd give this place a 10/10.

2nd time in Charlotte and 2nd time at Yunta. One of my favorite meals ever. The fish is so fresh…read more Peruvian Nikkei is so hard to find and unique to find near where I live and it truly is a flavor/ cultural experience. It's different for a traditional sushi/sashimi and different from a conventional ceviche you may find in Central America. I always stick with any of the nigiri and tiratado. If you want more of their traditional ceviches they have that as well. Pair the tiratado with their tostones - *chefs kiss We did venture and try the New York strip - it was fine, I didn't think the steak had enough time to rest so it's lost the sear it probably had when it got to our table. Probably will favor ordering more of the fish items again next time! Service is exceptional. The music is bumping and the interior is gorgeous and modern. Will be returning next time I'm in town!