I've been here twice and the waitress already remembers me, the drinks are so fun and tasty. But…read morereally I come for the bone marrow. I love bone marrow and this one of the few places in CLT that does it right! A hole in the wall with limited seating but definitely worth it. I'd make a reservation for sure, but definitely a hidden gem.

The best hospitality, great food, drinks on point, lovely ambiance..... I'll DEFINITELY recommend…read morefor a business meeting, to shoot the shit with a friend, date, or just for time alone

This was our first dinner at Speckled Pear and - wow! The phrase "gourmet dining" gets misused so…read moremuch it's become meaningless. So how about, "epicurean"?, "gastronomic"? OK, I'll just say we had "da** fine" meals. Fresh, seasonal ingredients combined in some unique and surprising ways, beautifully prepared and so, so delicious. Just look at the photos of a selection of our dishes. This was well worth an update of my earlier review. First, Speckled Pear has removed the community seating and the prepared food, bakery and produce counters from my earlier visits and replaced them with true "restaurant" tables. The focus is now squarely on dining, with lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch service. And oh, there's still a wine bar and bottles are still available for purchase. In my humble view a significant positive step. Our servers were excellent, including helpfully explaining some of the wine options (my wife and sister-in-law ordered a flight). Still a fairly casual environment. Great acoustics- I hate echo chambers. We sat close to other guests but were able to easily talk among ourselves without hearing any extraneous neighbor conversations. Dare I say, Speckled Pear is now a {insert tire company name} star-quality dining experience. In Fort Mill! PS - It's a small restaurant which filled quickly and early on the weekday we visited. Reservations are recommended.

If you're a foodie, I'd highly recommend! They're a small business, and update their menu regularly…read morebased off what's in season which I love. Really unique bites to eat, with a thoughtful combination of flavors and ingredients. It's a small spot with intentional design choices and a communal table. Outside of the incredible food, the service really stood out! They have a really kind, and knowledgeable team. We were also lucky enough to meet the chef who with his wife started the restaurant just about a year ago. They're just as warm as the rest of their team! Really looking forward to going back next time we're in Charlotte.

Last night my wife and I went to Seaboy for a 2nd time. Our 1st time was 2 months ago and the food…read moreand service was amazing. This visit was just as impressive. We had mussels, heirloom tomato toast and the 2 off-menu fish items (wahoo collars and seared amberjack). All dishes were excellent. I highly recommend trying the tomato toast appetizer, best version of a bruschetta I have ever had. The service and staff are exceptional. Kent, Joe, Winter and John add an element of fun and local family feel to the experience that is unmatched. We will be back again to enjoy more of this amazing place.

Last night, my wife and I decided to try Seaboy for the first time. To set expectations, this is a…read morepremium restaurant with prices to match, so I naturally judge the food, service, and overall experience by a different standard than I would a quick burger or wing spot. Seaboy absolutely delivered. From the outside, the building is understated and looks more like it belongs near the beach at Oak Island. Once you step inside, however, it is clean, classy, well-appointed, and charmingly coastal without being overly themed or tacky. It feels like the premium restaurant it is. We didn't make reservations because we arrived at 4:30 on a Friday and never expected the place to be completely slammed that early. Jackie, the hostess, took our name and phone number and promised to call as soon as something opened at the bar. Since there wasn't much room to wait inside, she encouraged us to relax in our car. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, she called and made sure we got the first two available seats. Samantha, the bartender, was both an excellent server and a talented mixologist. She was friendly, welcoming, and attentive, somehow keeping up with all the drinks for the dining room without allowing anyone at the bar to feel ignored. I told her I wasn't much of a drinker but gave her the name of a liquor I enjoy. She created her own cocktail for me, and it was a solid 10 out of 10. Could I walk in and order that exact drink again? Probably not. Would I trust her to surprise me again in a heartbeat? Absolutely. My wife started with a shrimp appetizer that she said may have been the best shrimp she has ever eaten. I had the Caesar salad, which was the only part of the meal that was merely okay. It was beautifully presented, generously portioned, properly dressed, and topped with excellent cheese. Unfortunately, the dressing lacked the bold, savory punch I expect from a great Caesar. Our entrées, however, were phenomenal. I ordered the swordfish, and it was so good that my wife essentially took it over because she liked it even more than the seafood pasta special she had ordered. Fortunately, her rich, cheesy seafood creation was outstanding, so I was perfectly happy with the trade. I polished off her meal, then finished whatever swordfish she left behind! We ended with the deconstructed Key lime pie. It was flavorful and enjoyable, although, like the Caesar, I felt it could have used just a little more refinement. At one point, the chef and owner came out to the bar, shook our hands, introduced himself, and thanked us for coming. He stayed for a little friendly conversation, which was a genuinely nice and personal touch. Those minor critiques aside, the service, food quality, atmosphere, and hospitality were all excellent. Seaboy has immediately become one of our favorite choices for a premium meal, and the overall experience was absolutely five out of five. We will definitely be back soon. To those about to nosh, we salute you!

The food is amazing! I love everything. Never disappointed. Great staff. A go to for our family!!…read moreWe love Emmets!

First time at Emmet's and left disappointed. Arrived and seated promptly so a good start. Our…read moreserver came over and took our drink orders. It took a while to get our drinks and they were not busy. If they were busy I was willing to overlook that but they were not so not sure what happened but we did eventually get our drinks. We started with the Emmet's Trio and the German beef sliders. The trio was just ok. The pickles were the star of that dish. The tomatoes were bland and the eggs were also just ok. Next we had the sliders. The pretzel bun was great, the burger ok but again lacked flavor. I think if there was more of the mustard, it might have helped but disappointed. We tried one more dish, the buffalo chicken dip. It was also not bad just not great and lacked really any heat. It did have a good amount of chicken so there was a positive. The chips were just ok. Throughout the meal we really only saw our server a few times, drinks ran empty so not impressed. Emmet's wasn't awful but they didn't do anything that was great and leave me wanting to come back. It was just ok.

I had an enjoyable experience. I ordered the NYC falafel which, although it could be a bit larger,…read morewas very good. The default side was fries and I asked if there were any substitutions. One was a small side Caesar salad which I got. I was disappointed in the continuing practice for restaurants to charge for small changes like this within informing the customer. Waitress was very nice, however and attentive. What is also quite unique about the restaurant was that you could order small 4 oz beers, just for tasting at $2-3 each. The place is quite large and must get incredibly noisy at times with the hard surfaces and multiple TVs. There is an option to sit directly at the bar or at tables.

The Degenerate is a cool, industrially designed space featuring great bites and drinks. What I love…read moremost is that the menu puts a unique spin on a lot of traditional, classic items. If you are looking for recommendations, I highly suggest trying: The Meatballs: A fantastic twist on a classic, served in a delicious lemon dill sauce instead of a typical marinara. The Sliders: Perfect pulled pork paired with fried green tomatoes and a tangy horseradish sauce. They also feature a highly creative and unique cocktail menu. Two of my personal standouts are the Beetle Juice, which incorporates fresh beet juice, and The Fishbone, which brilliantly highlights their house-made aquavit. Overall, it's a wonderful spot for a great atmosphere and an inventive menu!

A true Charlotte staple and one that has been around for 18+ years for good reason! This little gem…read moreis quaint, cozy, dimly lit, and perfect for a date night, which is exactly how we spent our anniversary. We started with cocktails, which were delicious, followed by the pork belly bao buns. These disappeared so quickly I'm honestly impressed I managed to get a picture. The homemade focaccia was a little underwhelming on its own and could've used more flavor, but the onion jam served with it was fantastic and definitely helped bring it to life. The shrimp & grits were everything you'd expect from a Southern-inspired dish, with barbecue sauce and homemade pickled red onions adding a great twist. Then came the spätzle, and as a German girlie, I take my spätzle seriously. This one absolutely delivered! The chicken was incredibly tender, and the cilantro, scallions, chili crisp, and other spices gave it such a fun, unexpected spin. We also tried the cacio e pepe, which was simple, delicious, and clearly done right. It's one of those dishes with so few ingredients that you know immediately when someone nails it. Our only real miss was the chef's counter. I expected more of an actual chef-counter experience (you know, like interaction with the chef and a peek at the action), but the main chef seemed to be off to the side and never really interacted with us. There was someone doing some prep work in front of us, but it didn't feel like the experience I had envisioned. Honestly, I'd rather have sat within the main dining room. Still, that's a small blip in an otherwise fantastic anniversary dinner. We were too full for dessert (a tragedy), left with leftovers, and most importantly, left with a great memory as they are closing their doors soon so the owner can open a new style restaurant. Reservations are definitely recommended since it's small and fills up quickly. If you haven't been, add this Charlotte staple to your list before it's gone... you won't regret it!

This restaurant is beautifully appointed. It's intimate and small but not too loud…read more Our server was fantastic. He was there when we needed him and not when we didn't. Great recommendations! The drinks were great- we enjoyed the Smoke 'Em While You Got Em, cucumber kiss, and espresso martini. They were so yummy! Not too strong. Food was awesome- we loved the bread, catch of the day, Korean beef, Spätzle, cacio de Pepe. For dessert- pot de creme and Affrogato. Can't wait to come back!

Ian was our server. He was lovely. We sat by the window so that was fun for people watching. They…read moreplay fun music here, 80-90's I think. Our dinner was SO GOOD. We both got salmon and the Whipped ricotta appetizer. The ricotta was delicious and I loved that it came with mint leaves. It was delicious and we scarfed that down with our beers. I had Marigold Hefe isen, which was DELICIOUS. So I had 2. They had a fantastic wine list and I was going to get a white wine from Chile but at $14, I didn't want to blow my dates wallet out. So instead I had the 2 beers. Let's talk about our delicious salmon. It was cooked perfect and served w cut asparagus on a bed of buttery orzo. I ate every little asparagus piece, it was so good and lemon butter flavored. The salmon was a lightly grilled piece of heaven. A big piece. I was a little miffed it had no lemon slice but the entire salmon was basted or braised with a lemon sauce. Every bite was divinely lemon. It was probably the best salmon I've ever had. Such a lovely visit. Nice interior and spacious and people seemed to be having fun at the bar. This location is a very lovely place!

This DTR location is an attractive spot, especially the garden/fountain area outside. It is a great…read moredate night or friends night out spot for sure. The wine selection is impressive and they have great cocktails, typically seasonal rotating options as well. I enjoyed the caviar and chips option, flatbread pizza, and brussels. It was martini night which was a great deal on traditional martinis and the cosmo was delicious. The drawback to this location is parking can be difficult, so plan accordingly for your arrival time in case you have to search for street parking.

Went here for a special occasion, and the food was incredible. Beautiful restaurant, I could have…read moredone with more chill music and not so loud, but overall the ambience was pretty good. Pros: THE FOOD! Beautiful restaurant Cons: Loud pop music The so-so's: Nice waiter but a bit too chatty Customers looking sloppy as hell. What happened to dress codes at nicer places??

My mom and I were in town for a conference and wanted to go out for a nice dinner on our first…read morenight in town. I found this place on Yelp and we thought we'd give it a shot. It's very fancy, and attached to some kind of art museum. There are a LOT of stairs to climb to get up to the restaurant, so just keep that in mind. We were greeted and seated quickly. With so many good looking things on the menu, it was hard to choose, but I went with the wild mushroom risotto. I'm a sucker for a good risotto and this one was ... okay. The depth of flavor was really nice, and the parmesan crisp on the top really pulled each bite together. I wish there would have been more of that. In terms of texture, it wasn't my favorite. Had more of a grits kind of consistency than what I generally expect from risotto. My mom ordered a salad and specifically asked for dressing on the side and it came absolutely slathered in dressing. The waitress was nice about it and got the order replaced for us. Then for whatever reason, it took forever to get her attention again to get our check once we were finished. Overall, it was an okay experience. The ambiance is nice, the food was okay. I would have thought for the level of dining/price though that it would have been a bit higher end in the details.

Paloma is a beautiful location, and we really wanted to love our dinner here, but unfortunately,…read morethe food didn't quite live up to expectations. I ordered the pork belly bao buns, but they missed the mark for me. Coming from NY, I'm used to bao buns being marshmallow-soft and pillowy, but these were a hard, and the pork belly itself was quite tough. Our wonderful waitress noticed I only took one bite and brought the manager over. He explained that the cut is naturally mostly fat, which I understand, but the texture just wasn't quite right because it should be tender not tough. I declined a replacement dish, and he kindly credited it on our bill, though the interaction felt a little awkward. My husband's salmon unfortunately had a very heavy mustard flavor. The spinach farrotto underneath was quite salty. Since there isn't a kids menu which is fine, my daughter ordered the burger plain, but it wasn't really a hit for her. My coconut guava Paloma was okay definitely the best part of my meal though it tasted a little artificial. The ambiance has a lot of potential, and they had live music playing. However, it was a bit too loud for the space, forcing guests to raise their voices just to speak to each other. We also noticed our table hadn't been wiped down thoroughly before we sat down. The absolute silver lining of our evening was our waitress. She was incredibly sweet, highly attentive, and took great care of us. She is truly the reason I am giving 3 stars.She mentioned that they offer a completely different menu for brunch. Because the setting is so pretty and the service was so good, we might give them another chance for brunch down the road, but we likely wouldn't return for dinner. Proof that lighting and plating can hide a lot! Captured these beautiful views last night, even though the dinner itself was a bit of a letdown.

The ambiance was very nice, and the staff was pleasant and welcoming. The salmon was…read moreexcellent--cooked perfectly, moist, and flavorful--and was easily the best dish we had. The shrimp wrap, however, was disappointing. It had very little shrimp and seemed to rely heavily on overcooked bacon and an abundance of lettuce, which made it tough to chew and left it lacking balance. The menu offers unique flavors and creative combinations, but in this dish, there seemed to be more emphasis on presentation and concept than substance.

This is a pretty nice location. They are fully staffed and there's plenty of parking in the shared…read moreparking lot. The place was clean and well lit. They have a lot of different decorations up for the holidays as well as items to support your holiday shopping. I hope you enjoy. Happy shopping!

My wife was approaching the counter and looking at a shelf. An employee asked "what are you looking…read morefor?" in a very firm tone. My wife responded ginger ale. The employee we don't carry that. My wife asks "do you have ginger beer". The employee responds "have you ever heard of walmart?". Another employee completely unprompted notices the employee is being rude and has to ask if everything is ok and to stop speaking that way to a customer. If you're not in the mood to deal with customers maybe take a break.