Birdsong was founded in 2010 by husband and wife Chris and Tara Goulet with their friend Conor Robinson, after they decided Charlotte needed a neighborhood brewery pouring fresh, unfiltered American ale. The taproom sits on North Davidson Street between Optimist Park and NoDa, with a patio running fire tables and outdoor heaters through the cold months.
Craft Tasting Room & Growler Shop opened in 2014 on South Church Street in South End's Gold District, founded by the husband and wife team Alyson and Dan Davis. It pours local craft beer and draft cocktails next to regional cheeses, charcuterie, pizzas and flatbread sandwiches. It runs outdoor movie nights on Thursdays and hosts private parties.
Growlers pairs a craft beer list with what its own site calls craft Americana food, built around oysters, burgers, sandwiches and wings. The kitchen closes at 11pm but the bar runs to 2am on Friday and Saturday, which makes it one of the few genuinely late rooms on North Davidson. It is run by Jeff Tonidandel, a Certified Cicerone, with Jamie Brown, the same pair behind Haberdish, Ever Andalo and Supperland.
A small restaurant and wine market on Park Road cooking what it calls contemporary, seasonal Carolina Piedmont food with global influences. It is run by Eric and Cat, who are named on the site. Sunday Supper is a single 5:30 seating and takes reservations only; the wine market is open midday Wednesday through Saturday.
BellyUp! to Charlotte’s Best Bars
Bar specials & what’s not on the bar menu
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Birdsong was founded in 2010 by husband and wife Chris and Tara Goulet with their friend Conor Robinson, after they decided Charlotte needed a neighborhood brewery pouring fresh, unfiltered American ale. The taproom sits on North Davidson Street between Optimist Park and NoDa, with a patio running fire tables and outdoor heaters through the cold months.
Craft Tasting Room & Growler Shop opened in 2014 on South Church Street in South End's Gold District, founded by the husband and wife team Alyson and Dan Davis. It pours local craft beer and draft cocktails next to regional cheeses, charcuterie, pizzas and flatbread sandwiches. It runs outdoor movie nights on Thursdays and hosts private parties.
Growlers pairs a craft beer list with what its own site calls craft Americana food, built around oysters, burgers, sandwiches and wings. The kitchen closes at 11pm but the bar runs to 2am on Friday and Saturday, which makes it one of the few genuinely late rooms on North Davidson. It is run by Jeff Tonidandel, a Certified Cicerone, with Jamie Brown, the same pair behind Haberdish, Ever Andalo and Supperland.
A small restaurant and wine market on Park Road cooking what it calls contemporary, seasonal Carolina Piedmont food with global influences. It is run by Eric and Cat, who are named on the site. Sunday Supper is a single 5:30 seating and takes reservations only; the wine market is open midday Wednesday through Saturday.
Mama’s Caribbean Grill serves Jamaican and Caribbean dishes in Plaza Midwood. Its menu includes jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail and brown stew chicken. The yellow sign, bright windows and island-themed dining room give the place a lively feel before the food arrives. Check its public Facebook page for the latest restaurant updates.
Soul opened in Plaza Midwood in 2009 as one of Charlotte's first small-plate restaurants, in a 68-seat upstairs room with no reservations and a waitlist that regularly ran two hours. Its own origin story says it was the first in the city to make local house deejays an integral part of the dining experience, and the house music has stayed. It lost the Plaza Midwood lease in 2022 and owner, chef and DJ Andy Kastanas spent three years building the replacement, reopening in August 2025 at 4110 Raleigh Street near the Sugar Creek station with roughly triple the seats, a semi-private dining room and a patio. The original interior designer, Scott Weaver, did the new room too.
The Hobbyist is a coffee bar by day and a beer, wine and cocktail bar by night on North Davidson Street in NoDa. Owners Bryson and Julie Woodside run hand-crafted coffee and tea beside 14 draft beers, wine by the glass and custom cocktails. The food is North Carolina artisan pastries rather than a kitchen.
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