Best of Charlotte 2012: Food & Drink | Food & Drink

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Best Of 2012

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Staff Picks

Best New Restaurant (Opened in Last 12 Months)

Fern: Flavors from the Garden

1323 Central Ave. 704-377-1825

http://www.fernflavors.com

Charlotte has lacked a mainstream full-menu vegetarian restaurant for too long. But last fall, the creative team of Jill Marcus and Karen… Continue

Best Splurge Restaurant

Barrington's Restaurant

7822 Fairview Road 704-364-5755

http://www.barringtonsrestaurant.com/

A repeat winner. Year in and year out, Chef Bruce Moffett has created the best restaurant experience in town. It's quiet and… Continue

Best Cheap Restaurant

Landmark Diner

4429 Central Ave. 704-532-1153

http://www.landmarkdinercharlottenc.com

One of the last remaining family-owned Greek diners in Charlotte offers homemade spanakopita, cakes and reasonable prices.
Continue

Best Soul Food Restaurant

Mert's Heart and Soul

214 N. College St. 704-342-4222

http://www.mertscharlotte.com

A repeat winner. Southern and Low Country dishes prepared with heart by owners James and Renee Bazelle at this downtown favorite where… Continue

Best Gourmet/Specialty Food Store

Trader Joe's

To paraphrase Arlo Guthrie, you can get anything you want at Trader Joe's, from fresh veggies to beer and all kinds… Continue

Best Breakfast

Harvest Moon Grille

237 N. Tryon St. 704-342-1193

http://www.harvestmoongrillecharlotte.com

The eggs here are local and organic, and Harvest Moon's Summer Benedict, with thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes, will make you wish for… Continue

Best Lunch

Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth

500 S. Tryon St. 704-910-0865

http://www.halcyonflavors.com

Hands down the best chicken salad in town (local, of course, with Tabasco-charred spring onions), but with so many creative lunch selections,… Continue

Best Brunch

Café Monte French Bakery and Bistro

6700 Fairview Road

Monte is the place to hang with friends on weekends and catch up on the latest gossip. Be warned, though: Given the… Continue

Best Takeout

Kiên Giang Food 2 Go

Like all good mom-and-pops, the food here - Vietnamese - is pure comfort and extremely reasonable.
… Continue

Best Barbecue

Old Hickory House

6538 N. Tryon St. 704-596-8014

A repeat winner. With barbecue, smoke matters. Follow the tantalizing aroma into this 1950s, western-style dining room with aqua chairs and wagon… Continue

Best Coffee Shop

Cast Iron Waffles Coffee & Espresso

9604 Longstone Lane 704-469-1971

http://www.castironwaffles.com.

All coffee served here is fair trade, but the real draw is the sensational and certifiably addictive Liège waffles. Trust me, you'll… Continue

Best Steakhouse

Amor de Brazil

2225 Matthews Township Parkway 704-841-1241

http://www.amordebrazilsteakhouse.com

Amor is all about Brazilian-style grilled meats: pork, lamb, chicken sausages and, of course, steak. You can have as much meat as… Continue

Best Seafood Restaurant

McCormick & Schmick's

4335 Barclay Downs Dr.

A repeat winner. It doesn't matter whether you order your preferred fish plainly grilled or loaded up with sauces and stuffings -… Continue

Best Pizza

Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar

6706 Phillips Place Court 704-295-0101

http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/pb

You'll love the pizza: 17 different pies, including the famous house-smoked salmon pizza. And you'll love the space: over 100 seats, plus… Continue

Best Chinese

Wan Fu

10719 Kettering Drive 704-541-1688

http://www.mywanfu.com

It's the Year of the Dragon, and readers will get fired up by the food offered at this longtime (open since 1989)… Continue

Best Dim Sum

The Dynasty Cuisine

1709 Matthews Township Parkway 704-814-0288

http://www.thedynastycuisine.com/home

This spot may be sparse in décor, but not in authenticity and flavor. Dynasty is the place for Shanghai and taro dumplings,… Continue

Best Japanese

Musashi Japanese Restaurant

Charlotte doesn't have ramen-yas (ramen shops), but luckily, Musashi serves a diverse menu, which includes soups. The best pork broth ramen in… Continue

Best Sushi

Sushi Guru & Sake Bar

6601 Morrison Blvd. 704-362-3021

http://www.sushiguruclt.com

If you like your sushi both creative and flavorful - with impeccable ingredients - this is the place. The Hamachi Jalapeño roll… Continue

Best Indian

Copper, Modern Cuisine of India

311 East Blvd. 704-333-0063

http://www.copperrestaurant.com

A repeat winner. Well-crafted, high-end Indian cuisine. Dinner can get a bit pricey, but its lunch options are a fair deal. May… Continue

Best Asian (Other Than Chinese, Japanese or Indian)

Ben Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant

4900 Central Ave. 704-566-1088

http://www.benthanhcharlotte.com

A repeat winner. Although sparsely decorated, Ben Thånh produces exemplary Vietnamese dishes: pho, crispy quail, curry spiked with shrimp, yellow rice flour… Continue

Best Italian

Dolce Ristorante Italiano

1710 Kenilworth Ave. 704-332-7525

http://www.dolceristorante.net

With its red-checkered tablecloths, delicious pasta and homey vibe - well, now, that's Italian.
… Continue

Best Mexican

Cocina Latina

5135 Albemarle Road 704-531-5757

By 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the line begins to form for the lamb barbecue made the traditional Mexican way: grilled… Continue

Best Middle Eastern

Zeitouni Mediterranean Grill

3419 Toringdon Way 704-752-4245

http://www.zeitounigrill.com

Middle Eastern food in this town has a checkered past, present and, I suppose, future. Although Zeitouni offers only foods in the… Continue

Best Caribbean

Austin's Caribbean Cuisine

345 S. Kings Drive 704-331-8778

A repeat winner. If you think the quickest passage to Kingston is via USAirways, the curries, jerk chicken, coleslaw, plantain tarts and… Continue

Best Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant

Fern: Flavors from the Garden

1323 Central Ave. 704-377-1825

http://www.fernflavors.com

See "Best New Restaurant" above.
Continue

Best Smoothies

Carolina Smoothies (Dilworth)

1408 East Blvd., Suite D 704-358-0006

A repeat winner. There are numerous reasons to lament the passing of summer and all that hot weather: swimming, outdoor sports, blockbuster… Continue

Best Milkshakes

Big View Diner

16637 Lancaster Highway 704-544-0313

http://www.bigviewdiner.com

A repeat - and perennial - winner. The milkshakes are simply divine. Where else can you find such flavors as toasted coconut,… Continue

Best Cupcake Shop

Cupcake Delirium

OK, so it's actually a truck, not a shop. But we can't help falling in love with The Elvis, a decadent banana… Continue

Best French Fries

Smashburger

7804 Rea Road 704-544-5355

http://www.smashburger.com

The venue offers regular fries, sweet potato fries, Brunswick fries and chili cheese fries, but we'll leave it to others to try… Continue

Best Fried Chicken

Price's Chicken Coop

1614 Camden Road 704-333-9866

http://ww.priceschickencoop.com

A repeat winner - and a planetary treasure. And for those with such an inclination, you can skip the quarter or half… Continue

Best Hamburger

Wysacky Trading Post

7909 Lancaster Highway

In this day of pricey farm-to-fork cuisine, the burgers at Wysacky are about as local and fresh as can be, since the… Continue

Best Hot Dog

Pinky's Westside Grill

1600 W. Morehead St. 704-332-0402

http://eatatpinkys.com/

It really is a "Weiner Wonderland" at Pinky's, with its griddled beef hot dogs and organic soy sausages. Our favorite, the Southern… Continue

Best Wings

Wild Wing Café

2132 Ayrsley Town Blvd., Suite D 980-297-7000

http://www.wildwingcafe.com

A repeat winner. Hey, it's not like we're not looking. And while many other eateries come close (for instance, the wings at… Continue

Best Fried Pickles

Diamond Restaurant

1901 Commonwealth Ave. 704-375-8959

http://www.diamondcharlotte.com

If you are looking for the fried pickles, go here.
Continue

Best Ice Cream/Gelato

Elizabeth Creamery

1601 Elizabeth Ave. 704-332-7776

It's more than a neighborhood favorite; even the most insulated of Ballantyne residents have heard about this shop's creamy goodness.
Continue

Best Frozen Yogurt

Tasty Yo

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the big fro-yo chain shops, but the yogurt is delicious and the topping… Continue
Reader Picks

Best New Restaurant (Opened In Last 12 Months)

Winner: 5Church Continue

Best Splurge Restaurant

Winner: Barrington's Restaurant Continue

Best Cheap Restaurant

Winner: Diamond Restaurant Continue

Best Late-Night Eatery

Winner: Diamond Restaurant Continue

Best Soul Food Restaurant

Winner: Mert's Heart and Soul Continue

Best Gourmet/Specialty Food Store

Winner: Dean & Deluca Continue

Best Breakfast

Winner: Zada Jane's Continue

Best Lunch

Winner: Common Market Continue

Best Brunch

Winner: Bistro La Bon Continue

Best Takeout

Winner: Price's Chicken Coop Continue

Best Barbecue

Winner: Mac's Speed Shop Continue

Best Coffee Shop (Specify Location)

Winner: Smelly Cat Coffeehouse Continue

Best Steakhouse

Winner: Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse Continue

Best Seafood Restaurant

Winner: Upstream Continue

Best Pizza (Specify Location)

Winner: Revolution Pizza and Ale House Continue

Best Chinese

Winner: Soho Bistro Continue

Best Japanese

Winner: Ru San's Continue

Best Indian

Winner: Copper, Modern Cuisine of India Continue

Best Asian (Other Than Chinese, Japanese or Indian)

Winner: Thai Taste Continue

Best Italian

Winner: Portofino's Ristorante Italiano e Pizzeria Continue

Best Mexican

Winner: Three Amigos Mexican Grill and Cantina Continue

Best Middle Eastern

Winner: Kabob Grill Continue

Best Caribbean

Winner: Anntony's Caribbean Cafe Continue

Best Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant

Winner: Fern: Flavors from the Garden Continue

Best Smoothies (Specify Location)

Winner: Carolina Smoothies (Dilworth) Continue

Best Milkshakes

Winner: Pike's Old Fashioned Soda Shop Continue

Best Cupcake Shop

Winner: Polka Dot Bake Shop Continue

Best French Fries

Winner: Five Guys Burgers and Fries Continue

Best Fried Chicken

Winner: Price's Chicken Coop Continue

Best Hamburger

Winner: Bad Daddy's Burger Bar Continue

Best Hot Dog

Winner: JJ's Red Hots Continue

Best Wings

Winner: Flip'n Chicken Continue

Best Fried Pickles

Winner: Diamond Restaurant Continue

Best Ice Cream/Gelato

Winner: Elizabeth Creamery Continue

Best Frozen Yogurt

Winner: Yoforia Continue

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(Sorry, no information is currently available for other years in this same award category.)

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