25 Best New Restaurants in Charlotte: 2022

An unranked rundown of the city's notable, recently opened spots

Even before the stress and disruption of COVID, Charlotte restaurants closed, downsized, relocated, expanded, and experimented. With it, the city’s dining scene had to weather an even higher level of stress: longtime dine-in restaurants delivered food curbside; fast-casual eateries unveiled take-home meal kits; and rooftop bars spruced up their patios to nudge customers outdoors.

This year, restaurateurs seemed to settle into a post-lockdown swing even as the overall scene continued to expand and diversify, to the point where it was hard to keep track of all the new additions. It’s a lot to digest, but Charlotte continues to impress us with its culinary range and resilience.

Here, you’ll find 25 restaurants that opened between Nov. 1, 2020, and Nov. 1, 2021. This list is based on quality, creativity, ambience, and service, and it’s in no particular order. We invite you to get out there, try something new, and support the talented restaurateurs behind these dishes.

Dilworth Tasting Room SouthPark

Owner and sommelier Jaffer Kovic, who renovated the old Dilworth Billiards space on East Tremont Avenue in 2016, opened the second DTR in February 2021 in what was Corkbuzz’s spot in Sharon Square in SouthPark. It has a more expansive interior, with a patio in front instead of a cozy nook in back, but the focus remains on “low-production” wines; the list of bottles alone takes up eight pages in a leather-bound binder, always a good sign. DTR also serves beer, cocktails, cheese and charcuterie boards,  appetizers, and entrées inspired by Kovic’s Croatian heritage. 4905 Ashley Park Lane, Ste. J, 980-938-4959

Order This: The Seared Salmon ($27), with a spiced honey glaze atop a generous side of vegetable fried rice.