Charlotte’s 30 best nachos spots need your vote — plus free oysters
Hey Charlotte — Monday’s CharlotteFive newsletter dropped, and if you’re the kind of person who plans your week around where to eat next, you’re going to want to bookmark this one. 🌮 The Readers’ Choice ballot for best nachos is officially open, we’ve got a Ballantyne deli review that put New York charm to the test, and Fin & Fino is handing out free oysters if you’re willing to part with your phone for a minute.
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Here’s what caught our eye today.
Y’all came through with the nominations — Heidi rounded up a whopping 30 restaurants in the Charlotte area serving up nachos worth debating over, and now it’s decision time. 🗳️ Voting is open, and you can refresh the page to vote as many times as your heart (and stomach) desires. This isn’t a scientific survey — it’s a chance to hype up your go-to spot for a big pile of chips loaded with all the good stuff.
A few ground rules: eligible restaurants have to be in the Charlotte area (Lake Norman, Gastonia, Matthews, Mint Hill, Fort Mill all count 🙌), have fewer than 20 locations nationwide, and can’t have already won a previous CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice contest. That means Que Fresa, Que Onda and Wing King — all previous winners — are sitting this one out, even though their nachos are legit.
👉 Get the full ballot here and cast your votes.
Eva took $25 to Katz Deli in Ballantyne for the latest installment of the “On a Budget” series, and let’s just say the experience came with commentary. 🗽 The deli was packed when she walked in at lunchtime on a Thursday — Knicks and Mets merch on the walls, a Lady Liberty mural, and honest-to-goodness New York accents at every table. While she read the menu, multiple strangers asked what she was ordering. One woman finally jumped in: “Well if you’re not sure, ask a New Yorker!” 😂
Eva went with a turkey BLT (Katz is famous for the Reuben, but she doesn’t eat beef), a baked knish, cucumber salad and a cream soda — landing exactly at $25 with tip. Verdict? The sandwich was comically tall but manageable, the potato knish was a carb-lover’s dream 🥔, and the cucumber salad delivered that quick-pickle vibe. She’s already planning a return trip for the fried square knish.
📍 Find Katz Deli on Google Maps in Ballantyne, and 👉 read Eva’s full review here.
If you’re plotting a late-summer escape, Evan writes that Figure Eight Island might be the quietest beach you’ve never heard of. Located about 30 minutes from Wilmington, it’s a five-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline with zero hotels, zero restaurants, zero boardwalks — just uncrowded beaches, luxury vacation homes and a guarded bridge that’s the only way in. 🌊 Southern Living recently called it one of North Carolina’s hidden beach gems, and the celebrity roster (Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Al Gore) tells you what kind of privacy we’re talking about.
Fun fact for the Netflix crowd: Figure Eight isn’t actually where “Outer Banks” is filmed, but it’s referenced throughout the show and inspired the fictional wealthy neighborhood called “Figure 8.” 🎬 The fifth and final season drops Aug. 20. If you go, expect paddleboarding, kayaking, dolphin sightings and long beach walks — with Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach nearby if you need actual restaurants.
Here’s a Monday night deal worth planning around: Fin & Fino is bringing back its “shellphone” promo. 📵 Hand over your phone when you sit down, and the social seafood house will send free oysters to your table. The catch? It’s Mondays only, there’s a $20 minimum purchase per guest, and the deal runs through Aug. 31 at both Charlotte-area locations. They’ll even hand out conversation cards so you don’t awkwardly stare at your empty hands.
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📍 Find Fin & Fino on Google Maps — perfect excuse to actually look up from your screen and, you know, talk to the person across from you. 🦪
Mark your calendars: Queen’s Feast Charlotte Restaurant Week runs July 24–Aug. 2, with prix fixe menus ranging from $30 to $55-plus. 🍴 This is prime time to try that spot you’ve been eyeing for months without committing to full menu prices. Browse the menus, find the deals that speak to your appetite, and lock in your reservation before your favorites book up.
“I’m not advocating that we should keep printed newspapers, by any means. But we do need to keep local journalists.” — Former Charlotte Observer executive editor Rick Thames, on his new book, “Why Local News”.
Want daily Charlotte food, drink and things-to-do intel delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free CharlotteFive newsletter here — it’s the quickest way to stay on top of what’s opening, what’s closing and what’s worth your appetite this week. 📬
And follow along on social: @cltfive on Instagram 📸, @cltfive on Threads 🧵, @cltfive on TikTok 🎥, and @charlottefive.com on Bluesky 🦋.
Got a food find, restaurant tip or Charlotte moment that made your day? Send it to [email protected] — it might show up in a future newsletter. 💌
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.
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