Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet
Hey Charlotte foodies — pour yourself something cold, because today’s CharlotteFive newsletter is stacked with stops worth adding to your summer list. From an ice cream shop with a global crown to a new-to-NC sushi concept and four mountain resorts worthy of a long weekend, here’s what CharlotteFive is chasing this week. 🍦🍣🏔️
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Teen writer Tristan is on a summer mission to find Charlotte’s best ice cream, and his latest stop was a big one: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream in Steele Creek, the shop National Geographic called the “#1 ice cream on the planet.” Founded in 1945 in Youngstown, Ohio, Handel’s makes its ice cream fresh in every franchise store. There are four locations in our area, and more than 100 flavors rotate through the menu.
Tristan and his dad tried a waffle cone stuffed with Buckeye ice cream — a peanut butter base with chocolate swirls and mini peanut butter cups — plus a brownie sundae big enough to split. His verdict? “Fresh-made ice cream in every store, a flavor list deep enough to require patience and portions that don’t skimp.” 📍 Find the Steele Creek shop at 4923 Trojan Dr., Suite 150.
👉 Read Tristan’s full review here.
Sushi fans, mark your calendars, Tanasia writes: Kura Sushi opens Friday, July 17, at StoneCrest at Piper Glen, and it’s the chain’s first-ever restaurant in North Carolina. Doors swing open at 11:30 a.m., and the first 150 seated guests get a commemorative T-shirt. Sushi plates start at $3.75. Pricing varies for other items. 🎉
More than 100 menu items travel through the dining room on a two-tier conveyor belt system — the primary belt loops sushi past every table, while an express belt delivers touchscreen orders directly to you. Keep an eye out for Mutenmaru, the tiny mascot who pops up on your tablet: drop 15 empty plates into the disposal slot at your table and he’ll reward you with a prize. 📍 Find it at 7804 Rea Rd., Suite A.
👉 Get all the opening details from Tanasia.
Craving a getaway that’s still drivable? Travel + Leisure readers just named four North Carolina resorts among the best places to stay in the South, writes Simone — and every single one sits in the mountains. Half-Mile Farm in Highlands landed highest at No. 4, followed by The Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville and Old Edwards Inn & Spa in Highlands, both returning to the list for at least the second year in a row. Skyline Lodge in Highlands rounded things out at No. 9.
The rankings pulled from more than a half-million reader votes cast between Oct. 20 and Feb. 23, with hotels scored on rooms, “location, service, food” and value. As the magazine put it: “What do they all have in common? Exceptional service that turns inquisitive travelers into return guests.”
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👉 See the full list here from Simone.
CharlotteFive has a theory worth testing: some of the best pizza in the city is coming out of local breweries, Melissa writes. She recently loved a cheese pizza with garlic and basil at NoDa Brewing Co., and she’s a big fan of Salud’s pizza — which fellow C5er Evan once called the best in Charlotte. Next on her list? The Exchange in Matthews, the pizza shed inside Seaboard Brewing that Tristan and Jamie called their favorite brewery pizza yet. 🍕
Got a happy food find in your day? Email [email protected] — you might see it in an upcoming newsletter. ☀️
Charlotte’s twice-yearly restaurant week is almost here, Heidi reports. Start plotting which prix-fixe menus you’re not going to miss, and make your reservations soon — the good tables go fast. 📅
A few more reads CharlotteFive is sharing today:
CharlotteFive drops a free newsletter every weekday with the city’s best eats, openings, closings, hidden gems and things to do. 👉 Sign up here — it’s the fastest way to keep tabs on what’s new in Charlotte.
You can also follow along with CharlotteFive on social: @cltfive on Instagram, @cltfive on Threads, @cltfive on TikTok and @charlottefive.com on Bluesky. 📱
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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