What’s new in Charlotte? A botanical bar, a new movie with Ayesha Curry + more
Charlotte’s food, drink and entertainment scenes have a lot cooking right now. A botanical rooftop bar is preparing to open, a local burger joint is basking in national praise and hometown talent — including Ayesha Curry — are landing leading roles on screens big and small.
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If you missed today’s CharlotteFive newsletter, here’s a quick rundown of what’s happening.
A top-floor botanical bar called Dear Charlotte is set to open in late fall at the new Hilton Garden Inn Steele Creek-Charlotte. Maya Hotels cousins and co-CEOs Parimal Thakor and Krishna Deva are behind the project slated for November at the hotel, where reservations open Sept. 4.
Dear Charlotte will feature floral cocktails, artisan pizzas and shared plates across a dining room, a 1,744-square-foot patio and a 344-square-foot greenhouse space — with room for up to 250 guests total.
Pinky’s Westside Grill on West Morehead Street — where Guy Fieri called the Triple G Burger “fantastic” on “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives” — is riding another wave of national attention after Tasting Table named it the best North Carolina restaurant featured on the show earlier this year.
Evan’s $25 tab at Pinky’s covered a chili-and-pimento-cheese-loaded Pinky Dog, fries and tots — plus a surprise heap of banana pudding on the house from a manager who caught wind of the visit.
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Ayesha Curry, who grew up in Charlotte, will star as dating expert Chelsey in “Second Chance Holiday,” a rom-com premiering on The Roku Channel around Christmas.
Curry, who’s working with chef Michael Mina, just opened Sweet July Cafe at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. Bourbon Steak and The Eighth Rule, a lounge from her husband, NBA superstar Stephen Curry, are expected to open at the hotel in late 2026.
☕ Get the details from Simone.
This is the shortlist. The full CharlotteFive newsletter drops every weekday with more food, drink, things to do and local finds. 📬 Sign up for the free CharlotteFive newsletter here.
Keep up with what’s new, what’s opening and what to eat: @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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