Which of Charlotte’s oldest restaurants are still standing? 20 spots to visit
With hundreds of new restaurants opening in Charlotte each year, it’s a city with a food scene that’s always in flux. But it’s also one with strong support for its classic restaurants.
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Decades of memories have been lost over the past few years, with the closing of restaurants such as Green’s Lunch, Zach’s Hamburgers and Mr. K’s. We still miss Price’s Chicken Coop and Gus’ Sir Beef, too.
But many longtime gathering places for daily breakfasts and family dinner gatherings are still hanging on, with generations of regulars filling the seats. And if we keep them on our radar as we’re making our dining plans, we might just hang onto them a little longer.
Here are Charlotte’s 20 oldest restaurants:
Location: 1522 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
Neighborhood: Myers Park
Location: 1901 Commonwealth Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood
The James family built the Diamond Soda Grill in 1945 and sold it to Jerry Pistolis in 1982. While the building is the same, a team that included Fuller took it over in 2010 and gave the inside and the menu a spiffing up, with a retro-modern style.
Location: 2732 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: Ashley Park
Since 1947, the Wikinson Boulevard Dairy Queen has been an icon in Charlotte. The ice cream shop is the oldest DQ in the Carolinas. In 2022, it was listed for sale for $1.4 million, and when it sold for $1.1 million in 2025, owners Lacy and Blenda Walters were promised the Dairy Queen would stay.
Location: 3039 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28209
Neighborhood: Sedgefield
At the corner of Greystone Avenue and South Boulevard, Greystone Pub is in its third generation of family ownership. Visit here to watch Charlotte FC, listen to live music or eat a monstrous sandwich called Andy’s Heavyweight.
Location: 1100 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Jermaine Blackmon’s grandfather Otis Blackmon Sr. opened Original Chicken ‘n Ribs in 1952, and these days, Jermaine is still greeting customers at the door. Throughout many of the restaurant’s early years, it was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book — a guidebook that let Black travelers know of gas stations, hotels, restaurants and other establishments they could visit safely. Decades later, the restaurant is the only Charlotte establishment listed in the guidebook that is still around.
Location: 1318 W. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: FreeMore West
Steve Kokenes was born and raised in Charlotte and spent a few years living in Washington, D.C., before returning. It was in D.C. that he was introduced to pizza — he went out on a limb, bringing it back to Charlotte and opening The Open Kitchen in 1952. Decades later, Charlotte’s first pizzeria is still serving up pizzas with house-made sauces.
Location: 4925 Rozzelles Ferry Road, Charlotte, NC 28216
Neighborhood: West Charlotte/Thomasboro-Hoskins
Stockyard Restaurant, a meat-and-two-style of spot, has seen plenty of changes since its days of feeding stockyard customers as recently as the 1980. But its Southern hospitality — and its daily specials — are still bringing in plenty of regulars.
Location: 2328 N. Graham St, Charlotte, NC 28206
Neighborhood: Tryon Hills
Tatsis has been a Graham Street locals’ favorite since — well, since before Graham Street was Graham Street. It was originally called Hutchinson Avenue, and in 1954, Peter Tatsis purchased the Hutchinson Avenue Grill. In 1961, Nick and Georgia Yiottis joined Peter Tatsis as partners, and the trio rebranded the restaurant to be called Tatsis.
Location: 4818 Rozzelles Ferry Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Neighborhood: Thomasboro-Hoskins
Circle G is a meat-and-three restaurant that has been serving up Southern charm since 1954. It recently made the small screen during its appearance on the SNL movie “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.” (It’s the diner where John runs into Ben and Martin toward the end of the movie.)
Location: 3101 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: East Charlotte/Commonwealth Park
Nothing lets you take an instant step back in time like Charlotte’s Classic drive-ins, and South 21 will take you right back to the 1950s. The “home of the Super Boy” has been at its Independence Boulevard location since 1959. We wonder if our grandparents took the kids for meals there?
Location: 10220 Rozzelles Ferry Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214
Neighborhood: Mountain Island
Shuffletown Grill opened in 1957 as a tribute to the Shuffletown Dragway and is located in the Mountain Island Lake area. You’ll feel like you stepped right into the 1950s with the retro diner motif, right down to the red stools and kitchy decor.
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Location: 4538 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28209
Neighborhood: South Charlotte/Collingwood/LoSo
The original owner of Beef ‘N Bottle, George Fine, opened a restaurant in 1958 with his wife called The Amber House. In 1960, they sold it and opened House of Steaks in uptown. In 1978, Fine moved his restaurant to its current spot — once a house — and changed its name to Beef ‘N Bottle.
Location: 11000 Nations Ford Rd, Pineville, NC 28134
Neighborhood: Pineville
You’ll step back through time when you visit Kopper Kettle, with the restaurant’s original swivel stools still perched at the counter of the restaurant that has been serving Charlotte comfort food for more than 50 years. George and Penny Karnezis moved here from Greece in 1966 and opened the restaurant in 1971. It’s been closed since a 2024 fire heavily damaged the restaurant, but it’s poised to reopen soon.
Location: Inside of Belk at SouthPark Mall, 4400 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Neighborhood: Barclay Downs/SouthPark
Arthur’s Wine Shop opened on Church Street in 1972 after owner Steve Balsley and his two brothers purchased the existing Arthur’s Gourmet Shop. A year later, the shop moved to the basement of Ivey’s. In 1974, it moved with Ivey’s to SouthPark Mall before settling in the basement of Belk in 1990.
Location: 2710 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: NoDa
Brooks’ Sandwich House is a Charlotte icon: The unassuming red building tucked on a corner in NoDa has been drawing crowds since 1973. This family-run spot makes great burgers, dogs and chili — but what it really serves up is heart. When you’re here, you’re home.
Location: 4600 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: West Charlotte/Westerly Hills
After owning and operating Eat Well Grill on Trade Street in the 1950s and Pete’s Grill on South Boulevard in the 1960s and ’70s, Maria Kotros and Gus Garvrilis’ father purchased the building at 4600 Wilkinson Boulevard to open Carolina Family Restaurant. The brother and sister duo still run the restaurant today.
Location: 8601 University Executive Park Dr, Charlotte, NC 28262
Neighborhood: University
Nakato Japanese Steakhouse opened its first Charlotte location on Independence Boulevard, near the old Charlotte Coliseum. It opened the University location in 2004.
Location: 300 West Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203
Neighborhood: Wilmore
Everyone in the South (plus New York and New Jersey) knows fast-food chicken and biscuit restaurant Bojangles. But if you’re a newcomer to Charlotte, you might not know that it was founded right here in Charlotte in 1977. The original location, at 300 West Blvd. in Wilmore, is still in operation today.
Location: 3640 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Eastway/Plaza Midwood
“The House of Pizza harkens to a day, not so long ago, when most of Charlotte’s Italian restaurants were neither Southern nor Northern Italian but Mideast Italian — as in, Greek,” wrote Charlotte Observer’s Helen Schwab in 1995 about the no-frills restaurant. “Greek owners, Greek-flavored versions of Italian dishes and a few actual Greek items sprinkled among the Italian on the menu.”
Location: 4223 Providence Rd # 6, Charlotte, NC 28211
Neighborhood: Strawberry Hill
Phil’s Deli II moved from the original Cotswold location to its spot in Strawberry Hill in 1991, and generations of Charlotteans have noshed on its sandwiches over time. It’s a family-run business, with fresh salads, dressings and desserts all made in house, along with Jewish deli specialties such as kosher bologna, hot dogs, knockwurst and salami.
Do you see anything missing on our list? Email us at [email protected] to let us know.
Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.
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