Hey Charlotte foodies. 👋 Between a Steele Creek shop earning a global ice cream crown, two restaurants requiring literal waivers before serving you dinner and a beloved listening bar closing its doors, it’s been a packed week in Queen City food news. Here’s your Saturday morning download of everything worth knowing from CharlotteFive this week. 🍴
🌮 Vote for Charlotte’s best nachos
Y’all nominated, and Heidi rounded up 30 Charlotte-area spots serving nachos worth arguing about. 🗳️ Voting is officially open, and you can refresh the page to vote as often as your appetite demands. Eligible restaurants have to be in the Charlotte area (places like Lake Norman, Gastonia, Matthews, Mint Hill and Fort Mill all count), have fewer than 20 locations nationwide and can’t have already won a previous Readers’ Choice contest.
🥪 $25 at Katz Deli in Ballantyne
Eva took $25 to Katz Deli for the “On a Budget” series and got real-deal New York commentary in the process. 🗽 While she read the menu, one woman jumped in: “Well if you’re not sure, ask a New Yorker!” Eva ordered a turkey BLT, a baked knish, cucumber salad and a cream soda — landing exactly at $25 with tip.
The verdict? Sandwich was comically tall but manageable, the potato knish was a carb-lover’s dream and the cucumber salad had that quick-pickle vibe. She’s already planning a return trip. 📍 Find Katz Deli in Ballantyne.
🍔 Charlotte’s 1992 burger scene
Melissa dug into The Charlotte Observer archives and unearthed a gem from restaurant writer Helen Schwab, published May 8, 1992. Readers had voted for the city’s juiciest burgers, and the Rebel Room racked up seven votes (one faxed letter claimed to speak for five people on its own). Lupie’s and Spoon’s tied at five each.
The list is a full tour through ’90s Charlotte: South 21 on East Independence, the Lantana at the Bradley Motel, Zack’s on South Boulevard, Providence Road Sundries, What-A-Burger and dozens more. One reader still dreamed about the South 21 cheeseburger a decade after going vegetarian…