New or homesick? Where Charlotte's immigrant community goes for familiar flavors

Yahoo

16-05-2025

If there's one thing that can evoke memories of home, it's food. Charlotte's a growing city with more than 1,000 international businesses in the region, according to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. And the latest census puts Charlotte's foreign-born population at 18.1%.
With stats like that, you can be sure international flavors abound here, too.
So where do people with international roots go when they want a taste of home? That's something my French-born husband asked me the other day and made me curious. CharlotteFive thought you'd want to know, too. So, we checked in with immigrants from around the globe (including my hubby!) to get recommendations on places and dishes to try.
A few things stood out in these conversations:
This is just a tiny sampling of international voices but includes people from a variety of places and career backgrounds, spanning the arts, business, sports, medicine, education and more.
Authentic flavors don't necessarily mean a higher price tag. This list features everything from food trucks and takeout counters to casual and fine dining establishments.
Many of these folks also enjoy cooking and said that nothing can beat a home-made meal made by them or fellow immigrants.
[GO GLOBAL: Charlotte's top international markets, including some with cafes and food courts.]
Here's our guide so you can eat like those in the know:
Name: Aguinaldo Santos (Hometown: Cabo de Santo Agostinho)
Occupation: Visual artist
Aguinaldo Santos, whose work has recently been showcased at events like Charlotte Shout and the Charlotte International Arts Festival, said one of the best places to check out for Brazilian fare is Tropical Bakery & Cafe in Matthews. It's among the oldest bakeries in the area, which has several other Brazilian shops nearby.
Brazilians in the know call it 'Rui's bakery,' after owner/pastry chef Rui Oliveira. It's a point of reference and a popular place for Brazilians to meet up, Santos said. The menu includes an assortment of breakfast pastries and lunch options. He recommends trying coxinha (deep-fried pastries stuffed with shredded chicken and cream cheese).
He also recommends trying picanha (a popular cut of grilled beef), typically served as a lunch with beans and rice, fries or mashed potatoes. You can find that at Brazilian Way Sport Bar.
For upscale Brazilian barbecue or churrascaria with rodizio-style service (a prix fixe that includes a variety of grilled meats on skewers brought and carved table-side), Santos recommends Chima Steakhouse in uptown Charlotte.
Location: 11100 Monroe Road, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 1920 Sardis Road North, Charlotte, NC 28270
Location: 139 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Name: Romain Bertrand (Hometown: Sorgues)
Occupation: Director of solution design at BetterLesson
'There aren't that many French restaurants in Charlotte at the moment,' Romain Bertrand said. He recommends Cafe Monte for its authentic French bistro ambiance and menu. The decor doesn't feel overly kitsch with memorabilia, and dishes are relatively simple.
'It's trying to do French classics well at a reasonable price,' he said.
The Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese) and Croque Madame (grilled ham and cheese with a fried egg) are ultimate comfort foods. Crȇpes with savory fillings, steak frites and boeuf bourguignon are all simple but well done fare, he said.
[ONLY THE BEST FOR. YOU: Charlotte neighborhood restaurant named for the city's best french fries.]
He also enjoys Raclette Night at Orrman's Cheese Shop, especially in winter. This dish, typical of the Alps, is prepared with melted raclette cheese scraped from a giant wheel of cheese. (Racler means 'to scrape' in French). It's traditionally served with potatoes, charcuterie and cornichons.
Location: 6700 Fairview Road #108, Charlotte, NC 28210
Location: 224 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Name: Fuki Takahashi (Hometown: Yokohama)
Name: Remi Okamoto (Hometown: Kyoto)
Occupation: Professional dancers with Charlotte Ballet
Fuki Takahashi, who is in her first year at Charlotte Ballet, recommends Super, a market reminiscent of a Japanese-style convenience store. It's located in the food hall at Urban District Market, less than a 10-minute drive from the ballet's rehearsal studio. If she's hungry after work, she often picks up onigiri (a rice ball wrapped in seaweed) for the hour-long ride back home to Lexington.
She also recommends Yunta in SouthEnd, an upscale Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant, for date nights. It's got you covered whether you like your dishes raw (like sushi and ceviche) or cooked (grilled meats and wok-prepared stirfries). 'That restaurant was divine …' she said. 'And the cocktails are amazing.'
Dancer Remi Okamoto suggests KaUdon, also at Urban District Market. She said it's one of the most authentic places she's found throughout her dance career, which took her to multiple European countries before arriving in Charlotte in 2023. 'It's so Japanese,' she said, and really made her feel like she was home.
For Ramen, Menya Daruma gets Okamoto's vote, for both taste and its authentic Japanese noodle shop ambiance, including counter seating and an open kitchen.
If you want to pair your next meal with a trip to the ballet, you can catch both dancers in a Las Vegas-styled reimagining of 'Carmen,' making its world premiere at Knight Theater from May 2-11.
Location: 2315 North Davidson Street, #300, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 2201 South Boulevard, Suite 130, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 1941 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204
Name: Francis Dayrit (Hometown: Manila)
Occupation: Physician
Name: Glorianne Bernabe (Hometown: Quezon City)
Occupation: Development associate at International House
Francis Dayrit, who came to Charlotte in the late '90s, recommends Joel's Asian Grill in Mooresville, which features a Filipino menu as part of its offerings. He hasn't eaten there since ownership changed but heard the same dishes he enjoyed there are still available. He also enjoys Manila Grill in Alley 51 at Super G Mart in Pineville.
At either place, try Filipino adobo, often called the national dish of the Philippines. It's different from other adobo traditions found around the world, he said, and its preparation can vary greatly depending on who's cooking.
Each region has its own version with different types of meat and vegetables. The dish usually centers on vinegar, garlic, black pepper and soy sauce. In the Philippines, he said, 'you get the best adobo in people's homes because everybody's from somewhere else …'
Another dish to try is laing, made from dried taro leaves cooked in coconut milk, sometimes served with pork or shrimp.
Glorianne Bernabe, who moved to the U.S. as a child with her family, also gives these restaurants a thumbs up. Both carry one of her favorite dishes: sinigang, a soup made of tamarind and lots of vegetables. It is traditionally made with salmon, pork or shrimp and has a sour flavor, she said.
She also has found a taste of home at food trucks, like when Philippines Fest, a popular street festival from New York, made a trip to Charlotte last November. A repeat event is planned for May 24 -25 at Resident Culture Brewery.
She discovered Hottadogs, thanks to the festival, a local truck with a Filipino-style hot dog on its menu. At Hottadogs, the red and sweet franks are served with a pork skewer on top, along with crispy onions and Filipino banana ketchup. Growing up, she remembers hot dogs on a skewer served as a party food with marshmallows at the bottom and top
'It's a very unique thing that some Filipinos do ...' she said. 'But I also know some people who never really heard of it.'
Another popular food truck she hopes to try soon: VJ's Chicken Inasal. It specializes in Filipino-style barbecue, which she said is a little sweeter than traditional Southern barbecue.
Location: 110A Marketplace Avenue, Mooresville, NC 28117
Location: Inside Alley 51 at Super G Mart, 10500 Centrum Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134
Location: Mobile
Location: Mobile
Name: Peinda Diop (Hometown: Dakar)
Occupation: French instructor at The Language Academy of the Carolinas
Peinda Diop moved to Charlotte five years ago. She's taught French and English as a second language across the U.S. since the early 2000s. Since she moved here, she's been on the hunt for Thiébou Dieune ('Chee-boo-jen'), as it's known in Senegal or jollof rice, as it's known in other regions.
It's a rice and fish dish and considered the signature meal of Senegal.
She makes the dish at home and contemplates opening her own catering or restaurant business someday to share it with others.
'Now, this is the thing,' Diop said, 'Jollof rice has been imitated. The original jollof rice is found in Senegal … because Senegal used to be the Empire of Djolof before it was a (French) colony.'
(After we spoke, Diop learned from her brother about Tima African Restaurant near Eastway Drive and The Plaza. Its menu includes jollof rice and other cuisine that reminds him of home but she has yet to try it.)
In the meantime, she said the Mediterranean flavors of fried rice and grilled chicken that she finds at Mezeh are similar to another popular meat and rice dish found in Senegal, called Yassa. It's made of white rice, mixed vegetables, chicken, lamb or fish, cooked with an onion sauce with mustard, lemon and garlic.
Location: 4438 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28215
Location: 4920 Old Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
Location: Inside Optimist Hall, 340 East 16th Street, Charlotte, NC 28206
Location: 8926 J M Keynes Drive, Suite B, Charlotte, NC 28262
Name: Zoran Krneta (Hometown: Belgrade)
Occupation: General manager of Charlotte FC
Zoran Krneta, who is originally from Serbia, moved to London in the 1990s to study and launch his career that has encompassed both international finance and sports management. A major foodie, Krneta came to Charlotte in 2019 to oversee the new professional soccer club's operations.
In Serbia, he said, 'there are thousands of little cafes all over the place.' In Charlotte, too, he's found lots of restaurants to love.
At Intermezzo Pizzeria and Cafe in Plaza Midwood, you can find some Serbian dishes on the menu, including sarma. That's a traditional Balkan dish made of minced meat, rice and seasonings wrapped in cabbage leaves.
Just as Charlotte is constantly expanding with new international flavors, Krneta said his palate continues to broaden here. When he and his wife first arrived, they looked for places that would remind them of Europe and London.
They quickly fell in love with Barcelona Wine Bar, and it became their principal haunt. Krneta said it's a perfect spot to linger outside with a bottle of wine for hours.
He also recommends Restaurant Constance, located a short drive away from Bank of America Stadium, where he's gotten to know chef Sam Diminich, a semifinalist for this year's James Beard Awards. Krneta loves the fresh farm produce and frequently changing menu at the intimate restaurant. He said the ambiance and menu both have a European feel to them. (Diminich has Italian lineage and trained in his father and grandfather's restaurants, as well as under celebrated French chef Georges Perrier at the legendary Le Bec Fin restaurant in Philadelphia before it closed.)
Krneta also loves Sixty Vines, where he'll sit outside if the weather's nice. It's a perfect place to go with business partners, he said.
'It reminds me if you go to Europe in the summer and you go to Mykonos, the famous Greek island, or if you go to the famous Spanish island Ibiza, and that's like a party island where … the atmosphere is amazing and a lot of people … [are] drinking, laughing and it's always packed.'
Krneta said he knows he's lucky to be part of a pro soccer team and still be able to eat out all the time, unlike his players who have to more closely watch what they eat to stay fit. 'They have a different type of fun,' he said. 'They win the games, and then they're popular.'
Location: 1427 East 10th Street Charlotte, NC 28204
Location: 101 West Worthington Avenue, Suite 110, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 2200 Thrift Road, Charlotte, NC 28208
Location: 1415 Vantage Park Drive #100, Charlotte, NC 28203
Name: Earn Sakornpan (Hometown: Bangkok)
Occupation: Head of strategy and business development for an automotive testing company
Earn Sakornpan moved to the U.S. 20 years ago for school, and he and his wife have been in Charlotte for three years.
He said he's found several really good Thai restaurants in the vicinity. He recommends Noom Yai, a food truck based out of Belmont. It makes central Thai food, what he grew up with — dishes like Pad Thai and his favorite Kra Pao ('Holy Basil,' a stir fried combination with pork or chicken, Thai basil and a fried egg on top.)
He also recommends J.P. Lao Kitchen, near the airport. It's a bit of a trek, he said, but worth it. It serves Northeastern Thai and Lao cuisine. Its specialties include spicy dishes like papaya salad, grilled meats and sticky rice. You can order at the counter or grab a delicious premade takeout dish in the back of the shop, he said.
Location: Mobile
Location: 2604 Little Rock Road, Charlotte, NC 28214
Name: Gilberto Velazco (Hometown: Caracas)
Occupation: Retired civil engineer/Spanish instructor at The Language Academy of the Carolinas
Gilberto Velazco moved to Charlotte five years ago to be closer to his eldest daughter when the political situation in Venezuela became intolerable. He hasn't yet found upscale Venezuelan fine dining options in Charlotte, but he has found some great spots for snacks and everyday comfort foods. For more than 30 years, he ran an engineering firm and was a university professor in Caracas. Now, he teaches Spanish to adults in Charlotte.
At Chamos Grill, a casual spot, he said you can find specialities like arepas. Those are grilled or baked sandwiches made with cornmeal flatbread and filled with ingredients like beef, chicken, black beans, or shredded cheese. Try cachapas, too. Similar to pancakes, they are pan fried and made with sweet and tender pieces of corn mixed into the batter. They are often served with butter and white cheese.
Behind The Latin Corner, a grocery store in Pineville with South American products (see below), there are a couple of food trucks. Velazco said you can find tasty picadillo, a soup prepared from slowly smoked meat that's then cut in small pieces along with vegetables and turned into a thick soup. (Picar means 'to chop' in Spanish.)
'I recommend that after a hangover,' he said.
It's got a little spice to it but you can add more with aji pepper sauce, always served alongside Venezuelan cuisine, he said.
One other spot he hasn't tried yet but has heard good things about is Los Chamos on South Boulevard, where you can find Asado Negro — a tender beef dish seared in sugar, then slow cooked with vegetables and spices. (In case you're wondering, chamos means 'guys' or 'kids' in Venezuelan Spanish slang.)
Location: 9010 Monroe Road, Charlotte, NC 28270
Location: 2522 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 705 Main Street, Pineville, NC 28134
Location: 7001 South Boulevard, Suite B, Charlotte, NC 28217
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.