Last month, I spent the weekend in Charlotte visiting one of my best friends who just moved back to North Carolina. She and I travel well together anyway (see here and here), and this weekend was no different. We spent some time exploring places in her new neighborhood and trying out some restaurants and breweries. Our experiences included outdoor seating, even when a thunderstorm blew up, so these are some great options now that the weather has started breaking a little bit. Here are the best breweries and places to eat for a weekend in Charlotte!
Weekend in Charlotte: Best Breweries and Places to Eat
Weekend in Charlotte – The Best Breweries to Visit
One of the reasons we wanted to explore the Charlotte breweries is because many have brewed beers as part of the Black is Beautiful beer campaign. While I know that Charlotte has an abundance of breweries to pick from, we loved these and had such a great experience. They also have procedures in place that made their spaces feel safe during this time.
Heist Brewery
We kicked off our unofficial brewery tour on Saturday at Heist Brewery at the NoDa location. We ate a late breakfast, so we snacked ordered a snack at Heist Brewery (highly recommend the spinach dip). I ordered the Hives Fives and Kayd ordered the Citraquench’l and would 10/10 recommend those.
Free Range Brewing
I was so excited to visit Free Range Brewery since the founders are from eastern North Carolina and went to East Carolina University as well. Their space is really great because it has lots of open areas, outdoor seating, and their beer uses as many local ingredients as they can find. They also have two Art-o-Mat machines, and Kayd and I each got a token to get an artwork to go. I first saw Art-o-Mat machines in Winston-Salem and have a slight obsession with them. We tried the My Heart and Soul and Slightly Emotional and recommend those!
NoDa Brewing Company
I’ve never been to NoDa before and was excited to finally visit after having friends rave about it. We did walk between Heist, Free Range, and NoDa. I would say that the walk between Free Range and NoDa isn’t something I would recommend normally; however, for exploring the city, it was fine. We got stuck on the patio in a pretty intense summer thunderstorm, but there was still plenty of space to stay under a cover outdoors. I can see why it’s such a popular spot, for sure. We opted for the Northend location as there are a few taprooms around the city. I had the Black is Beautiful Dark Pilsner and Kayd had the Haze So Low. I loved this pilsner and took some home with me.
Weekend in Charlotte – The Best Places to Eat
Dilworth Tasting Room
I cannot express how much I love Dilworth Tasting Room. We stopped here on Friday after I arrived in town for a drink and starter. We opted for the burrata which came with pistachio granola, balsamic vinaigrette, and strawberries. I highly recommend enjoying an early evening happy hour here, especially with the temperatures starting to become more comfortable.
The Goodyear House
After our snack at Dilworth Tasting Room, we had supper at The Goodyear House. I loved this spot, too! The entire space is gorgeous and the outdoor patio is a socially distant dream. I had the Red Devil Chicken and Kayd and I split the Good Salad. This spot is a must-eat at in Charlotte! Add it to your list immediately.
Poppy’s Bagels
For a late breakfast on Saturday, we headed over to Poppy’s Bagels for a breakfast sandwich. I am a big fan of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on an everything bagel and this one was delicious!
Mac’s Speed Shop
We had such a great experience at Mac’s Speed Shop that I forgot to take pictures while there. After hitting the breweries mentioned above and snacking at various places, we landed on Mac’s Speed Shop for supper. It was a laid back, casual spot with lots of space, outdoor seating, and a great line up of sports to watch on TV. I ordered the Mexicue Chicken Quesadilla and it was delicious.
300 East
Before leaving to head back to Raleigh, we had brunch at 300 East and OMG. I honestly had an incredible foodie experience during my trip, and this Crab Bennie from 300 East was exactly on point. This place was so cool–it’s patio, menu, and servers were exceptional. I highly recommend this spot for Sunday brunch.
Have you experienced a weekend in Charlotte before? Let me know in a comment below!
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