Restaurant Bites: What’s new and coming soon to a menu near you

CHARLOTTE — The local restaurant scene heated up in January with several new spots rolling out across the Charlotte market.

[Diner displaced by development finds a new spot]

South End, already a hub of entertainment and dining options, continues to welcome new additions to the neighborhood. Among those in January were Resident Culture’s second Charlotte location inside a revamped, former 1920s-era bus maintenance facility — which doubles as a brewery and taco shop, with a coffee bar still to come — as well as upscale restaurant Para in the old Zeppelin space on West Tremont Avenue. Farther down in South End, the owners behind Para, Parliament Hospitality Group, are also cooking up plans for three new concepts next year.

In a different part of Charlotte, rum-centric bar The Royal Tot opened in the Belmont neighborhood, while a European-inspired cafe called Sister replaced KiKi Bistro in Plaza Midwood.

The influx of new dining spots extended out into the region.

Tipsy Hare Ciderworks and Kingpin Bowling held their grand opening last month in Kannapolis, marking the latest elements of that downtown’s makeover. Local restaurateurs Katy and Joe Kindred debuted their milkbread concept in Davidson; Duck Donuts added a Fort Mill location; and Common Market and Two Scoops Creamery have opened as part of an adaptive-reuse project in Rock Hill.

Alongside those new openings, there were also a few long-standing establishments that shuttered in January.

Crepe Cellar closed in NoDa following 13 years in operation, though its owners expect to debut an Italian restaurant in that space in late February. In the Lake Norman area, Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails in Cornelius has undergone an ownership change and plans to relaunch as a new concept in March, and Cafe 100 closed in Huntersville after a decade.

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For a closer look at the latest restaurant, bar and brewery happenings across the Charlotte area, check out CBJ’s latest installment of Restaurant Bites here.

(Watch the video below: New live, work, play development to break ground at old Rock Hill Herald site)