A Guide to Charlotte's Street Food - Charlotte Magazine (2024)

When we go out to eat nowadays, we bring a growing appetite for food that’s convenient, affordable, and reflects an array of cultures. The hard-working folks who own the restaurants and prepare the meals often have similar priorities, especially since COVID threw the food service industry into chaos: It’s less expensive to operate a booth, cart, kiosk, or food truck than a sit-down restaurant. Hand-held foods often don’t require time-consuming presentation, servers, or even utensils. They’re meant to be acquired and consumed with minimal fuss.

Charlotte’s in the thick of this evolution. Surely you’ve noticed how enthusiastically vendors and diners here are embracing street eats. More than 200 food trucks roam our streets and drop anchor outside our breweries. The opening of Optimist Hall in 2019 has inspired similar concepts in other neighborhoods, and you can typically find one or more food carts at Trade and Tryon around lunchtime.

The trend surges in cities around the country. Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce cited a study by the Chicago-based food and beverage data analysis firm Datassential that found that 49% of consumers were interested in global street foods—Chinese dumplings, Mexican street corn, and myriad others. It also found that the presence of the word “street” on menus has doubled in the past decade. “Street food has gained incredible popularity over the past five to seven years, and there’s no sign it’s slowing down,” according to an Institute of Food Technologists market forecast in 2022. “From arepas and banh mi to pierogis and poutine, street food showcases the authentic flavors of a culture and appeals to consumers looking for new experiences.” Another benefit, especially if you’re famished, is that you’re usually digging in a few minutes after you order.

One important thing to remember as you dive into this exploration of Charlotte’s street eats: They don’t necessarily come from, or have to be eaten on, the street. But there’s something bracing about a more down-to-earth way of dining al fresco. You can sample katsus (Japanese) from a food truck, empanadas (Argentinian) from a coffee shop, shawarma (Middle Eastern) from a cart, and anything else you run across. As you nosh, revel in the absence of a white tablecloth. —Greg Lacour

Morelia Gourmet Paletas

Dulce de Leche Paleta, $6.25

Paletas, which means “little sticks” in Spanish, are sweet frozen treats that date back to 1930s Mexico. They’re made in small batches at mom-and-pop shops, and unlike American popsicles—usually just water, sugar, and artificial dyes—paletas are made with fresh, puréed fruits or creamy ingredients like Belgian chocolate or peanut butter. They’re typically displayed in glass cases to show off their vibrant colors, which is exactly how Morelia Gourmet Paletas does it in their South End shop. You can choose from three types: fruit-based, cream-based, and cream-based with filling. The Dulce de Leche falls into the third category, and Morelia fills each one with more thick, Argentinian dulce de leche, creating a sugary burst akin to a caramel filling when you bite into it. They’re fun to eat on the go and relatively mess-free—as long as you finish them before they melt. 1425 Winnifred St., Ste. 104

Banh Mi Brothers

Grilled Pork – Thit Nuong Bánh Mì, $7.95

As the Banh Mi Brothers website puts it, banh mi sandwiches are as “iconic … to the Vietnamese culture as hamburgers are to America.” Dang, do owners and brothers Hau and Luan Doan make a fresh one. They start with a short baguette, with a chewy crust and remarkably soft inside, which they cut open and brush with scallion oil. Then come slices of tender lemongrass grilled pork; fresh cucumber and jalapeño slices; crunchy, julienne-cut pickled carrots and onions; and whole stems of cilantro. The blend of textures and ratio of toppings is (insert chef’s kiss). 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., Ste. A7

Hawkers Asian Street Food

Spiced Lamb Street Skewers, $11

Some of the best food in Southeast Asia comes from hawker stalls, where street vendors “hawk” their skewers, noodles, and steamed buns. Like barbecue in the U.S., Asian street food is highly regionalized. Spiced Lamb Street Skewers originated in Xinjiang in northwestern China, and Hawkers’ version is a mix of savory ground lamb spiced with cumin, coriander, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns. The skewers come with a side of fiery chuan jerk rub and spring onion-ginger aioli, which helps cut the heat if the spices set your mouth ablaze. You can also put out the fire with a Gin Rickshaw. 1930 Camden Road, Ste. 260

Stick Street

Korean Corn Dog, $6

“Everything tastes better on a stick” is this Urban District Market stall’s tagline. It tests that hypothesis by putting an array of foods on sticks—wagyu, grilled eel, cinnamon toast, corn, and chicken teriyaki among them. The Korean corn dog, also known as a K-dog, is the one you must get every visit. Order the sausage and mozzarella option, with sugar dusting on its battered exterior, and don’t forget to get a video of that iconic, stretttccchyyy cheese for the ’gram. 2315 N. Davidson St., Ste. 300 (Urban District Market)

La Dolcekca Bakery Café

Chop Cheese Sandwich, $15

The pastry case at La Dolcekca brims with cannoli, tres leches, and flan, but owner Karina Cooper’s menu also includes a favorite from her beloved New York City bodegas: the Chop Cheese Sandwich. She chops ground beef, onions, and cheese together on the grill, then serves it on a hero roll with lettuce and tomatoes—like a cheeseburger-sloppy Joe hybrid. While many of her Charlotte customers have never heard of the sandwich, Cooper says she gets the occasional New Yorker who grew up eating them at their local bodega. “People from the Bronx know,” she says with a smile. “When they eat it, they feel at home.” 607 Montford Drive, Ste. C

Royal Cafe & Creperie

Nutty Monkey Crêpe, $9

Many towns in France have a crêperie within walking distance where you can order a sweet or savory crêpe and enjoy it outdoors. The ultra-thin pancakes are cheap, portable, and, best of all, versatile. In downtown Matthews, Alexis Botero and her mother, Elena Mizrahi, slather them with Nutella, sprinkle them with sugar, or fill them with ham and cheese. The Nutty Monkey Crêpe is stuffed with banana slices, walnuts, peanut butter, and Nutella, then drizzled with chocolate sauce. It’s a sugar bomb you can eat for breakfast, a late afternoon snack, or dessert. See? Versatility! 131 Matthews Station St., Matthews

Matcha Café Maiko

Matcha Soft Serve, $5.50

Matcha is a finely milled green tea powder that came to Japan from China in the 12th century. Today, it’s an essential part of Japanese cuisine and the star ingredient in many desserts. If you didn’t grow up with it, it can be an acquired taste. Matcha green tea has a grassy smell, and that first sip can taste bitter before you get to the smooth, sweet finish. Matcha soft serve lacks the bitterness of the tea, but it’s not so sweet that it kicks you in the teeth. Plus, that green swirl atop a waffle cone is really pretty. It’s common to see people enjoy this frozen treat on the streets of Tokyo, and it’s become popular in Hawaii as well.

In Charlotte, you can order it at Matcha Café Maiko, a cozy dessert shop at The Arboretum that imports all of its matcha from Uji, which is south of Kyoto. It serves a variety of pastries and tea drinks, too, but the soft serve is usually what gets people in the door. If it’s your first time and you’re not sure about matcha, get the Matcha and Ube swirl. Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines, which gives the soft serve its purple hue and a slightly sweeter flavor than the matcha. It’s also full of antioxidants, so you can think of this as a healthy summer dessert. It looks phenomenal on Instagram, too. 8128 Providence Road, Ste. 900

Azul Tacos and Beer

California Burrito, $14.95

San Diego is the birthplace of the California burrito, a hand-held feast packed with steak, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and French fries. You’ll find different variations in taco shops and food trucks in the Southern California city—some have sour cream, queso fresco, pico de gallo, or grilled chicken—and they usually taste best on the hood of your car as you watch surfboard-strapped vans zip up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. If you can’t make it to the West Coast, cruise over to Azul Tacos and Beer in Wesley Heights for some of the most authentic California burritos in Charlotte. Order at the register, grab a seat at one of the long, farm-style tables, and wait for them to call out your name. At the end of the counter, you’ll find a Styrofoam plate lined with black-and-white checked paper holding your tortilla-wrapped parcel. It’s a carb-loaded behemoth, but, damn, it’s good. 2122 Thrift Road, Ste. A

Ilios Crafted Greek

Lamb Gyro Pita Sandwich, $12.75

Ilios Crafted Greek—with locations in uptown, Piper Glen, and Fort Mill—is the fast-casual, counter-service concept from the owners of Ilios Noche on Providence Road. You’d be remiss not to order the gyro, a pita sandwich that’s one of Greece’s most popular street foods. We opt for lamb, cooked on a vertical, rotating spit. Ilios starts its gyro construction with a fresh, soft, hot pita, which gets slathered on one side with tzatziki, then layered with tomatoes, red onions, and mind-bogglingly tender slices of lamb. Add French fries inside your gyro—trust us—for 75 cents. Once properly dressed, the pita gets folded in half and meticulously wrapped in blue-and-white, branded deli paper. Don’t yank off the whole wrapper—it helps hold the thing together—but rather remove it slowly as you chow. Multiple locations

Halal Food Cart

Combo Gyro, $8.99

There’s a reason the Halal Food Cart is as much a Trade and Tryon fixture as Raymond Kaskey’s Sculptures on the Square. Of all its tasty offerings, the Combo Gyro is Halal Food Cart’s finest creation: grilled chicken, lamb, and salad inside a toasted pita and topped with tzatziki. 101 N. Tryon St.

876 Delights

Patty, $5

These hand-held pastries are a favorite “fast food” in Jamaica. Street vendors sell the half-moon-shaped pockets filled with seasoned ground beef, lamb, lobster, shrimp, or chicken for just a few dollars. At 876 Delights (876 is one of Jamaica’s area codes), owner Yanique Grant makes them with beef, chicken, or veggies. They’re a bit spicier than empanadas, and the turmeric powder in the dough gives them their vibrant yellow hue. You can find her canary-yellow truck at Whitehall Eats or SouthPark Eats most weeks—just look for the big Jamaican flag.

Katsu Kart Sando Shop

OG Katsu, $13

Perry Saito has roamed Charlotte’s streets in his bright-blue truck since May 2021, slapping slabs of meat, shaved cabbage, and house mayo between slices of spongy white bread called shokupan (aka Japanese milk bread). The result is a sando, a distinctly Japanese sandwich that’s widely available as a late-night handheld treat in Tokyo and other cities in the land of the rising sun. The anchor of Saito’s menu is his OG Katsu, a substantial breaded and fried chicken breast with the above ingredients and Worcestershire sauce. (As “sando” is an abbreviation of “sandwich,” “katsu” is short for “katsuretsu,” which means “cutlet” in Japanese.) The thick chicken cutlet offers a satisfying crunch that pairs nicely with the pillowy bread, and the savory saltiness of the Worcestershire is just what your palate craves after a few beers. The sandos are wrapped in wax paper and sliced in two, so you can stand on a curb or against a wall and munch to your gut’s content.

Royal Biryani

Samosas, $6

They come out hot, and the potato-and-peas filling can sear off a layer of mouth skin if you’re not careful. Wait a minute or two, then just dunk these fried savory pastries, a favorite South Asian snack, into the accompanying tamarind and mint sauces and take your bites. Royal Biryani is mainly a takeout place, one that’s occupied a sector of a humble strip mall for seven years, and the dishes are as authentic as they come. 9624 Monroe Road

Nusa

Chicken Satay, $12

Indonesian-born Chef Hendra Tijey leads the kitchen at this counter-serve eatery at The Arboretum. He’s created a menu of street foods that includes skewers, curries, noodles, and sweets. Order at the register, where you’ll be tempted by a plethora of Indonesian snacks, then grab a number and take a seat. A server rolls your order out on a cart when it’s ready. In keeping with Indonesian tradition, chicken anchors Nusa’s menu. Their most popular appetizer, Chicken Satay, comes with four grilled chicken skewers made “Ponorogo style,” fired over hot coals to bring out sweet and smoky flavors. It’s served with a side of creamy, sweet-and-savory peanut sauce that’s nothing short of habit-forming. 8200 Providence Road, Ste. 700

Johnny Burrito

Build-Your-Own Burrito, starts at $8.08

Look for the “Johnny Burrito” A-frame sign on the sidewalk of South College Street. Follow its arrow through a basem*nt-level door. Johnny Burrito is to the right of Subway. You’ll see the line. No worries, though—the tiny, memorabilia-stuffed restaurant has done this since 1998 and churns through customers quickly. “First time?” owner Johnny Bitter asks when you reach the register. If it is, he rings a silver call bell that has no apparent purpose. “First-timers get a souvenir,” he says as he hands you a lime-green bottle opener-keychain. “OK, next question: burrito or bowl?” “Burrito.” “Small or large?” After you pay, he motions for you to take a step to the right. Another employee is waiting for you, and the rest of the process works like Chipotle—choose your protein, rice, beans, and other burrito fillings. Except, guess what? Guac isn’t extra. 301 S. Tryon St.

The Happy Hound

Sabrett Hot Dog, $3

Drive down The Plaza between NoDa and Plaza Midwood and, more often than not, you’ll see a hot dog cart in the parking lot of Hattie’s Tap & Tavern. That’s The Happy Hound, and the sunshine-yellow cart—with ’70s-style flowers and a rainbow-hound dog logo—is hard to miss. So is its owner, 68-year-old Tom Neelon, in his rainbow tie-dye T-shirt and sunglasses. The menu includes items like burgers, chicken tenders, and homemade Italian sausages, but most people stop for the grilled Sabrett beef hot dogs. Order them “all the way,” with chili, coleslaw, diced white onions, and
mustard. “You can make it a combo for just a buck,” Neelon says, gesturing to a box of Utz chips and a cooler of sodas. Be careful unwrapping the aluminum foil, as contents may have shifted during handoff.

Neelon opened The Happy Hound in March 2022, after his son died and he needed to get out of the house. He’d owned and operated several bars and restaurants in his native Cleveland, and the idea for a hot dog cart came from his time living in New York City. (He’s also legally blind, which limits his job options.) After someone stole his cart from the parking lot last July, Hattie’s owner Jackie DeLoach started a GoFundMe that met its $4,000 goal in just 24 hours. The Happy Hound was back up and running within two weeks. 2918 The Plaza

Momo Station

Chicken Katti Roll, $10.99

This stall inside The Market at 7th Street specializes in momos, dumplings common in northern India, Bhutan, and Nepal. It also serves a selection of Katti Rolls, a kind of Indian wrap that’s stuffed with grilled meat, green chutney or sauces, shredded veggies, and, sometimes, cheese and eggs. Manager Kesab Dhital makes each one to order and hustles them out for you to eat at the communal tables or take with you on the streets of uptown. 224 E. Seventh St.

JP Lao Kitchen

JP’s Spring Rolls, $6

Johnny “JP” Vong used to serve his Southeast Asian eats from a truck called JP Food To Go, which he parked outside his in-laws’ west-side grocery store, Vieng Keo Asian Market. But last year, he renovated an old Hardee’s next door and opened JP Lao Kitchen. In addition to made-to-order dishes, he offers a wide selection grab-and-go foods, including his spring rolls. They’re what spring rolls are supposed to be—sliced pork, whole shrimp, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, fresh red bell peppers, and herbs wrapped in pliable rice paper and served at room temperature. Each bite offers an array of textures: the gummy wrapper, the soft vermicelli, the crunchy veggies, the springy shrimp. The large rolls are sold in threes, with peanut and spicy fish sauces, tightly plastic-wrapped on a Dyne-a-pak tray for easy transport. 2604 Little Rock Road

CLT Rollie

Egg Rolls, 1 for $5 or 3 for $12

Choosing your flavor(s) is part of the joy of CLT Rollie. But if you can’t decide what you want from this food truck’s menu of 20-or-so nontraditional egg rolls, just close your eyes and point. Maybe your finger will land on Chicken Fried Rice, or Steak & Cheese, or Pepperoni Pizza, or Lobster Mac, or Peach Cobbler. If you’re hungry, three rolls will probably do it—these suckers are American-sized.

The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters

Empanadas, $4 each; 3 for $11; 6 for $21; 12 for $40

There’s more to an empanada than the flaky pastry crust, but you have to get the crust right for a good empanada. The staff at The Giddy Goat, a coffee roastery and shop that a young UNC Chapel Hill graduate named Carson Clough founded in 2020, understands this necessity. They prepare exceptional Argentinian-style empanadas, pockets of pastry with warm and flavorful fillings. We sampled a trio: breakfast, with ham, cheese, egg, and creamy bechamel sauce; chicken, with red pepper and onion; and Mediterranean, with beef, green and yellow onions, and lemon. In all cases, the crust provides just enough resistance and dryness to complement the gooey interior. If you’re wondering about the goat and its giddiness, the source is an Ethiopian myth about a shepherd named Kaldi, who discovered coffee roasting when he accidentally tipped a basket of cherries into a fire as he gleefully danced with his pals. “Stay Giddy, My Friends,” reads the slogan on the company van parked outside. We will, as long as they keep serving those empanadas. 1217 The Plaza

Cheat’s Cheesesteak Parlor

Cheesesteak, $9.99/$14.99

Look, it’s a proper cheesesteak. When you’re done, your chin slickened and fingers sticky, you’re going to need an outdoor beach shower or, failing that, a hose. It’s supposed to be messy. Cheat’s slices certified Black Angus top round steak, tosses it with onions on a griddle, then spatulas the works onto an 8-inch roll from Liscio’s Bakery in Glassboro, New Jersey, just across the Delaware from Philly. Regarding the cheese: Cheat’s offers provolone, American, and “vegan cheddar,” whatever the hell that is. But those are for apostates and neophytes who lack the character for the only acceptable choice: Cheez Whiz. The steaks come tightly wrapped in wax paper and foil and emit fragrant steam when you open the package. Oh, sloppy day! 913 Pecan Ave.

Papi Queso

The Pig Mac, $12.95

This thing. Papi Queso specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches. The Pig Mac is its bestseller, and it inspires a kind of caloric awe. Like all of Papi Queso’s sandwiches, it’s served on pain de mie, a soft white bread with a fine crumb. They apply a proprietary blend of butter and mayo before grilling, which gives the bread a golden surface. Between the slices go a mix of pulled Cheshire pork and—oh, boy—mac and cheese, plus two slices of medium cheddar and caramelized onions. This is not comfort food; this is coma food—thoroughly ridiculous, all-American decadence, packaged to go. You will savor every cheesy, piggy, life-shortening bite. 1115 N. Brevard St., Ste. 2 (Optimist Hall)

Hong Kong Bakery

Pastries, $1.99-$3.95

Enter Super G Mart through the automatic doors on the left side of the storefront. Walk through the produce section and past all the grocery aisles and registers to the right wall of the store. Behold Hong Kong Bakery, with its 8-foot-long self-serve pastry case. Behind six Plexiglas doors are approximately 60 varieties of individually wrapped sweet and savory buns, pies, twists, cakes, cookies, and tarts: Almond Taro Buns; Egg Tarts; Moon Cakes; Peanut, Coconut, and Sesame Seed Turnovers; Scallions Pork Sung Buns; Sweet Purple Yam Buns; Almond Walnut Cookies. There are so many flavor options, you’re guaranteed to find something completely new to try, like a Butter Cream Coconut Bun, a fluffy, white sweet roll filled with dense and buttery cream and topped with ground coconut flakes. 7323 E. Independence Blvd.

Boujee Soul Food

Collard Green and Lobster Wontons, $15 for 5

Oh, baby. Think Southern-style crab Rangoon. But instead of crab and green onions, these cornmeal-dusted wontons’ cream-cheese filling contains the crab’s lankier crustacean cousin and savory collard greens. Whether you order them from Boujee’s food truck or City Kitch in Wesley Heights, the wontons come freshly fried and five-to-an-order in a to-go box. Dip them in the sweet-and-sour sauce and bite with caution, lest you burn your tongue on velvety, cheesy lobster-lava. 2200 Thrift Road, Ste. 4 (City Kitch)

The Chili Man 2.s

Frito Pie Dog, $5.69

You can find his traveling food cart parked on Tryon Street in uptown a few days a week (just look for the red umbrella), and the line is usually a mix of bankers in white collars and utility workers in safety vests. Owner Josh Parel, who purchased the Charlotte street standby from Victor Werany (aka “Vic the Chili Man”) in 2020, serves a tight lineup of chili dogs, but each one is an edible showboat. The Frito Pie Dog is an Angus beef frank loaded with chili (duh), shredded cheddar, garlic-and-onion sour cream, onions, jalapeños, and Chili Cheese Fritos. Does it get any more American than that?

Botiwalla

Bhel Puri, $6.99

The Hindi word “chaat” functions as both verb and noun. As a verb, it means “lick.” As a noun, it refers to a series of savory Indian dishes that, if you eat with your fingers, will compel you to chaat them. Bhel puri is one of the most common and beloved, a puffed rice-based dish usually served from stalls and carts as a vegetarian snack. It’s light by the standards of typically ghee-heavy Indian cuisine, which makes it a good choice for the stifling beaches of Mumbai, where it’s popular. Botiwalla’s version causes our taste receptors to nearly short out from the sheer volume of intermingling flavors: sweet, tangy, savory, spicy, and seven or eight others we can’t quite identify. In addition to the puffed rice, the bowl cradles flour crisps (puris); crunchy chickpea noodles (sev); roasted chickpeas (boondi); cilantro; and onions, all tossed with tamarind, green chutneys, and Botiwalla’s spice blend. It’s a dish that compels you to eat it slowly, as if taking in a flavor painting, to make sure you appreciate all the colors. 1115 N. Brevard St., Ste. 203 (Optimist Hall)

Euro Grill & Café

Cevaps, $9.99/$14.99

“I love it,” John Darmanovic says from one table in the tiny dining room, a plate of hearty cevaps before him. “It’s healthy!”

“I’m going to Syracuse tonight and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, tomorrow,” says Barry Riggs, tucking into his own large cevaps plate at the next table. “This is the best stuff I’m going to eat all week.”

These two gentlemen have never met, though they both live in Mooresville. Darmanovic’s ancestry is Montenegrin, so Bosnian food reminds him of his heritage. He swears these cevaps are the most authentic he’s had in the States. Riggs was stationed in Bosnia as an Army sergeant in the 1990s, and this is his first time here. He can’t stop raving about the cevaps, 10 small ground-beef sausages on lepinja, a Balkan flatbread, and a bed of raw, chopped onion.

It’s simple, unpretentious food—but lovingly prepared and profoundly satisfying. Euro Grill & Café serves the dish with small cups of kajmak, a dairy product similar to clotted cream; and ajvar, a spread made from roasted red peppers and eggplants. Dino Mehic and his family, who fled the charnel house of the former Yugoslavia, opened the small Bosna Market on Central Avenue in 2003 and later added Euro Grill & Café, accessible by a narrow doorway and three steps down.

Cevaps is the place’s signature dish, also available in a small (five-sausage) version. The large is a challenge to polish off—the flatbread is the size of a small dinner plate, and the sausages peek out from the edges—but Darmanovic and Riggs handle their business. “I drove down from Mooresville just to eat here,” Darmanovic says, then smiles as he assesses the meal: “Just like in the old country.” 2719 Central Ave.