Best Open Kitchen Restaurants in Coulwood

Visiting Charlotte and staying in uptown area. We visited here on a Sunday evening. No idea about parking, we walked. Everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming. Service was professional, attentive but not intrusive. They weren't packed when we walked in but it got that way and they handled it well. The food, though. Oh my. I had the baby gem salad and the roquefort dressing was delicious. I had the roasted tenderloin and added a side of Carolina gold rice. My companion had the grilled shrimp and said the shrimp were excellent. He added the blue sweet potato side dish with balsamic and cashews. Unusual but a delight. He shared a bite with me and it was so good. Wines are interesting. We had some great ones.

The food is good but certain dishes had huge portions (chicken parm) while others were small (lasagna). They are short wait staff which makes the service slow. We ended up having to call another manager/server twice. They also had a large, loud party in their private room but didn’t close the door making it unusually loud. I don’t plan to return (and the sister restaurant, Zinicola, is better).

They made my birthday so special! They reached out prior to my booking to ask some questions about me. They made a special happy birthday menu for our group. The service was incredible and the food was amazing!

My husband and I recently enjoyed an anniversary dinner at Stoke in the Charlotte Marriott City Center. We had an amazing evening filled with great food and personalized service. Our server Emily was outstanding. She is super knowledgeable about the items on the menu, describing them in detail and offering recommendations. We started with a Pretzel Brioche bread served with three curated butters. My favorite was the butter infused with Monk Mustard although the honey and Cheerwine flavors were close seconds. We each choose the NY strip steak as an entrée and paired them with sharable sides of Mac & Cheese and Salad. Our steaks were full flavored and cooked to perfection. The mac & cheese was a tasty blend of two cheeses with a hint of Chile spice. For dessert we enjoyed “The Donut”, a huge donut filled with diplomat cream and topped with heath bar crumble. Bring friends to eat this or take the leftovers home like we did. The Food and Beverage Manager, Michael, stopped by to check on us several times during the evening. He is an experienced manager who made sure all the guests’ needs were met, and his staff was supported. A special thank you to Chef Ericka and her team for preparing such delicious food. Ericka even took time to leave the kitchen and speak with us. We highly recommend Stoke and look forward to returning to enjoy food, drink and our new friends Emily, Michael and Ericka.