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    Bocao Sushi

    3.6 (159 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Lounges
    Closed 5:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

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    BOCAO SUSHI ATMOSPHERE

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    Hipster
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    Chicken and Mozzarella Empanadas
    Kailee N.

    A great music try if you love Dominican food or sushi! I would rate this place a 9/10 only because I was not a huge fan of the sushi, I think the food they had was wonderful besides the sushi. The meat plate was bomb and empanadas were very authentic. The service was fast. We went around 830 and stayed til almost midnight when it turned into a Dj and dance party. Loved it here

    Matthew H.

    one of my favorite fusion spots in Charlotte! Their drinks are so good, I believe they've got different socials daily! If hookah is your thing, you'll defintely want to try theirs

    Bao Buns (3)
    jessica s.

    Went here for a friend's birthday after hearing so many wonderful reviews! The drinks I tried were not the best as they tasted very sweet and had an odd after taste. I ordered the beef bao buns which were good and had a nice spice to them. Nothing amazing but still good. If I am ever in the area I will come back and order different items and update my review!

    Lo V.

    Let me start by saying the **parking fee is ridiculous**--way too pricey for the very limited space available. That alone was frustrating and honestly put a damper on the experience before we even sat down. Once inside, the **ambiance is actually pretty solid**. The decor is modern and fun, and the music sets a good vibe, especially if you're there with friends for drinks. The **cocktails were probably the highlight** of the night. I had a strong blue drink (wish I remembered the name) that definitely delivered. The **waiter was friendly** and provided decent service, but the **seating was not comfortable at all**, which made it hard to relax and enjoy the meal. Now for the big issue--the **food**. I took photos of every plate we ordered, and unfortunately, none of them tasted good. Not one dish stood out in a positive way. For a sushi-focused restaurant, that's a dealbreaker. Everything looked better than it tasted, which is a shame. Would I go back? **Not any time soon**, unless someone else was paying. Super disappointed overall. Sushi Bocao is all hype and very little substance, at least based on my visit.

    Sauce dip: left is a passionfruit sauce(?), middle is spicy mayo, then right is just traditional soy sauce
    Sydney M.

    Id say my overall experience was fine. My boyfriend and I were coming to the Comedy Zone for the Trevor Wallace show this weekend and wanted to find a restaurant close enough where we didnt have to drive all over Charlotte for a restaurant then find parking for our comedy show. Being from California, we looooveeee sushi, so found this to check a few boxes of what we were looking for that night! Upon arriving, this is not JUST sushi, but a Latin (Dominican, I think?)/Japanese fusion type of restaurant! So we were excited to try new flavors to pair with our sushi! We ordered two appetizers and two rolls to share, and asked for sake, which our waitress declined they had, then diet coke, which she also declined they had... so we just stuck with water. They dont have any carbonated drinks?? Weird for a restaurant, but whatever! Water is better for us anyways lol.. You summon your server by a lamp that changes color when you touch the top of it. Think: flight attendant call button. Atmosphere and vibes were immaculate! Very clean and had a cute patio seating you walk through to get inside the restaurant. Our waitress provided a tray of sauces for our sushi and consisted of 3 predetermined options: passionfruit, spicy mayo, and standard soy sauce. I was so excited to try the passionfruit, because I do enjoy the fruitier flavors with my fish, but woooowwwww was that underwhelming. If she didnt say passionfruit, I wouldve assumed it was just standard/plain mayo? Spicy mayo was waayyy muted with flavor as well - kinda disappointing. Soy sauce was what normal soy sauce tastes like.. La Yola: $18.00 - Deep fried sweet plantain boat topped with shrimp sautéed in ninja sauce | I tried to scrape the "ninja sauce" off the plantain to eat by itself. There were like 6 shrimps drowning in some yellow sauce ontop of what was served to us as steamed, not deep fried. Growing up, I had a popcorn machine in my play room, and we had these popcorn flavor powders we could sprinkle ontop of the popcorn for different flavors, one of which was cheddar cheese powder. Tht cheddar cheese popcorn powder flavor is exactly what this ninja sauce tasted like, but more muted? Would not order again.. Bao Buns: $14.00 - Choose your style: Magnolia Beef ( Mongolian beef style, cabbage and scallion) or chicharron (pork belly) and sweet chili, cabbage, and pico de Gallo) | Bao buns come in 3 and were soft and delicious! Honestly, Id order two servings of these, the beef abd pork! Would order again! South Beach Roll: $18.00 - Shrimp tempura, cream cheese. Topped with sweet plantain, guacamole, crab meat, eel sauce and guacamole sauce | The sweet plantain and ghe guacamole sauce with the shrimp tempura AND cream cheese was a lot. It was a big soft roll with what tasted like a lot of conflicting flavors.. eel sauce is standard and ol' reliable with any roll. Wouldnt order again... Otra Vaina Roll: $16.00 - Fresh tuna, avocado and cucumber. Topped with fresh tuna with chinola sauce, eel sauce, tobiko and scallions | This one was pretty good! More of a traditional sushi roll, nothing new or innovative about this roll. Tuna tasted fresh and not frozen like many surrounding sushi restaurants in Charlotte struggle with, but wouldnt go out of my way for this roll. Would order again! Our total here was about $75 before gratuity and felt as if it was a bit expensive for a meal as simple as this. Im glad I had the opportunity to try this location, but dont find myself coming back here. Staff was amazing and parking available in front of the restaurant!

    Alaska Roll with cream cheese
    Ally F.

    Aesthetic: Loud, modern sushi fusion restaurant with a variety of unique Latin/Asian fusion rolls. My Favorites: I've enjoyed their simpler rolls such as the Rainbow Roll and Spicy Tuna. Experience: I've honestly never had the best experience here, I always felt that the fusion rolls are overpriced for the quality. I was originally impressed by the sound of the Taki Taki and Big Papi rolls, but they didn't work as sushi for me. I have been back and had their regular sushi, and I find it more enjoyable. The bartenders acted rude when I had dinner at the bar alone here recently, and I felt awkward, but the door staff was kind. I was having a bad day, and I made sure to order a drink and tip well, but I felt rushed. I won't be back due to the expensive parking in the plaza nearby and the service.

    Kevin C.

    Food was ok. But the waitress Tannia was superb 10 out of 10. She was so helpful so classy and talked to us over some very loud music lol

    Veggie roll
    Maurice D.

    The ambiance was very welcoming , and we were seated right away. However this is where the downfall came. There was only 1 other table in the building and the server spent most of her time there. She finally came over rushing us to order as if she had somewhere else to be. We ordered the food came delivered by someone else. First bites and presentation was amazing. We need more water another round of drinks, but our server has disappeared. Only when the 2 hour time limit was about to be up did she show up with a bill.

    Jennifer E.

    First time coming here for a friend's birthday celebration, and I had a BLAST! arrived around 10:30 p.m., and we were able to get a table in the covered outside patio. It was a bit chilly, but nothing too had, and they had heaters all around. We loved the music they were playing (old school reggaeton), and the decor was very modern, chic, and tropical vibes. Friends all tried a variety of drinks, food, and hookah. Around 12am, it got a lot busier and was a bit packed when going to the restroom. The location is a bit small, but they make it work with all the tables around. Will definitely come back to try their food and lounge around again. It's definitely a vibe. This is located at NC Music factory. They have side street parking with a parking deck as well, but you do have to pay.

    Yakisoba Noodles w/shrimp
    Bjorn M.

    Located at the NC Music Factory. Dined here on a Sunday evening around 6:30pm for a friend's birthday dinner. Food was good. Cute decor. Service was blah. They seemed bothered by anything we asked. Asked if they did a bday dessert, they said no. Asked for a candle which they provided but didn't light it. So then had to ask for a lighter which they finally brought over for us to light ourselves. Because of having to pay to park ($22 in the open lot, $11 in the parking deck) and mediocre service, I probably won't return.

    Outside
    Britanny T.

    Had a great time, the idea was it turned into a social club after but I guess we didn't stay long enough, either way, our bartender Dori was the best! She was very entertaining to watch as well as she conquered the crowd with ease. The boa buns were okay at best, next time I'll try the mofongo it looked better.

    Holy Vic(cocktail)
    Jennifer D.

    Very lively and modern bar setting with a few tables, staff is attentive & nice, and the food was delicious! Recommend coming early, it turns into a lounge after 10p or so. They offer hookah as well. Overall great choice for a night of dinner & dancing!

    Karina T.

    If you like good music, sushi, Dominican food, and/or hookah then this is the place for you! I've been here a few times. During the day it's pretty quiet but at night it gets packed and there is a wait if you don't have reservations. The food is pretty good. I typically go for sushi! I've tried several options before and never had a bad experience. There's indoor and patio seating with cute decorations. I would go back again.

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    3 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was amazing. It was my first time there and I'll do back. The drinks were bad. A wasn't worth my money.

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    Both times I've been here the food was good. I'm definitely going to keep coming here for the vibes, food and hookah.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Bocao Sushi

    Do they take reservations? Otherwise what's the wait like 6pm Saturday night? (Question from a mom…

    They do not take reservations. We have gone during the weekends, and we have never had to wait.

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    Blue Door - Booth seating

    Blue Door

    4.3(24 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    This place blue my mind…read more I was visiting my best friend while in town for a conference on amusement ride standards. We had a reservation for Blue Door for Saturday night, and it was amazing. Now while she was vaguely aware of their "spirited kingdom" menu, I had NO CLUE. It was the best surprise! They have such a cool menu with a full theme park map containing 4 lands with 4 cocktails each. The cocktails all match the type of ride they are, it's honestly such a cool idea, and it was so well done. I loved the art. I will say, I was skeptical that all of their drinks would actually work and worried that they'd be too caught up in the theme to make results but . . . Oh my goodness I was so impressed by the drinks here. I think a lot of bars these days can get so caught up in trying to be unique that their drinks become nearly undrinkable. This place definitely doesn't suffer there. They brought us an aperitif when we came in, but unfortunately I have a blueberry allergy so we skipped that. We had 4 drinks between the 2 of us and they were all awesome. I ordered the star breaker and the green dragon (what can I say, I love gin and a good coaster), and they were both balanced and tasty. My friend got the diablo and the neon shift, and they were both fantastic as well! The neon shift was served with a black light too which was super cute. The one drink I have to call out specifically is the green dragon. There was something about this drink that was so unique, I have genuinely never had anything like it but I would order it a thousand times over. It's so good. It keeps me up at night. It haunts my every bar order. I will be writing home about it. What else can I say about this place - the service was great, the atmosphere was fun, and the DJ was amazing. I thought "wow this guy really likes sax covers" only to look over and see him PLAYING HIS SAXOPHONE LIVE?? Iconic. This place was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The spirited kingdom menu will only be around for 6 months according to the waitress, so definitely catch it while it's there! If I'd heard about it sooner, I would've maybe descended upon them with 200+ theme park engineers in town for the conference (maybe it's a good thing I didn't know they were there until after it was over), but instead I will just say DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW

    3.5/5 stars. Went back to Blue Door to give it another chance with the new menu... it's still my…read moreleast favorite cocktail bar in all of charlotte. The menu this time is theme park theme... again, a fun concept but not well executed. Pretty overwhelming, especially with the bartenders explaining the menu to us twice with the same spiel there is too much to look at it makes it difficult to pay attention to the drinks. I really did not love my drink (starbreaker?) you could only taste the lychee The bartenders not a vibe, it was not that comfortable to sit at the bar. They now serve food, hotdogs... which do NOT match the vibe at all, so that was interesting that their only food (other than the free popcorn) is not hot dogs..

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    Blue Door - Lounge seating.

    Lounge seating.

    Blue Door
    Blue Door - Doctor strange tasted like prune juice

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    Doctor strange tasted like prune juice

    Sneak Clt - The bar.

    Sneak Clt

    4.7(40 reviews)
    2.4 miElizabeth

    Wow what an experience! I'm in Charlotte for the weekend, and my good friend's colleague…read morerecommended we come here after dinner for drinks. There's outdoor seating, and initially we wanted to sit outside but we didn't have reservations. Luckily, they seated us at a small corner section near the back of the bar. It's very cozy and intimate inside. Just my type of vibe. The service was top tier. They were unable to validate our parking because of some sort of discrepancy with the signage outside and lack of having the proper equipment for validation. To make up for it, they offered us complimentary champagne to start. We were not expecting that, and pleasantly surprised! Their menu has an eclectic selection of cocktails, both full and mini. We opted to order from the mini cocktail menu, and we each ordered two drinks. I had the Creepy cucumber cocktail and it was refreshingly sweet and probably my favorite drink of the night. I also ordered the Don't Shy Away which was a sour and spicy rum concoction with carrot in it. It was definitely spicy and had a puréed texture. I really enjoyed it. And, then don't get me started on the music!!! The dj was masterful. He played all the types of music I love and he mixed them in such a refreshing way. I ended up asking him for his contact information before leaving, and whether he does weddings because my fiancé and I are currently looking for a DJ. He was just that good. This would definitely be my spot if I lived here in Charlotte. It was the perfect way for us to end the night.

    Ugh, I so wanted to LOVE this place! It's in my friend's neighborhood and near some other spots we…read morelove. But it just hit me as average. It's a small intimate setting and I do love the dark aesthetic they did. Gives it a swanky vibe and makes a great date spot. But they were burning incense in the tiny space and it was overwhelming. The other bar guests sitting next to us agreed. *They did finally pick up on it and the staff moved it toward the kitchen door* Staff was friendly as well, though, it was busy and looked as if they had a trainee in tow, so attention was lacking just a bit. So why we came: The drinks were average to me. One was weird (Pineapple Fried Rice) and I just couldn't get it sit well on my palate - and I tried - sip after sip. But the mixologist saw my struggle and swapped it out for a different one. I did like the Don't Shy Away - it was an interesting take on a margarita with a strong carrot base. The Whispering Dove was a take on a Paloma and I couldn't find the lemongrass infusion on my palate. So I found it pretty basic, but pricey. So overall, decent. And I might stop buy if I was stuck in the area again.

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    Sneak Clt - Secret Bathroom with a gold toilet

    Secret Bathroom with a gold toilet

    Sneak Clt - Bar

    Bar

    Sneak Clt

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    Sophia's Lounge - Bohemian Bliss

    Sophia's Lounge

    4.0(190 reviews)
    0.7 miUptown, Fourth Ward
    $$

    I visited this lounge for a girls' night out as it's one of the most talked about cocktail bars in…read moreUptown. It has an upscale yet relaxed ambience that will remind you of Bridgerton with its royal flair. We went in the evening so the lounge was very dim, which was expected. The staff was very friendly, accommodating, and attentive. No complaints there. The menu is filled with a variety of craft cocktails like the flawlessly blended Golden Elixir, wines as well as shareable plates that were beyond enjoyable. Here is everything we tried: GOLDEN ELIXIR - COCKTAIL | Diplomatico Rum, St. Elder Liqueur, Lime Juice, Peach Simple Syrup, Orange Bitters PELTIER - WINE | Cabernet Sauvignon, CA, 2021 SOPHIA'S TRIPLE SLIDERS - Wagyu Beef, Gruyere-Mozzarella Blend, Bacon Jam, and Caramelized Onions TRUFFLE FRIES - Rosemary seasoned, Shaved Parmesan, Truffle Mist & Truffle Aioli CHICKEN + WAFFLES - Whipped Mascarpone, Bacon Jam, Maker's Mark Maple Syrup CRAB CAKES - Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cakes, Red Tobiko, Chef's Tartar Sauce LAND + SEA - Seared Scallops, Pork Belly, Yuzu-Yum Yum Style Sauce TRIPLE CRÈME BRÛLÉES | DESSERT - Chef's selection SKILLET COOKIE A LA MODE | DESSERT - House-Baked Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie, Vanilla Gelato, Chocolate

    Sophia's lounge brings a beautiful elegance to Charlotte cocktail bar scene. Amazing ambiance with…read morethe perfect setting for a romantic date or a good time with friends. However please stay away from a bartender named Rae she unprofessionally approach my date and told her she should rethink her time and that she wasn't safe. I have never met this bartender and it was my first time there. This completely made my date unsettled nervous and we immediately paid the check and left and met up with friends. Thankfully our night ended amazing but someone from upper management needs to address this behavior as it was completely unprovoked unprofessional behavior.

    Photos
    Sophia's Lounge - Purple Reign

    Purple Reign

    Sophia's Lounge - Ambiance

    Ambiance

    Sophia's Lounge - Bar area

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    Bar area

    The Peace Pipe

    The Peace Pipe

    4.4(86 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$
    Large group friendly
    Established in 2016

    My wife and I love this spot. Always have. However, we haven't been since 2023. It was nice to see…read morethe new furniture and the new setup.When we arrived at 6ish, we were immediately serviced. We were able to see our favorite server/bartender and that was nice. He made our drinks just the way we remembered... nice and strong...lol. Everything was good until 10pm when the "Club" party began. We were told that we would need to go to the bar for our hookah and drink needs. That ordeal was horrible for the rest of the night. We did not get tended to for our coal refill and repacking needs, even after going to the front several times. The guy kept saying he will come and we watched him go everywhere else each time. We waited way too long. The 1 line for drinks being made by 1 server took extremely long. Although the music was great bring played by the live dj, it did not take away the frustration. No one should have to chase for service that the establishment is known for. No one should have to wait on a extremely long line just to receive a drink at a hookah lounge. This is not a club by any means. Even if you have an event, the establishment should plan much better for the crowd by make it a more efficient and effective experience. The transition was horrible.

    Stopped in to have a drink and smoke hookah. Place is a vibe and the drinks were great.read more

    Photos
    The Peace Pipe - You could place a PIN on any locations that you had visited.

    You could place a PIN on any locations that you had visited.

    The Peace Pipe
    The Peace Pipe

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    Bocao Sushi - sushi - Updated May 2026

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