Top notch service from Jeremy as well as a warm welcome with amazing food and drink recommendations…read morefrom the manager Abby made for a wonderful experience all around. Definitely will return.

Tried some new tapas again this time…read more Brussel Sprouts (5/5): Well cooked brussels with a very tasty, sweet/tangy vinaigrette sauce. Bacon Wrapped Dates (4/5): These all pretty much taste the same but the blue cheese sauce/spread paired nicely with the sweetness of the dates. Gambas Al Ajillo (4/5): The shrimp was good and I liked how much garlic there was. Some sort of added sweetness would've been nice. Potato Tortilla (3/5): Kind of like an eggy potato quiche. I really liked the crust, but there was too much egg. RATING SYSTEM 5 - Great (Need to get this again) 4 - Good (Would get this again) 3 - Ok (Might give this another shot) 2 - Not Good (Won't get this again) 1 - Bad (Telling people to avoid this)

I've been to Catalú a few times in the past, but only for dinner. I love the red sangria there!…read more This time was different in a few ways. I went on a walk with my partner on Sunday morning to grab brunch. It was sunny and beautiful outside, but our hearts were heavy with the loss of our sweet Shih Tzu, Harpo, the night before. I couldn't keep the tears away no matter how hard I tried, and entered the restaurant with Kim Kardashian-level cry face. The hostess and the restaurant director, Alex, immediately empathized with us and shared stories of their own furry friends. I was definitely interested in the $1 mimosas they have on Sundays and Alex made sure we had one in our hands before we had the chance to review the menu. As a starter, we ordered las croquetas-- great flavor and creamy on the inside. We ordered the steak & eggs and the Spanish omelette. Both were delicious! I can always count on Catalú to serve some delicious potatoes. The sauce had a little bit of spice, but nothing too crazy for me. The team went out of their way with their generosity and gifted us the French toast, banana split, and a celebration toast for our sweet boy. The banana split was my favorite! I loved the ice cream and the crispy, brûléed bananas were amazing. Everyone showed us so much kindness and warmth during such a sad day. I really felt like our decision to stop in that morning was the universe reminding us that there is so much compassion and love in the world to go around-- even without our sweet boy beside us. Thank you so much to the entire Catalú team for making us feel loved and seen. I really cannot thank you all enough.

Five star service at the bar with Mia. Great light airy ambiance with lots of natural light. Now…read morefor the best part of our first experience at Catalu. Tapas arrive quickly and they passed the test with flavorful calamar, charred broccolini, and paella for two! Pro-Tip Arrive between 4-6pm to experience half off tapas! One request from owners...larger portions on the calamari

Mazi (pronounced ma-ZI, not MA-zi) is a newly opened gem in South End and after the amazing visit I…read morehad today, it deserves more love and attention than it received tonight. It's tucked away in a business park near Lincoln's Haberdashery but signage is good. There is parking in the lot of the u-shaped building, but may be all taken at busier hours if the day. Street parking is available on E. Bland. They have a huge bar and amazing bartenders. I enjoyed my drink. Pretty and tasty. There's lots of seating inside, at the bar, booth and tables. The menu has really good variety I enjoyed pretty much everything I tried. So fresh and so good. My fav were the dips. If you order the whipped feta or hummus you get an order of the amazing grilled bread. When I say it was good, I mean it. Plating was beautiful on every dish. I appreciate the effort that went into not only making the food taste good, but also making it look good. Our server was great - really patient and helpful. He gave great descriptions and recommendations of the menu. The chef came out to greet us, everyone really went out of their way to make it a great visit. What I appreciated most is that the prices are reasonable - Something that is becoming harder to find these days, but that allows you to really enjoy the meal and try various items. That's what I plan to come back and do. I hope they get more media attention because this place is really is amazing.

In my experience, it's not often that you try a new restaurant on Tuesday, then go on to crave it…read moreeach day that follows. Yet, Mazi will easily have you doing just that. Beautiful interior that visibly transports you to a tropical locale. Friendly, attentive, & knowledgeable service that starts at the front door and continues at all touch points throughout your visit. One of the BEST bartenders that I've had the pleasure of meeting & sampling libations from. A menu that will have the phrase "I'll have one of each" repeatedly flashing in your mind, lol. Thankfully, I was out with an excellent foodie friend--which means we came quite close to having one of each. We enjoyed a delightful lineup of scallops--not what I expected, but exponentially better!--lion's mane schwarma, hummus, shrimp, tuna kofta, lamb shank, and the IG-famous baklava sundae. With each dish seemingly more visually impressive, delightful to all the senses, & DELICIOUS--the layers of FLAVOR that Chef Whitney & her squad can fit into a dish never ceases to amaze me--it was hard to declare a clear favorite. All I can say is the shrimp, lamb shank, & baklava are must-haves for me. All of this plus a complimentary shot at the end of the night of a craft concoction featuring house-made orangecello?!!! I am already beyond ready for my next visit! Pro Tip: 1 round of bread will never be enough for your hummus--get extra for dipping...into everything. Cheers!

After a day of visiting breweries, we were hungry but not starving and I thought tapas would be a…read moreperfect solution. Quickly Yelping "tapas", Marina's stood out with good reviews and a fairly convenient location. We took the Blue Line to Parkwood, a short walk from Optimist Hall, the food hall where Marina's can be found. We were able to score seats at the counter and immediately began ordering. The tomato bread was great and I also loved the patatas bravas. Croquettes and garlic shrimp were also easy on the palette. The food was tasty, filling and hit the spot. Service was quick and friendly. I love tapas because I don't leave feeling overly stuffed and there's the opportunity to taste a variety of items so if you want well prepared tapas in a fun environment, Marina's is a place to go!

If you put a Spanish tapas spot in Optimist Hall, know that we be there on opening day. This place…read morewas so good we went back to order a second round before we finished the first!!! Ordered: croquetas, pan con tomate +manchego, gamba al ajillo, patatas bravas, pimientos del piquillo rellenos, and the calamares fritos. Everything was absolutely incredible. In no order: -sourdough on the shrimp and pan con tomato was a delight. -everything was super fresh. -calamari was a delightful balance of light golden fried -croquetas were so good we needed two orders -shrimp and the sauce was fireeeeeeeeee Service was quick and super friendly!!! He told me I'd be back for more . We sadly missed the meatballs, but will return to enjoy each other's presence at a later time.

We stopped by Bulla Gastrobar on a recent layover the Charlotte. It's in a mall, so drop off and…read morepickup was easy. It's a nice Spanish-themed cuisine restaurant, lots of tapas and Mediterranean cuisine. It was good! Decent cocktail and wine menus as well. We dined on muchas tapas... patatas bravas, lentil soup, Spanish meatballs, potato tortilla, gazpacho, just to name a few. All were good. Service was OK too. Typical mall restaurant where ceiling fixtures are crooked, burned out lightbulbs in many fixtures, dirty ceiling tiles. Food gave it 4 stars, the space itself is mediocre!

Their food is delicious, the ambience elegant. It's nice for a slacks occasion or a nice lunch or…read moredinner date. It has an amazing menu and prices were great! Service is excellent very well treated and even got a gift card on my birthday which it sadly expired :( but the experience was eternal and the gesture unforgettable. Highly recommended.

It's been awhile, but this place is still amazing and so good! Hoping it won't be almost 2 years…read moretil I come back. Monday night, half price wine by the glass or bottle, all of them on the list! Love when they do that without limitations. So we went with a glass of champagne! Because why not when it's half price! Service was excellent , and the food just awesome . So fresh and delicious. The menu here is so nice and varied with so many options. We started with the prosciutto carpaccio, paper thin prosciutto with olive oil, and fresh Parmesan and fresh greens, white balsamic and hazelnut. This was amazing, just yummy. The roasted mushrooms, come on a sliced yogurt, with verde hummus, and sumac onions. Again so flavorful and so many different things going on in this dish. Highly recommend this. The short rib bolognese. A fabulous small plate, but plenty for two . This sauce was so good with the fresh grilled bread they serve. The pasta was perfectly cooked, spinach flavored. Truffle ricotta, and crispy prosciutto on top, nice pieces of short rib too. This was an excellent dish. We were truly full so had to pass on dessert but we did get a after dinner espresso martini, called the Salud! A Spanish table toast, peppermint infused tequila, espresso, licor 43, coffee liquor and creme de cacao. Served frozen, this tasted like an Andes mint. Perfect after dinner drink. I hope this stays on the menu! So good. I'm so glad this place is still going strong and busy on a Monday night! I love everything about Chapter 6, such a great spot.

My two friends and I tried this place last night for dinner. A girl dinner if you will. We were…read moresuper excited to try it as none of us had been able to make it there before since they've opened. However, to be honest, I wasn't very impressed and neither were they. We started with the Prosciutto carpaccio and the Whipped Ricotta appetizers to share. Both of those were pretty good and the bread that came along with it was good too. It was grilled and nice and crispy. For drinks, one of my friends ordered the rosé wine flight, I ordered their house red wine, and my other friend ordered wine as well. The wine selection was good so we are pleased with that. It was our main entrées that we ordered that we were not pleased with. For example, I ordered the steak skewer, which I understood would be a small plate, but when it came out to find that it was just one skewer was a little bit misleading, and I wish that I had ordered something else because that was not enough for my dinner. Our server didn't come back to check on us after our food arrived so I wasn't even able to add any more small plates. In addition, my friend did not enjoy her pasta at all, and I tried to bite, and it was not good. Only my friend who ordered the Bolognese pasta was pleased with her dinner choice. Due to our server not coming back to our table to check on us and also didn't really give us suggestions of what to order or how to order I wasn't very pleased with our experience. I don't know if I would come back because honestly, the meal was pretty mid for how expensive it was priced. The inside of the restaurant is cute and the patio as well but the food is mid and expensive for the service to be so poor.

This was an amazing find…read more A cool atmosphere and great service. We ordered appetizers and drinks and just relaxed. I recommend the Lamb Chops and the Steak. One of my dinner companions and I shared. I was able to enjoy the lamb, no sauce needed and an amazing steak. Even the desserts did not disappoint. I would definitely eat here again

This was such a lovely dinner experience! The restaurant/cellar is small but not too cramped, and…read moredimly lit but very lively. Perfect for a small group get together or a date night. The staff were extremely kind and friendly, and they even brought us free dessert for our anniversary! The food was nice, especially the shareables. The truffle fries and gyoza were both great, and the cocktails were delicious!! For mains, I had the scallops which were perfectly cooked and delicious (but portions were unfortunately small), and the NY Strip Steak was solid. I've heard that the burger is AMAZING so I will have to try it next time. Reservations are always filled up so you have to book them in advance, but definitely worth a visit.

My husband and I were in Charlotte for the evening and we took a chance on walking in to The…read moreDegenerate. It was a Friday night two weeks before Christmas, but it was only 5:45pm so I feel like we got lucky. We were able to walk in and be seated right away. We ordered cocktails and embraced the tapas menu, ordering too many things to sample and share. We sadly had to leave some of it behind. Our waitress was a sweetheart and though the restaurant space was big and open, the warm wood and exposed brick inside made it feel welcoming and cozy. There was enough room between tables that we didn't feel crammed in and the table was big enough to hold all the delicious goodness. I felt like two top tables can sometimes barely hold your water glass and bread plate. We head to Charlotte pretty regularly for various things, and I would like to bring our teenage boys back sometime. I think they would really like the menu and style of the restaurant. Nice enough for a quick date night before and event, but casual enough that I feel like we could bring the teens and not have to "dress up".

This is me and my lady's favorite date spot. Great small plates, great cocktails, rotating menu…read more Service is always quick, too. I do think the interior sometimes feels a bit too "open-concept," if you know what I mean... ...but who cares?! The food is great! Of the stuff that stays on the menu, I really like: the chicken sandwich, the tandoori carrots, the mussels, and the pierogis. As for the current menu: I really like the watermelon caprese salad, scallops, and curry chicken tacos.

An afternoon of volunteering followed by an amazing date night here. Food was more than delicious,…read moreflavors were on point. It was our first time and my hubby isn't into raw fish but I loved the maki and shrimp croquettes. Great ambiance and service as well. Definitely make a reservation in advance, bar was cool but not super comfy. Our waitress Jonathan gave great recommendations. Next time will definitely try the tiger milk ceviche.

House music + great food. Excellent service…read more Live DJ. Please never stop the house music! Really makes the experience

Went here for my bestie birthday brunch and 10/10!! It was so good that we were sitting there…read moreeating planning our next visit!!! I love how inclusive our waiter was nice friendly, asked about allergies and restrictions. she also advised us when we order something that conflicted with those restrictions! She was so knowledgeable about the menu. Guacamole and chip were so good guacamole was fresh and flavorful! I love that I was still kinda chunky and all the flavors really came together! Chips were also seasoned! Papas braves were potatoes in a red sauce with pickle red onions. I really don't think I would like it but it was very good! The tacos were amazing! I don't do dairy so I didn't get cheese on my tacos but they were still so good!!! Chicken was flavorful and moist! Shrimp was the perfect size and season to perfection! Steak was probably my favorite the butter they cook the steak in was so good! They weren't stingy with the meat at all! They also let me add pickle onions on all my tacos! I literally could only each half of each taco and half the potatoes! The Sunday we went they were also having a convo de mayo patio party so they had a local artist inside doing sketches! She was so night and sweet and her entire set up was so cute! It was just like the picture machine where you picked your frame, take 3 poses, she draws them and they come out just like it's out the machine! It was so cute! The experience here was so nice! The parking was hectic and parking lot was small but they do validate your parking and the inside experience made up for all of that!! Again 10/10 experience can't wait to go back!!

I've tried to get a reservation here for months, but unable! I was finally able to tag us down for…read morethis past Saturday night. Given such difficulty getting a reservation, I expected things to be amazing here. Well, here's my honest take! We arrived for an early reservation at 5:30 pm. The place was quite small, and all the tables were squeezed in together. Unless you're in a party of 3, you'll be sitting in these super-tight, half-booths or bar areas. We were seated right by the kitchen and their open hallway...with no privacy. If I knew this earlier, I would have requested to be seated outside on their patio. So definitely NOT a comfy seating environment! The menu was interesting...definitely not your typical Mexican restaurant. Price points were definitely the highest I've seen for a Mexican restaurant in Charlotte. However, the options were very limited, and frankly, I didn't find too many items tantalizing. Prior to coming here, I saw pictures of their appetizer, Queso Fundido w/ Chorizo, so I made a point to order that right away (as soon as we got seated...hoping to get that early!). I definitely stressed WITH CHORIZO with our waitress. Well! This app was nowhere in sight...even after 20 minutes. I tagged down the waitress...and I don't even think she bothered to check with the cooks! She basically went missing for another 5-10 minutes!! I then had to tag down a Manager (I think?). I don't think she even bothered to check...because I had to personally tag down our waitress again the second time...after 30 minutes! Shortly after, our Queso Fundido arrived...but WITHOUT the CHORIZO! I had to tag our waitress the third time to get the Chorizo! After all the delay and the botched order, she didn't even frickin' apologize! Just WOW. In fact, she just made this rather haughty remark about "getting it for us"...as if she's doing us a favor! What a crock!!! After a full 30-35 minutes, we finally got this fancy CHEESE appetizer (which in NO WAY should take that long!). It was good, but NOT worth that much of a wait. For our entrees, I just got their 2 Street Tacos Meal, and had to choose from just 1 of 3 unappealing sides (Papas Bravas...basically Mexican version of potatoes). No Rice. The 2 Tacos were good, but nothing extraordinary. What's more (or less??), the taco shells were really small...with somewhat of a hard crust. Very hard to eat! My husband's Chicken Al Pastor Ballotine dish was a bit better, but he was underwhelmed as well. BTW, their version of Nachos was this Huge, round tostada...not ideal for dipping or eating. We both felt we preferred the standard Nachos w/ Dip. We left scratching our heads. So much difficulty getting a reservation for this haughty, little place...and this was what we got?!? O-Kay foods at outlandish pricing, super-slow rate of food delivery, and this terrible, snooty service. Also, I did NOT like their tight, close-quarter seatings. Overall, this dining experience was just flat-out bad. Definitely not worth it...in my book. BTW, though ZERO apologies were given (Nope...the waitress felt she did us a favor!), they did manage to deduct the botched order of Queso Fundido with Chorizo off our bill. Good thing....it's THE only reason I'm dropping 2 stars instead of 1. We were actually a bit surprised by this because the Manager never bothered to follow up with us. She basically stood right next to us the whole time, so probably heard and saw us tagging down the waitress several times...and also know that we ended up with a botched order of Queso Fundido. Yet, didn't bother to follow up. Guess she felt she did her part getting it off the bill. Somehow, I don't feel too grateful??? This place reeked of pseudo upscaled Mexican, and their snooty attitude managed to totally turn us off. The ambiance, the foods, the presentation, and the service just did not live up to the hype! Beyond disappointing.