Hello all... Suffice it to say, this was not a good experience at all... wait - let me just put that in caps - NOT AT ALL!! Despite the take-out meal my fiancé and I had several months ago that included spaghetti & minestrone soup, we also had an extra unknown appetizer that had attached itself to our order ... A lively camel-back cricket. The little fella was surprised to see us as we were it. So we did the humane thing and released it into the wild, as we should of our meal. But wait... There's more to 'dish' out. My poor fiancé who had already had the worst day, offered to go get me a salad & he a hamburger from this lovely establishment. He was at the register paying, he ordered, they wanted $13+ for just a cheeseburger, fry, & tea (which resembled the size of nothing more than the tiny wax Dixie cups you see in dispensers). After finding out the ridiculous price, he just decided to get the cheeseburger & salad somewhere else. He could see the chef as the cashier explained this to him, & he (the chef) proceeded to yell obscenities at my fiancé saying things like "well I hope you choke on it!" & "get the fuck out of here!" After eating there all his life since he was a kid, my fiancé was floored & will never go back again. If Mama K (the original owner of the restaurant) could see what they have done to her establishment, she'd be rolling over in her grave! read more

This place is a little treasure. The atmosphere of The Open Kitchen is wonderful. They're pizzas are wonderful. Occasionally have a slightly mysterious little spicy kick to them. read more

It was a very nice place.I was waiting for a mobster to walk in with his wise guys while me and my boyfriend were eating. We went for my birth day yesterday and the service was super fast and friendly. The salads and sweet tea are great. Sweet tea is a serious matter in my home... lol! Loved it! We will be back and try the pizza and beer next time! The table clothes are really neat and the rest of the decor keeps ya looking for the next surprise! read more

The worst restaurant in 20 years I have ever gone too in Charlotte NC! Food was absolutely disgusting. We both feel sick. I only ate 3 bites Rude manager,poor waitress was a nervous wreck. Good reviews that's why we went.Must be posted by family members and friends. What a disappointment. Stay away for your health! read more

I've been going to the Open Kitchen for nearly 57 years. It is authentic Italian food. The pizza is different from any you'll have anywhere else - and better! The best item on the extensive menu is Veal Juliano. All I can say is that it is exquisite! The family owned business is reasonably priced and the ambiance is fun and realistic. You feel like you are in Italy! If you have a weakness for bread...you'll adore this place! read more

The most disgusting, nastiest, food I've eaten in all of my 50 years. Nothing is worst. And owners, remodel the place it smells of old, stale cigarette smoke and an antique furniture store. To top it all off, I got sick as a result of eating just a fraction of the food. I bought several dishes, not knowing any better and trashed the remaining. I have no words to express how awful the food is. read more

Got a Groupon, went and it's Ok! Ravioli was very meaty, pizza crust was not fresh, AT ALL, to top it off, the drinks came in PLASTIC CUPS. The best thing about the night was the waitress, she's was hilarious. read more

Can I please give this restaurant 0 stars? I specifically told my mother that I did not want to eat at this restaurant simply because trying new things when I'm really hungry is not a good idea. Let's just say that when I left, I was just as hungry. This is by far the worst meal I've eaten in a long time. I would've been better off eating dog food from a can. The pizza was horrible. When it was brought to my table, I could smell the grossness radiating off of this sad excuse for a pizza. Who messes up pizza?? The worst part of this experience was the waitress. The waitress did not smile at all when she came and took our orders. When she brought our salads out, she sat them down without word. The salads were certainly not what we expected. We called her over to get her attention, and she came over and said "what" in a very nasty way. So basically, do not go to this restaurant. It was horrible. Someone needs to call restaurant impossible on this place. Horrible food and service. read more

Love this place in Charlotte. Very good pastas and nice salads. Haven't had the pizza but they look great. My only possible complaint is that the baked pasta dishes are always so hot that it is 30 minutes before you can eat them without burning your mouth. No exaggeration. Great service and atmosphere with a nice selection of options. read more

This place has more nostalgia than culinary appeal. My parents used to date here when they first met and now my girlfriend and I do the same. There is one waiter who is a total douche and won't actually do any waiting. Instead, he brings your food out and lets you thirst to death the rest of the meal. The other waitresses are very nice and I enjoy the food. The mama K's pizza and lasagna parmigiana are my staples. It's hard to choose every time we go. This place is in a rough looking part of town, so maybe go for the lunch special if you are wary. read more

This is your standard, old-school red sauce Italian restaurant. It's neither good or bad, really. It's much better than heating up a frozen lasagna, but not as good as a well-run Maggiano's (yes, really). I like it OK - I wouldn't seek it out, but wouldn't have a problem going there - but my GF doesn't. read more

My husband and I have eaten here a few times for lunch and had excellent service and food. But Saturday we enjoyed a dinner, they were pretty packed but sat us pretty quickly. We love the atmosphere very romantic and homey and old school. The service was superb. The food was excellent, the simplicity of it works well. You don't need fancy names or ingredients, we both got veal dishes and they were AH-MAZING!! The spaghetti was yummy and the marinara, what can I say. Give it a try.. We will def be going back. :-) read more

We decided to pop into the open kitchen for lunch. Our server was very prompt in taking our order, but as with our past experience, their servers are not super personable. We order cannelloni and lasagna as part of the lunch specials. Both of our pastas were on the mushy side. You would have been hard pressed to find some ricotta in the lasagna as well. I've had other good meals in the past, so I would really like to see this place get back online with the good stuff. I know they are capable. I'll give it another 6 months and try again. read more

I like to write good, great and, unfortunately, sometimes bad reviews. I am honestly shocked that this place has been around since 1952. The only reason I'm even giving it a second star is the cool old-building ambiance (what a waste) and a fresh Greek salad, albeit the onions and olives were missing. Now for the bad. The garlic bread was burnt to start and it went downhill from there. The minestrone soup must have been Campbell's with some canned mushrooms added (they weren't fresh mushrooms for sure), and, since I got the sampler plate, I got to taste how bland and poorly prepared the Veal, what they call "Chicken Parmigiano" (but isn't even close), Meatballs and Chicken Livers were. I believe our waitress referred to the one person in the kitchen as "the cook" (not a chef) and the food did indeed taste like that of a military cook preparing food for an entire army. I could go on and on, but let's just say, next time we go to Olive Garden. read more

Finally made it here for lunch. Atmosphere is Old School nostalgic and cool for sure. Service was quick. The food (chicken parm) was good. A little pricey for lunch but they did have other lunch special offerings if price was my biggest concern. I will definitely bring my wife for dinner. read more

The veal dish I had was amazing and you can't beat the atmosphere of one of charlottes oldest restaurants

1 Star & that's kind. How does a restaurant survive that long with that kind of food. Cheese Pizza ... suggestion go home put some sauce & cheese on a piece of bread and you have better pizza. Spaghetti ... how do you mess that up. Well Open Kitchen can. Ragu is better. Fettuccine Alfredo is like paste. I took 3 kids and no one finished their meal. I've never had to throw a pizza in the garbage until I had Open Kitchens. Don't get me started on the Greek Salad, plastic cups or service. This is the first time I have given a review but it had to be done to protect future hungry people looking for a good Italian night out. Yuk they should be ashamed. Ciao. ps: the ambiance is descent. read more

Ordered takeout. A perfect Italian choice!! The lasagna parm and chicken parm, exceeded expectations. Perfect for a night in, with red box. The food had fantastic flavor and the ample amount of spices! read more

I like this cute place but not too much the food. It lacks flavor and portion size.

The waitress was good but everything else was terrible. We came here with a group to let family meet our 5 month old daughter. We ordered the veal and chicken parmigiana. The "veal" would have been better if it was roast beef from Arby's. The cut chicken breast wasn't even fully cooked and both were in an oddly colored brown meat sauce. The manager or owner ruined any possibilities for redemption when he couldn't take criticism and told my wife to get the F out and that she couldn't get our daughter that a family member was holding. Being polite and professional with him just made him more arrogant. If you consider Italian food old or improperly prepared meat with only oregano then this is the place for you. Definitely should have read reviews before going. read more

The food was okay but certainly nothing special. Our server was good. But when we went to check out we have never, ever been treated so rudely. It was an older man that checked us out that was so incredibly rude. We had purchased a groupon for our dinner. Our bill had a mistake. We were charged for two salads but we only had one. He said "of course you split the salad instead of getting two. Then he questioned why we only drank water. My husband told him that we don't drink. Then he said that we could have at least had tea. Then when my husband handed him his debit card this man looked at me and said "Oh and he uses a credit card". My husband said to him "you are implying that I'm being cheap". He then said "Well you said it not me" There was a younger man standing there beside him and I said to him that this man was being very rude to us. He just smiled, blew me off and said that he can be that way. They should not make groupons available if they don't want them to be used. But more importantly it was just absolutely shocking to be spoken to that way. I would never recommend this place to anyone! read more

We visited on a Friday afternoon. Off peak hours, only one other car there. I will tell you why. I've driven by for years always meaning to try. Who doesn't love Italian? I had the chance to take my nephew out for a meal. He's in the military and on vacation. I love to feed this kid. The outside had been touched up (paint...) from what I could tell. The inside was very stereotypical old school Italian. I like that. I liked the Dean Martin music, red and white check tablecloths and the quirky decor.( I'll have to revisit that.) We walked in with no one to greet us. We kinda milled around looking until someone came from the back and said she did not hear us come in, but we could sit anywhere. We sat facing the flag wall. If you've been, you know, lots of felt school flags hanging above the window facing the street. Interesting. I noticed on the menu there was a special offering free calamari with 2 entrees. Cool. My nephew ordered the crab meat parmigiana and I ordered the braciole. The calamari arrived quickly and was hot. Slightly over cooked but that's not uncommon. The marinara was tasty. I anticipated REALLY good Itialian and my new favorite go to place. Screeching, chalkboard scratching halt! Our food, ( I use that term loosely.) arrived piping hot. This suggests that they have pride in what they serve. I hope not. If you say crab meat on the menu, and you charge $18.75, one should be able to get actual crab meat, not imitation crab meat. We all know what it looks like: bright white with the signature red colored stripes, shape holding chunks that disintegrated into these coin like pieces. The bechamel was tasty, and the pasta only slightly over cooked. He ate most of it. He's just got back from overseas where Taco Bell is cuisine. I had to ask the server if it was real crab meat. She said it was supposed to be. Disbelief washed over me. I've never balked at menu prices. If you can't afford it go elsewhere. I happy to pay for quality and good service. But twenty bucks for fake crab? That is offensive. More offensive later. I let that go. Service here was not bad. The server did smell of cigarette smoke when she brought out bread but she was pleasant. My braciole( forgive the spelling) I expected to be a thing of beauty. It's not something you see everywhere and truthfully an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond sold me on it. What I got was mutt ugly. Sauce was tasty. Somebody in the building may care. The rest? Frozen manicotti sandwich the steak? that was stuffed with sausage, all under a mountain of gloopy rubbery world's lowest quality mozzarella. Covering everything in cheese does not make it better. I love cheese. It complements many things well, but when chewing it is liking eating rubber bands, too far. The steak? was barely beef. If you walk in the open kitchen I'm betting you'll find the package of Hormel roast beef that it came out of. Perfectly oval slices of exact thickness with a signature and distinctive processed taste and smell. I even unrolled it. Great for making sandwiches for people you don't like. The sausage inside can be best described as. It shouldn't be described. It could convert you to vegetarianism. While I waited for my nephew to finish. He is young and forgiving. I enjoyed the decor until something caught my eye. Near the register and entrance was a family portrait presumably. The people seemed happy and proud. What was concerning and offensive was that across the top and clearly in the background of the photo was a small US flag and proudly next to it a Confederate one. I am a patriot. My nephew is an active duty one. I believe in the right to express your opinions. Nothing wrong with showing pride in this country. Showing pride in the Confederate battle flag clearly invites judgement. My judgement is this: political views inclinations aside, I can not recall having food this horrific, ever. I left hungry with no interest in dessert. The food was awful before I saw the flag and I daresay it will remain. Big shame. read more

I love this place since I moved from New Haven, Connecticut and found this Gem of a place I've been coming back. See living in New Haven there are a lot of mom-and-pop Italian restaurant with great handed down recipes and this place feels just like that. Their lasagna is to die for...I love it. I simply love the old world feel. It feels like someone's Italian grandma is back there cooking her heart out and I'm getting to enjoy a spot at her table back in the old world. This is a must go and check out kind of place. If you go for lunch good luck the place is packed but worth the wait anytime you go. I haven't been in a while so I'm over due for a taste of Italian heaven. The prices are insane for the quality of food you get to enjoy. Great food fine. If you are looking for upscale Fusion Italian restaurant this is not your place. This is a dark and old feel a family recipes kind of place. read more

The great thing about The Open Kitchen is that it never changes. I've lived in the Charlotte area all of my life (50 yrs) and The Open Kitchen is the same now as it was when I was young. My wife and I went to The Open Kitchen as teenagers and we took our children there when they were young. We have been married 30 years now and regularly enjoy The Open Kitchen. I agree the pizza isn't great, but many of the other dishes are wonderful. My personal favorite is the braciole. The Open Kitchen is the only restaurant that I am aware of in Charlotte that serves it. If you are looking for a fancy uptown dining experience then forget The Open Kitchen, but if you are looking to enjoy a good meal at a landmark Charlotte restaurant then try it out. The family that owns and operates The Open Kitchen are really good people and they are dedicated to preserving the ambiance and menu that made it World Famous. read more

Some of these nasty reviews on here are unbelievable. Don't let them fool you if you've never been. The open kitchen is amazing. The service is excellent and they frequently have groupon offers. The food is delicious. I have tried various things off the menu and have never eaten a bad meal there. The garlic cheese bread is great to have before the meal. I love their lasagna and chicken Parmesan. I can assure you all the food is homemade. If you're into disgusting, cheap quality Italian food like Olive Garden or Carrabbas, then this isn't the place for you! 5 STARS!! read more

The food is Horrible. I went to dinner with 10 friends and we had a variety of food. I swear my pizza was frozen from the grocery store. No one ate their entire meal. No one took any left overs home . We all are Charlotte natives and the nostalgia of this place hasn't changed however I will never eat there again Honestly canned food is better. I can't think of a way it could have been worse. read more

on second thought I can only rate this one star. need to use oregano, basil and garlic in your sauce and rethink you prices !!! read more

I grew up coming to eat at Open Kitchen. After telling my son how good it is and then being severely disappointed, I doubt I'll ever be back. We ordered a pepperoni pizza. There were 6 slices of pepperoni on it. We counted. The crust is not hand-made but is frozen store-bought (and I'm not taking about Boboli - that would have been MUCH better!) The sauce is horrible and the service isn't much better. I told my server that the pizza wasn't good. She just mumbled and left the table, no mention to get the manager, nothing. If you like the pizza here, then you will love ChefBoyardee out-of-the-box pizza. I couldn't tell the difference. read more

My mom and I stopped by here while passing through charlotte. Even though I'm heavily Italian, still love a good "American-italian" dinner. My mom and I got the cheese ravioli and spaghetti with mushrooms and meatballs. It was AWFUL. the sauce was tomato juice. Just that. Liquidy nothingness. Had absolutely no flavor. Also the mushrooms were the rubbery kind out of a can. But whatever. My mom and I still ate it. With a lot of Parmesan cheese, we powered through. It was a quick dinner. Once we got our bill, we realized we wanted our drinks to go since we'd be driving back home. We waited at the front for more than five minutes, when finally the owner(male) walked up and said "what? You don't have water at home?" Um rude. So my mom said "no we want water for our hour drive..." so he goes back, a few minutes later he come moseying back and throws the lids and NOT covered straws on the dirty counter. Couldn't be a decent human and put them in my moms hand. And that's just not sanitary. 10/10 would never recommend this place. Buca di Beppo, a chain restaurant, is better. Reason 900; why Greeks should not own Italian restaurants, if they can't do Italian food justice. Or be decent human. read more

Been coming here since I was a kid! Love the decor! The salad and bread is yummy! Veal barsalina is the best ever!!!

I live about 45 minutes away from this place but it is worth the trip. When I was in high school this is where your "serious" boyfriend took you for a special date. The building hasn't changed much since my high school days. The food hasn't changed either. It's still wonderful, hot, and freshly made. My daughter and I went for lunch yesterday. We both ordered the cannelloni. It was hot, very cheesy, and delicious. Or course I got the tiramisu for dessert and it was also wonderful. The price was reasonable. $8.95 for the lunch special not including the dessert. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. It is very clean inside and I have never gotten a dish or silverware that was dirty, unlike what one reviewer mentioned. There's a reason this place has been in business for 65 years. It's good! Even at lunch the place was packed with customers all of which seemed very happy. read more

We knew we were in trouble when we looked up into the ceiling and saw the piles of dust and debris. Cob webs hanging from a ceiling fan - a total mess. This place looks like it was frozen in 1972. AND the Food. Awful. This is not Italian. This is GREEK trying to masquerade as Italian. FROZEN pizza doe. The red sauce tasted like catsup with oregano. We couldn't finish our meal. Sanitation Rating 95? Really? The Health Department was being generous. read more

I've lived in the Neighborhood for 10 years and we need more great restaurants. Unfortunately, Open Kitchen is not one of them. I can promise after several tries attempts and a very low bar of criticism, this is one of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. There are zero redeeming qualities. It needs to be bulldozed and redeveloped into a chef driven concept with a great bar/lounge that will satisfy Uptowners and neighborhood folks alike. Anything would be an improvement...like a kitchen fire. read more

This place was a joke. Tried it out because of the history, but even with a Groupon it's not worth it. The pasta sauces were straight from a chef Boyardee can, and my ridiculously salty manicotti for some reason contained canned mushrooms, which weren't in the description. Not to mention it was too hot to eat til well after my boyfriend had finished his similarly gross dish. read more

Lasange was very good. Server was rude. I love to support local businesses, but I will not be back. It's unfortunate because I really enjoyed my meal and had I not been talked down to by our server I would definitely recommend this place. I was so uncomfortable with how he treated us that I just wanted to get out of the building. As a customer of any business I am making a choice to spend my money there and I expect to be respected as a guest. read more

This place is exactly what I expected. Why there are so many bad reviews is confusing to me. This is an old fashion Italian dive. The decor is not a "carnival" as someone put it. It's a typical old fashioned Italian restaurant. I'm guessing all the bad reviews are because people spoiled from the likes of fancy Italian fusion restaurants like Bravo etc had some silly expectations before they ever walked in the place. I've been to real Italian places in NY and this place is very much like them. Our meal was edible, not horrible like others have claimed. The cheese bread was AWESOME! Waiter was on the ball with refills. Their meatballs are the real deal, not just subpar ground beef rolled into a ball. Their main disappointment was that my mushrooms on my spaghetti with meat sauce were from a can and not cooked in with the sauce, but seeming heated on the side and tossed on top. We felt very welcomed having two children with us, and BTW they eat free on Tuesday. We will go again for sure. read more

Best veal parmigiana ever! Mama K's pizza can't be beat. Great ambiance - checkered tablecloths, dim lighting. Has pictures and autographs of guests back to the 1950's. read more

Wow! What a restaurant! First time there with my son, great service, even at lunch time rush! Food was above the normal, felt very comfortable and the environment was great, artsy, felt like we were in Italy for real! Have to visit this restaurant soon! read more

We have always loved the Open Kitchen. Went on a Saturday night a few weeks ago and the Host was so rude. There was a High School Reunion going on so it was busy. We put our name in and waited for 30 minutes watching as they were seating party's that came after us. We had 7 so I guess they did not want to pull together table. Ended up putting us upstairs with a private birthday party in a corner with not even enough chairs. It was dirty and rude! He even left and didn't even try to help with our seating. Food and waiter were fine but the man that sat us up there should never work with the public again. read more

WOW! The atmosphere, hostess, wait staff, and last but not least, the FOOD, are wonderful! Their antipasto, braciole, and lasagne parmigiana are our favorites. And the bread is to die for. The Open Kitchen has been a favorite of ours for years. We go at least once a month and are never disappointed. read more