Feature Photo: Dragan Grkic
Our 10 Best Italian Restaurants In Charlotte, North Carolina list serves as a helpful guide for those looking for some great Italian Food In the city of Charlotte. We haven’t met many people who don’t like Italian food. How could you not love fresh pasta or nice garlic and wine sauce poured over a dish of muscles and clams? How about a perfectly cooked chicken cutlet with a breathtaking marsala sauce that is simply to die for. There are some fine Italian Restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina. Below are ten of the best.
# 10 – The Fig Tree Restaurant
When you pull up to the restaurant, you may be confused if there wasn’t a sign out front because it looks just like a house. You may be wondering if it looks like the inside of a house when you walk in. The inside is just as nice as the outside except it looks like a regular restaurant complete with a bar. The alcohol is safely behind the bar so none of the customers can attempt to grab one, and most of the alcohol is enclosed in a glass case. The inside of the restaurant has an elegant atmosphere.
Each table has a wine glass in case anyone wants a glass of wine. You may have noticed their outdoor patio as you walked inside the restaurant. It’s set up elegantly and you’re surrounded by trees. There’s an umbrella on each table for extra shade. This restaurant holds a bit of history, and it was built as a house in 1913.
Everyone loves a good pasta dish. You’ll like the fettuccine. The fettuccine is made fresh in the restaurant every day. Topped on the fettuccine are portobello mushrooms, roasted red bell peppers, kalamata olives, and capers. Poured evenly throughout the dish are their roasted garlic cream sauce and basil pesto for an additional Italian flavor. If you’re in the mood for seafood, their sea bass is exceptional. The sea bass is sauteed over black truffle mashed potatoes with lobster from Main, prosciutto, corn, and tarragon beurre blanc.
Address: 1601 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28204
Website: www.charlottefigtree.com
# 9 – Luce Restaurant & Bar
The chandelier over the main dining area is stunning. It has beautifully colored lightbulbs, which make a mixture of colors on the ceiling. After dark, a small candle is lit up on each table to make the atmosphere more intimate. The restaurant has a private seating area for big gatherings. Before you start telling your guests about the restaurant, make sure you check for availability to see if they have any openings on the date you need the private dining area. Also, you can admire the artwork on the walls. It looks like there is history to this restaurant. It might be a conversation starter to engage with the employees. Customers tend to dress up after dark since it is an elegant atmosphere. During the day it’s more casual.
As you’re looking at the menu, you may notice that the names of the dishes may look unfamiliar to you. Be sure to pay attention to the descriptions to help you understand each dish. We’ll go over a couple of them in this review. One of the dishes is called Capellini Pomodoro. It’s angel hair pasta covered in tomato sauce, and it’s seasoned with basil and roasted garlic. Another dish is the spaghetti alla carbonara. This pasta comes with egg yolk, cacio cheese, guanciale, and smoked pancetta. It’s seasoned with black pepper.
Address: 214 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Website: www.conterestaurantgroup.com
# 8 – Mama Ricotta’s
This place looks nice on the inside. Instead of having a light fixture, they have lamps hanging up throughout the restaurant. When you walk in, it looks beautiful when they are all turned on. There are also a few lights on the walls making the walls glow. It looks stunning. When you have light hung up in this way, you’re dining in an elegant dining area. Inside their pizza oven is wood-burning so the pizza can cook properly. This restaurant also has a private dining area as well with lovely pictures hanging on the walls surrounding the room. It makes you feel comfortable as if you’re eating in your house.
One dish you may be familiar with is the pasta primavera. The spaghetti in this dish is organic and is mixed with seasonal vegetables and you can choose olive oil and garlic, cream, or a tomato sauce seasoned with basil. You will have to mention your choice to your waiter or waitress when you order. Another familiar choice they serve is the spaghetti with meatballs entree. This spaghetti is also organic, and the meatballs are made with wagyu beef and Kurobuta pork. The tomato sauce that is poured over the dish is homemade and is seasoned with basil. If you want to add meat to any pasta dish you choose, it will cost you an additional fee.
Address: 601 S Kings Dr, Charlotte, NC 28204
Website: www.mamaricottas.com
# 7 – Aria Tuscan Grille
There’s lots of seating in this restaurant and plenty of seating around the bar in case there are not any open tables when you first arrive. The kitchen is decorated with lights around it so the chefs have plenty of light when they’re cooking your food. The bar manager knows what they’re doing when they work behind the bar. Everything is in its place. There are hundreds of liquor bottles stored in the back of the bar in a shelving unit and arranged so the bar manager will know what they are running low on. Their private dining area is elegant and is prepared for when you and your guests sit down. The dining area is impressive and is set up in a casual but elegant atmosphere.
One of the dishes you should try is Grandma B’s lasagna with bolognese and besciamella. It’s seasoned with fresh basil. Maybe you just had pasta last night or the night before and you want to try something different. They also serve pizza at this restaurant and everyone loves pizza. You may have had the Rosso at other pizza places and you have loved it so much that you want to try this one and see how the chef prepares it. The fennel sausage is homemade. Fresh ricotta cheese is spread on the pizza as well as the mozzarella. Along with the sausage, this pizza is also topped with fennel pollen and green onions.
Address: 100 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Website: www.ariacharlotte.com
# 6 – Oggi Ristorante Italiano
When you pull up to this restaurant, you may notice someone standing outside behind a podem. He or she is there to take your car because they have a valet service that will park for you, and they will pick it up when you’re ready to leave. The restaurant is lit up after dark with extra lights, not just the lights on the building. You don’t even have to walk in yet and already you can tell you will have an elegant experience and you’re right. The inside of the restaurant is just as elegant as the outside. The red lights on the walls are calming and elegant. The flowers around the restaurant make everything seem comforting and fun to be around.
There may be some names you aren’t able to recognize but others you can pick out bits and pieces so you can order what you like or you can be adventurous and order something new. The Joyce Farms chicken parmigiana spaghetti is really good. The chicken is breaded and seasoned before the chefs put it in the oven and it’s placed over the noodles with warm sauce poured on top. Another interesting menu item is the eggplant parmigiana. This pasta dish is seasoned with lemon juice and is topped with arugula and parmesan.
Address: 16646 Hawfield Way Dr, Ste 101, Charlotte, NC
Website: www.oggicharlotte.com
# 5 – Toscana
If you have eaten here for lunch and dinner, you may notice how the ambiance changes. During the day, the sun shines through the windows, and the place is naturally lit up. After dark, the mood shifts to elegant, and lights are turned on inside the restaurant. The staff does something special for birthdays and anniversaries. They will put a candle on a piece of cake so you can blow it out and make a wish. If you are asked if you would like to be seated inside or outside. Go outside if it’s a nice evening or if it’s nice during the day. This restaurant has a large outdoor patio that’s perfect for great conversation with the other people you came with. Just like most outdoor patios, this outdoor patio comes equipped with umbrellas at every table to shade you from the sun or to block the wind on cooler evenings.
A dish to satisfy cravings is the gnocchi. This is the perfect type of pasta to eat, especially if you’re new to this type of cuisine. Gnocchi is potato dumplings with tomato sauce and mozzarella sprinkled on top. The dish is seasoned with basil. The penne is another excellent dish to try. In this dish, the shrimp are sauteed in a pan with seasonings and oil before it is placed in your pasta dish. It also has zucchini and cherry tomatoes that have been cooked in a white wine sauce and seasoned with garlic. To finish off the dish, pecorino cheese is sprinkled evening throughout.
Address: 6401 Morrison Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Website: www.conterestaurantgroup.com
# 4 – Stagioni
As you walk to your seat, you may pass by the kitchen where the chef will be hard at work preparing their diners’ meals. After dark, a couple of chandeliers are hanging above that are beautifully lit up. Also, there are red lights on the walls that make it glow. There are also candles put on every table to create a more intimate environment. This restaurant gets busy quickly because it’s one of the most popular ones in Charlotte. It’s best that you call ahead and make a reservation or do it on their website. It’s an elegant atmosphere, and the food is also served elegantly.
Their pepperoni and sausage pizza is one of the best in Charlotte. The sausage is made homemade every day and the pepperoni is layered on top of their roasted tomato sauce. The mozzarella cheese is underneath the pepperoni and sausage. Now that everything is on the pizza, you may see the chef put it in their pizza oven for cooking. The angel hair pasta is also worth purchasing and is cooked to perfection. The angel hair pasta is cooked in olive oil and seasoned with garlic. Once the pasta has finished cooking, it is placed on a plate with some parmesan cheese on top.
Address: 715 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
Website: www.stagioniclt.com
# 3 – Aqua E Vino
This is another nice Italian restaurant to go to. Everything is open. You can see the butcher preparing meat needed for your plates, you can see the bartenders hard at work serving alcohol, and you can see the chefs preparing your food for service. This is a casual atmosphere since everyone is busy and you can hear the customers chatter about their day, and it’s comforting to know that everyone is so happy to be dining there. Another highlight is their large outdoor patio. It’s decorated for fun at night but during the day, it’s a peaceful atmosphere. If you dine at this restaurant for dinner, you’ll notice that their outdoor patio is decorated with lights to make your atmosphere more elegant and intimate as if you were inside. During the day, you can be thankful that the umbrellas on each table are keeping you out of direct sunlight.
If this is your first time visiting this restaurant, be adventurous and try something new. You may want the same thing the next time you come back. One item on their menu that may be new to you is the Polpo. It’s a Spanish octopus cooked a la plancha. It’s decorated with artichokes, capers, peppers, and olives. It’s also very well seasoned. Another dish to try is the Trofie. This is a Ligurian pasta served with green beans and potatoes. It’s seasoned with basil pesto along with some other natural Italian seasonings.
Address: 4219 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Website: www.aquaevino.com
# 2 – Angeline’s
Just like with any other Italian restaurant, this will also amaze you. Neat-looking lamps are hanging from the ceiling. The lamps look like there’s a fire burning in each one. Each table is already set up by the time you walk in the door. Each table comes with wine glasses, plates, silverware, and napkins. This restaurant also includes a large bar with enough seating for several customers to sit and enjoy a drink while they wait for their food to arrive. The staff is dressed nicely and offers some of the best customer services you will find in any other restaurant.
If you have been here before and you haven’t tried the Crema di Ricotta yet, now’s a great time to try this entree for lunch. It has strozzapreti with grilled chicken. It’s topped with spinach and bread crumbs, and it’s seasoned with rosemary. They also have great pizza. The sausage pizza is one of the best pizzas you will ever taste. The tomato sauce is spread on the dough in a thin layer with mozzarella made every day on top. The sausage is also homemade just like the other ingredients, and it’s put all over the pizza. It’s topped with roasted red peppers before the chef puts it in their pizza oven for cooking.
Address: 303 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Website: www.angelinescharlotte.com
# 1 – Via Roma
The large dining area is set up elegantly. The tablecloths are well ironed, and the napkins are stood up at each place setting. When you walk into an experience like this, it looks like you’re walking into a wedding reception. It looks that nice. Seeing the bar off to one side is amazing. There are several chairs. If you’re coming by yourself, it’s easier to meet someone. It may not be suited if you’re coming in with a crowd of people. One or two people may have to sit at the bar to wait for your table. The bar is huge and has a large selection of alcohol. Their private dining area is perfect if you’re looking to come with a large group of people celebrating a special occasion. The candles that are put on the table make it an even more elegant atmosphere.
There are lots of choices on this menu to choose from. Don’t be afraid about not pronouncing any of the names. You can pick out bits and pieces. There is one dish that is well known in Charlotte, and that is called the Gigli. It’s pasta mixed with shrimp, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and pecorino cheese. Another dish to try is the Filetto. You will get a 9 oz prime beef tenderloin with black truffle demi. It’s served with asparagus that has been placed on the grill and roasted potatoes.
Address: 7416 Waverly Walk Ave, Suite H2, Charlotte, NC 28277
Website: www.conterestaurantgroup.com
10 Best Italian Restaurants In Charlotte, North Carolina article published on BigCityReview.com© 2022
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