Charlotte's restaurant scene has expanded rapidly, and the city now has genuine depth across multiple cuisines. The South End neighbourhood concentrates a large number of the better restaurants within walking distance — Italian, farm-to-table American, and an increasingly good Latin food scene fed by Charlotte's large Mexican and Central American communities.
For Southern cooking, Barrington's in Myers Park is one of the city's most consistently praised restaurants, while Midwood Smokehouse does excellent local barbecue. The Pinky's Westside Grill in West Charlotte is a local institution for burgers and breakfasts. Plaza Midwood is the neighbourhood for international variety: Vietnamese, Ethiopian, and Middle Eastern restaurants cluster around Central Avenue. For a special occasion, Kindred in Davidson — about 30 minutes north — is one of the best restaurants in the greater Charlotte area.