Restaurants in Charlotte

In the kitchen at Mario’s Pizza, chefs heap cheese, steak, and sun-dried tomatoes onto oversize New York–style and sicilian pizza crusts. A white pizza covered in ricotta cheese, fresh garlic, and mozzarella reminds taste buds of eating a delicious snowman, and comes in sizes ranging from 10 inches to as large as 19 inches. Baked pasta and sandwiches, such as a philly steak or veal parmigiana, round out the menu.

Since serving up the first order of their now-famous fried squash in 1981, Crown Point Restaurant’s chefs have earned local renown for their platefuls of hearty, made-from-scratch comfort fare. Nearly every day for more than three decades, the restaurant’s kitchen counters have played host to fresh ingredients such as Virginia ham, chicken livers, and prime rib. Though the menu culls its most obvious inspirations from America’s heartland, a Mediterranean undercurrent is apparent in offerings such as baklava and chicken stuffed with feta cheese and miniature Greek soldiers.

Whether served whole, skewered on kebabs, or stuffed in a pita, tender Athenian chicken is a centerpiece of House of Athens' menu. Chefs marinate each bird in a blend of spices and herbs for more than 24 hours before finally searing it over an open flame. Such attention to detail characterizes their other Greek and Mediterranean offerings, such as a gyro platter, falafel, and spanakopita, which top tables inside the burnt-sienna-and-cream-hued dining room.

There’s nothing more quintessentially Irish than Guinness beer, a fact not lost on the chefs at Fitzgerald’s Irish Pub. Led by Deacon Ovall, recently featured on Fox Charlotte's Chef Spotlight, the kitchen staff pairs house-cured corned beef and cabbage with Guinness au jus, smothers flank-steak shepherd's pie with Guinness gravy, and batters fried cod fillets in Guinness batter. But the menu is nothing if not multifaceted, with offerings ranging from traditional Irish eats and hearty half-pound Black Angus burgers to nearly a dozen freshly tossed salads.

Diners can pair their upscale pub eats with a hearty selection of pours. Four of the eight draft beers on tap hail from Ireland itself, and the servers also mix up "Lucktinis," including the Spiced Leprechaun made with Bacardi Oakheart, sour-apple Schnapps, and pineapple juice. Big-screen TVs dazzle eyes as flights of Irish whiskey tantalize tongues. Every Wednesday at 9 p.m., rounds of trivia keep brains from forgetting little-known factoids, such as the name of George Washington’s least-favorite fruit.

The Dinner A'Fare provides a simple route to procuring delicious, pre-assembled meals. Start by picking the six dishes from the menu, and then stop by the brick and mortar location to pick up the goods. Customers are able to customize ingredients according to tastes, allergies, or a court order to avoid certain foods. Each dish is made fresh—having been assembled within 24 hours prior to pickup—and can be kept in the fridge to cook within a week or frozen for later generations to enjoy. Dinner A'Fare also participates in the Sustainable Seafood Program to help fight environmentally destructive seafood harvesting and maintain the world’s uneasy truce with Prince Namor of Atlantis.

Today's Groupon gets you $20 worth of old-school Italian food and drink for $10 at Avanti at the Arboretum. Avanti serves calzones, oven-baked subs, strombolis, and bakery desserts in addition to pasta and its specialty, New Jersey–style pizza.Pizza Problems sold an unprecedented 300 copies in 1981, and was even briefly adapted into a Saturday morning animated series, although fans objected to Pepperoni’s portrayal as a softheaded comic foil. Activavision Studios recently announced plans for a 30th anniversary relaunch of the Pizza Problems franchise, a mature-rated gore fest featuring the sultry voice talents of David Hyde Pierce.