We Tried This New Restaurant In North Carolina For Weekend Brunch And Here’s What We Found

A few months ago I shared news of a steak and seafood restaurant opening in South Charlotte in April.  And, in fact The Walnut Grill, based in Pittsburgh, opened at 15719 Brixham Hill Ave. in Ballantyne right around Easter.  So, this long weekend we finally got around to trying it.  But, we actually went for Sunday brunch.

Saturday night at home I was scrolling through social media.  And, that's when a Facebook notice for Walnut Grill appeared alerting me to weekend brunch at the restaurant.  And, Walnut Grill's location in Ballantyne near I-485 is convenient for us.  So, we gave it a try.

First of all, the new spot is really pretty and inviting.  The husband remarked it had that fresh "new restaurant smell" like a new house or a new car.  The space is open and bright, and the staff greeted us warmly.   We had the option of ordering from the brunch menu or the regular full menu.  But, we came for brunch.  So, that's what we ordered.  We like to choose items that are both sweet and savory.  The hubby ordered the "Creme Brulee French Toast."  And, I selected the classic "Shrimp and Grits."

The Shrimp and Grits was tasty with bits of chorizo mixed in with creamy grits and caramelized onions and peppers.  The shrimp came "tails on" for added flavor.  The French Toast was a fairly large portion.  It had a very light crispy texture due to the "brulee."  Although, I would've liked a more pronounced "brulee" effect.  But, it was good.  And, the candied walnut topping added flavor and texture.  And, even though we didn't try it this time, I caught a glimpse of the Bloody Mary, and it looked delicious.

Walnut Grill has several other locations around the country, including Pennsylvania and St. Louis.   The menu offers elevated "bar bite" type starters, including sliders, wings, pretzel bites and so much more.  Also, there's choices for casual wraps, sandwiches and flatbreads.  And, of course there's house-cut steaks, seafood and all the sides!  Plus, the dessert selection caught my eye with something called a "Caramelized Walnut Ball!"  Bottom line, we'll try it again for lunch or dinner some time.

Mother's Day is fast approaching (friendly reminder to start that shopping if you haven't yet!). It's also the perfect day to treat mom to brunch. As a millennial brunch is one of my favorite meals in existence, and I will always be down to go. But if you're treating mom to brunch then you want to make sure you are taking her to the absolute best- she deserves nothing but perfection. So where is that spot? Well according to the latest rankings from YELP South Carolina is home to 4 of the country's top places for brunch. And two are in North Carolina! 6 out of 100 isn't bad at all. The bad news, only one spot is local to the Charlotte area. The others require a little more time and perhaps a hotel stay. But I'm sure Mom would love a trip too!

So where did these rankings come from? Here's exactly what YELP had to say: "This is an all-time list of the best brunch spots for Mother's Day according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the Breakfast & Brunch category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning "brunch," then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning "brunch." If a chain appeared on the list more than once, we only included the highest-rated location. We included only 10 businesses per state for geographic diversity. All businesses were marked open on Yelp as of April 6, 2023. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of April 6, 2023."

So keep reading to which spots made the cut as the best of the best for brunch in South Carolina. You can view the full top 100 list from Yelp here!

Location: 4856 Hwy 17, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

Brunch Menu

Location: 980 Cipriana Dr A-6, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572

Brunch Menu

Location: 3150 US-21, Fort Mill, SC 29715

Brunch Menu

Location: 302 Coleman Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464

Brunch Menu

Location: 402 Chestnut St #4026, Wilmington, NC 28401

Brunch Menu

Location: 626 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

Brunch Menu