One Of Charlotte’s Oldest Indian Cuisine Restaurants Closing
I was out with a group of friends over the past weekend getting into Charlotte restaurant week shenanigans. Over dessert on Friday, we got on the subject of the restaurant business. Complete agreement was had on a couple of things. 1. There may not be a tougher business to be in. 2. None of us would ever be able to do it. 3. Those that ARE in the business have to absolutely love it. It has to be an unquenchable life passion. I mean, the hours are HORRIBLE, the stresses may be worst. And your life is dealing with wayyy more complaint than praise. So any time I see a restaurant closing, especially one that’s been around for a while, it truly makes me sad. Someone’s life passion has gone away.
Which brings me to Nishal Sethi and the Bombay Grille. This is one of Charlotte’s oldest Indian cuisine restaurants. The Bombay Grille opened twenty-four years ago in 2000. Sethi’s life passion will serve its final customers at the end of January. Like so many in the restaurant industry, The Bombay Grille could not overcome a perfect storm of external forces. The Covid 19 Pandemic, rising inflation costs and rent increases proved to be too much for The Bombay Grille to overcome.
What I love most about Nishal Sethi is that his fire for the food business isn’t dying with his restaurant’s closing. No, he’s merely channeling it into a new direction. Sethi is planning to join Dishefs. This is a company that matches local chefs who need a place to do their thing, with spaces to do their thing. He explains to WCNC, “It’s like an Airbnb for caterers and bakers, and we set them up in mom-and-pop restaurants when they’re not using it. I want to do hotels, churches. I want to do all of that, to help both sides.”
So farewell, to The Bombay Grille, one of Charlotte’s oldest Indian restaurants closing at the end of the month. BUT, good luck to Nishal Sethi as he shifts his passion for the food industry in a new direction.
4 North Carolina Restaurants Included On Yelp's Best Places To Eat List
The idea of the “best restaurants” is certainly subjective. What one person may think is incredible may not be someone else’s cup of tea. But there are also some restaurants that are just a step above the others. So when I saw that Yelp released their Top 100 Places to Eat list for 2024 I had to see if I was familiar with any spots on the list. And 4 North Carolina Restaurants were mentioned as the best places to eat.
But perhaps what surprised me even more was the lack of any South Carolina restaurants included. I would have expected at least somewhere in Charleston to be included and I’m sure there are some other hidden gems throughout the state. Yelp says the list was created by analyzing “submissions, ratings, review volume, and community input.” So South Carolina perhaps you need to use Yelp more?
But back to North Carolina the winner in this contest. It wasn’t the Charlotte area that was highlighted on this list. Or anywhere in the Triangle. Instead it was one mountain bbq spot and not one, not two, but three Triad area restaurants. Who knew that region was such a destination for foodies? Last time I was in Greensboro I just ate at Chili’s but clearly there were some fantastic options I missed out on!
Keep reading to see the 4 North Carolina restaurants that are the best places to eat in the state. At least according to Yelp! You can read the full list here. Have a restaurant you think deserves to be highlighted? Let us know on social media!
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.
