Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State Highlights This Trendy Charlotte Spot

I am always on the hunt for new and exciting places to dine.  And, Southern Living's Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State highlighted a trendy Charlotte location I've been wanting to try.

We work in Charlotte' South End.  So, we spend a lot of time in the thriving area.  And, there's so many new breweries and and cool restaurants popping up daily.  But, I noticed this one a while back while eating at another of our favorites.

In our opinion, one of the best places in Charlotte to grab Tex-Mex food is Superica on Worthington Ave.  And, on a recent visit there I saw an interesting spot nearby called Salted Melon.

Well, as it turns out, Salted Melon landed on Southern Living's Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State list.  Now, if you've never visited you might have questions.

So, here's what Salted Melon is in a nutshell.  It's a combination of a restaurant and market all in one.  Of course, you can grab breakfast, lunch and dinner at this best new restaurant in every southern state location.  Plus, Salted Melon offers prepped meals to go.

And, there's a nice market to shop for unusual items you don't see in typical stores.  Also, Salted Melon has a full service bar, too.  The website points to so many options including counter service for grabbing the quick meal.  And, there's breakfast including everything from avocado toast to bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches.

For lunch at this best new restaurant in every southern state spot, there's sandwiches, salads and wraps.  And, don't forget about brunch with carafes of mimosas, craft cocktails, pancakes, French toast and bowls.

Furthermore, Salted Melon offers sophisticated seated dinners with mouth watering shareables and entrees.  So, there truly is something for every palate and coffee drinks galore.

In order to arrive at the Best New Restaurant In Every Southern State list, Southern Living surveyed readers to rate places across the South.  More than 20,000 respondents participated in the questionnaire between July 12 to August 23, 2023.  See the full list in the complete Southern Living article.

And, visit Salted Melon's website or stop in at 100 W. Worthington Ave. in Charlotte.

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!

"Old School BBQ" is what you'll find at Haywood Smokehouse. There are 3 locations the one in Dillwood that is technically the one on this list, as well as Waynesville and Franklin. But be aware this is Texas Style BBQ, not eastern or western NC. View the menu here.

Located in High Point is Odeh's Mediterranean Kitchen. It serves Middle Eastern Salad, Falafel on Pita, Chicken Shawarma, and more! View the menu here.

Freeman's offers some delicious-looking craft cocktails as well as comfort foods from what I can tell on social media. And what I've seen is enough to make me add this to the list for the next time I make the drive to Greensboro (typically to something at the Coliseum). I wasn't able to locate a website but you can view their Facebook page here.

Located in Historic Downtown Asheboro, the Table offers breakfast and lunch as well as bakery items and coffee. View the menu here.