Charlotte: Home Cooking, Mom And Pop Restaurants
It’s good to know where your southern cooking mom-and-pop restaurants are. My husband and I love it so much we’ve been going to a different mom-and-pop eatery until we had to re-rotate. We have gone for years every Thursday night.
So often, the mom-and-pop restaurants remind us of maybe the food that our grandmother cooked as we were kids or the recipes our mothers held tight to the vest. It’s a little bit of home in every bite.
I looked around Charlotte and found what I believe are some of the best mom-and-pop family restaurants in town.
Little Mama’s
Little Mama’s says they are the place you come with friends, family, coworkers—anyone you care about. They feature heartwarming foods inspired by classic Italian-American recipes. If you’ve never had a meal with them, try the fresh mozz bar and some scratch-made pasta.
A full bar, sun room, and dining room give you a variety of spaces to enjoy yourself and have a leisurely time with a cold beverage and some food like your grandmother used to make. Inspired by the 1960s and ’70s Italian restaurants of his youth, Frank Scibelli opened Little Mama’s in 2020.
One patron reviewed Little Mama’s: “Great mozzarella bar app with tasty sides. Hot fresh focaccia with spicy olive oil and bankable lasagna, but that’s where the good ends and the bad begins.” Another added, “Been dying to come here for a while and a new staple. I sat at the bar and was served by the amazing Anna who helped me with some ideas. All I can is it was like a hug from a loving Italian grandma. Looking forward to many future visits.”
Sunflower Family Restaurant
If you’re looking for a family restaurant that serves good southern food, Sunflower Family Restaurant is your place. The cozy and welcoming restaurant offers many popular dishes, like Vegetable beef soup, French toast, Fried pork chop, and Turkey sausage.
A few reviews: “YES YES AND YES!!!! Everything was excellent!!!! Service and Food!!!!!! Scrambled eggs n cheese delicious cheese and scrambled perfect! Corn Beef Hash cooked Perfectly!!”
“Great food. If you’re looking for a true southern breakfast with fried perch, pork chop or ribeye with grits and eggs this is your go-to place! They have so many options! Including fried bologna. Every time we visit the service is always amazing and we love supporting local businesses.”
Nelly’s Southern Kitchen
Nelly’s Southern kitchen is quite a trendy place. They have music live music, outdoor seating, and they’re good for big groups. Some of their best dishes include fried chicken, roast, amazing soups, waffles, and much more. They are closed on Mondays but open 11 AM to 2 PM 4 PM to 9 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Reviews: “Surprisingly yummy and quite diverse in the clientele as well (huge for downtown Belmont)!”
“The dining room was packed so I was surprised when Chad said they could have a table for us in ten minutes.”
“My husband got the chicken and dumplings with collard greens and said it’s the best collards he’s ever had.”
