Dinner near Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC

[Andiereid]

We're going to be there for the Mark Knopfler concert next weekend. Any recommendations for something for dinner near Ovens Auditorium? We'll have a car, but it would be nice to be able to eat dinner someplace close by.

[Andiereid]

Thanks for the recs, guys. We wound up at Lulu. It could not have been more convenient. The location was perfect, and we all loved the food! (This is actually quite a feat for my uber-picky dad.)

[littlegirltree]

Sorry about Lava - I'd heard it was pretty lackluster.

Since the show's Sunday night, you could hit The Penguin pre-show. They have great fried pickles, burgers and a pretty great jukebox. It's a great old diner that's been revamped to be rockabilly-punk. Hawthorne, is great, too. They have decent NYC style pizza but their beer selection is great. LuLu and Ben Thanh are nearby and are great, too.

http://www.penguindrivein.com/
http://www.hawthornespizza.com/
http://www.luludinewine.com/
http://www.benthanhcharlotte.com/

[ickymettle]

There are plenty of places near there. Some options are:

Dish on Thomas Ave., right off of Central Ave. - comfort food
Zada Jane's on Central Ave. - home grown and organic food
Penguin on Thomas Ave. - burgers, fried pickles, sweet potato fries, etc.
Lupie's on Monroe Rd. - chili
Nolia on Caswell St. - southern bistro
Lulu on Central Ave. - one of the best restaurants in town, but may be a little more upscale than what you're looking for (not that it's too fancy)

[Chocolate Toe]

All of the above are great suggestions. Lupie's is literally about 2 blocks away and it's great. Here are a few others to fall back on:
- Fenwick's on Providence Road
- Hawthorne's Pizza on 7th Street (Monroe Road turns in to 7th St)
- Jackalope Jack's (bar/pub type atmosphere but is fun and decent food)
- Providence Cafe on Providence Road
- Anntony's Caribbean Cafe on Caswell Road (I have found that this place can be kind of hit-or-miss though)
Penguin is definitely fun but it can get really crowded.

[HungryGrayCat]

I think Lupie's is closed on Sundays and the post below says that's when the show is.

For what it's worth, the wings at Jackalopes are pretty good and they have a nice beer selection.

Love Penguin but would worry about the timing issue if it's packed.