Restaurant Bites: Green’s Lunch exits uptown, Amelie’s returns and more

CHARLOTTE — As one longtime restaurant exited uptown last month, another Charlotte staple made its return there.

Green’s Lunch, a fixture in center city for 97 years, officially closed its doors last week, as long hours, lack of help and reduced businesses since Covid took their toll on the business. The 0.07-acre parcel that the building sits on at 309 W. Fourth St. is also up for sale and slated for redevelopment.

A few blocks away, Amélie’s French Bakery & Café reopened in mid-June at 380 S. College St., on the ground floor of the Two Wells Fargo building. That 12,000-square-foot restaurant, which had been closed since late 2020 due to the pandemic, returned with a focus on customer service, speed and the overall experience.

Also in uptown, the recently rebranded Queen City Quarter (formerly EpiCentre) is adding a quick-service pizza franchise called Stoner’s Pizza Joint to its mix and another complex undergoing renovations — The Alley at Latta Arcade — saw gourmet bakery Wentworth & Fenn debut in June.

Nearby in midtown’s Metropolitan complex, prominent Charlotte restaurateur Jon Dressler is opening Joan’s Bakery and Deli, a tribute to his mother, in a space that will also house chef Rob Clement’s Jewish deli concept, Meshugganah. And Lost Worlds Brewing will expand beyond Cornelius with a second location there.

Speaking of breweries, Atlanta-based Monday Night Brewing Co. cracked into the Charlotte market in late June with an 8,000-square-foot taproom and 1-acre beer garden at 2217 S. Tryon St. in South End.

That neighborhood, a hot spot for new nightlife and entertainment options, also added whiskey-centric bar Dram & Draught at 1220 S. Tryon St. In lower South End, Rally’s 27,650-square-foot entertainment complex at 101 Southside Drive opened last week, bringing together pickleball, craft cocktails and a global street-food-inspired menu.

Farther out, the Charlotte area’s second Cheesecake Factory is targeting an August opening in Huntersville’s Birkdale Village development. And the Mills Crossing project in Fort Mill has snagged two new restaurants — Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Biscuit Belly. Also in Fort Mill, Bossy Beulah’s Chicken Shack — a concept by chef Jim Noble — is expected to open in mid-summer.

For a closer look at these happenings and more, check out the latest installment of CBJ’s Restaurant Bites here.

(WATCH BELOW: Popular Uptown lunch spot ‘Green’s’ closing permanently after more than 90 years in business)

Popular Uptown lunch spot ‘Green's’ closing permanently after more than 90 years in business

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