Restaurant Bites: What’s new and coming soon to a menu near you

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte picked up a couple of new-to-market restaurants last month, including a build-your-own salad concept and a Detroit-style pizzeria.

Houston-based Salata Salad Kitchen made its Charlotte — and North Carolina — debut within a 2,500-square-foot space at uptown’s Ally Charlotte Center, while Emmy Squared Pizza, based in Brooklyn, New York, opened a 4,800-square-foot restaurant in Plaza Midwood. Both brands already have a second Charlotte location in the works.

And, while they are not new to the Charlotte area, local restaurateurs Joe and Katy Kindred are looking to debut their latest concept in Plaza Midwood. The couple late last month announced plans to transform the iconic Dairy Queen building in that neighborhood and bring their all-day cafe, named milkbread, there.

Other Charlotte restaurant operators disclosed plans in September of expanding their brands in the local market as well. Optimist Hall, for instance, is set to add second locations of Jim Noble’s namesake barbecue joint, Noble Smoke, as well as Enat Ethiopian, which serves traditional East African dishes with a modern flair.

For a closer look at the latest restaurant, bar and brewery happenings in the Charlotte area, check out the newest installment of Restaurant Bites here.

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