Flour Shop

There will often be a wait at chef Trey Wilson’s intimate, no-reservations restaurant Flour Shop, but pros know to fill the down time with cocktails at Dot Dot Dot, a basement speakeasy in an old storage unit under Park Road Shopping Center. Both are located in the shopping center’s Back Lot. It sounds counterintuitive but you should aim for a bar seat at Flour Shop so you can catch all the pasta-making action up close in the wide open kitchen.

There are lots of Italian restaurants offering fresh pasta, but not many make it the way Flour Shop does, which is right in the middle of the intimate dining room. Besides the pasta itself, the restaurant’s dishes include produce grown in the area and locally sourced meats. While it could be easy to fill up on starters, make sure to leave room for the squid ink linguine with chorizo and Carolina shrimp or the beef and pork bolognese.

Flour Shop is considered one of Charlotte’s most unique eateries, where you can browse through their small yet inspired menu in a cozy, intimate setting. All the items on the menu (which constantly changes with the seasons) are prepared using locally sourced ingredients. Moreover, the menu is abundant in freshly baked bread, homemade pasta, and a selection of steaks and fresh seafood served with cold beers and cocktails.

When it’s made correctly, there’s nothing as delightful as fresh pasta—and at Flour Shop, it’s handmade in the middle of the intimate dining room. Besides the pasta itself, the restaurant’s dishes include produce grown in the area and locally sourced meats,” the report says. Flour Shop has two patios and a dining room built around the kitchen, where you have a front-row seat to the cooking action.

The smell of fresh bread baking in the wood-fired oven hits you as soon as you walk into Flour Shop. From the counter, you can watch as handmade pasta is prepared in the open kitchen. Chef Trey Wilson’s shared plates are great for a larger group, but if you don’t want to share, try the lamb Bolognese.

The first thing you notice when you walk into this intimate restaurant is the kitchen. An open kitchen concept puts your right in the center of the action and gives you an added element to your dining experience. As you wait for your food, enjoy watching the Chef and his team work their magic.

A meal at Flour Shop starts out with a serving of the restaurant’s housemate foccacia with olive oil and pepper. They also have selections that pair perfectly with Flour Shop’s housemade butters. Looking to take some goodness home?

Park Road Shopping Center’s backlot, along the greenway, is a quiet hideaway from the hum of Park Road traffic. The sister concept to Customshop, Flour Shop focuses on handmade pastas and wood-fired proteins.

My 2018 list featured a few 2017 roll overs, as well as new Charlotte restaurants like Hello, Sailor; Dot, Dot, Dot; Flourshop; Angeline's and Merchant and Trade.

Go sit at their gigantic bar and watch the chefs do their thing. Their house-made focaccia and burrata is a must order.