Quick overview: 6 grand openings to look forward to in August

But first, let’s catch up on a three big openings that happened over the past week.

• Jeni’s Ice Creams – Highly-anticipated ice cream shop now open in South End (Agenda Jeni’s South End guide).
• Reid’s Fine Foods – Popular gourmet market now open in Uptown (Agenda Reid’s Uptown guide).
• La Belle Helene – Gorgeous French brasserie now open in Uptown (Agenda LBH first look guide).

Okay, here are 6 grand openings planned for August in Charlotte.

Yume Sushi & Ramen

San Francisco-style ramen, poke bowl, sushi, curry and Japanese street food restaurant

• Target Opening: Early August
• Neighborhood: South End – 1508 S. Mint St
• Menu: Ramen, ramen sets (combos), donburi (rice bowls) and about a dozen appetizers (could also be small plates) that range from fried dumplings to pork belly to octopus salad.
• Ownership: Husband-and-wife team Tony Yum (chef) and Rosena Tong (manager) were born in Hong Kong and ran a restaurant in San Fransisco before moving to Charlotte.
• Agenda story: San Francisco ramen, poke bowl, curry and Japanese street food restaurant coming to South End

Common Market Southend

Urban market, deli and bar

• Target Opening Date: Mid-August
• Neighborhood: South End – near Zeppelin and the new Bang Bang Burgers, 235 W. Tremont Ave.

MERE’S

European-inspired cheese and wine shop, will open in late August near Famous Toastery in Dilworth.

• Target Opening: August
• Neighborhood: Dilworth –2400 Park Road, Suite H
• Menu: MERE’s will offer a large variety of cheeses and charcuterie, specialty boards and featured sandwiches along with wine and craft beer.

• Agenda Story: European-inspired cheese and wine shop named MERE’S opening in Dilworth

Max and Lola Bodega

Dog-friendly bar and bottle shop coming to South End’s Gold District

• Target Opening: August
• Neighborhood: South End – 1501 S. Mint Street
• Space: Max and Lola, named for the owners’ dogs, features exterior murals by Rosalia Torres-Weiner and the funky interior chandeliers were sourced from Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. They’ve preserved the old Gulflex signage from the building’s days as a mechanic shop, and the three roll-up garage doors will create an open indoor-outdoor environment with access to a front patio area and forthcoming side patio.
• Agenda Story: Max and Lola Bodega opening in The Gold District

Pour Charlotte

A Hoppin’-style self-serve bar with locations in places like Durham, Asheville and Charleston

• Target Opening: Late-August (although my get pushed)
• Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood – 1212 Central Ave
• Tap analysis: Pour Charlotte will have 120 taps — half of them dedicated to North Carolina beers and the rest featuring beers from all over the world. It’ll be the largest self-serve taproom in the United States. There will be four taps of red wine, three taps of white, one tap of prosecco and both water and root beer taps as well. For reference, Hoppin’ has about 60 taps.
• Space: The space will be a whopping 6,900 square feet and is dog-friendly both inside and out. Here’s a look at Pour’s space in Wilmington as an example (below).
• Agenda Preview Story: The country’s largest self-serve taproom is coming to Charlotte

Sukoshi

Grab-and-go sushi Uptown restaurant based on styles and flavors from O-Ku

• Target Opening: Late August (but I just checked in on construction and my guess is it’ll get pushed to mid-September)
• Neighborhood: Uptown, space fronting Tryon Street near Bank of America Plaza
• Background: The Indigo Road, parent company of O-Ku Sushi and Oak Steakhouse, is bringing a fast-casual version of O-Ku to a 2,000-square-foot of space in the heart of Uptown fronting Tryon Street near Bank of America Plaza.
• Menu: Don’t expect your normal takeout sushi. They’ll offer specialty rolls, sashimi, nigiri and dim sum dumplings along with poke bowls, salads and craft beer/sake for the after work crowd.

6 more big grand openings to watch for in 2018

Here are 6 more highly anticipated grand openings still to come in 2018.

Nuvolé Rooftop TwentyTwo

Rooftop bar and restaurant on the 22nd floor of a new dual-branded AC Hotel / Residence Inn project at the EpiCentre

• Target Opening: Early Fall
• Neighborhood: Uptown, EpiCentre
• Layout: Nuvole Rooftop TwentyTwo is a 4,400-square-foot space with a large U-shaped bar, floor-to-ceiling windows, firepits and a 2,200-square-foot outdoor patio.
• What to expect: locally and regionally inspired menu items, handcrafted cocktails, stunning city views, local art collection
• People and menu: Peter Pollay of Mandara Hospitality Group and Posana restaurant in Asheville is consulting on the menu. It’ll feature items like a NC shrimp seafood tower, Carolina bison tartare, coldwater lobster and smoked pork belly mac and cheese. Noah Sheer, who has worked in North Carolina fine dining establishments like the Biltmore Estate and Omni Grove Park Inn, will manage the bar and lounge.
• Agenda Preview Story: Uptown’s next rooftop bar includes a luxury 2-bedroom penthouse suite available for VIP and event rental

The Waterman

Two-story, oyster-themed restaurant and bar with a rooftop terrace from Paul Manley, the brains behind Sea Level in Uptown

• Target Opening: September
• Neighborhood: South End

• Menu: The Waterman team is still finalizing the menu, but it will definitely feature a lobster roll, raw and steamed oysters, a low country boil, and what the team is already claiming to be “the best fried fish sandwich in Charlotte.”
• Oysters: They’ll also have a “house oyster” from North Carolina (the same house oyster you can find at Sea Level in Uptown). Basically, Paul and his team are oyster obsessed, so expect the best oysters available.
• Agenda Preview Story: Here’s what the rooftop oyster bar at The Waterman will look like when it opens this September

Legion Brewing SouthPark

2-story taproom with an upscale bar bites menu

• Target Opening: September
• Neighborhood: SouthPark – 5610 Carnegie Boulevard
• Space: The 12,000-square-foot SouthPark space will feature a 2-story taproom with 40 taps, an upscale bar bites menu, a 20-person circular bar on the first floor and a more relaxed vibe on the second, plus a private space available for rent. Also, the brewery will have a massive 2,500-square-foot patio.

Barcelona Wine Bar

Popular Spanish tapas and wine bar chain with a chic European vibe

• Target Opening: Fall
• Neighborhood: South End, Design Center
• Concept: Barcelona combines rustic, classic Spanish and Mediterranean flavors with other influences from North Africa and Southern France, and the result is a delicious array of tapas, dried savory meat and Spanish cheeses that pair well with the wide selection of wine from Barcelona’s expansive menu.
• Agenda Preview Story: What to expect at Barcelona Wine Bar, a Spanish-inspired tapas bar coming to South End

The Crunkelton

Classy cocktail bar and restaurant

• Target Opening: Fall
• Neighborhood: Elizabeth
• Background: This will be Gary Crunkleton’s second cocktail bar. The original Crunkleton on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill has garnered national attention, most recently being named one of the Six Best Bourbon Bars in the South by Garden & Gun magazine. It’s legit, and this is a big deal for Charlotte’s bar scene.
• Agenda Preview Story: Details emerge on The Crunkleton, including 50-pound ice blocks and a true Old Fashioned

Noble Smoke

Jim Noble, the restaurateur behind Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen and King’s Kitchen, has a new venture in the works — a massive barbecue restaurant in an old bus storage facility on the west side

• Target Opening: Fall
• Neighborhood: Freedom Drive, 226 Freedom Drive
• Agenda Preview Story: Noble Smoke could give Charlotte a true barbecue flagship