10 most-anticipated restaurant and bar concepts opening in 2019

Most-anticipated chain opening: Chop’t in Uptown

Most anticipated food and drink development: Optimist Hall

Barcelona Wine Bar

Who’s excited: Cheese and wine lovers

Projected Opening: January 2019

Location: South End, Design Center

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

Hawkers Asian Street Food

Who’s excited: Asian food lovers

Projected Opening: Early 2019

Location: South End, Design Center

Concept: Orlando-based Asian restaurant inspired by hawker stalls of southeast Asia. Hawkers’ menu features “the best and most popular street foods from all over Asia,” including Singapore “Chilli” crab, Filipino-style crispy chicken skins and noodle soups. The menu is divided into five main categories: small plates, noodle soups, salads, noodles and rice dishes.

Agenda Preview Story: Hawkers Asian Street Food coming to South End near Superica

N.C. Red

Who’s excited: Foodies

Projected Opening: Early 2019

Location: Plaza Midwood, 1205 Thomas Ave.

Concept: Bruce Moffett — the guy behind Good Food, Barrington’s and Stagioni — will open his fourth restaurant named N.C. Red in Plaza Midwood. The restaurant will take the Plaza Midwood space formerly occupied by Comida (and the iconic Penguin Drive-In before that) and plans to open in the first quarter of next year. Bruce described N.C. Red as a “NC fried chicken meets Rhode Island shore food” spot. The menu will be a mix of Southern-style chicken dishes and seafood you’d expect up North — think half chickens, clam strips, steamed mussels, seafood casserole, calamari, chicken wings and more. I’m excited and can’t wait to check it out.

Agenda Preview Story: Details emerge on N.C. Red, Bruce Moffett’s highly anticipated restaurant opening in the old Penguin Drive-In

The Dunavant

Who’s excited: Steak lovers

Projected Opening: Early 2019

Location: South End, 2322 Dunavant St. It’s near King of Pops and the intersection of Hawkins and Dunavant — walkable to Sycamore.

Concept: It’s a $25 steak & bottomless fries restaurant. The Dunavant is dining driven with a restaurant-first, bar-second focus. Charlotte seems to only have high-end or chain restaurant steak options. This aims to hit a middle ground. The menu will feature a simple steak and fries, prix fixe menu, similar to something like Medium Rare in Washington, D.C.

Agenda Preview Story: The Dunavant, a new $25 steak & bottomless fries concept, coming to South End

Pins Mechanical Company

Who’s excited: Social house lovers

Projected Opening: Early 2019

Location: South End, 307 W. Tremont Ave. near the new Common Market.

Concept: Pins Mechanical Company, a popular social house, has games like foosball, pinball, duckpin bowling, ping pong and bocce. 16-Bit Bar+Arcade has pretty much every classic arcade game from the 80s & 90s. Rise Brands, the parent company, will develop both concepts next to each other. Both have quality cocktails on top of an extensive beer list (custom curated, no “paid for” stuff here). And it’s all housed in a massive and beautiful facility with modern rustic decor in a giant 20,000-square-foot space.

Agenda Preview Story: Pins Mechanical Company and 16-Bit Bar+Arcade are coming to South End

Pinhouse

Who’s excited? Hoppin’ self-serve beer lovers

Projected Opening: February 2019

Location: Pinhouse is taking the space formerly occupied by Midwood Cleaners in Plaza Midwood. The exact address is 2306 Central Ave., two blocks away from Resident Culture Brewing.

Concept: Self-serve bar. The two-story, 6,036-square-foot space will feature four duckpin bowling lanes and 70 taps. For comparison, Hoppin’ is 4,600 square feet and has 60 taps. Pinhouse will also have a large outdoor space, plenty of large TVs, a putting green, about 30 parking spaces and food trucks. In terms of the user experience, Pinhouse will use the same iPourIt dispense technology with wristbands as Hoppin’.

Agenda Preview Story: Hoppin’ launching new self-serve bar named Pinhouse in Plaza Midwood

Snooze

Who’s excited: Brunch lovers

Project Opening: Early 2019

Location: Plaza Midwood, 1331 Central Ave. (same building as the new Yafo).

Concept: Snooze A.M. Eatery is a popular Denver-based breakfast, lunch and brunch spot. Snooze has 30-plus locations, with most in Colorado, California, Arizona and Texas. According to its website, this will be Snooze’s first East Coast location.

Agenda Preview Story: Snooze, a popular Denver-based breakfast, lunch and brunch spot opening in Plaza Midwood

Room & Board

Who’s excited: Those waiting for what will finally take the space of former Revolution Ale House in NoDa.

Projected Opening: Early 2019

Concept: Dinner and drink spot to start, with brunch on the weekends. The menu’s still in the rough draft stages, but you can expect something like Seoul Food where you pick from a list of meats and vegetables. There will be fried chicken, pulled pork, brisket and other meats.

Agenda Preview Story: New restaurant Room & Board coming to the former Revolution Ale House in NoDa

Noble Smoke

Who’s excited: BBQ lovers

Projected Opening: Spring 2019

Location: Freedom Drive, 226 Freedom Drive

Concept: 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. Noble comes by his passion for barbecue honestly. He grew up in High Point, just down the road from Kepley’s Barbecue (established 1948). And his father is from the Goldsboro area, home to the famous Wilber’s Barbecue.

Agenda Preview Story: Noble Smoke could give Charlotte a true barbecue flagship

Indaco

Who’s excited: Italian lovers

Projected Opening: Spring 2019

Location: South End, Atherton Mill

Concept: Indigo Road, the restaurant group behind O-Ku Charlotte and Oak Steakhouse, will launch this Italian restaurant. The Italian restaurant will be named Indaco Charlotte. It’ll be Indaco’s second location; the original is in Charleston. Indaco Charleston is a hit.

Agenda Preview Story: Most popular dishes at Indaco, a highly rated Charleston-based Italian restaurant coming to South End