Hallelujah! Leluia Hall is finally opening next week
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The name comes from hallelujah/alleluia, a nod to the building, but without religious meaning, according to the restaurant owners. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios
Leluia Hall, a new surf-and-turf restaurant by local restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown, opens next week in Dilworth.
Why it matters: First announced in 2022, the arrival of this restaurant has been a long time coming and is one of the most anticipated for the city. We got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the whirlwind final few weeks of menu tastings, staff trainings and finishing touches ahead of its opening.
Driving the news: Leluia Hall opens the week of May 6 at 1829 Cleveland Ave.
- Hours of operation are Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 4-11pm, Sundays 4-10pm.
- Of note: The restaurant will be closed on Tuesday, May 13, for a private event.
Catch up quick: Brown and Tonidandel, who also own Haberdish, Growler's Pourhouse and Ever Andalo, purchased the 1915 building from the owner of the longtime favorite Bonterra in 2021.
- Several factors delayed the restaurant's opening, including unforeseen setbacks and challenges associated with preserving the historic church. The couple also purchased another historic structure — the 120-year-old Leeper-Wyatt building, which they moved from South End to Dilworth, next to Leluia Hall.
Go deeper: Charlotte history lives on at Leluia Hall
The vibe: Coastal elegance meets Art-Deco meets Americana. Brown and Tonidandel had a hand in designing every detail inside and outside the building — from its custom Moroccan tiles to its tabletops, even the large palm trees that frame the entrance.
- The 6,000 square foot space comprises a main dining room, private dining room and wine cellar, a mezzanine dining area with its own bar, and a raw bar where seafood is served fresh.
Dig in: Expect family-style, shareable dishes, a raw bar program and prime and wagyu cuts of steak. Executive chef Chris Rogienski and chef de cuisine Cristian Medrano designed the menu in collaboration with the team.
- "What makes our steak special is we do a salt and sugar cure on all of our steaks — three parts salt, one part sugar," Rogienski said. "Your steak isn't going to taste sweet, but it'll taste beefier."
- Another menu highlight is the Picanha steak, also known as the rump cap, a popular choice in Brazilian steakhouses worldwide. "I have not heard of a steak house in Charlotte serving Picanha," Rogienski said.
- Its raw bar will offer a variety of seafood dishes like ceviche, oysters, crudo, tiny tuna tacos and an indulgent seafood tower. "I can see someone [sitting here] having a ceviche with plantains, and then an oyster shooter and then a steak," Tonidandel said of the raw bar.
- There are plenty of allergy-friendly and specialty diet options, like vegetarian stuffed roasted onions, and gluten-free fried mushrooms and fried coconut shrimp.
- "We have a dedicated gluten-free fryer, so that allows some of our corn/rice-based fried items (like the tortilla chips, plantain chips and taco shells) to be cooked separately from gluten-containing items," a statement from the owners reads.
Between the lines: In a successful kitchen, everything is timed to the second so they can replicate a dish a hundred times over an evening. Even the ceviche, which is made with pineapple juice at Leluia Hall, must have the perfect PH levels and sugar content to stay consistent.
Sip on this: 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist and beverage director Colleen Hughes designed the cocktail program, which fuses tropical flavors, house infusions and culinary techniques.
- Its wine list will have more than 200 variations curated by wine director Michael Klinger.
After opening a series of successful restaurants (some of Charlotte's best), Brown and Tonidandel have mastered the art of restaurateurship.
The husband-and-wife duo don't just hire a team and hope for the best; they greenlight every detail, from the cut of the shrimp to the thickness of a plantain chip, to the color of the pottery, because everything matters.
- They do this all while life is happening around them, and this time, documenting it along the way.
Zoom in: "Fork and Hammer," produced by Charlotte-based Susie Films, is a television series still in production that follows Brown and Tonidandel's journey to open Leluia Hall.
- The series follows the couple as they run their five businesses, manage more than 230 employees, open Leluia Hall, and save the Leeper-Wyatt building.
Their next venture has already begun.
When asked if they had a plan yet for the Leeper-Wyatt building, Brown said, "We do and we don't."
- Situated next to Leluia Hall, the buildings share the property, the trash, and you can't ignore one while working on the other. "You have to deal with permits, pipes, etc.," Brown explains.
- Brown did share that the 1903 building, which has four floors, will have a solarium on the top floor.