Review Nc Red - Charlotte

Sat at the bar on a Friday night. Sabrina took great care of us: the seasonal winter cocktails were very well made. While there is a larger wine selection than you probably expect here and great draft beer choices, I'd suggest starting with the cocktail menu and working your way back. When it comes to food, you really cannot go wrong with the two centerpieces of the menu: the lobster roll and the chicken. Lobster rolls are one of those dishes that can be boring if not perfectly executed, but NC Red's nail it. Get it warm. The Nashville hot chicken is perfection, and you can "upgrade" the fried chicken sandwich to be Nashville hot style for an extra $1. I loved it, but be prepared for some heat - this is much closer to actual hot chicken you would find in Nashville. Other places I've had similar dishes in Charlotte are not this spicy, and I prefer NC Red's authenticity. The only side we tried was the broccoli and it doesn't disappoint: the flavor with the garlic sauce really adds to the dish. Finally, the Atlantic Beach Pie is a must eat dessert. No description of this really does it justice, but imagine something like a key lime pie but with a more custardy lemon filling and a looser crust made from saltine crackers.

This place was delicious!!... everything tasted great, fun clever food and fantastic drinks. Staff was helpful and pleasant... willing to offer suggestions and detours on menu. The menu was bit confusing... im a simple country boy🙂. We will absolutely be back... The linguine was amazing.... do not forget the deviled BACON eggs...

Don’t leave Charlotte without visiting this unique, local hot spot with super fresh seafood. My trout was smokey-grilled, tender and hot! In a word - “spectacular.” It comes with a head, so ask for a trim when ordering if that’s not your thing. Pictured are the trout and raison-pecan-cheddar brussel sprouts. The staff was top-notch. Go early if you want a parking spot, or order Uber and enjoy a draft brew. You’ll want to save room for dessert.

Formally the Penguin, NC Red brings an amazing assortment of Seafood and other unique entrees. We had the oysters for starters. I had the Chicken Sandwich and an Juicy Jay IPA. Heck I want it again, just thinking about it. Only complaint would be that our waiter really struggled to split the bill, which should be easy. Overall excited to go back.

The best friend calamari in town. Really nice place with good food, you either can have seafood or chicken.

Phenomenal service. Our server was a super funny guy who was extremely helpful in ordering and had wonderful customer service and conversation. Had a beard and worked the patio (wish I remembered his name I think it was KENT) Oysters were out of control delicious both my boyfriend and I agreed they were some of the best we've ever had. Had the chicken and cinnamon bun. Chicken was crispy outside and super succulent and moist inside. We also enjoyed the deviled eggs. He ordered a beer and I ordered a Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary was light and delicious- not over bearing. We almost returned the next day to dine again it was that good. We were very comfortable with the distancing and seating during covid as well. This is a must try if you haven't!

Recently discovered this place but unfortunately me be a little too late. Just read that they will be closing soon. Besides that, food was good and as a Rhode Island vacationer I will miss this place. Calamari was the best we've ever had and the fish and chips were pretty amazing as well. Lobster rolls were loaded with meat and delicious but the po-boy was lacking but still tasty - ended up being more coleslaw and bread than shrimp. Not a perfect restaurant but definitely worth multiple visits!

After a couple of times trying to visit NC Red, we didn't do our homework to check their hours before going, we were excited to finally get to try this place out. For those of you that don't know, NC Red resides in the historic Charlotte landmark formerly known as the Penguin. A bitter sweet story that really has nothing to do with this review or how much we loved NC Red...I'm just building some QC Street cred.... Since my family and I are still very cautious of who we are around and where we eat in the age of -Rona we were very happy to see plenty of outdoor seating available. Immediately seated we were offered drinks and menus. We ordered a couple of drinks, a red wine and glass of bourbon but nothing to really speak of, and an appetizer of raw oysters. They were $1.50 per oyster which is a home run with my family! Enough of the warm and fuzzies though, off to the main attraction - Nashville hot chicken. This is where it's at, y'all. When I heard the story of the Rhode Island chef bringing a fusion southern flare meets New England I was thinking this was a train wreck I had to witness. WOW - what a great job they did. I have had Nashville hot chicken in many places (yes, Nashville is one of the many) and this is possibly the best I've had. The chicken was perfectly fried and I loved the hot sauce they used. Full of flavor and enough heat to legitimize use of the work "hot" in the name. Our server was really over the top too. He was entertaining and engaging and I never felt rushed even though he had a ton of tables. A great meal, great experience and glad that the history of the location can live on through another chapter.

NC Red is a must-try! We ordered a variety of dishes and shared family style. I love spicy food and the Nashville Hot fried chicken was spot on with heat and sweet. I would go back just for that. The clam chowder was delicious and loaded with clams. I hope you are lucky enough to come on a night when the crab cake appetizers are served. I only got one bite because those were gone in a split second! Excellent! The mussels, 👌. I will return here when I'm next in Charlotte. Highly recommend!

I was hesitant to visit after reading all the varied reviews. They don't take reservations and are not available via no wait, but it wasn't long at all. We checked in with the hostess, had a couple of beers at Legion for 30-40 min, while we waited for our text. I've never had true Nashville hot chicken but I thought NC Red's version was crispy, juicy, and well-seasoned. We added the biscuits and sides, plus a few oysters and it was more than enough for 3 people. Will definitely be back!

Pros: Food is very tasty! I personally ordered the grilled red snapper with veggies, delicious! My table also got the traditional fried chicken, good flavor but a little dry and the lobster roll. Drinks were also delicious: “Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls” and “Plaza Pack Mule.” Staff was friendly and able to answer any questions. The Mac n Cheese and Collards were awesome! Cons: Very tight quarters, waited about an hour to be seated, which wasn’t a surprise. I felt some items were overpriced. For example the lobster is rather small and comes with plain home cut chips for $22. I also ordered the New England Clam Chowder as a starter, but I never received it. I found a few scales and 3-5 bones in my snapper, but that wasn’t surprising given that is a whole fish. Overall experience was positive and we would go back!

Overall, our experience at N.C. Red was outstanding. From the hostess to the servers, everyone was extremely personable and wanted to ensure we had a great experience. Even though it was a crowded Saturday night, table turnover was handled well and everyone was very attentive, even the manager stopped by a couple times to chat and check on us. We started out with the calamari and, wow was it good! It was tender, and flavorful, the sauce was light and added a nice touch. For our main course we split a whole chicken, regular fried style, with biscuits, mac n cheese, collard greens, and horseradish potato salad. My boyfriend and I both had vivid dreams about the crispy, flavorful chicken skin that night... it was absolutely to die for. The collard greens were cooked perfectly, just like grandma makes. The Mac n cheese was very creamy with a crispy breadcrumb topping and had great flavor. The potato salad was also a wonderful addition to balance out the meal. We will definitely be back for date night or a night out with friends in the future, highly recommend this spot!

This place was great. Love New England type food and southern food and this place gives you both. We got the mussels as an app (SO GOOD - the sauce was amazing) and split the Nashville hot chicken with Mac and cheese and whatever the Asian-type rice side is. Literally loved everything we ate. Even the pickles were above average. We will definitely be returning customers.

Very loud, tight seating, friendly service, but slow. The food is good, rather pricey for fried chicken. Sides are very tasty. Love the greens best! We got our order to go and had a couple of meals with the leftovers. We had the hot chicken and it is really spicy- in a good way.

Oysters were phenomenal. The Rhode Island chowder was chock full of clams. However, the serving size was small for the price you pay. I’ll be back to try the Nashville chicken, but I had really high expectations (thanks to Good Food on Montford) and unfortunately they weren’t met this go around. Also, get on Yelp!

My husband and I loved this place! We went a little early in the evening and we weren’t sure if we liked the atmosphere. However, within 15 minutes of sitting down the lights dimmed and the music changed and it was good. We started off with a butternut soup with candied pecans and a little feta that was scrumptious and it look like a piece of art. My husband got the short rib with collards and a risotto cake that was spot on! The tastes were perfect! I had the seafood linguini and it was yummy as well! We can’t wait to come back. The service was excellent!