The Best Places to Drink and Stay in Charlotte

Forty-seven rooms occupy what was once a department store in Uptown Charlotte, and the bones of that building give this boutique hotel a grandeur that newer construction can't fake. French ironwork, chandeliers, and a secret library lean into the Paris-meets-Charlotte-society vibe without tipping into theme park. A Forbes Four Star and a Michelin Key. Church and Union steakhouse anchors the ground floor, and the rest of Uptown is a short walk.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
2. Michelin Guide 1 Key

Beehives on the roof and a bike valet at the door, which tells you everything about where this Uptown Charlotte luxury hotel has placed its bets. The Ritz-Carlton holds a Forbes Four Star and keeps a lively house: The Punch Room for cocktails, BLT Steak for a serious cut, Bar Cocoa for chocolate afternoon tea, and a wine boutique where you blend your own. The lobby fills before Hornets games, and the weekday power-lunch crowd arrives with an appetite for Scotch.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
2. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended

1. Esquire The Best Bars in America

A championship golf course rolling out behind the lobby sets the tone at this resort hotel tucked into the leafy, upscale south side of Charlotte. Rooms run in chic gray and white, the two-story lobby pulls in natural light through a back wall of windows, and the terrace is where you want to be with a glass of Scotch watching the greens. Tennis, indoor and outdoor pools, and a spa round out the offering for guests who can't quite stop doing things.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended

1. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

The smoke hits you before the door does, which is about right for a Southern steakhouse built inside a former church in Plaza Midwood. The wood-fired range dominates the room, and prime meats and fish come off the embers in cuts meant for the table to share. The sides hold their own alongside anything off the fire. A Michelin Selected pick, it also draws a cocktail following serious enough to earn an Esquire nod.

1. Esquire #15 · The Best New Restaurants in America
2. Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
3. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
2. Charlotte Magazine The 50 Best Restaurants in Charlotte
3. Charlotte Magazine BOBlight · BOB Awards