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Start a Top 5 for PatiosEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Charlotte Magazine, Axios Charlotte, and Unpretentious Palate. Updated August 2026.
The Penguin Drive-In · Dilworth
A Charlotte name since 1954, dark for eight years and reopened at 1531 East Boulevard in Dilworth, next to Freedom Park. The retro drive-in menu came back with it, chili dogs and burgers and a patio, and the original Commonwealth Avenue building is gone for good, so this is the one that counts.
Hattie's Tap & Tavern · The Plaza
A neighborhood bar at 2918 The Plaza with retro consoles, pool, darts and a back patio big enough to lose an afternoon on. A food truck parks most nights, dogs are welcome inside, and it has been the low-key default for the surrounding blocks since it opened in 2014.
KID CASHEW · Dilworth
A wood fire grill at 1608 East Blvd. sending out skewers, charred vegetables, and kale and quinoa bowls, with a patio that fills as soon as the weather turns. It is the reliable Dilworth answer when the table cannot agree on anything else. Charlotte Magazine includes it in its guide to vegetarian and vegan options.