Nicole Duncan

Chapel Hill, Durham, North Carolina

Digital Managing Editor at Flavor & The Menu

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Articles

Stops 5 and 6: Tacos 4 Life and Matcha Café Maiko

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

Although this trip to Charlotte focused on locally owned and grown restaurants, Tacos 4 Life and Matcha Café Maiko did warrant a quick visit. Founded in Arkansas a decade ago, the former distinguishes itself in the sea of taco restaurants through its mission (a portion of proceeds are used to combat childhood hunger) and unconventional builds like the Crab Cake Taco, Chicken Bacon Ranch Taco and limited-time Nashville Hot Taco.
Flavor & The Menu

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

Unsurprisingly, this roundup of restaurants only scratches the surface of the Charlotte dining scene, leaving many concepts still unexplored. The following restaurants are at the top of the to-try list the next time the Flavor & The Menu team finds itself back in Queen City.
Flavor & The Menu

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

Charlotte, N.C., might be best known for NASCAR and banking—and possibly barbecue, too. And while there’s no denying the city’s love for fast cars and finance, Charlotte also has an appetite for new restaurants, global cuisines and modern dining experiences. This can be credited to broader consumer shifts, as well as influx of new residents. Smaller, independent concepts are also finding their footing in the Queen City, with menus that reflect its increasingly diverse communities.
Stop 2: Mano Bella

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

In a Cinderella scenario that so many bootstrap concepts dream of, Mano Bella’s story began with a commissary kitchen and a spot at the local farmers market. Specializing in authentic, handmade pastas (co-owner Raffaele Patrizi hails from Rome), the operation now sell its artisan pastas, meats and more to restaurants and retailers across the Southeast. Mano Bella has also become a formidable restaurant player, with two brick-and-mortar spots in Charlotte.
Stop 4: Sun’s Kitchen

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

Like Mano Bella, Sun’s Kitchen established a reputation for its doughy goodness long before it opened a brick-and-mortar location. For years, owner Brian Sun worked in a ghost kitchen, creating the multi-hued dumplings that became his calling card. As a result, the fledgling restaurant already had a fervent following when it debuted last year in Charlotte’s Lower South End—a mixed-use neighborhood that’s become a hot spot for new restaurants.
Stop 1: Sumaq Coffee

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

Like many markets, Charlotte has begun embracing the next wave of coffee, which heightens the category’s third-place status through global flavors and an experience-driven atmosphere. Last year, the city welcomed Qahwah House and Haraz Coffee House—both based in Michigan and both specializing in Yemeni coffee and coffee culture.
Stop 3: A Cause for Tea

Feb 10, 2025 | getflavor.com | Nicole Duncan

With a rainbow of colors, flavors and textures, boba, matcha, milk tea and other riffs on Asian beverages have dominated the tea category for about a decade. Although their popularity shows no sign of waning, concepts like A Cause for Tea provide a refreshing counterpoint to the hyper-trendy tea beverages.
Flavor & The Menu

Dec 4, 2024 | getflavor.com | Katie Ayoub |Patricia Fitzgerald |Mike Kostyo |Nicole Duncan

In the U.S., fried chicken might call to mind a plate of breaded drumsticks and wings with generous helpings of mashed potatoes and green beans. But as Ben Murray, culinary director and executive chef of Immigrant Food, points out, “nearly every country has its own version of fried chicken.” The three-unit “gastroadvocacy” restaurant group in Washington, D.C., spotlights an array of global dishes and food culture.
Flavor & The Menu

Dec 4, 2024 | getflavor.com | Katie Ayoub |Patricia Fitzgerald |Mike Kostyo |Nicole Duncan

Sometimes dishes that are portioned for sharing leave little wiggle room for customization. That’s far from the case at Goodnight’s in Healdsburg, Calif. The steakhouse’s signature dish is a 42-oz. Tomahawk that’s dry-aged for 28 days and served with a French-trimmed 5-in. rib bone for dramatic effect. “It never fails to wow the guests,” says David Lawrence, executive chef.
A Sense of Place

Dec 4, 2024 | getflavor.com | Katie Ayoub |Patricia Fitzgerald |Mike Kostyo |Nicole Duncan

Like fried chicken, surf-and-turf dishes pop up in cultures the world over though the particular proteins vary based on local availability and culinary tradition. At Hummus Mediterranean Restaurant in San Mateo, Calif., Turkish-Mediterranean flavors reign supreme, especially in the Beef Soujouk and Prawn Skewer appetizer. “It’s not a dish that can be commonly found at other Mediterranean restaurants, so that makes it special,” says Amir Hosseini, partner of the fine-casual restaurant.