Have you ever been at a nice restaurant with friends or family and after happily placing your order with the waiter you hear, “Dude, you have a 401k, let’s order something a little more grown up than chicken tenders”? If that resonates with you, or you are any other adult looking to be transformed back to the simple pleasures of childhood, I have a place for you. A beautiful, higher end restaurant that serves up basically a kids’ menu on steroids.

The Ambiance

The Tonidandel-Brown group does a fantastic job of letting their restaurant’s history come to life. Not only through the food, but through the building itself. Haberdish’s name represents the mill-town neighborhood it calls home, NoDa. True to the name, the bones of the restaurant feel like a building you would have been forced to visit during a 4th grade field trip during the industrial revolution portion of your history class. A younger Zanzibar would have fallen asleep within these walls as a man doing 19th century cosplay tries to make textiles interesting to group of 10 year olds. An older, not much more sophisticated, Zanzibar falls asleep within these walls after his belly is filled with the best fried chicken, mac n’ cheese, and whiskey this side of the Mississippi.

Jokes aside, it is a beautiful building that stays true to the eclectic neighborhood it is a part of. It is authentic, unique, and the perfect spot to bring guests visiting Charlotte. It not only perfectly encapsulates the neighborhood, but the local food that North Carolina has to offer as well.

What to Order

The best way to experience Haberdish is by doing it family style. Think, Thanksgiving dinner, but without the dry turkey or strange mustard covered green beans your aunt tries to force onto your plate year after year. The menu is designed to share, which is ideal because there are so many items you’ll want to get a bite of.

If you haven’t picked up on it already, this restaurant is known for its fried chicken. Only like dark meat? No problem, you can order just the leg and thigh. More of a white meat kind of person? That’s okay too, you can have the breast and wing. Larger party or want to mix up your cuts of meat? Go nuts and order a half or whole chicken. The point I am trying to make here is that this place has options. And don’t worry these options extend way past just bone in fried chicken.

I personally don’t like doing any work for my food or getting my hands dirty, so I opt for their colossal chicken tenders and I recommend you do too. These things are dense and delicious. Unlike most chicken tenders you’ve probably had in your life, you can tell these things are made with the highest quality chicken. Plus the breading to meat ratio is perfection. The other reason I recommend the tendies, they give the best chance to get lost in the sauce. Get a flight of sauces like you’re at a brewery and try out their Alabama White, homemade ranch, honey mustard, and bbq. Trust me.

If you don’t eat meat, or don’t like fried chicken, and are thinking “I can’t believe how inconsiderate my friends are to my dietary restrictions”, don’t sweat it. Haberdish has you covered. My personal favorite alternatives are the local NC Trout or the cauliflower steak (shoutout vegetarians). But even if you don’t want one of the entrees mentioned, the sides alone make this place worth the trip.

You have to get the mac n cheese, it’s non-negotiable. Bypassing the mac here would be like going to McDonalds and getting a salad or listening to an audible version of the show Planet Earth. Sure, you may still enjoy it, but you are missing out on the main point.

Vegetables can be a polarizing topic. To some, they are the meal (shoutout vegetarians again) and to others, they are a necessary evil akin to paying your taxes. If you fall into the latter bucket, head to Haberdish and you’ll see the light. Those leafy greens and dreaded roots can actually be delicious when prepared correctly. Regardless of your feelings on vegetables, you have to order a few here. Do your organs and tastebuds a favor. My personal favorite are the brussels sprouts. They are glazed to perfection, delivering that authentic southern taste of sorghum and monk mustard. But, as my mom said growing up, you want as colorful plate as possible. Round this fantastic meal off with their sweet potato dumplings. Disclaimer, they are not like asian dumplings and they are not sweet like yams. They are more like gnocchi; little savory pillows of deliciousness.

At this point you will be about 1,500 calories in. It’ll be like when you are halfway through a run and your brain is telling you to stop because your body is starting to get tired. And like the great runners, you need to ignore that part of your brain. You aren’t done yet, you need to push through to the promised land. The promised land in question – banana pudding. You can’t end a meal at a traditional southern restaurant without blessing yourself with banana pudding. In fact, Haberdish’s banana pudding is so good, that Jerry and I will go here solely for old fashions and jars of banana pudding. Even if you don’t have room in your belly for it, order it, future you will thank you.

Wrap Up

Haberdish is a NoDa, and Charlotte, institution for good reason. It is the perfect place to indulge in the best local food this region has to offer. I’ve already spent so many words on their food, I didn’t even have time to get to their drink menu. The cocktails here are world class. You’ll have to find out on your own when you visit. (I recommend the Vieux Carre).

-Zanzibar