In a lot of ways, Charlotte is still a teenager trying to figure out who it’s going to be. Sure, this town has technically existed since 1768, but we weren’t invited to sit at the Big City table until the early 2000s. That might explain why Charlotte doesn’t really have that one tangible dish. What’s our version of the juicy lucy in Minneapolis, the half-smoke in DC, or hot chicken in Nashville? We still haven’t found the answer.

Even so, Charlotte has a great food scene filled with places that wouldn’t have existed in the city even a handful of years ago: all-vegan menus, cevicherias, fresh mozzarella bars, Southern-influenced sushi rolls, and themed fine-dining meals set to accompanying playlists.

The next time you’re brewery-hopping in South End, shopping for art in NoDa, taking a walking tour of the historic homes in Dilworth, or hitting the museums in Uptown, use this guide to find all the best places to eat in Charlotte.

Customshop has been serving farm-to-table dinners since 2007, which is around the same time that people across the country realized their food comes from farms. We’re only sort of joking, but this is one of those restaurants that celebrates North Carolina’s extremely good and varied produce. Come for dinner and definitely get a vegetable-focused small plate or two before moving to a seafood or pasta main. If the menu has a pasta dish with seafood, and it usually does, you legally have to order it (or we’ll appear out of nowhere and attempt to make a citizen’s arrest). The restaurant really stays true to the organic theme, as they always have fresh flowers on the wood tables, stoneware dishes, and a general, upscale granola energy.

See the list via Infatuation here.