The World Famous Open Kitchen

Some of these nasty reviews on here are unbelievable. Don’t let them fool you if you’ve never been. The open kitchen is amazing. The service is excellent and they frequently have groupon offers. The food is delicious. I have tried various things off the menu and have never eaten a bad meal there. The garlic cheese bread is great to have before the meal. I love their lasagna and chicken Parmesan. I can assure you all the food is homemade. If you’re into disgusting, cheap quality Italian food like Olive Garden or Carrabbas, then this isn’t the place for you! 5 STARS!

It was a very nice place. I was waiting for a mobster to walk in with his wise guys while me and my boyfriend were eating. We went for my birth day yesterday and the service was super fast and friendly. The salads and sweet tea are great. Sweet tea is a serious matter in my home… lol! Loved it! We will be back and try the pizza and beer next time! The table clothes are really neat and the rest of the décor keeps ya looking for the next surprise!

Me and my wife went here for dinner tonight and the food was HORRIBLE! I ordered the chicken scallopine and my wife ordered spaghetti with meat sauce.
1) the pasta was disgusting. It was overcooked pasta with the texture of spaghettios, and the meat sauce was from a can with what tasted like worse than elementary school mystery meat speghetti.
2) the scallopine was $ 15.75 for horrible food and small portion. Everything was from a can.
Overall DO NOT go here. It is overpriced and not worth it. I wouldn’t even feed this food to my dog.

Quick recap: if you like Italian, this is your spot. A little spot in Charlotte that is family run. Nothing here disappointed and the service was amazing.
Ordered pizza and baked ziti and both were on point. Friends got lasagna and chicken parm and no one left a crumb on their plates.
The layout is a little dark but it makes it feel cozy and very local. Not a chain by any stretch of the imagination.
Service was on point and not a single complaint here.

This place is a little treasure. The atmosphere of The Open Kitchen is wonderful. They’re pizzas are wonderful. Occasionally have a slightly mysterious little spicy kick to them.

Bleh never again!.. Except to pick up tiramisu!
We came here last night, despite the mixed reviews, with a groupon for dinner. There were about 4 or 5 other parties in the entire place and the lighting was very dark. We were quickly seated at a small table in the corner. The server was nice and attentive. What really sent this place off to a bad start was the condition of the silverware, eww! There was dried, old marinara sauce covering most of the prongs of my fork. I have never seen a fork so disgusting in an eatery in my entire life! Sent it back right away for another set which also had a less amount of dried, old marinara. I had to switch out my silverware twice, that is really terrible and made me question the hygiene practices of Open Kitchen. I was afraid to think of what they do to the food in the back.
Despite this, we stayed. I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo and the bf had the lasagna parmigiana as well as an order of cheesy garlic bread and some marinara. The food, nothing special here. Our very flavorless, tomatoey marinara was $ 3.25. Not worth it at all. I had to add a ton of salt, pepper, and chili to make the fettuccine edible. The lasagna parmigiana was unfortunately not edible, extremely mushy! I couldn’t get past it. What a bust, nothing tastes fresh! Dessert on the other hand was delish and my favorite part of the meal. The tiramisu was amazing!
After the groupon, I ended up paying $ 20 with tax and tip. Not worth it! We definitely won’t be coming back. But, I will be taking tiramisu to go!

The Open Kitchen has been my favorite place since I was a kid but unfortunately it was a total disappointment Saturday. I ordered «the steak» dinner. It looked great but was all fat. I kindly sent it back. I then ordered the Chicken Parmigiana. It was dry but edible. We had a kids meal, Manicotti and two Chicken Parmigiana and the bill was $ 75 and some change. I was overcharged by about $ 10 but I didn’t catch it. So with tip a very disappointing mean cost me $ 90. Should have gone to a franchise.

So I cannot even give this place a star, I only gave it 1 star because you have to in order to write a review. I love Italian food, but there is nothing to love or even like about this place. I order an ice tea, it was horrible! You can’t mess up Iced Tea. The bread was store brought Italian bread from the grocery store. The salad is bag salad from a grocery store with dressing on it. And I ordered the lasagna… the frozen one from Stueffers is better. A true waste of money. Nothing taste authentic at all. I would have been better off at a chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Chef Boyardee

The first time I visited here was horrible. The eggplant parm is absolutely disgusting. Cinnamon flavor and just gross!!! That was several years ago, so I decided to try again today. The sanitation rating scared me at 92… ehhhh should be a lot better. It was very busy for a Wednesday. The waitress was helpful and friendly. I got the spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were very good, I was impressed. I would go back and get this again… I hope the sanitation rating gets better! Quick service. Good tiramisu also.

Wife and I celebrated our 18^th wedding anniversary with our children this evening at Open Kitchen. My buddy is from Charlotte and grew up down the road from Open Kitchen. He told me this would be a great place to celebrate. He was right. Food and service were both excellent!!!
Service– excellent
Bread– excellent
Anti-​pasta salad– excellent
Dinner– excellent excellent and excellent
1. Wife had the combo for one… huge portion… she didn’t even eat half. She loved all of it except for the chicken livers. First time she tried them… I tasted them and they were fine… just something we don’t eat.
2. Daughter had meatball sub and LOVED IT!!!
3. Son had grilled fingers and enjoyed them.
4. I had veal parmigiana… wow, wow, wow. DELICIOUS!!!
Dessert– excellent… waitress brought us a piece of tiramisu. Wow… excellent!!!
This was our first time and will definitely not be our last!!!

I live right next to this restaurant and was extremely excited when I found out I had an italian restaurant walking distance! Not only was I extremely disappointed by the food, but my friends were too; both times we went we came home with stomach aches. The experience was sub-​par and the décor seems dusty/​musty. We all tried different dishes and weren’t «wow”-ed by any of it.

The décor is tired and old but cozy. The waitress was sweet and attentive. That’s the good news. The food was horrible! The veal Barcelona was pre cooked roast beef, canned mushrooms and butter over overcooked mushy pasta. there was no lemon or anything fresh.
I told the server that the meat was dry, overcooked and old tasting. She assured me that it was cooked earlier today and reheated when ordered. I asked if there was anything cooked fresh to order. Her answer was no, everything is pre cooked and reheated when ordered All the chicken, veal, and meat is prepared earlier.
The red sauce is from a can (hunts) I think. The bread was cold and tasteless.
I will not be back. There are too many good restaurants around

I love authentic Italian food… This place did not disappoint. Open Kitchen has been around for 60 years and I now see why. My boyfriend and I went on a Thursday night. It wasn’t busy but it wasn’t dead. The restaurant is decorated with different giant figurines, old head shots of actors, a whole wall of college pennants. We were given a small table in the corner. Which was fine with us. Complementary French bread was brought right away… Yum. We started with an order of the calamari. The breading on the calamari was very flavorful. The marinara that accompanied the calamari was very simple. Nothing wrong with that. My boyfriend ordered the crab meat parm and I got the spaghetti with white clam sauce. I loved the clam sauce. The clams were tender and the sauce was perfect. Exactly what I wanted. My boyfriend enjoyed his dish but I feel like he liked mine better. No worries there cause my dish was family size portion. I had a glass of the Malbec to accompany my dinner. I firmly believe you don’t go to Italian restaurants without trying the dessert. We shared a tiramisu. It was light and dreamy. A perfect way to end the meal. Our server was a little overwhelmed tonight but who hadn’t been there. Good times all around!

I got the lasagna parmigiana and it was delicious. I couldn’t even finish half of it. Cheesy and meaty. We got a calamari appetizer and they were cook good. Thought it was strange they served it with cocktail sauce instead of marinara. Had to ask for marinara. Hubby got spaghetti and meat balls with mushrooms. He personally likes the marinara sauce better than the meat sauce. He didn’t like that they served canned mushrooms instead of fresh mushrooms. I personally like canned mushrooms. Bread is good. Both servers we had were super friendly and helpful.

First of all let me start off by saying «I love Italian food». So with that being said, I had the WORST experience at the «World Famous» Open Kitchen that I have ever had at any reputable establishment. I had previously been to this restaurant and did not really care for the food, but it was a very late dinner so I chalked it up to that. Present day and needless to say I find myself here again. But since I had purchased a Groupon, I thought all would not be lost because I would get a discount on my meal. I ordered the Fettuccine with Shrimp; let’s just say Lean Cuisine should tell them to stop using their recipe. Not authentic at all. Yuck! This is the «World Famous» Open Kitchen!
So now we receive our bills and because we are in a party larger than 6 per the menu, we automatically are going to be charged 15% for gratuity for our meals which is customary and we were good with, but we were not charged 15%, we were charged 20% and when we asked the Manager about it he had no real reason for charging us more. And I must also mention that he stated that since we were all at the same table (that they put together, mind you) only ONE person could use the Groupon, although the Groupon states one coupon per visit, per person, not per TABLE! And we had three different groups of people at the table with three different bills. After continuous protest He still would not let us use the other Groupon coupons, which was $ 17 off a $ 30 value and my bill was over $ 60!
So on top of the food and service being substandard we also were overcharged for gratuity and were not allowed to use the Groupons that we purchased online. So if you don’t mind Chef Boyardee cuisine in an old dark outdated restaurant where they can charge you however much they see fit, than this is the place for you! But don’t expect to see me there EVER!!!

This was one of the first places that I ever went to when I moved to Charlotte. And over the course of nine years, I ate lunch here entirely too much. Why? Well, I worked two blocks from this place.
It’s an old-​school Italian restaurant family owned and open since 1952. The walls are plastered with all kinds of nostalgia. One wall is covered in college flags. There is even a Nebraska one. Go Huskers!
The lunch specials are by far the best deal here. Basically, it’s a menu of things covered in cheese. They are good sized portions. The meal comes with your choice of a cup of Minestrone soup or a side salad (heads up: it’s just iceberg lettuce) and a drink (tea, water or coffee). Also, THEY HAVE THE GOOD ICE.
I really like the chicken barcelona. Yes, it does sound like it would be a little healthier than the others. However, it seems like it’s made with a lot of butter. This is one of those places where you just need to accept that you’re going to consume some calories, unless you go the salad route. Cheesy garlic bread is a must. Hey, if you’re gonna be bad, do it right.
The service can be slow at times, but everyone who works here is so ridiculously nice. Can’t decide what to order? Tell them what you’re debating. They can help you make the decision. We got here late on a Sunday evening because our friend’s flight was delayed. They were more than gracious to still welcome us in for dinner.

Been eating here for over 20 years. The parking lot tells the truth. It is almost always full. I had lunch here Wednesday April 1
2015. The place was full at 11:30, and stayed that way the whole time I was there.
My favorite lunch is a tossed salad, and meatball sub and fries. The simple tossed salad is great. Fresh crisp lettuce, tomatoes and dressing that tastes house made. A thing of beauty. The homemade meatballs on the sub roll are almost the size of baseballs, and loaded with flavor. Anointed with tomato sauce and oven baked. Perfect!
When the lot is full, including cop cars, that says a lot about what’s inside.

Play some Italian music for an even better vibe ;) great atmosphere and wonderful food! Will return and bring others!

Food is very hearty and you can tell it is indeed made from scratch. Interesting décor… Looks like an original Buca DiBeppo. A lot of regulars (age 60+) eat here.
I’ve read a lot of comments about the poor service. The waitstaff seems rushed and ‘appear’ too busy to be bothered with your questions about the menu but the food is good. They will easily make substitutions where possible w/​o ‘nickle and diming’ you. Only two seafood dishes. Lots of beef, veal and chicken.
If the aloof service bothers you then I’d suggest take-​out :)

I worked here for 3 years give or take so I can claim expert status on this review.
Sausage Crumbles and the Marinara on the lasagna are way better than the normal meat sauce.
The Meatballs are hit or miss depending on who makes them.
Eggplant Parm is insanely good and my all time favorite.
Sweet Tea is insanely sweet
Chicken Parm is great for low carb but not low fat.
The Barcelona is great! but you better like melted butter because there is a half a stick of butter on your plate. and no, it is not butter like substitute, it really is butter from an actual stick.
The Ranch, Blue Cheese, 1000, and French are all home made dressings as is the Mama Ks but your side salad is not going to be some dolled up salad so don’t expect it.
Both the marinara and the meat sauce are home made.
Yes the place is old and a bit dusty but if you can name one restaurant in charlotte that has been opened for 60 years consecutively that isn’t, I will eat my words. *no pun intended.
Thats my review folks!