Optimist Hall

Kathleen Nolan

4 months ago

5.0

Such a cool place to visit! Incredible use of the former industrial space. Well laid out and spacious even with weekend crowds. The selection of food options is surprisingly diverse and all of it is delicious. Plenty of seating, including an outdoor courtyard with cornhole boards and lawn furniture. Family friendly or the perfect casual date night venue.

Aleta Russell

4 weeks ago

1.0

I had a God awful experience with his restaurant. I placed an order on doordash and picked it up myself. When I went to go pick up the empanadas I asked for some sauce and I believe the gentleman said it was like 75 cents or a dollar for each something like that.... I said okay that's weird and walked away. went to a table and opened the box to taste the empanada, picked it up and it crumbled in my hand... So I went back to the restaurant and said I don't want these they're extremely dry.... The gentleman behind the counter said so you returning them because we won't give you free sauce 👀👀 I said that is a factor of why I'm returning them but I'm returning them because they're really dry... It's like a setup you have to buy the sauce to enjoy the meal cuz if not you're going to choke on the dryness... So I asked for a refund, he said he had to call the owner to get a refund. I said okay I'll wait. I'm waiting and I spoke to one of the owners.. I believe his name is Ivan. He started to explain how different Hispanic cultures have different empanadas... I said well sir I am Hispanic myself and these empanadas are extremely dry, they're not something that I would like to eat! I understand different cultural backgrounds. I asked if he could give me a refund again he said he was going. Ivan took my number down. I texted him, he never answered me back and never gave me my refund. Idk why you would have to call somebody to get a refund it's a button on a computer you can press... Seems a little scammy to me.. so you don't give refunds in the store without a owner approving them but you can't get the owner on the phone. Still waiting for my refund. I actually gave away the meat pies to people that were in line to the customers walked away... I ordered a six pack for 20 something dollars got a discount and it came to like 20 bucks.. never again!

Greg Christian

5 months ago

5.0

My wife and I visited Charlotte yesterday for the Eric Church concert. We stopped in here for lunch and to kill some time before we met our friends before the concert. We got some delicious empanadas from Felix. The bacon date and goat cheese was by far the best but the jamacian beef was also great. The spanakopita one wasn't great. I ALWAYS have to get some sort of asian food when we visit a food hall so I had to hit up the dumpling lady for some sweet pork belly dumplings and a scallion pancakes. The spicy chili sauce helps but there is a lack of flavor with the dumpling itself. The scallion pancakes needs a soy sauce to pair with it like we have at Asia Pacific here in GVL. Then the wife ordered a carne asada crisper and esquite from Comal. The way the menu looks at the store front and the menu online is different which can be confusing. Both of those were absolutely delicious. We couldn't finish the crisper but I know next time to get something from comal again. I wanted to try some bad buns and try Ethiopian food for the first time but when we're in Charlotte again, we will definitely be back. Great bar service and beverages and plenty of room to stand and eat OR grab a seat somewhere outside in the patio area. There is something here for everyone!

Gladis Navarrete

4 months ago

5.0

This was a must-stop for my first time in Charlotte. I had multiple people recommend this place to me, and it definitely did not disappoint. There was such a great variety of food options like Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican, Asian, etc. which made it perfect for groups wanting different kinds of food. Overall, the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun, and I would highly recommend!

Natalie Roberts

4 months ago

5.0

Optimist Hall offers a large variety of food options. I would describe it as an elevated food court. If you like burgers they have them. Dumplings, Ethiopian food, Indian food, a Jewish deli, from scratch noodles ? This place checks all of those boxes and more. Good food in an old mill with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. This is a great place to go when you don't really know what you want to eat, because chances are you'll be able to figure it out here with all of the available choices. Fonta Flora is located on the ground level and hosts a free improv show on Monday nights.