Charlotte Restaurant Review: Supperland

Widely regarded as one of the hottest spots in town, it’s hard to believe that Supperland has only been open for about a year.

Supperland is not the kind of place you go for a recurring weekly dinner (at least, that’s not the case for most people in our socioeconomic bracket) – it’s the place you go for celebration dinners or when you have out-of-town guests.

And so, we had the perfect excuse to make a reservation for Valentine’s Day. I’m actually not sure how Michael managed to snag a reservation so close to the big day (is he magic? Maybe), but he did. And so, on one of the biggest days for dining out, we visited this church-turned-restaurant in Plaza Midwood.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and we paid for our meal

Charlotte is known for being a tear-down city, and it’s so refreshing to see developers work with a space rather than against it. The bones of this mid-century church are still present in the refinished floors and open rafters. Although not original to this building, many of the seats are actual church pews.

At first, the “church potluck” theme feels like it completely contradicts the concept (and price point) of a Southern steakhouse. But a closer inspection of the menu reveals many items spotted at church gatherings growing up in the South: Sausage gravy. Pot roast. Cornbread. Collard greens. Mac and cheese. Ambrosia. Pecan pie. Divinity.

These all appear on the menu – perhaps under different names or in different forms, but kin to those dishes spotted on folding tables topped with plastic tablecloths in fellowship halls across the South.

They’ve just all been given a makeover and a price to match.

(and some booze to sip on the side).

Two images: Alyssa holding a negroni, and a shot of the Karma cocktail — Left: The 4G Negroni | Right: Karma Cocktail

One of Supperland's plates (available for sale) — Plates available from a London artist (though I wish they would have chosen someone local – we have a great arts community in Charlotte that deserves our support!).

Supperland is known for its cocktail program (which is probably a good thing, because they also have a bar and a speakeasy), and I had a difficult time deciding where to start. Ultimately I settled on the Karma cocktail (Rittenhouse rye, Disaronno amaretto, black cardamom syrup, lemon, and a vegan egg white – it’s not clear how much, but a portion of the profits are donated to the US Bartenders’ Guild Foundation), and later the 4G Negroni (four gins with Campari, sweet vermouth, and sherry in an olive oil-washed glass).

Though drastically different, both were equally delicious. The restaurant also boasts a significant wine menu and a short list of local beers, should you prefer either instead.

Bearing the “potluck” theme in mind, we approached the menu with a sharing mentality. Grilled local oysters are always a welcome sight on a menu when in season, and Supperland’s were served on a bed of rock salt with an accompanying smoking ember butter (little did we know this starter would set the tone for the rest of the meal).

The next course arrived at a relaxed pace – my preferred dining speed. We opted for one main course and two side dishes: the prime ribeye, miso mac & cheese, and bone marrow broccoli.

The prime ribeye is seasoned only with salt, pepper, and fire, and it is served sliced and ready for sharing at the temperature of your choice. The miso mac & cheese is composed of shell pasta with miso mornay, and it is topped with miso cream and microgreens and needs to be stirred before serving. The bone marrow broccoli is grilled with bone marrow butter and topped with toasted benne.

We served ourselves onto the artist-designed plates, and, figuring the food must already have been blessed given the setting, gave everything a try.

“Oh, that bite was salty,” I said after a few shells, reaching for my water. “And I think they forgot the cheese?”

I stirred the mac and cheese again and moved on to a piece of steak, which was cooked perfectly medium-rare.

Also salty. And not just because of the final sprinkle of flaky salt on top (which I ultimately abandoned).

While the broccoli didn’t turn out to be quite as much of a salt lick, the bone marrow butter rendered it very rich.

I asked Michael if everything seemed too salty for him knowing he has a higher salt tolerance than I, and he reluctantly agreed.

Every time I looked up, our water glasses were being refilled by attentive staff without request. We chatted about past travels, future goals, and our sweet little kitty (who manages to work her way into everything, even when she’s not there). I nibbled on the items on my plate, sipped my cocktail some more, and ultimately requested a box.*

Despite it being a holiday, the staff seemed more or less at ease. Holiday dinners can be a stressful affair for restaurant staff, and the team at Supperland kept their cool (or at least appeared to, from our side of things).

A dessert menu arrived, and greedily I ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae (one of my favorite combinations ever). It consists of peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter caramel, pretzel brittle, cocoa nibs, mascarpone cream, and toasted marshmallow – and when delivered to the table the server pours hot fudge over the entire thing. Although there was plenty of salt in the dessert, it had just enough to strike a beautiful balance to the sweetness. I’m glad we ordered dessert, as it ended the evening on a sweet note.

—

Shall we talk about the price?

Excluding tax + tip, here is the price breakdown of our meal (at the time of our visit):

Drinks – $43
Appetizer – $18
Entree – $68
Sides – $31
Dessert – $18
————
Total – $178

While I think we ordered the right amount of food for two people to share at a celebration dinner, I would definitely switch things up if we were to return. And if you’re considering a visit to Supperland but are on a tight budget, there are a few things you could do to save. You could skip drinks entirely of course, but that would mean you’d miss out on one of the best parts of this meal. I think I would prefer to skip the appetizer instead of missing out on a cocktail. Swapping out the steak entree for a whole roast chicken would net a $30 savings, and you could also save a few bucks by ordering a different dessert. But what would likely net the best value, and what we’ll probably consider doing if we return, is just visiting The Bar at Supperland for a drink and an appetizer to share.

*yes, I could have alerted the staff and requested replacement dishes, but I really can't stomach the thought of food going to waste. Thankfully we were able to find creative ways to use the leftovers. Without a return visit, I can't say whether or not my experience was unusual or the norm for Supperland, but I hope it was the former as it's an issue I don't frequently encounter when dining at this price point.

Exterior of Supperland after dark — service has concluded

Planning a trip to the Queen City? You may also enjoy these other Charlotte posts:

If you’re local (or if you’ve recently visited Charlotte), have you dined at Supperland?

And if you’re not local, what do you normally do on Valentine’s Day?

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Charlotte Restaurant Review: Supperland

Planning a trip to the Queen City? You may also enjoy these other Charlotte posts:

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