This post was created in collaboration with Chase Freedom Unlimited. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’m back with another Date Night adventure and this time, we’re hitting one of our favorite Charlotte ‘hoods: South End. . But before we get started, I wanted to give y’all a little update on our goal setting adventure. Justin and I have really been changed for the better by prioritizing our time each month. We’ve planned and spent wisely, using our cash back credit card to ensure we’re earning as we adventure together. We recently sat down to discuss what we should do with our cash back and we decided that we’re applying it towards our next big adventure: a trip to Mexico over the New Year’s holiday! We couldn’t be more thrilled, as it has been nearly two years since we last went on a trip together without our babies. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on details but needless to say, we couldn’t be more excited!
And now back to our casual South End date night! When I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina over a decade ago, the South End neighborhood was historic, reasonably contained, and not so easily accessible. Now that the Light Rail runs through South End, the neighborhood has exploded with apartments, restaurants, amazing bars, and all of the “it” places in town. Because South End is now such a bustling neighborhood, Justin and I have two completely different Date Nights to share, one in the Gold District and one in the Atherton Mill area that I’ll be sharing next time.
Our line-up of stops in the Gold District is our ideal casual South End date night agenda.
If you follow our little line up, be sure to wear comfy clothes because we’re planning to eat a lot and walk a little!
We always use a car service to get to South End. Parking is not ideal, and we don’t want to waste precious babysitter time looking for a spot to park my giant mom-mobile. I have my Uber account attached to my Chase Freedom Unlimited cash back credit card so every ride we take scores us 1.5% cash back. No circling the block and cash back to spend on appetizers? Yes, please.
We start our Gold District adventure by ducking into Lets Meat BBQ on South Church Street. At dinner time and on the weekends, the wait to snag a cook top table at this traditional, loud, fun Korean BBQ restaurant can easily be two hours, so put your name on that list!
After you get your name on the Lets Meat BBQ list, head right next door to Seoul Food Meat Co. The sister restaurant to Lets Meat, the casual Korean restaurant calls itself a Southern BBQ restaurant with a Korean flair, so it makes perfect sense that our fave snack to order are the Sriracha Cracklin’s.
They aren’t pretty, but they sure are good! Nothing says “enjoy life” quite like a round of spicy pork rinds paired with a cocktail!
Seoul Food is always busy on the weekends with a ton of seating options – from outdoor picnic tables street side to private karaoke rooms and an outdoor bar space that has giant beach ball pool, there is something for everyone. And if you’re not a joiner, the is absolutely people watching for everyone! Justin and I love to snag a first come, first serve seat in the bar area for a snack and cocktail.
While we’re watching K Pop music videos and snacking on pork rinds, we keep an eye on our phone because once your table is ready at Lets Meat, we don’t want to miss it! Let’s Meat is a traditional, all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant where meats are cooked at the table top grill. My absolute favorite meal is beef bulgogi in leaf lettuce with kimchi and all the amazing sides that are brought to the table. The restaurant is so popular that there is a two hour time limit on each table – and trust me, I could keep eating for the full two hours!
After we have our fill at Lets Meat, Justin is ready for his favorite course, a Dunkaroos ice cream cone from Golden Cow Creamery. Just a block from the Korean duo we visited earlier, we need the walk to prepare ourselves to eat even more. Justin considers himself to be a sweets expert and he strongly believes that the Dunkaroo ice cream is some of the best he’s ever had. And yes, it is made with the Dunkaroos from our childhood. Golden Cow Creamery apparently orders them from Canada and uses the cookies and icing to make the ice cream base!
Once we roll ourselves out of Golden Cow, it’s safe to say that we’ve managed to make it a weekend to remember (or at least a Date Night to remember) And as we call our car and head home to relive the sitter, we’re always say how happy we are with our casual date night line up. South End is such a vibrant neighborhood!
Read about our Myer’s Park Date Night here and check back next time when we hit the Atherton Mill area for a trendier South End date night!
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