San Remo

Two ads from 1975

1978 menu

San Remo has been going strong since its opening in 1973. Located in the front of the Darby Acres Shopping Center on the Eastside of Charlotte, San Remo has always been an area favorite. It features a full menu (24 hours, seven days a week) that runs the gamut of Italian to Greek to classic Americana diner-fare. In addition to the standard menu, San Remo offers an extensive list of daily specials and several homemade desserts.

Other than a modest renovation about 10 years ago, little has changed at San Remo. It's patrons range from families enjoying a meal out to a varied late-night crowd looking for an after-club snack.

Gert's Lil' Diner

Gert's Lil' Diner opened in 1984 on Beatties Ford Rd in a small trailer on the side of the road. It was owned by Gertrude Randson and was open for breakfast and lunch only. It was a two-person operation with Gert doing all of the cooking and one waitress doing all of the serving.

Walking into Gert's was like stepping back in time. The interior featured green Leatherette booths. green and yellow Formica table tops, and quilted chrome on the wall in front of the kitchen--all the makings of a 1950's diner. Gert's featured some of the best home-cooking soul food in the area. The menu usually featured five meats and eight vegetables, along with several homemade desserts. Items such as smothered chicken, steamed cabbage, collard greens, pigs feet, and okra with tomatoes were among the standard offerings. Gert's also had the best cornbread in the city. 

Gert's would close in 1995. Gert retired at that point, but soon returned to work at the short-lived Cotton Street Diner on South Blvd. There she was in charge of all baked goods (including her famous biscuits and peach cobbler).

Meadowview Steak House **HALL OF FAME EATERY**

1969 ad

The Meadowview Steak House opened in 1964 on Hwy 74 (Independence Blvd) in the town of Matthews. At the time, the restaurant was about 5 miles east of Charlotte in a rural area of the county. The restaurant was owned by George and Denise Athans and later was run by their son, Tom. When the Meadowview opened, it joined an ever- growing list of 1960's high-end steakhouses that were opening across the Charlotte area.

Little changed over the 40 year life of the Meadowview. The dining room was formal, but simple. Chandeliers and table lamps offered dim lighting. Servers wore crisp white shirts, burgundy bow ties, and black vests. The interior featured gold-buttoned booths and cream wall coverings with framed landscape paintings. The food was always the star attraction. Ruffled chips served with onion dip were always brought to each table at the start of each meal. Of all of the many steak options, the ribeye steak was the Meadowview's claim to fame. Always popular was the unique in-house seasoning applied to all steaks--"a la Grecque" was a mixture of garlic, oregano, and special Greek spices. In addition to the extensive menu of steaks, chops, seafood, and kabobs, the homemade desserts were legendary. The Chocolate Fantasy (Denise's own creation) topped an Oreo crust with chocolate-Amaretto-Grand Marnier-Kahlua-cream cheese layers. 

The Meadowview would close in the Fall of 2004. While the area surrounding the restaurant was continually growing and changing (even to the extent of the Meadowview moving to a new building next-door in 1991 to allow for the widening of Hwy 74), the Meadowview next lost its charm or uniqueness that allowed it to flourish for so many decades.

Green's Lunch **HALL OF FAME EATERY**

Green's Lunch is Charlotte's oldest and longest-running eating establishment. It began life in 1926 (though some say it was actually late-1925) when Robert Green bought an existing lunch stand and, with about 12 stools, started selling hot dogs for a nickel each. Green's is located in downtown's Third Ward neighborhood on Fourth St (just three blocks off of Tryon). The business remained in the Green family until August 1975 when they sold it to the Sikiotis family.

Green's has always been famous for their hot dogs. Their "all the way" dog (with homemade chili, slaw, and onions) is legendary. Along with hot dogs, Green's is popular for their daily breakfast and their fried baloney and livermush sandwiches. 

Green's has always been a Charlotte institution. When Robert Green passed away in 1945, his daughter-in-law Mary took over the operations. When Mary added her homemade chili in the 1960's, Green's popularity skyrocketed. Mary (or "Mama" as everyone called her) was beloved in Charlotte--she was known as the "Hot Dog Queen" and was featured in several of Charlotte's Christmas parades. After she sold the restaurant in 1975, she continued to work there for another 16 years. She spent most of the '90's working as a greeter and cashier at the Barclay Cafeteria at Belk-Southpark.

Little has changed at Green's over the past 82 years- chili was added in the 60's, slaw in the '70's, a renovation to the dining room in the '80's. Green's is the one place that has seen almost every incarnation of Charlotte's constantly evolving downtown. It is remarkable that they have always flourished and have changed so little over the years.

Greystone Restaurant **HALL OF FAME EATERY**

The "Original" Greystone--

The "New" Greystone--

The Greystone Restaurant has been on South Blvd in the Sedgefield neighborhood since 1947. It has weathered everything from changing area demographics to a complete building relocation over its 60-plus year history.

The Greystone began in 1947 as a small drugstore on the corner of South Blvd and Greystone Rd. Like most area drugstores, the Greystone also sold food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and chili beans. Eventually in the early-50's, the Greystone switched from a drugstore with a lunch counter into a full-service restaurant. In 1971, the original owner sold the business to his son-in-law Andy Koutsokalis who has been at the helm ever since. 

The Greystone would close in the Summer of 2000. The original corner-side building was torn down and, in the Fall of 2001, the Greystone reopened 200 yards away as the anchor of a small strip center at the back of the original parking lot. The interior of the new building mirrors the old one--booths encircle the room's perimeter and four-seat tables fill the rest.

The Greystone has always been popular for their home-cooking. From the breakfast with the great country ham (billed as "a Nice Piece of Country Ham" on the menu) to lunch and dinner which feature the classic "meat-and-threes" dishes (main course with soup and two vegetables), the Greystone has a very loyal following. 

Though South Blvd is in a constant state of change and revitalization (of which the Greystone embraced with their new building), everything inside this eatery has stayed almost the same over the last 60 years.