White Horse on South Blvd!

See below for a clip from a wrestling parody video where a White Horse on the corner of South Blvd and Braibend Dr is visible. This is a block north of Woodlawn Rd. Video appears to be from the early '80's.

Summer of 1977

A look back at some of the popular eateries in Charlotte during the summer of 1977 - how many do you remember? Click on each ad for an enlarged view.

Happy Doughnut Day!

In honor of Doughnut Day, here are two great shots of Krispy Kreme's from Charlotte's past.

South Blvd - March 1963

Independence & Hawthorne

Courtesy of the UNC-C archives

The Pantry House

Not much information about this place but the vhf graphic is great! Much thanks to David over at Groceteria for finding this gem!

Greystone at Thanksgiving

Great Thanksgiving mid-70's shot from the Greystone Restaurant on South Blvd. 

Click here for the original Greystone post.

Thanks to Tommy for the pic!

Lantana Restaurant

Super postcard shot of Latana's which was part of the Bradley Motel. Located at Little Rock Rd and the I-85S Service Road, Latana's enjoyed some popularity boost in the mid-90's when the Observer deemed it the best burger in town.

Jerry's Drive-In

1962 ad for Jerry's Drive-In. Eventually Athen's would occupy this site. The land is currently vacant pending expansion from CPCC.

Click here for an earlier post on Charlotte drive-ins and here for the Athen's post which showcases a picture of Jerry's.

The Shaft

UNCC alumni will recognize this picture of The Shaft which was located on Old Concord Rd just minutes from campus. Check out that phone number! This pic is from 1989.

Photo courtesy the Clt Obs archives

Fat Tuesday's

Fat Tuesday's was an early forerunner in the revitalization of downtown Charlotte. Opened in the late '80's, it was located at the City Fair shopping complex. Famous for their colorful wall of frozen drinks, Fat Tuesday's was initially a huge hit. Both City Fair and Fat Tuesday's would both close in the early '90's, victims of being too early in the downtown resurgence.

Photo is from 1989 - courtesy the Clt Obs archives.

***As always -- click on the photo for a larger view***

S & W's Silver Grill

Amazing shot of the Silver Grill at Charlottetown Mall. The Silver Grill was operated by the S & W Cafeteria which was directly upstairs. 

Click here for the original S & W Cafeteria post.

Photos courtesy The Clt Obs archives

***Click on pics for a larger view***

Kuester's Dining Room

Nice ad from 1955 for Kuester's Dining Room.

Please let us know if you have any information or memories of this eatery.

Stamey's - 1974

Wonderful interior shot of Stamey's from 1974.

Click here for the original Stamey's post.

Picture courtesy of the Clt Observer

Venus Diner

Amazing picture of the Venus Restaurant (commonly called the Venus Diner) sign on East Blvd from 1974.

Picture courtesy of the Clt Observer

Pedro's Pt III

Some amazing color shots of Pedro's as well as the front of a menu. Enjoy!

Please click here for the original Pedro's post and here for an update.

As always - click on each picture for a larger view.

The Tom Cat Lounge

1966 ad for The Tom Cat Lounge that was at 1831 South Blvd in Dilworth. The address is currently occupied by a Dunkin' Donuts (though the original building was torn down years ago).

Heart of Charlotte Motor Inn

My aunt and uncle stayed at the Heart of Charlotte Motor Inn on August 3rd, 1963 on their wedding night. See below for the awesome breakfast menu as well as the stationary they saved.

Menu cover

Breakfast menu

Stationary envelope

Stationary letterhead

***Click on pictures for an enlarged view***

Babe Maloy's Drive In

Amazing ad for the legendary Babe Maloy's Drive In from 1962. Famous for their "Chicken n the Rough" fried chicken. Babe's was located on Independence Blvd across from the Coliseum. 

Eli's on East **HALL OF FAME EATERY**

Summer 1985

Bob and Karen Smoots - 1984

1986

1985 ad for the side catering business

Eli's on East opened at 311 East Blvd in August of 1981 by owners Bob and Karen Smoots. Bob Smoots had worked through the late '60's and early '70's as director of food service for the Stuckey's Restaurant chain and spent the latter part of the '70's as a partner of Saucy Crepe restaurants (which had two popular locations in Charlotte) before he and his wife opened Eli's. 

Located in a two-story house built in 1910, the restaurant had kept the original fireplaces, moldings, and beveled glass on the front mirror and flooring. The restaurant had three separate and intimate dining rooms, an attractive Casablanca-type bar, and a glassed-in-lattice-work porch with hanging ferns. Eli's Southern gourmet menu was famous for their Sunday brunches (an oddity in Charlotte during the '80's), steak au poivre, Cobb salads, and especially their homemade peanut butter pie.

The Smoots would own Eli's until May 1986 when they sold to Stuart Smith (who also owned Barley & Rye at the time). Eli's would eventually close in 1990. 

The classic turn-of-the-century house has been to home to several restaurants since then - Rumpleman's (1991-94), Castaldi's (opened March 1994), Zanzibar Hardwood Grille (opened Aug 28, 2000), Vittorio's (opened Fall 2001),  Giovanni's (opened 2003) and currently, Copper (opened June 2005).

On a side note, the house has been reported as being haunted by several spirits. Novelist Carson McCullers lived there in the late-30's and it was a boarding house for decades. WBTV ran a special on the hauntings at the house in the late-90's. Though no spirits were seen or heard on the special, restaurant workers have reported odd happenings and noises at the house for decades.

Airport 77 Restaurant

From the early-'50's come these wonderful full page ads for the Airport 77 restaurant. Part drive-in, part sit-down service. Popular with the Central High crowd as well - based on the ads. 

Click on the ads for a larger view

Drawbridge Restaurant

Two great shots of the Drawbridge Restaurant that resided at the foot of Montford Dr. A more detailed post to follow --- enjoy the pics of this legendary eatery for now! As always, click on the picture for a larger view...

1972 interior shot

1976 exterior shot (courtesy of The Charlotte Observer)