Bardo

Outstanding dining experience. This is by far the best restaurant in Charlotte. Inventive and amazing food, and unparalleled service. Being able to witness the artistry in the prep kitchen adds to the overall theatre of the entire meal. I most recently went to dinner for Valentine's Day, and was thoroughly impressed from beginning to end. The cocktail pairings also perfectly complemented every dish. Bardo feels like a restaurant that is in NYC or Miami, not Charlotte, NC, and it has easily become my favorite restaurant here. Not only is the food outstanding, but so is every single person that works there. Ambiance, phenomenal staff, amazing food, high-end dining with zero pretention. Outstanding job Bardo! Update for 2023- Bardo continues to be my favorite restaurant in Charlotte. There is pure magic in the delicate nuance of flavors, which highlight and amplify the ingredients in each dish. Service is outstanding, with some of the best staff I have ever experienced. I visited again for this valentine's day, and every dish was perfection. The thought and preparation is very evident with the beautiful menu of flavors and experiences from the beginning to end. I didn't think I could love Bardo any more than I already did, but they have proven me wrong.

We did the 5 course experience and the tier 2 wine pairing. Our servers - both named Crystal - were outstanding. The vibe is a bit different than we were expecting. Outkast bumping and graffiti and an overall minimal setup. If you’re coming here expecting a ton of food you should go elsewhere. We were here for interesting food and a unique experience. It delivered. Everything was good, no bombs anywhere. The best part of our meal was the mushroom meringues in the leek dish. They were fantastic and we could’ve eaten those by the handful and been very happy.

I’m so behind reviewing my birthday dinner at Bardo last month! I came in with my parents for a 7 course dinner and LOVED my experience. My parents aren’t well versed in the food scene so they didn’t understand why it was so expensive but, keep in mind, you’re also paying for the experience that’s outlined on their website! The Good: I mean, the food. It’s incredible. Each course, a tasting menu experience, is only a couple of bites. You don’t get a menu and don’t get to pick what you want but you CAN specify foods to omit when you make reservations. I don’t eat veal so they subbed the veal course for a vegetarian course that was delicious. I wish I could remember what everything was but I do remember the beef tartare, a farro dish with an egg, hearts of pal m with a strawberry mousse…I can’t remember everything but I really loved each dish. The dessert course was fantastic- it was a red bean ice cream with a type of cake and mousse-like cheese - incredible (I’m so sorry for butchering the descriptions of these courses!!). Service was ON POINT. Our server rattled off the details of each dish with amazing recall and always kept our drinks full. Loved the ambience as well - artsy, intimate, cozy. The Meh: if I had to dissect one thing, I was a bit disappointed in the cocktails I had. I ordered the Bartenders Choice because I love when mixologists get creative and go nuts on cocktails. Our server told us Bardo’s mixologists were some of the best in Charlotte. For the first drink, I told our server they could do whatever they wanted but I didn’t care for sweet cocktails. Well, The cocktail was sweet. It was good, but sweet. Similar thing happened with the next round. I still enjoyed both drinks, as much as I can for sweeter ones, but didn’t find them to be particularly inventive. Oh well! The Bad: nothing noted. Again, do keep in mind this is a tasting menu so if you have a huge appetite, you may want to nosh on something beforehand. We were delightfully full after 7 courses but I think we would’ve still been hungry with 5 (I think it’s the smallest course available). Would love to come back some time to try the full tasting menu!

Stop asking yourself whether you should go to Bardo tonight. Start asking yourself "Don't I deserve just once in my life to have the perfect meal? Don't I deserve plate after plate of culinary perfection?" Then visit the menu page, figure out how many courses are in your budget and make a reservation. We were a few minutes early for our seating and the tables on both sides of us were just finishing up. BOTH tables were discussing how soon they could make it back to try all 12 courses. We had 5 with the beverage pairing and wished we'd done 7. Stop wondering, just go!

Absolutely phenomenal. You must give this place a shot of you claim to be a foodie! I surprised my S.O. with a fancy night out and we were so lucky to be placed right by the open kitchen. We had so much fun watching the passion flow through the chefs. Everything tasted amazing, drinks are gorgeous! Do yourself a favor and check out Bardo.

This was our 12 course tasting menu with beverage pairing. The food is amazing and visually stunning. If you are searching for a true high-end dining experience you need look no further. The staff is extraordinary, accommodating and exceptionally knowledgeable about each and every dish as well as the cocktails that are served. The bar staff is extraordinary, far beyond any I've seen in Charlotte yet. If you have the opportunity to spend the evening with these guys I suggest it, you will thank me for the recommendation! Riley was our host for the evening, he did an amazing job.