Since the hubs and I moved to Charlotte last summer, I must be honest, we haven’t explored the city as much as we would have hoped by this point. We have many things to check off the bucket list and date days to be had, so we started in South End.
Now there is a reason we chose to spend our day here. One very important reason. That reason is Futo Buta. When we first moved to Charlotte, Patrick’s cousin took us here knowing we love Asian food and we were hooked. One of the biggest things we miss from NYC is the food. It is not the same variety down here, however with some searching you can find it.
We took our good friends with us this time for their very first ramen experience and that is what it was…an experience. Futo Buta does an amazing job of making you feel welcomed and the servers know the menu inside out. Offering suggestions and telling me exactly what to expect when I get my bowl. We started off with some of our favorite appetizers.
Fried brussel sprouts and edamame. These brussel sprouts are to die for! The crispy skins and marinade it comes with is delicious. We practically licked the bowl clean!
For our main course, I went with the vegan bowl, which makes me so happy they have that as an option! It is made with a vegan broth and served with mushrooms, bok choy and all kinds of veggies. Patrick went with the Buta Bowl which is basically a giant bowl with different types of pork that is super spicy. Count me out. But he loves anything spicy.
The presentation of all their bowls is absolutely gorgeous. They are stunning which again, adds to the ramen experience. I start mixing everything up which helps to cool things down a bit and then dig in!
Use the giant spoon that comes with your ramen, it helps a lot.
After ramen, we took a nice walk along the light rail tracks. Soaking in the sun and looking at all the adorable dogs walking by! There is so much to see and do in South End, you’ll find little hidden gems all around to look at.
We ended up walking right to Jeni’s Ice Cream for an after dinner snack. This place literally smells like sweet sugar and butter from the outside! Count me in! …the line is worth it!
Lots of options there too and of course I had to try their famous homemade waffle cone. I went with the dairy free option which was a Watermelon Rose Sorbet. It was really good!
We found the infamous heart wall right around the corner from Jeni’s so of course we had to stop and take some pictures!
Such a great day in South End, Charlotte. If you live here, what are some of your favorite places in South End? Let me know down below! Don’t forget to check out Futo Buta, it’s wonderful!
One more fun picture for the road…
xo,
Melissa
If you’re a fan of Asian food, you’ll also love Korean Bibimbap! Check out my recipe for that as well as my Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry!