Haymaker: Eat For More Than Insta

Rounding the corner near Romare-Bearden Park, catching the glint of those clean brassy letters, the question has to be asked: Is Haymaker just another Instagram trap?

Or is this a highly curated dining experience on the leading edge of what is yet to come in the Charlotte food scene?

Floating through the bustle of a crowded Sunday brunch, an aroma rises from the kitchen offering an answer to our questions. As chefs work diligently to prepare locally-sourced food, the Haymaker experience invites you to take in every detail of the restaurant.

From the brass fixtures to the rich leathers this is certainly an Instagram paradise, but there’s something much more to it than that alone. The boutique atmosphere pulls me away from the vein of hipster kitsch and toward that of a personal food journey. Maybe it’s my own inclination to clean lines and simple spaces, as I can acknowledge my own biases, but the uncluttered setting allows the food to speak for itself, highlighting the whole experience.

The short of it: Haymaker is totally Instagrammable.

It’s hard not to find something beautiful with such an elevated approach to food. The presentation, this photographer’s paradise, has brought Charlotte to a level competitive with cities like New York and Los Angeles.

And I don’t say that lightly.

Chef Billy D’s menu is simple, indescribable explorations of full-flavored southern classics. From biscuits and grits to the undeniable Eggs Benton, the only problem I found with brunch was trying not to fill this story with cliches about delicious food and difficult choices.

Charlotte as a city has changed considerably from what I remember as a child, and the evolution of the restaurant scene is a hard change to ignore. The addition of Haymaker however, and the role it stands to play in the future of Charlotte food culture, is exciting to me.

A simple menu of southern staples, accented with picturesque table settings; if this is change, then bring it on.

LOCATION: 

Haymaker
225 S Poplar St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Written by: Jeff Wilber @JGWilb | Photos by: Paige Hogan Wilber @PaigeWilhog