Be ready to book your reservation at Leluia Hall this spring. | Photo by CLTtoday
Stepping inside the upcoming Leluia Hall, your eyes immediately catch massive windows, high ceilings, and an enormous space that will soon host an indoor dining atmosphere serving steak and seafood, plus a second-floor balcony, raw bar, wine cellar, and cocktail bar.
Leluia Hall co-owner Jamie Brown gave us a tour of the upcoming restaurant.
Photo by CLTtoday
“My hope is that when people come here, they’ll want to come back because there’s a lot of different experiences you can have,” said Jamie Brown, Leluia Hall co-owner who gave CLTtoday a special tour.
Sound impressive? The story of Leluia Hall has been a blockbuster effort to bring a unique, culinary experience to the booming South End and Dilworth neighborhoods, led by Charlottean couple and business partners Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown.
Development on Leluia Hall has been more than three years in the making.
Photo by CLTtoday
Now nestled at its location at 1829 Cleveland Ave., the renovation process for the highly-anticipated restaurant has taken over three years to address historic preservation requirements and structural issues.
Have that reservation tab ready. Leluia Hall is tentatively slated to open this March, starting with the downstairs dining space.
Jurassic Quest | 12-6 p.m. | The Park Expo and Conference Center | $28+ | See how “life finds a way” when life-size dinosaurs, including Apatasaurus, return from “extinction.”
Charlotte Hornets vs. LA Clippers | 7 p.m. | Spectrum Center | $24+ | Root for Buzz City to swish away any hopes of a Clippers win on home court.
Michelle’s Mighty Mission 24,000 Meter Row | 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Sugar Creek Brewing Company | $50 | Honor Charlotte’s cancer community in a day of sweat and pushing through pain + proceeds benefit 24 Foundation.
Southern Oyster, Wine & Beer Festival| 12-5 p.m. | Ballantyne’s Backyard | $69+ | Slurp oysters with a craft drink in your hand during this day-long party.
2025 Lunar New Year Gala | 3-9 p.m. | Dale F. Halton Theater | $18+ | Herald the “Year of the Snake” in this dazzling showcase of traditional and contemporary art.
Reservations are now open for Bar One Lounge’s grand opening in Uptown on Saturday, March 1. Guests can expect classic cocktails, elevated dining, and live burlesque entertainment.
Coming Soon
Get ready to savor Philly-style hoagies when Ricci’s Hoagies opens soon in the luxury complex, Centro NoDa. Ricci’s has been serving mouthwatering sandwiches for more than a century in PA. Stay tuned — an opening date remains TBA.
Closed
Krustaceans Seafood is permanently closed. Former Carolina Panthers player Marcus Lucas opened the Lowcountry seafood spot in 2020 on Oak Lake Boulevard in southwest Charlotte, serving seafood platters + shrimp and lobster. (The Charlotte Observer)
Legacy
Charlotte Douglas International Airport shared condolences for the Charlotte-based flight crew aboard American Eagle Flight 5342. The passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC on Wednesday night.
Transit
“It’s gonna be a very prosperous zone.” Rivercrest Road Bridge in York County is complete, providing access to over 120 acres of tribal land for the Catawba Indian Nation. The tribe intends to use the land for new housing, court offices, and upcoming business. (WSOC)
Try This
Got a love story worth sharing? CLTtoday wants to learn how you met your significant other in the Queen City. Share your story by Wednesday, Feb. 12 for a chance to be featured in our newsletter.
Environment
First responders report significant progress fighting a 250-acre wildfire in McDowell County, NC. No injuries have been reported. The WCNC Weather Impact Team issued warnings this week about increased fire danger. (WCNC)
Sports
Does the NFC have the best shot at winning the Super Bowl? Go beyond the field for the biggest stories on the Carolina Pantherswith Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Biz
NP Strategy — a strategic communications firm providing crisis, media, and public relations assistance — is growing in the Carolinas. They recently hired award-winning journalist and communications professional Lynnsey Gardner Baker in Columbia + dynamic communications and media strategist Maya Ward in Charlotte. Meet the new hires.*
Shop
Save time (and your hands) with these kitchen hacks: this jar opener is great for arthritic joints, while this chicken shredder does the hard shredding work for you.*
Category
Sports
🏀 The first dance
City leaders were excited to announce UPSHOT League in the Queen City. | Photo by CLTtoday
A new story in Charlotte’s professional sports realm is beginning.
Zawyer Sports & Entertainment announced The UPSHOT League, a new professional women’s basketball league, is launching in Charlotte in May 2026, promising high-energy basketball and an opportunity to bolster women’s sports.
The league will start its inaugural season with four teams, including franchises in Greensboro, NC, Jacksonville, FL, and Savannah, GA. The upcoming Charlotte team will play a 40-game season with 20 home games played at Bojangles Coliseum.
"[The UPSHOT League] is mission focused. It’s about the uptick and the upbeat,” said Donna Orender, Upshot League Commissioner. “It’s the uptick in talent, for sure, and the upbeat rhythms found in communities like Charlotte, who will now have yet another great exciting dynamic sports experience.”
Season ticket options will start at $44 per seat, based on the new 44 player positions the league will create with its formation.
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I can’t wait to order the steak and seafood at Leluia Hall, but I’m also craving a drink from the incredible bar space. A huge thank you, once again, to Jamie Brown for giving City Editor Maria and I the grand tour.
Answered
Answered
What’s your favorite concert venue in CLT?
It’s time to get tickets to some incredible concerts in the Queen City and, sometimes, it’s all about the atmosphere. About 33% of voters agreed PNC Music Pavilion was their favorite concert venue in Charlotte, 25% voted for Spectrum Center, and 14% said Bank of America Stadium.
