Botiwalla

Botiwalla is a top option in Optimist Hall, Charlotte’s popular food hall. It comes from the team behind Asheville’s Chai Pani and the original Botiwalla in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, and it specializes in Indian street foods, like kale pakoras, vada pav, skewered meats, and six kinds of naan rolls. It all makes for an amazing quick lunch or dinner, that you can and should cap-off with the only dessert on the menu: a delicious plate of gulab jamun. Served three to an order, the sweet milk dumplings are fried to perfection, like the best not-too-sweet donuts ever. The counter-service restaurant’s space is a ton of fun, filled with Bollywood posters, picnic tables, and floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s also a provisions corner, where you can stock up on Indian snacks, sauces, and spices.