National food television can reshape how diners view a city, especially when a franchise as established as Bravo’s Top Chef spends weeks filming there. In Charlotte, that attention turned quickly from the set to the restaurants host Kristen Kish and judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons were actually choosing on their own time. Their stops, documented by local reporting and social media posts, offer a practical snapshot of which Charlotte restaurants made the strongest impression during filming.
Lang Van emerged as the clearest repeat favorite
The most clearly verified answer is Lang Van, the Vietnamese restaurant at 3019 Shamrock Drive in east Charlotte. Eater Carolinas reported on August 29, 2025, that Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons had all eaten there while in town for Season 23 filming, and Kish called it “probably one of my favorites so far and most frequented,” according to that interview. The Charlotte Observer separately reported that Lang Van had become a repeat stop for the judges and quoted Colicchio describing it as “Fantastic.”
That combination matters because it moves the story beyond a one-off celebrity sighting. Eater’s reporting confirmed all three core on-air figures had visited the same restaurant, while the Observer added that Lang Van was not just a filmed backdrop or sponsored stop but a place they returned to while exploring Charlotte’s dining scene. Kish also told the Observer that the restaurant’s hospitality stood out, saying the staff remembered guests, their orders, and even where they sat.
Eater attributed part of that appeal to owner An “Dan” Nguyen and the restaurant’s longstanding role in Charlotte’s food culture. The outlet described Lang Van as known for traditional Vietnamese dishes including pho, vermicelli noodles, and lemongrass curries, and reported that Nguyen’s personal style of service is part of why the restaurant has such a loyal following.
The Charlotte trail stretched from Bojangles to fine dining
Lang Van may have been the standout, but it was not the judges’ only stop in Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer reported that Kish publicly marked her arrival in the city with a Bojangles meal on August 16, 2025, posting that she was “Confirming my attendance in Charlotte, NC” with the chain’s food in hand. The paper later reported that Simmons also posted a Bojangles meal, suggesting the local fast-food chain became part of the judges’ off-set routine as well.
Other confirmed stops show a wide range of dining across Charlotte neighborhoods. According to the Observer, Simmons visited Albertine, the uptown Mediterranean restaurant from Joe and Katy Kindred, while she and Colicchio were also photographed at Church and Union. The paper also reported stops at Coquette, Customshop, Substrate, Yunta, Euro Grill & Cafe, and Clark’s Snack Bar.
What is not known is every meal the judges ate in Charlotte or a complete chronological list of their visits. The reporting is based on interviews, restaurant posts, and social media documentation, and no full official itinerary has been released by Bravo. Still, the overlap among outlets shows a consistent pattern: the judges sampled both established local institutions and newer independent restaurants rather than sticking to one corridor or one style of dining.
Their restaurant choices reflected Charlotte’s broader food moment
The context for those choices is larger than celebrity dining. Eater reported that Top Chef was in Charlotte to film its 23rd season, with the production using the Carolinas as a culinary showcase. The Charlotte Observer reported that the season was planned as a way to highlight North Carolina and South Carolina food traditions, hospitality, and regional ingredients, placing Charlotte at the center of a national television conversation about Southern dining.
That helps explain why the judges’ off-camera meals drew such attention. Axios Charlotte reported that Charlotte’s restaurant growth mirrors a broader industry pattern described by Colicchio: chefs leaving larger cities, returning to hometowns, and opening smaller independent restaurants. In separate Axios reporting, the city’s current restaurant landscape has also been framed as increasingly shaped by national recognition, including Top Chef and Michelin attention.
For Charlotte diners, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The publicly confirmed restaurant trail shows that when Top Chef’s judges were free to choose where to eat, they gravitated toward locally rooted places with established followings, distinctive points of view, and strong hospitality. Among those, Lang Van is the closest thing to a documented consensus pick, supported by both direct quotes and repeat visits during the Charlotte filming period.