Dear Charlotte Rooftop Bar and Restaurant Coming to Steele Creek

Dear Charlotte Will Take Over the Hotel's Top Floor

Dear Charlotte wasn't part of the hotel's original plan. Before the pandemic, the sixth floor was expected to include 11 additional guest rooms as part of a more traditional hotel development.

Construction paused during the pandemic, giving Maya Hotels another opportunity to consider how the top floor could be used. Instead of restoring the original room plan, the company removed the 11 guestrooms and converted the space into a full-service restaurant, cocktail bar, rooftop garden, and event venue.

That decision gives the new Hilton Garden Inn a separate destination on its highest floor while also creating another dining and nightlife option for people who live in Steele Creek and aren't staying at the hotel.

A Rooftop Garden Designed for Nights Out

Plans call for a darker garden-inspired atmosphere rather than the lighter look of a traditional rooftop bar. The concept includes layered greenery, intimate lighting, inkwell black millwork, teal zellige tile, arched backlit bar shelving, reindeer moss chandeliers, and a floor-to-ceiling faux ivy arrival wall.

A greenhouse will add another enclosed space within the rooftop setting, while the bar and dining room will carry the botanical design indoors. Project renderings show a space built around deep greens, textured surfaces, flowers, warm lighting, and decorative details rather than an open-air rooftop with minimal furnishings.

Music is also being built into the concept. Dear Charlotte's media materials list a $120,000 sound system and two boothless DJ setups designed to support regular service, private events, and future in-house programming.

The name Dear Charlotte connects the venue to both Charlotte itself and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her interest in botany is being used as one of the influences behind the garden design and botanical cocktail program without turning the restaurant into a historical theme concept.

Botanical Cocktails and a Pizza Forward Menu

Cocktails will lead the beverage program, with plans for botanical, floral, and garden-forward flavor combinations. Wine, beer, and spirit-free drinks will also be available, giving the bar options beyond its signature cocktails.

Food will center on artisan personal-sized pizzas prepared in dedicated PizzaMaster ovens. Dear Charlotte also plans to serve shared plates, dips, garden-forward salads, vegan-friendly choices, pizza dough sandwiches, familiar favorites, and rotating seasonal dishes.

Specific pizzas, cocktails, menu prices, and reservation details haven't been released yet. The concept is being designed so the food can work for dinner and casual visits while also supporting private parties, business gatherings, and other events held throughout the venue.

Dear Charlotte by the Numbers

The restaurant and event venue will cover 4,118 square feet with seating divided between the indoor space and rooftop patio. Private and semi-private options will allow the same venue to handle smaller gatherings and larger receptions.

Three Spaces Will Be Available for Private Events

Dear Charlotte is also being built as an event venue. The main dining room and bar are expected to accommodate up to 100 guests, while the 1,744-square-foot patio will also have capacity for up to 100.

Smaller groups will be able to use the 344-square-foot greenhouse, an enclosed space planned for gatherings of roughly 8 to 50 people. Full and partial venue buyouts will also be available, with total standing capacity reaching 250 guests.

Planned uses include corporate receptions, client entertaining, networking events, team dinners, birthdays, holiday parties, wedding-related events, and other private celebrations. Groups needing additional meeting or overnight space can also use the Hilton Garden Inn downstairs, which has 124 guestrooms and separate hotel meeting rooms.

Maya Hotels Is Moving Beyond Traditional Hotel Dining

Dear Charlotte marks Maya Hotels' first independent food and beverage concept. The Charlotte-based hospitality company is led by cousins Parimal Thakor and Krishna Deva, whose families have been involved in the hotel business for more than 30 years.

Thakor is a Charlotte native who joined Maya Hotels in 2008 and oversees development and investment, including hotel design and capital projects. Deva joined the company in 2019 and oversees operations, finance, and strategy after growing up around her family's hotel business in Gastonia.

Operations Lead Chris Melly is also working on the opening. His background includes more than 20 years in restaurant operations across several major U.S. markets, including previous work overseeing The Henry, Culinary Dropout, and Society Swan for Fox Restaurant Concepts.

Steele Creek Continues Adding New Hospitality Options

Dear Charlotte will open in an area that's already seeing substantial restaurant, retail, residential, and hospitality growth. The property sits near Charlotte Premium Outlets, Topgolf, I-485, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, giving the venue access to both southwest Charlotte residents and visitors staying near the airport.

The Hilton Garden Inn below it is one of Steele Creek's newest hotels. Charlotte Vibes visited the property after its August opening and covered its 124 rooms, dining, meeting space, fitness center, outdoor pool, and location behind Charlotte Premium Outlets.

Dear Charlotte adds something different to the same property. Instead of functioning mainly as an amenity for overnight guests, the restaurant is being positioned as a separate destination intended to attract people from Steele Creek and the broader Charlotte area.