DaBaby's No Knife Chicken & Waffles Is Now Open in Charlotte
The long-awaited North End restaurant officially opened September 6, drawing major crowds for DaBaby's first Charlotte restaurant venture and a menu that goes well beyond traditional chicken and waffles.
Charlotte rapper DaBaby has officially opened No Knife Chicken & Waffles at 700 Atando Avenue in Charlotte's North End. The restaurant opened to the public at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 6, after months of anticipation and an earlier expected opening that never materialized.
The response was immediate. Local reports described hundreds of people showing up on opening day, with long waits just to get inside. Charlotte Vibes went by on Tuesday night, September 8, and the restaurant was still packed enough that we could not get in.
Charlotte Vibes Was There
We expected a crowd, but the opening-week response was still stronger than we anticipated. We could not get inside Tuesday night, so this is not our restaurant review yet. We will be back once we can properly experience the food, service, value, and atmosphere.
DaBaby's No Knife Restaurant Opens in North End
No Knife Chicken & Waffles grew out of DaBaby's Cooking with Kirk social-media content. “No Knife” became the rapper's cooking alter ego, and the concept eventually developed into a full restaurant brand.
DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, is not being positioned as the restaurant's head chef, but earlier reporting said he was closely involved with menu development. The restaurant's current website describes the concept as being “exclusively brought to you by DaBaby.”
The restaurant presents itself as a refined Southern comfort-food concept with a fast-casual, upscale-diner feel. It serves brunch and late-night food and includes booth seating, counter seating, patio service, and options for private events.
The Opening Took Longer Than Expected
The restaurant had been generating attention since June, when the large waffle-shaped No Knife sign went up at the Atando Avenue property. At one point, the restaurant was expected to open around mid-July, but that opening never happened.
A firm public opening date was not announced until September 4, when DaBaby revealed that the grand opening would take place Sunday, September 6, at 10 a.m. Based on the available reporting, that September 6 date was the official public opening rather than a soft-opening period.
What's on the No Knife Chicken & Waffles Menu?
The menu is much broader than standard chicken and waffles. No Knife currently lists 10 waffle varieties along with chicken wings, fried whiting, lobster tail, mini crab cakes, fish and grits, crab fried rice, lobster and grits, multiple egg rolls, Southern sides, desserts, and specialty lemonades.
The waffle lineup includes Plain Jane, Banana Pudding, Birthday Cake, Blueberry Lemon, Cookies & Cream, Peach Cobbler, Red Velvet, Strawberry Shortcake, Sweet Potato, and the Soulfood Cornbread Waffle.
One important detail: waffles do not automatically include chicken. The current menu lists six wings as a $10 add-on to a waffle. The $45 Soulfood Cornbread Waffle comes topped with collard greens, candied yams, and mac & cheese.
Opening-Week Prices Are Already Getting Attention
No Knife's opening-week crowds have quickly been joined by another conversation: price. The $15 Plain Jane waffle, $25 specialty waffles, $45 Soulfood Cornbread Waffle, and $6 bottled water have all generated discussion online.
That does not mean the food itself has been broadly dismissed. Opening-day coverage from the Charlotte Observer described the strawberry-shortcake waffle and lemon-pepper wings positively while questioning the value after a roughly three-hour wait. The more accurate picture is that No Knife is attracting major demand while customers are actively debating the price point.
No Knife Location & Hours
No Knife also promotes private dining, brunch buyouts, and late-night events.
No Knife Chicken & Waffles Is Hiring
The restaurant is also hiring as it works through its opening period. Current openings include front-of-house and back-of-house positions.
Charlotte Is Already Responding in a Major Way
It is too early for Charlotte Vibes to publish a food verdict, and we are not going to treat a packed opening week as a restaurant review. But the launch itself is already significant. Hundreds showed up on the first day, opening-day waits stretched for hours, prices became part of the conversation almost immediately, and the restaurant was still packed when we visited two days later.
From a launch standpoint, No Knife has already done one of the hardest things a new restaurant can do: get Charlotte talking and get people through the door. Whether opening-week demand settles down in a few days, takes several weeks, or eventually points toward the need for additional locations remains to be seen.
Our Full Review Is Coming
Charlotte Vibes will return once the opening rush gives us a fair chance to experience No Knife properly. Our review will focus on the food, service, value, atmosphere, and overall dining experience. Stay tuned.
Sources
Robert Beadle
Robert Beadle covers Charlotte business, restaurants, development, local openings, and the people and companies shaping the city for Charlotte Vibes.
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