EVO Kitchen & Co. in Steele Creek Charlotte Is Now Open

Southern Roots Meet Global Flavor in Steele Creek

EVO was built around an elevated approach to comfort food without turning the experience into formal fine dining. Southern cooking and hospitality form the foundation, while global flavors, contemporary presentation, and a broader cocktail program give the restaurant a more modern identity.

Its positioning is summed up by the phrase, “Southern Roots. Global Flavor. Elevated Experience.” Familiar dishes are reworked with a fresh edge, while the dining room, bar, late-night service, and entertainment are designed to make EVO as much a neighborhood social destination as a restaurant.

That approach gives Steele Creek another restaurant aimed at several different occasions. Customers can stop in for lunch or dinner, meet for cocktails, stay later into the evening, or visit for weekend brunch without leaving southwest Charlotte.

What's on the EVO Kitchen & Co. Menu

EVO's current grand-opening seasonal menu covers shareable appetizers, salads, Southern-inspired mains, vegetarian dishes, sides, cocktails, zero-proof drinks, and desserts. Several dishes lean heavily into comfort food while adding Cajun, Caribbean, and other globally influenced flavors.

Bayou Braised Oxtail Pasta is one of the signature mains, pairing rigatoni with slow-braised oxtail, Cajun Trinity wine reduction, Parmesan, and truffle shavings. The EVO Classic Burger combines a double burger with smoked Gouda, beef bacon jam, caramelized onions, micro arugula, and EVO sauce.

Other current choices include Lamb Chops with Garlic Mash, Short Rib Gouda Mac & Cheese, Lump Crab Cakes, Fresh Grilled Wild-Caught Salmon, Rainbow Beet Salad, Vegan Cajun Jackfruit Egg Rolls, and Bayous Braised Mushroom Pasta. The current food menu also identifies the restaurant as 100% seed oil free.

Menu items, ingredients, and prices can change, especially as EVO moves beyond its grand-opening seasonal menu.

Craft Cocktails, Late Nights, Live Music, and DJ Sets

EVO isn't positioning itself strictly as a place to sit down for dinner. The bar is a major part of the concept, with craft cocktails, premium spirits, specialty drinks, zero-proof mocktails, and service that extends later into the night on weekends.

The cocktail menu ranges from the Evolution Margarita and EVO Affair to drinks such as EVO Island, Hidden Gem, Gifted Vibes, The Roc-Away, Smoke & Mirrors, and King City. Alcohol-free options include the Myra Mocktail and ROC Mocktail.

Live music and DJ sets add another layer to the experience, giving EVO a nightlife and social component beyond its food menu. Weekend brunch provides another reason to visit during the daytime, making the restaurant part dining destination, part cocktail bar, and part neighborhood gathering place.

Chef Kendrick Hollis Leads the Kitchen

Chef Kendrick Hollis brings more than 15 years of culinary experience to EVO. His background also includes a decade of military service, an influence reflected in the discipline and precision behind his approach to the kitchen.

Hollis previously worked as a private chef with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and herbal-infused cuisine. His broader creative background includes painting and photography, while food gives him another medium for combining presentation, flavor, and personal expression.

At EVO, that experience feeds directly into a menu intended to feel recognizable without being predictable. Southern staples and comfort-food ideas remain familiar, but the execution moves beyond a traditional Southern restaurant.

A Proud Black-Owned Charlotte Business

EVO Kitchen & Co. is a proud Black-owned business co-founded by Edmond “Roc Well” McMiller and Myra Wilson. Their concept was built around more than opening another restaurant, with community, hospitality, consistency, and customer care forming part of the business from the beginning.

McMiller is a North Carolina entrepreneur whose background spans music, apparel, culture, and hospitality. He has described EVO as the next evolution of a longer business journey, with an emphasis on creating a place where customers can feel comfortable, recognized, and taken care of.

Wilson brings an operations and organizational background to the company. Her experience includes building high-performing teams and a CARF-accredited healthcare organization, with those skills carrying into EVO's operations, customer experience, team development, and brand strategy.

Together, the founders are aiming for something between a casual neighborhood restaurant and a higher-end dining experience. The goal is an approachable place for locals, families, professionals, and visitors that still feels elevated.

Steele Creek Continues to Add New Restaurants

EVO's arrival comes during a period of rapid commercial growth across Steele Creek. Restaurants, hotels, retailers, entertainment businesses, and new residential development continue to reshape the southwest Charlotte area around South Tryon Street, I-485, and Charlotte Premium Outlets.

Its New Fashion Way location puts EVO near one of the area's biggest retail destinations and only a few minutes from the new Hilton Garden Inn in Steele Creek. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is also a short drive north, putting the restaurant within reach of both neighborhood residents and visitors staying in the area.

For people who live in Steele Creek, however, the bigger story is simply the continued addition of local options. Instead of driving toward Uptown, South End, or SouthPark for a more elevated dinner, cocktails, brunch, or a late-night destination, residents have another option much closer to home.

Current EVO Kitchen & Co. Hours

EVO currently posts Monday service from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

There is one discrepancy worth checking before making Monday plans. A separate EVO menu page still lists Monday as closed, while the restaurant's main information lists Monday evening hours. Customers planning a Monday visit should call ahead at (704) 817-7082 to confirm current service.