The Dunavant, a new $25 steak and bottomless fries concept, is now open down the street from Sycamore Brewing in South End.
The exact address is 2322 Dunavant St., near King of Pops and the intersection of Hawkins and Dunavant.
The 3,600-square-foot restaurant and bar is now open for dinner, although they hope to open for weekend brunch this spring. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Given the location and unique concept, The Dunavant will be a huge hit if they’re able to execute.
I’m dubbing it the ‘Del Frisco’s for millennials.’
Chef Travis Hearne, born in Charlotte and the former executive chef at Vivace, leads the kitchen. Here’s what you need to know about the menu and how it works.
The Dunavant is dining driven with a restaurant-first, bar-second focus. Charlotte seems to only have high-end or chain restaurant steak options, but this aims to hit a middle ground.
The prix fixe menu will be steak and fries style — similar to something like Medium Rare in Washington, D.C.
“Sometimes you just wanna have a nice night out but you don’t wanna have to break the bank to do so,” Chef Travis Hearne told the Agenda. “The idea came from recalling the places we missed the most from other cities and realizing we each have a similar steak frites concept on our lists. … We just thought it’s crazy that Charlotte doesn’t have a place like that, so we decided to give them one.”
The Dunavant will have a $25 fixed price, all the time. For $25, here’s what you’ll get:
- Bread
- Soup or salad: Dunavant Salad (organic salad greens tossed in their house-made vinaigrette) and a soup du jour.
- Steak: 12-ounce butter-seared culotte cut of Black Angus top sirloin. If you’re never had a culotte cut, it tastes similar to NY strip. The steak will be served with your choice of seasonal sauce: cafe de Paris, gorgonzola crema or mushroom and veal demi.
- Fries: Unlimited servings of their french fries.
Yes, you get all that for $25. Damn.
In addition to this prix fixe menu, you can also order small plates that include: cheese board ($10), charcuterie board ($10), carpaccio ($10), beef skewers ($9), bacon mac and cheese ($8), roasted brussel sprouts ($8), roasted mushrooms ($9) and stuffed mushrooms ($9).
Dessert options include crème brûlée ($4), three scoops of ice cream ($6) and sorbet ($6).
[Agenda steak lover’s guide: Must-try steakhouses in Charlotte and what to order at each]
Bacon mac and cheese — macaroni pasta, house-made four-cheese mornay sauce and Benton’s smoked bacon topped with Panko breadcrumbs
Strawberry sorbet. Agenda related guide: Best new restaurants in Charlotte
The space features a panoramic 16-seat U-shaped bar with a smart casual style. There will also be a sunken patio fronted by two gigantic garage doors for outdoor dining when the weather warms up.
With the location being sneaky close to Sycamore Brewing, The Dunavant will help extend the walkability of the area and adds another desirable dining destination.
With its cool South End location, unique concept, approachable price point and fun layout, it’s going to be slammed.
The Dunavant sits in a cool, mid century modern building with an additional 14,000 square feet available for office or retail that Argos Real Estate is marketing. D3 Studio is the architect and Fairwood Construction is doing the build out.
