forchetta

Excellent service all around. We were happy to support this local small business!

This is a nice, “clean cut” business lunch/dinner restaurant. The space was tidy and well kept. Food was good upscale Italian cuisine with an American twist, rather than traditional Italian. Due to a new menu coming out in the next couple of days they were out of about a third of the items on the current menu, understandably so. Service was prompt. Prices were reasonable for downtown Charlotte. The experience was good overall. We would recommend this place.

Excellent. Thank you

The purses with lobster and mascarpone are to die for! The lobster bisque was rich and flavorful and the lasagna was delicious! Our server was friendly and attentive despite the pre-concert rush of diners.

Food was good but our waiter was not very attentive. In his defense he was very busy but never refilled water, never offered a second drink or other beverage. My husband went to the restroom and the waiter just slap the bill down in front of me never offering desert or asking if we needed anything else. We paid and he walked away without a thank you, goodnight, etc.

Dined there on Feb 15th when a special Valentines Day menu was offered. The food was amazing!! The cost was reasonable and well worth it. Presentation of each course was beautiful, the wait staff was extremely attentive. We had not had a dining experience like that in quite some time. Executive Chef Luca Annunziata personally tended to all the diners. His was a welcome presence throughout the evening, not hidden away in the kitchen. He is a delight. Definitely will return to this delightful restaurant.

Will be back!

Outstanding meal. Luis, or server, was very attentive and highly knowledgeable about the menu. We will ask for him again belt name the next time we dine here.


I can’t say enough about the food. You think that eating dinner at a Holiday Inn is going to be like eating at a chain, well, don’t think they at all. This is one of two places in Charlotte where the Italian dishes are like what I’ve eaten in Campania. Simply delicious.

While they had a set menu and the food overall was pretty good it was pricey for what we got.... the red velvet cake was too dried out to eat. It was like it had been cut and sat out for a few hours. It wasn’t a bad experience overall but we won’t be going back.

The food was excellent!!!

I had been a little hesitant to try this restaurant due to the location in a hotel. But, it did not disappoint. From the Lynchburg lemonade to the burrata salad to the eggplant pasta (without sausage), it was really excellent. The service was impeccable. I'm looking forward to returning.

Everything was excellent from the service to the food and atmosphere. Hope to be able to visit again. Would and have recommended to friends and family.

I've dined here on more than several occasions and each and every time, the food and experience is wonderful! Chef Luca not only makes fantastic food, he also comes out to greet his guests and ensure they're have a good dining experience! Make sure to check out their lunch specials!

The food was creative and exceptional. Have small portions of the pasta dishes available allowed us to sample so many items on the menu. It was delightful.

Food was very tasty and attractively presented. The room was upscale yet casual.
We had play tickets at Spirit Square and it was less than 1 block away. A great evening Uptown Charlotte.

I eat here Periodically for lunch and everything I've ever had has always been very good. They make a simple bar burger that is absolutely delicious. Anyone I've brought with me has always enjoyed this restaurant.

Awesome food and delicious pastas!! Great Mule selection!

We visited forchetta for Restaurant Week and had a great experience. The food was excellent and nicely portioned for restaurant week. Our server gave us personal feedback on the selections and took good care of us. We really enjoyed the entire experience!

Service was good. Sweet waitress Marina. Buttrrnut soup good. Short rib entree fatty couldnt eat half of it. Raspberry creme brulee fabulous!

We had the absolute best server Angelo taking care of us over the course of our dinner. He was very knowledgeable about wines and also the menu options and made us feel very taken care of. My husband ordered the ribeye steak which was one of the best steaks we have ever eaten. Our appetizers were outstanding. I had the muscles and he had the taste of Charlotte award winner. Both are scrumptious. My husband had the tiramisu for dessert and it was also outstanding. I had the chicken dinner which seemed to be somewhat uninspired however as we shared our dishes the steak made up for my dish 10 times over. I would highly recommend this restaurant!

Chef Luca brings knowledge from his Italian roots and we are lucky enough to enjoy his delicious food here in Charlotte. ‘forchetta’ is our go-to when we are eating uptown. You will not be disappointed if you dine there!

Why, oh why, did we wait so long to come eat here? I could just kick myself.

We had eaten at Luca’s other places but hadn’t made our way to Forchetta until Restaurant Week 2020. It was, hands down, top to bottom, the BEST Italian food and one of the BEST meals in general we have ever had.

The Fagottini appetizer, little crepe purses filled with lobster and mascarpone in the most delicious tomato vodka sauce, oh my. And the bone-in pork chop with apple risotto and sautéed cabbage, perfectly tender and juicy. And then the big finish: Aroncino Dolce : a ball of sweetened Arborio rice, stuffed with chocolate, deep fried and set on a puddle of salted caramel sauce and kissed with whipped cream...think of it this way: Cocoa Crispies got married to a donut and they had a baby and gently laid it in a salted caramel and whipped cream crib.

Luca’s love of food and of his patrons shows in each and every carefully crafted bite. And those bites transported us to the Italy we know and love from our honeymoon and subsequent travels. Don’t put off your visit...you will NOT regret a meal Luca cooks for you at Forchetta!

I had the burger which was NOT TASTY AT ALL. It DID NOT HAVE ANY FLAVOR. IT WAS BLAND.

We went to forchetta for Charlotte Restaurant Week, so we ate off of the prix fixe menu. We had a nice time, but it was fairly forchettable. :) We felt rushed by the waiter most of the time. At one point, he tried to wedge my dessert in front of me while I was boxing up my food. He also tried to take my husband's food before he was finished. The ambiance/decor was clean, but nothing special. The food was all good, but again, fairly standard. We enjoyed it, but there are other restaurants that are more memorable!

Valet park and enjoy Chef Luca's culinary dining.

We were there during restaurant week, so not the normal menu, instead, boring sausage pasta (with exactly one piece of sausage) and pork with a lackluster sauce. It was $33 for three courses, I'd rather have paid more and eaten well. The waiter was distracted and inattentive. Never brought bread, etc. etc. Really disappointing. Won't go back.

Forchetta did not disappoint during restaurant week. Chef Luca's reputation was well known to me from his restaurant Passion8. I chose the mussels for my first course. They were plump and tender and the broth was deliciously complex. I only wish I had some bread to dip.

My second course was braised lamb shank with polenta and purple cauliflower. The lamb was fork tender and bursting with flavor. The polenta (very creamy) and cauliflower complimented it well.

For dessert I had what can best be described as an Italian do nut. It was golden brown with a light texture inside with a luscious chocolate filling and garnished with a dollop of whipped cream.

Perfect for date night or special occasion or just to treat yourself.

We went to Forchetta for Restaurant night. I wanted to try the homemade rigatoni, and oh boy they were even better that I expected. The flavor and the texture were perfect and the sauce with homemade sausage it wasn't overpowering. And then the desert was a total surprise....a sweet Arancino! Everything worked! Crunchy, sweet and chocolatey. The chef Luca Annunziata came to the table several times to explain us the food. It made the experience even more enjoyable and personal.

We enjoyed our dinner during restaurant week! The chef was very hands on and took wonderful care of us! His recommendations were spot on for food and wine. Can’t wait to go back for the carbonara.

Had a wonderful time and food was amazing. Chef and the staff were very welcoming and attentive. If you are a wine lover, review the list before you go. Might want to consider doing corkage. I think it is a hotel corporate list and not much of a selection or diversity. If it's a cold night, ask for a table away from the front doors. A nice addition to the Uptown dining scene.

Again another great experience with Chef Luca. We enjoyed the entire meal experience

the service was great and the food was wonderful. the plates were nicely done and there was more than enough to eat.. I would absolutely recommend it and plan to go back to have the lamb which looked amazing!! all in all a very pleasant experience and well worth the money

Fourth visit to this new restaurant with different friends. Highly recommend, friendly service, interesting and well prepared food. Definitely will continue to introduce more friends. Convenient to Blumenthal and Spirit Square theaters as well as Spectrum Arena.

Great service. We had a short time to eat and make a show and they accommodated. Waiter pointed us to quicker items on the menu. Calamari was delicious app

This restaurant is an excellent choice for anyone attending a performance at Blumenthal. Our dinner was delicious, and the service was very good. We definitely plan to return to try other menu items!

The menu has a lot of potential but the flavors were not up to par, lacking complexity. The sauce of the fagottini app was too creamy and too much to be paired with the mascarpone, losing the flavor of the lobster. The focaccia was not dense or chewy enough. The carbonara pasta was too much like an Alfredo sauce, drowning the pancetta. The squid ink pasta was good but again the lobster is lost in the sauce and there were too many breadcrumbs. The octopus appetizer was generously proportioned, but not tender, and the dressing was underpowered. It wasn’t clear if the dish was supposed to be cold or hot - was served lukewarm. The wine list offers several nice choices and good values. The service was friendly and accommodating, attentive to dietary restrictions. My wife has celiac, a gluten allergy, so the carefulness of the staff and the marking of the menu is much appreciated. The desserts featured a really nice flourless chocolate cake with GF biscotti which is quite a treat.

Wonderful, authentic food. We were treated well by our waiter. We shall be back.

Don't let their location in the holiday inn detour you. This is definitely worth your time and money. We started with the calamari and burrata, both a hit with the table, especially the calamari. I have never heard so many ooooo's. We all ordered different entrees and I would say the biggest winner was the lasagna. Oh wow, was it delicious! We also thoroughly enjoyed the steak, the gnocchi, the rigatoni, carbonara and the squid ink pasta. Our two least favorite items, the special of the day, the branzino and the bread basket. Their wine is pretty lack luster though. It starts with many common items (so common you will find them at CVS) and then jumps to high end, like Stag's Leap. Unlike a few other reviewers, our service was great, very attentive and never missed a beat. We really enjoyed our dinner here. Overall, I highly recommend a stop through and definitely get the lasagna!

Has to be one of the best restaurants in Charlotte. We've met the chef numerous times and his whole mission is to give people a great experience, starting with excellent food. His ideas are always creative and interesting but based in tradition. He is very hospitable and his staff is top notch. They go out of their way to make you feel important and welcome. So very friendly and attentive without overdoing it. Everyone in Charlotte needs to go here at least once. But you'll certainly want to go more than that.

A little scary we were the only people there... food was just okay.