L'Ostrica
Review! Charlotte, North Carolina // New American restaurant // upscale & elevated
The ELEVATOR PITCH
Italian for “oyster”, L’Ostrica is an ode to co-owners Cat Carter and Eric Ferguson’s mutual love and appreciation for oysters—the meal they had on their first date. That fateful meal over oysters wasn’t only the beginning of their life together, but it was also the catalyst for their restaurant concept—a place where they could serve the community with a menu that composes Italian, Japanese, French, and Korean cuisine1 into one harmonious song.
Similar to how the menu does a great job fitting different flavors together like lost puzzle pieces, Cat and Eric compliment each other seamlessly as co-owners.
Cat is the marketing and brand strategist, the behind-the-scenes powerhouse, and the wine menu creative. She was a food writer in her past life, and you’ll frequently see her popping between tables to explain a dish here and there at L’Ostrica’s tasting menu experiences.
Eric is a professional chef who has worked at Barrington’s, Good Food on Montford, and Stagioni in Charlotte. He brings extensive fine dining experience from his time at Michelin-star restaurant Quince in San Francisco and culinary prowess from his time as the executive chef of Nick’s Italian Cafe in Oregon (where the restaurant won a James Beard award under his leadership). In case you needed more reasons to trust L’Ostrica with Italian cuisine, just know that Eric also did a stint in Umbria, Italy to refine his pasta-making techniques.2 🤯
Now, Eric is the head chef at L’Ostrica and stays busy creating the seasonal menus. L’Ostrica prides itself in sourcing everything local to the city (they frequent the farmers markets in Charlotte) or the state (they use local North Carolina stone-milled flour, etc. in some of their dishes), and all ingredients are fresh from the source (for example, their Tsar Nicoulai Estate/Reserve caviar is shipped overnight). But don’t be fooled by L’Ostrica’s very elegant and fancy fine dining feel—it actually started with humble beginnings as a catering company for its first 2 years in business. Its grand opening as a sit-down establishment was in in November 2023!
The interior of L’Ostrica is stunning and intimate. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in the sun’s rays, and depending on the time of day, the interior can feel like dappled sunlight coming through tree leaves—gentle and easy on the eyes—or sparkly diamonds refracting bright LED lights3 in a jewelry store—glittery and jaw-dropping. And during golden hour, the light through the windows gives everything a sun-kissed glow.
The open kitchen in the back and the small lounge area in the front both give the restaurant a homey feeling. It feels like you’ve just walked into a friend’s beautiful abode for a dinner party—meandering your way through the foyer, into the kitchen, and finding your usual spot by the island where you perch and snack on cheese and olives while the chef works their magic.
The more I’ve visited L’Ostrica, the more I’ve realized how multi-faceted they are. While they’re most known for their Signature Tasting Experience, L’Ostrica isn’t just a restaurant offering a 10-course tasting menu—owners Cat and Eric know the Signature Tasting Experience isn’t for everyone, and have established various other ways someone can dine at L’Ostrica, making the restaurant accessible and essential to as much of the community as possible. For example, you can pop into L’Ostrica for a special “sandwich of the day” for lunch, pick up a bottle of wine and a selection of prepared foods for a quick dinner, or order from an à la carte menu at the bar in the evening. On Sundays, they have a casual supper menu where the dishes are centered around a theme and are offered at a more affordable price. Between all of the different menu options at L’Ostrica, you can tell Cat and Eric have a large passion for food, flavors, and serving the community.
While the tasting menu changes season-to-season and the sandwich of the day switches day-to-day, you can count on one thing staying the same: L’Ostrica will showcase each season’s flavors in innovative ways, and show your taste buds a whole new world 🎶 (like Aladdin did for Jasmine).
menu items
lunch at L’Ostrica
honest reviews below 👇
THE BALBOA
This kind of sandwich always has me salivating upon first glance. There’s something about cured meats and greens on focaccia that is an instant yes for me! And L’Ostrica didn’t disappoint, the sandwich tasted just as good as it looked: It was generous on the cured meats, served with a fluffy & crispy focaccia, and I absolutely loved that the giardiniera had chunks of fresh veggies (versus the store-bought kind that can be pickled or diced too small). Being a sucker for veggies, the addition of broccoli rabe was the cherry on top of an already bomb sandwich. (rating: 11/10)
THE CRAB CAKE
Crab cakes, when done right, are one of those menu items that always teleport me to a coastal town when I eat them, and give me such a vacation-y feel. Needless to say, I have my list of criteria of what I like in a crab cake, and this one checked all of the boxes: (1) real crab was used, (2) the cake itself was 80-100% comprised of crab (versus bolstered with fillers), and (3) well-crisped on the outside and well-seasoned overall. The remoulade imparted a horseradish-y kick that brought a perfect lightness to the sandwich. (rating: 11/10)
FRENCH FRIES
The size and cut of these heavily reminded me and my husband of Five Guys fries, but better in texture in that almost every single French fry was fried to a perfect crispness—no soggy fries here (while I do love soggy fries, there’s something about a crispy French fry that can’t be beat)! Another characteristic that stands these out from other French fries are that they are generously seasoned with salt and pepper. Almost too much for me (for once I was needing ketchup to counter the salt), but my husband thought it was perfect! (rating: 9.8/10)
CAROLINA MARKET SALAD
This salad brings together such nuanced taste. You can tell each component is so intentionally orchestrated. I’ve never had dill in a salad, but it brought so much to the table here: a punch of freshness that didn’t overtake but instead really enhanced everything it was hanging out with. The creamy shallot vinaigrette was also less “shallot-y” than I expected, and tasted more like a subtle Ranch, but I enjoyed how it mellowed out the raw veggies and hugged them well! (rating: 10/10)
signature tasting experience (May 2025)
honest reviews below 👇
COURSE 1: AMUSE DUO
When this platter arrived, I couldn’t get over how dainty and cute these hors d’oeuvres were! Taste & texture wise, the Hokkaido scallop tart had a savory & lemony profile; the pear inside provided a nice crisp contrast to the soft and silky scallop. The potato puff tasted like a potato chip with an afterthought of Asian-snack-umami; the caviar on top brought a soft & smooth creamy element that felt almost like this was “dip on chips”. Overall, the look was more unique than the flavor—I would’ve preferred to be able to taste all of the different elements of each a lot more. (rating: 8/10)
COURSE 2: SPRING SALAD
Visually, I loved the contrast between the vibrant greens and yellow brined yolk with the dark plate. The salad itself reminded me of veggies with ranch—but elevated. The sugar snap peas were so crisp and fresh, it felt like I was eating it straight from the garden. The shallot vinaigrette complimented everything very nicely, adding the perfect amount of flavor without overriding the beauty and simplicity in spring greens. The brined egg yolk was slightly crispy from being breaded & fried, and while it was a unique experience, I don’t know if I needed it (I think I could’ve been just as satisfied with the salad without it). All in all, one of the best salads I’ve had! (rating: 9/10)
COURSE 3: MUSSELS & GREEN GARLIC
This was extremely warming and comforting, it’s the kind of soup you’d want when it’s winter or you just need a hug! It had a flavor profile similar to clam chowder but with the volume cranked high on the garlic notes. The mussels here strangely tasted like sausage to me (my husband disagrees) but I liked it that way and thought it was so unique. This soup was my first introduction to white asparagus baek kimchi, and I also fell in love with that! My only disappointment was wishing I could taste the chili oil a smidge more, but other than that, it was a solid dish. (rating: 9.5/10)
COURSE 4: CRAB CHAWANMUSHI
Ooo la la. I’m a sucker for crab roe/rich seafood flavors, so this crab Japanese custard was right up my alley! The egg custard tasted exactly like if salted egg yolks had been liquified into a steamed egg—decadent and savory and buttery. The texture is so silky, and paired with the tender crab meat, the entire thing was a dream. It was crab boil, but make it super elegant. With all of the richness though, I found myself yearning for some rice to mix it with or some bread for dipping. (rating: 9/10)
COURSE 5: PERIWINKLES & PEAS
How cute is this plating?! I felt like this course on its own represented L’Ostrica so well in how it blended the East and the West. The flavor had deep Asian savory notes that reminded me of Miso ramen, while visually sporting a very western seaside coastal look with the aerated cream contrasting with the green English peas and the rocky stoneware. Though the dish is visually stimulating, it felt like it was missing a bit of something something to give the flavor palate a smidge more dimension. (rating: 8.5/10)
COURSE 6: AGNOLOTTI
This course was one of my favorites! Cat came over to give us the introduction, and shared that they use local North Carolina stone-milled flour in the pasta dough to give it more depth—and I concur, you can taste it in the pasta’s heartiness. Everything about this was perfect: the thinly sliced porcini just melts in your mouth (attention all mushroom haters, you won’t hate this one), the butter sauce is luscious and lightly coats the pasta pillows just enough to aid in flavor, and the rabbit meat is super tender. I also really enjoyed the mini baguettes for mopping up all of the remaining sauce. It felt like I was enjoying a hearty savory comforting meal of chicken & dumplings! (rating: 10.5/10)
COURSE 7: FISH
When our server said the highlight of the dish wasn’t actually the haddock, I was very intrigued! But once I started digging in, it all made sense: the fish espagnole sauce is like a dynamic tomato soup (that almost felt like it had soy sauce in it too?), and the fresh haddock is more like a blank canvas for it to shine on. What’s also cool is, the fresh black pepper on the side of the fresh haddock isn’t just for looks—it packs a punch that adds a lovely touch to the entire dish. That said, after a couple of bites, the dish’s flavor felt repetitive and I found myself wanting more dimension. (rating: 8.5/10)
COURSE 8: DUCK
The tangy-sweet contrast on this dish reminded me heavily of sweet & sour Shanghainese ribs or a teriyaki steak—a mature sweet & sour that I’ve only had in East Asian dishes thus far. The duck was a little on the chewier end and heavily relied on the sauce for flavor. This dish was enjoyable because it had a nostalgic flavor profile for me, but the other courses stood out more overall! (rating: 7.5/10)
COURSE 9: BEEF TWO WAYS
As the name suggests, this dish features beef in two ways! It’s another course that exemplifies “East meets West” super well…here, a French bourguignon-tasting beef teams up with a Japanese steak tartare. The grilled ribeye was very tender and when paired with the sauce, had a lot of pizzazz—hands down one of the best steaks I’ve had in Charlotte! The beef tartare cup was a nice contrast to the grilled steak in its cacophony of crispy crunchy (from the nori, the cucumber) and east Asian umami (from the shiitake mushroom mousse, the nori flakes). The sweet potato purée was a fun way to eat sweet potato (and paired nicely with the steak), adding visual appeal to a plate that already was very artfully constructed. (rating: 10/10)
COURSE 10: CHEESECAKE
When it came time for the dessert course, I did NOT expect this beauty. I mean, look at this! It’s an entire edible ecosystem! Everything about this hit home for me: the deconstructed cheesecake concept allowed for you to create your own flavor and texture pairings, and I had a lot of fun combining a spoonful of the goat cheese cheesecake (the goat cheese was not overwhelming at all) with various combinations of the basil foam, fried capers, blueberry velouté, lemon, and shortbread crumble. The course had a way of satiating both your sweet tooth and entertaining your taste buds. An absolute highlight of the night. (rating: 11/10)
MEAL CAP TRIO
So, this was an absolute bonus “course” that I didn’t see coming at all and it was such a special treat to enjoy! There was something on this plate for everyone: a deep cocoa lightened by shreds of coconut packaged in the smoothest mousse-like truffle, a sweet-tangy-sour profile in the body of the most delicate of jellies, and a toothsome buttery, bright, and warming cookie. I truly felt spoiled with this palate cleanser of a meal cap! (rating: 10.5/10)
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 4701 Park Rd D, Charlotte, NC 28209
operations // Wednesday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM; Sunday, 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM; Monday - Tuesday, CLOSED.
Lunch hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Chef’s Market hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Bar Seating: Wednesday - Saturday, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Signature Tasting Experience: Wednesday - Saturday, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday Supper: Sunday, 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
logistics //
reservations are required for the Signature Tasting Experience and the Sunday Supper
lunch can sell out; go early to make sure you get yours!
parking is free in the garage attached to the same building
amenities //
2 public bathrooms
accessible
indoor dining space available + outdoor seating available on the patio
vibes // modern & sleek, yet warm & welcoming
menu // very seasonal, changing week-to-week; can be made gluten-free or vegan if ordered in advance
Lunch ($18.00 - $24.00): sandwich of the day + side of choice between house salad or French fries
Bar Menu ($5.00 - $75.00): arancini, oysters, hand cut fries, caviar service, etc.
Signature Tasting Experience ($110.00 - $175.00/per person): option between a 7-course and 10-course; you can expect bite-sized or devoured-in-a-couple-of-spoonfuls-sized dishes that are packed with flavor, visual intrigue, and interesting texture.
⭐ beverage pairings ($55.00 - $95.00/per person): choose between a selection of spirit-free/alcohol-free drinks or the wine pairings
Sunday Supper ($75.00/per person): themed dinners, served table family style with a starter, entrée, and dessert
recs // hands down, their sandwiches of the day are worth the money and the trek; the salad is delicious, but the hand cut fries are still my fave! Follow them on Instagram: lostrica_mkt, to get the latest SOTD drop 💥
👉 while I did enjoy the Signature Tasting Experience, it felt just shy of worth it to me for the price. I expected more of the courses to be more mind-blowingly unique and leave a lasting impact that makes me want to reorder again and again, but only a handful felt that way to me; most were fairly one-note in their flavor palates. That said, you can definitely taste the talent and attention to detail poured into each course, and I am not minimizing that!
site // L'Ostrica
Bowler, Taylor. “L’Ostrica Makes a 10-Course Wager.” Charlotte Magazine. (March 4, 2024)
Barrero, Laura. “First look: New tasting menu restaurant and chef's market L'Ostrica opening near Montford.” Axios Charlotte. (October 18, 2023)
Liao, Michael. “How to Choose Jewelry Store Lighting: The Ultimate Guide.” Upward Lighting. (March 2, 2024)
The food looks delish but that purse is also so so pretty