Nellie's Southern Kitchen
Review! Belmont, North Carolina // American Restaurant // underhyped
the ELEVATOR PITCH
Calling all Jonas Brothers fans… did you know their family opened a restaurant in Belmont, North Carolina in 2016 in honor of their great grandmother Nellie Jonas, that later expanded to a second location in Las Vegas in 2022?!
Right, I didn’t know either, so I guess Charlotte’s kind of pretty cool huh? It turns out that you don’t need to go to Nashville, Tennessee or Los Angeles’ Hollywood to get some celebrity action, just shimmy over to this up and coming suburb of the Queen City!
Nellie Jonas lived in Belmont until she passed in 2011, and was always known for her incredible cooking, hosting, and devout faith. The Jonas family, led by Denise and Kevin Jonas, Sr. (parents to Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas), put in a lot of work to ensure the professional chefs executed the family’s original recipes immaculately, and it was only then they were allowed to serve the dishes to customers!
While I wouldn’t consider myself a JoBros “fan” (for the record, I’m neutral), it was still a cool experience to order her Fried Green Tomatoes and her Shrimp & Grits (which, you’ll see later in the food reviews, had such an interesting twist!) and her Banana Pudding.
The price tag can be on the higher end, but between the pretty plating, innovative execution of the dishes, well-balanced flavors, and decent portions, the final bill ended up feeling quite fair. If anything, you’re paying the price of almost living the life of a Jonas Brother, which is a cool thing you don’t get to do every day. 😉
what did we order?
keep scrolling for honest reviews 👇
Fried Green Tomatoes: loved the pickled onions and horse radish with the Fried tomatoes. The batter stayed on really well too, which makes the ratio between the tomato and batter perfect! (rating: 10/10)
Fried Chicken: breading was crisp and thin and stayed on decently, and was flavorful, but the meat did get a little bland in the middle. Meat was juicy. Breading had a slight oily taste that was reminiscent of KFC (rating: 8/10)
👉 Trinity Corn: mega flavorful and seasoned (maybe slightly too salty though), is cooked with celery, red pepper, onions. Some of the corn weren't juicy and crisp, but were dry & felt like husks (rating: 7/10)
👉 Cajun Potatoes: relatively mediocre in look and flavor, felt like any old Diner/cafeteria potatoes. Would've expected more crispy edges and seasoning (rating: 4/10)
Chef Mario’s Shrimp & Grits: soooo creative!!! Loved the pan grilled grits cake. The grit cake does get bland in the middle, but they give you enough sauce to sop it up. The shrimp was so flavorful and delicious too! (rating: 10/10)
Banana Pudding: not artificially yellow, which is a huge plus. Loved getting to eat the vanilla wafers on bottom that felt like cake! A little more wafers wouldn’t have hurt for me! (rating: 9/10, but my husband gave it a 10/10 because it was the perfect ratio of “stuff” to pudding, and not too sweet of a whipped cream for him!)
the RÉSUMÉ
address // featured: 36 N Main St, Belmont, NC 28012
⭐ another location in Las Vegas, Nevada
operations //
Tuesday - Thursday, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday, CLOSED
logistics // free parking lot next to the restaurant or along the street out front
⭐ reservations are recommended but not mandatory
amenities //
public bathrooms, changing tables available
accessible (i.e., well-lit, wheelchair accommodating table heights)
plenty of indoor seating, and some (covered) outdoor seating in upstairs loft area
family-friendly (kid’s menu, high chairs, etc.)
vibes // industrial chic with minor whimsigoth accents (like those birds lining the rim of the chandeliers)
menu prices and some of the plating make the restaurant feel like “oooh fancy” but 80% of the dining parties were dress casual or Sunday best
menu // “locally sourced and crafted with love”
beverages ($3.75 - $4.00): coffee, iced/hot tea, fruit juices, sodas (Coca-Cola)
⭐ libations ($8.00 - $14.00): cocktails, beer, wine
appetizers ($9.00 - $14.00): artichoke dip, fried green tomatoes, wings, pimento cheese dip, fries, chicken tenders, etc.
⭐ gluten-free options available
food food ($4.00 - $45.00): chicken sandwiches, burgers, salads (cobb, Caesar, wedge, etc.), steaks (ribeye, NY strip, filet), meatloaf, shrimp & grits, chicken & waffles, chicken n’ dumplings, fried chicken, fish & chips
⭐ vegetarian options available
⭐ breakfast & brunch menu available
sides ($6.00 - $7.00): mashed potatoes, collard greens, coleslaw, mac n’ cheese, cornbread, sweet potato fries, etc.
desserts ($8.00): peanut butter pie, brownie sundae, cookie skillet, peach cobbler
recs // the fried green tomatoes are probably some of the best I’ve had!! I can’t get over how well the batter stayed on 🙌
totally something you should put on your bucket list if you’re looking for something unconventional but local!
site // Nellie's Southern Kitchen
~ cath!!
Southern food is the BOMB