The Palm Charlotte

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Century of Tradition, Now in Charlotte

The Palm has been a dining institution since 1926, when Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi arrived in New York from Parma, Italy and opened a restaurant on Second Avenue. The name itself carries a small piece of history: "Parma" was misheard and registered as "Palm" — and the name stuck. What followed was nearly a hundred years of family ownership, four generations deep, built on a single guiding philosophy: treat guests like family, serve great food, and always exceed expectations.

The Charlotte location at Phillips Place carries that same inheritance. It is part of a carefully grown family of restaurants that expanded from New York to Washington D.C., Houston, Chicago, and beyond — each one honoring the traditions Pio and John established on that first day.

Rooted in Italian-American Hospitality

The Palm's Italian roots run through everything it does. From the beginning, the restaurant drew journalists, artists, civic leaders, and working families alike — people who came for the food and stayed for the atmosphere. That mix of the prominent and the everyday is still part of the character. As the restaurant puts it: "It's like the family you want to visit again and again. Authentic. Intimate. A little quirky. Always amazing food."

The menu reflects the Italian and seafood traditions the founders brought with them. The addition of a two-pound lobster by the second generation of owners — Walter Ganzi and Bruno Bozzi — launched what became a signature Surf 'n' Turf combination. Later, a four-pound whole lobster joined the menu, cementing the restaurant's reputation for generous, quality-driven seafood alongside its prime steaks.

Recognition and the Wine List

Wine Spectator awarded The Palm its Award of Excellence in 2020, a recognition that speaks to the care put into the wine program — a fitting complement to the Italian and seafood-forward kitchen. Whether you're at lunch, dinner, or hosting a private event or catered gathering, the wine list is built to match the ambition of the food.

A Place to Mark the Moments

The Palm Charlotte is the kind of room where business deals get closed and anniversaries get celebrated in the same evening. Outdoor seating extends the experience when the weather allows. Private parties are a natural fit for a restaurant that has spent a century perfecting the art of making guests feel at home. The caricatures and cartoons that line the walls — a tradition across all Palm locations — give the space personality and a sense of living history that no decorator could manufacture.

This is a restaurant that has been handed down through generations precisely because the core of it doesn't change: good food, genuine hospitality, and a room that feels like somewhere worth returning to.