Wood-fired, seasonal, and right around the corner.

Juniper & Smoke

Juniper was born around a single oak-fired hearth — every dish touches the smoke, and the menu follows what’s ripe within a short drive of Charlotte.

A Southern dinner spread in cast-iron skillets and enamel bowls

Food

Brunch

The season's vegetable plate — charred okra, butterbeans and blistered tomatoes

See MenuFrom the Hearth, This Season

A private celebration at the long table, glasses raised

Private EventsThe Events Table

Juniper & Smoke at dusk, warm light in the windows

Find Us927 Orchard Ave

Our Restaurant

Find the Hearth

One neighborhood, one hearth. Most of our tables are filled by people who live close enough to walk here — and a handful are held every night for exactly that.

Call (704) 555-0164 Get Directions

Address927 Orchard Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204

DinnerTue–Sun, 5–10 p.m.

BrunchSat & Sun, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

MondaysClosed — the hearth rests

Good to knowWalk-ins at the hearth counter · Street parking on Orchard Ave

From the Hearth

Start with the cornbread. Everyone does.

Skillet cornbread with whipped sorghum butter and flaky salt — it comes off the fire first, and it sets the pace for everything after.

Skillet cornbread with whipped butter, steam rising, on dark green linen

Buttermilk fried chicken with biscuits and sauces on a wooden board

SUNDAYS
ONLY Featured DishButtermilk Fried Chicken — until it runs out. It runs out.

Wood-fired duck breast with sweet potato and juniper jus

From the FireWood-Fired Duck Breast, juniper jus, crispy skin

Friends celebrating at the events table over shared platters

Events & Private HireBirthdays, rehearsal dinners, and whole-room buyouts for up to forty — ask for Ruth.

Neighbors Eat First

One of our three house rules, kept since day one: a handful of tables are held every night for walk-ins from the neighborhood. This is your dining room as much as it is ours.

Biscuits and sawmill gravy with shrimp and grits and coffee

Weekend BrunchSat & Sun, 10–2 — coffee first, decisions after.

Menus

From the Hearth, This Season

A short menu, cooked over oak and rewritten as the seasons turn. Cooked over oak, seasoned by the season, served like family — these are this month’s highlights; the full menu waits at your table.

Dinner Highlights

DINNER · TUE–SUN FROM 5

Skillet Cornbread9

Whipped sorghum butter, flaky salt

Charred Okra & Butterbeans14

Blistered tomatoes, herb oil

Wood-Fired Duck Breast34

Sweet potato, juniper jus, crispy skin

Smoked Short Rib36

Twelve hours over oak, stone-ground grits

The Season’s Vegetable Plate24

Whatever the farms brought this week, all of it kissed by the fire

Buttermilk Fried Chicken27

Sundays only, until it runs out — it runs out

Weekend Brunch

BRUNCH · SAT & SUN 10–2

Shrimp & Stone-Ground Grits19

Country ham, scallion, a little heat

Sweet Potato Pancakes15

Pecan butter, maple from the mountains

Hearth-Baked Frittata16

Seasonal vegetables, goat cheese, skillet toast

Biscuits & Sawmill Gravy13

Buttermilk biscuits baked at open, every morning

The Full Southern18

Eggs any way, bacon, grits, biscuit, fruit

Seasonal Fruit Cobbler10

Baked in the hearth after the fire dies down

Menus change with the market, so a dish here may have given its seat to something fresher by the time you sit down. Tell us about allergies when you reserve and the kitchen will be ready for you.

House Rules

Kept Since Day One

Three rules run the kitchen. They’ve been on the wall by the hearth since the first service, and they aren’t coming down.

Fire Is the Only Fuel

Every dish touches oak smoke or a cast-iron pan over it. No gas assist, no electric shortcut — the fire decides the pace of the night.

Farms Get Named

The farms behind the menu are printed on it, and most sit within a short drive of Charlotte. Shorter roads, fresher plates.

Neighbors Eat First

A handful of tables are held every night for walk-ins from the neighborhood. This is your dining room as much as it is ours.

Plan a Night at the Hearth

How a Night Runs

Step 1

Reserve Ahead

Weekend tables by the hearth go first. Book by phone or email — and walk-ins are always welcome at the hearth counter.

Step 2

Order to Share

The menu is built for the middle of the table. Start with cornbread and whatever came off the fire most recently.

Step 3

Book the Next One

Birthdays, rehearsal dinners, and whole-room buyouts for up to forty — our events table is where the neighborhood celebrates.

Our Story

The Two People Behind the Fire

Juniper & Smoke is a neighborhood Southern kitchen in Charlotte built around a single wood-fired hearth. The menu follows what’s ripe within a short drive of the city, the room is warm without being fancy, and most of the tables are filled by people who live close enough to walk here.

Daniel Okafor

Chef & Co-Owner

Trained in Charleston kitchens and raised on his grandmother’s cast iron. Daniel built the hearth himself — brick by brick — and still works it every service.

Ruth Calloway

Owner & Host

Ruth ran dining rooms across Charlotte for fifteen years before opening her own. She’ll likely greet you by name on your second visit, and remember your table by the third.

From the Neighborhood

Word Around the Block

“Booked it for a birthday, came back the next weekend just for the cornbread.”

— A Guest From Dilworth

“Brunch here is our family’s Saturday rule now. The kids ask for the pancakes by name.”

— Regulars, Plaza Midwood

Reservations

Save Your Seat by the Fire.

Reservations by phone or email — tell us the night, the count, and any occasion worth marking. For private events, ask for Ruth.

Call (704) 555-0164 Email the Restaurant

Stay in Touch

The Hearth Letter

Menus change with the seasons — hear about them first, plus brunch specials and events-table openings. Sign up!