See inside the new Soul Gastolounge
Why it matters: The beloved locally owned restaurant closed its prominent Plaza Midwood spot in August 2022. Since its owners announced it would reopen, it has been one of the most anticipated for the city.
Catch up quick: Owners Andy and Lesa Kastanas opened Soul Gastrolounge in 2009, and it quickly became a neighborhood favorite, known for its tapas-style menu — namely their Asian glazed pork belly tacos topped with watermelon, Axios' Katie Peralta Soloff wrote.
Despite a devoted customer base, popular food and beverage menus, and consistently long lines, the Kastanases struggled to keep the business open once rent prices went up. The building on the fast-changing corner of Pecan and Central avenues remains empty to this day.
Driving the news: Soul Gastrolounge will open soon, according to its owners, who are not ready to give an exact timeline yet, but are aiming for later this summer.
Today we visited the restaurant, which is nearly complete and reminiscent of the old Soul.
"By repurposing key design elements from the old place [the copper color of the walls, the light fixtures, the taxidermied peacock], you get an immediate feeling of the old place."
— Scott Weaver, interior designer
Between the lines: The new Soul is more than twice the size of the Plaza Midwood spot. It has a larger kitchen, seats for more than 200 people inside and another 30 on its outdoor patio.
It's not an easy task to recreate the intimate, lounge-y vibe that drew lines out the door of the old location, but Weaver and the Kastanases made it a priority to transform the new 6,400-square-foot restaurant.
"The food has to be the Soul food. The music is so important. But without this vibe to pull it all together ... that's where the magic comes."
— Lesa Kastanas
Dig in: Most of the restaurant's popular menu items, including the lamb lolly skewers, will remain the same.
Richelle Espinosa-Brewer, AKA " Chef Shiki," is the new executive chef, formerly the executive chef of The Crunkleton.
Stop by: The new Soul is located at 4100 Raleigh St., next to Borderline Bar & Billiards, inside The Pass, a mixed-use development near the Independent Picture House, Charlotte Art League, Eighty Eights and Blackbox Theater.
It'll have late-night food options, and its kitchen will be open Sunday—Thursday from 5-11pm and Friday—Saturday 5pm-midnight.
What's next: It's full steam ahead for the Kastanases as they focus on the finishing touches — training staff, perfecting ingredients and "trying to instill what Soul is about into a new generation of people who will help us bring this to life — because we can't do it alone," Lesa said.
Once Soul is up and running, they'll be able to shift their focus to other growing areas of their business. Catering, for example, is something they were never able to do out of the small kitchen in their old Plaza Midwood spot.
They're also reviving another Plaza Midwood favorite next door to Soul — Tattoo Liquor Lounge. The new bar will have its own entrance next to Soul.
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