‘It is old Charlotte — we are still here.’ For 70 years, Circle G has offered Southern cuisine
The Godley family opened Circle G Restaurant in 1954 to serve Charlotteans in Couldwood, Oakdale and other West Charlotte neighborhoods. A grand opening advertisement in The Charlotte Observer promoted a “55 cent businessman’s lunch” alongside “steaks out of the west.”
Seventy years later, restaurant owner Sally Kakavitsas greets customers by name at 11:30 a.m. — the daily lunch rush starts early at this local staple.
“A lot of Charlotteans have been on this side of town for a long time,” Kakavitsas told CharlotteFive. “People say finding a longtime Charlottean is like finding a unicorn — but that’s not true here.”
Since purchasing Circle G in 2000, Kakavitsas has maintained the restaurant’s family atmosphere, keeping the Godley’s original Southern menu, raising her children in the dining room and creating a welcoming place for newcomers and regulars alike.
Over the lunch hour, customers stroll in and out, often hugging a hostess or stopping to chat with other diners.
“It reminds me of old Charlotte,” said customer Beau Bailey. “It is old Charlotte — we are still here.”
A labor of love
Circle G is one of those spots with an intimidatingly large menu. Amid salads, wraps, hot subs, burgers and more sit daily specials — both entrees and side dishes.
“Our home-cooked specials are awesome,” Kakavitsas said. “We change the vegetables every day so they’re fresh. We start cooking at 5 or 6 each morning — we slice the squash ourselves, roll out our own dumplings. It’s a labor of love.”
On Fridays, the kitchen staff is busy boiling turkeys for the turkey and dressing special. For decades, Southern staples have prevailed at Circle G.
“We sell a ton of fried chicken and fried flounder,” Kakavitsas said. “But it’s the old-school country vegetables for me — I literally eat them every day.”
Circle G offers a hearty breakfast spread, too. The menu is filled with enough options to rival any diner — biscuits, pancakes, omelets and more. For the super hungry, there’s a ribeye steak and eggs dish to begin the day. Much like lunch, however, country cooking takes the cake at Circle G.
“We sell the heck out of livermush,” Kakavitsas said. “And I’ve gotta say, our grits are really good.”
Delicious food and friendly faces
Like so many classic restaurant owners, Kakavitsas wears as many hats as needed to keep things running. “I’ve waited tables, washed dishes, and I still bus tables. And I hate to cook — but you do what you gotta do,” she laughed.
It’s more than a job for the restaurateur, though.
“It’s cool to see people celebrate birthdays here. We recently had someone celebrate their hundredth birthday here,” Kakavitsas said. “This might be the only place someone talks to another person all day — we’re that place for so many people.”
Tim Sapp is among the regulars with a fierce loyalty to Circle G. “I’ve been coming here for 49 years,” Sapp told CharlotteFive. “I eat lunch here every weekday, and I bring my family every Saturday for breakfast.”
For Sapp, Circle G is a familiar spot with delicious food and friendly faces. “I’m their unpaid spokesperson,” Sapp joked. “You gotta try the strawberry banana pudding.”
He goes all in for breakfast each weekend with a typical order consisting of three scrambled eggs, grits, pancakes with strawberries, bacon and livermush — really crispy.
70 years of family
Circle G is a special place for Kakavitsas. “I raised my kids here,” she said. “They grew up crawling through boxes in the stockroom and sitting behind the register.” Sprinkled into the restaurant’s stability and tradition, however, have been some surprises along the way.
The hit television series “Homeland” filmed several scenes inside of Circle G during its first three seasons. And the more recent film “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain” shot a scene in the dining room.
There have even been some additions to the menu in recent years. The beef and chicken kabobs over rice, served with a homemade chimichurri sauce, is a newer dish that customers love. For the most part, though, Circle G plans to stick with what’s worked for seven decades — Southern cooking, friendly staff and a family feel.
Circle G Restaurant
Location: 4818 Rozzelles Ferry Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Cuisine: Southern
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday, 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
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