Catalina Kitchen and Bar — Restaurant in Charlotte

As a regular at Catalina, I typically visit 3-4 times a week, especially to watch college football games. I've always enjoyed sitting at the bar, where the ambiance is relaxed, and the atmosphere is geared toward sports fans. As a former restaurant manager with 18 years of experience in hospitality, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to cater to the needs of your bar guests, especially when it comes to game day. However, during my most recent visit, I encountered an issue that really soured my experience. On this particular Saturday afternoon, I was at the bar enjoying a football game on the TV right in front of me. Things took a turn when a group of seven people came in, asking to watch a different game. To my surprise, the manager agreed to change the channel on my TV, explaining that their reservation requested it. I’m no stranger to the intricacies of restaurant management, but I found this decision puzzling. The television they wanted to watch was connected to the one I was already watching. When I raised my concern, the manager (Mr. Purple Suit) told me that he had to accommodate the group’s request because of their reservation. To make matters worse, he informed me that I could watch the game I wanted on the TV positioned at an awkward angle, forcing me to either lean over or move entirely. As a long-time industry veteran, I understand the importance of accommodating customers, but it felt like the needs of a walk-in bar guest were being sacrificed for a group seated in the dining room. The bar is meant to be a space for people who want to watch sports comfortably, without having to compete for TV space with a dining room reservation. In this case, it felt as if the priorities were all wrong—no one should have to move or strain to enjoy a game they've come to watch. In the hospitality industry, guests should always feel valued, whether they’re seated at the bar or the dining area. Prioritizing a reservation over a regular bar guest, especially when it impacts the viewing experience, simply doesn’t sit right with me. If the dining room group wanted to watch a specific game, they should’ve taken a seat at the bar, where they could have had a clearer view without disrupting the experience of those already settled in. While Catalina has always been a great spot for sports and a regular part of my routine, this experience left me questioning how they balance the needs of their bar patrons with those of their dining room guests. I hope this was just a one-off mistake, but I’m not sure I’ll be back for game day...

It was my fiancé and I’s first time at Catalina, the atmosphere was great, our server was amazing, and the food was fantastic…or so we thought. I had ordered a lobster roll for dinner, my first lobster roll in fact, and I was very satisfied with it, I ate every bite. A couple of hours later, around 8:30 I started to get stomach cramps and acid reflux, which by 9:30 had turned into explosive trips to the restroom every hour until 10am. As someone who has previously experienced food poisoning this was definitely food poisoning and my first thought was the lobster roll I had had for dinner. When the restaurant opened at 11am I called and I asked for a manager. I explained my situation, what I had been experiencing, and the time on my bank statement proving the time that we had eaten there. I did not want a refund for the full bill, $48.70, I just wanted the $22 I had paid for the lobster roll that had caused me a night of hell on the last night of my vacation. I was informed by the manager that since this was such a popular item that they would call me back if anyone else called and complained, and then they would process my refund. My fiancé’s mother lives 15 minutes away, and we go up to visit often, but I will not be...

Wife and I were in town for a business trip and needed a place to eat a late lunch. The staff was wonderful and attentively, polar opposite to a more pricier and upscale restaurant in Uptown.

The restaurant has plenty of windows so it's well lit and welcoming.

We got the lunch menu and ordered the shrimp and lobster roll, the shrimp Taglitalle) and poke bowl.

The shrimp and lobster roll was great. The pasta was tasty but felt they could have given more pasta. The poke bowl though, was drenched in sauce. Not to be mean, but guess that's what we get for ordering a non-American dish in an American restaurant.

We ate all the tuna and requested the waitress for white rice to soak up the sauce. It made it manageable but still not the best. The waitress was very nice about it and even offered to take it off the bill. We didn't want them to lose money over it and said it's ok.

They validate your parking which is nice - and honestly a reason we ate here rather than the other restaurants across the street. Parking in the garage is so expensive that I fear the neighboring restaurants will start losing business as I believe it's a new garage since many stores were...