Peno Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Charlotte

UPDATE: 2/16/2025..My husband and I returned for lunch today for the first time since my 10/27/2024 review. We arrived a little before noon on Sunday 2/16. There were no customers in the restaurant. An employee greeted us as we walked in. As we were looking in the case to see what was available, the manager came out, greeted us with a smile and said they had everything available “because they knew we were coming “. Then he asked if I had written a review to which I acknowledged that I had. He pointed to the area where the tea usually is and told us they had “just ran out of tea”. They were completely out of unsweet and sweet tea at noon which seemed odd that both would have ran out at the same time. There was no indication they were making more tea because the containers were not out. I guess there was no plan to have tea available for customers the remainder of the day. The manager generously offered to go somewhere to buy tea for us. I have no idea where he would go to buy tea unless it was Trader Joes or another restaurant. We decided to leave without ordering so I cannot say if they had all of the sides available on this day. As I mentioned in my first review, it isn’t just the tea issue there have been other issues over the past several months. We have really enjoyed frequently dining here for a long time. This has been one of our favorite restaurants in the area. However, this will be our last time driving the 30+ minutes to Peno unless we hear improvements have been made. ———————————————————————- My husband and I have dined frequently at Penos in Charlotte since they first opened. Over time, things have gradually gone downhill. Two weeks ago on Sunday, October 20, we arrived for lunch only to be told the tea machine was broken. We left without ordering. The following Sunday, October 27, we returned for lunch to find the tea machine had not been repaired or replaced. Again, we left without ordering.The weekend crew had no idea if a new tea machine had been ordered or if the broken one was to be repaired. If this were the first such incident, we could overlook a broken tea machine for 2 weeks. But, during the past year there have been numerous issues. We and other customers clean our own table with wipes that we bring or with the wipes/cloths they have available. The tables are dirty at 11:30 am which may show they aren’t cleaned at closing the night prior. Many times between 11:30 and 1:00 they will not have cilantro sauce, avocado tomato salad, baba ganoush or sweet tea. I will say the weekend crew is the best at cooking the chicken. During the week, the chicken can be dry and overcooked. The tabouli is very acidic so we stopped ordering that. I would think this is just the way the Penos chain is. But, we have also dined at Penos in Wilmington, NC. There is a world of difference in the food and atmosphere. An employee in Wilmington told us someone from that location had been in Charlotte to train the employees. We told them that they need to return to Charlotte to retrain them on how to make the tabouli, grape leaves, etc. and how to run the restaurant. This is such a shame about the decline of the Charlotte location because we have enjoyed Penos for many years. The manager is friendly as are the employees. At one point, we had asked the manager if they would consider opening a Penos in the Kannapolis/Concord area where there is a lot of growth happening. I hope this restaurant can fix whatever issues...

We tried Peno for the first time on 12/31/2018 for lunch after seeing the sign when going to the shopping center to visit Trader Joes. Our first experience was exemplary and we will most assuredly return. We happened to walk in at a time when several orders had just been placed and there were only two people working at the time (one of which was the owner). The owner let us know that it might take a few minutes to prep our food since there were several orders ahead of ours. It did take a few minutes longer than is likely normal to receive our order for a quick service restaurant but nothing excessive. He even brought our kids some french fries and apologized for the delay. In addition to the good service we experienced, the food was incredibly fresh and the sanitation of the restaurant excellent. I was particularly impressed with how fresh all the vegetables were for the salads in the case. Cucumbers were crisp, tomatoes flavorful, and hummus was incredible. Freshly grilled pita bread for the hummus was outstanding. Everything else was so good that we tried some baklava for desert and were equally impressed. Final detail to add to the good experience... I noticed that they have completely separate cooking grills for preparing the raw meats from food that is being finalized for serving (grilled pita, veggies / cheese, etc...). It isn't just that the raw meat is on one side of the grill while cooked items are on the other side. They have completely different grills for the raw meat to cook. Made me feel very comfortable about eating there from a food safety perspective and we will most assuredly return for...

Hey everybody, it's ya Boi Chazz. I just want to give a big shout to the people at Peno. I've never had a bad food experience and have always received hot fresh tasty food. Most recently, I called at 8:45pm to order my favorite: Philly Gyro. I knew they closed soon, and was expecting to be turned away on the phone... Nope. I was able to place my order without resistance. I was 10 minutes away, so I flew up there. Arrived at 8:56pm. Food was ready and waiting for me. This is the kind of service that you know is award winning, respectful, skilled and experienced. No attitudes, no slow service, consistently fresh food, and never a problem. I had to make a few other stops, so it took me an additional hour to get home, even though I live across the street. I say all of that to say, with the extended time for me to get back home to eat, you would think the gyro was cold... Nope! It held a great temperature that allowed for a still warm flavorful meal. I can't say the same for any of these unskilled, inexperienced staffed chain dumps. If you're from the hood up top, you know the taste of good food and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This place is who you want to give your...