Dip colorful dumplings, slurp Chinese noodles and more at Sun’s Kitchen in Charlotte
Sun’s Kitchen, the Chinese street food spot that got its start as a ghost kitchen and attracted fans across Charlotte with brightly colored dumplings, is now open in a new South End space.
The dine-in restaurant now sits a short walk away from the light rail’s New Bern station and around the corner from the new Cookie Plug shop.
Owner Brian Sun said the best part of moving from The City Kitch into the bright, modern space that reflects the architectural style of Shanghai is that now he and his staff members can actually interact with customers.
“We’re getting to meet our customers for the first time — people who have been ordering from us for years,” Sun said.
Now, when you walk in, you can place an order at the kiosk or sit down to look at a menu via QR code and it’s likely you’ll see Sun popping in and out of the kitchen to chat or bring you your order. You can also peek through the large opening into the kitchen and watch staff prepping vegetables and stuffing takeout packages.
Dim Sum, dumplings and other Asian street food
Look for a menu with Chinese cuisine from multiple regions, including dim sum, skewers and dumplings — which you can try out in flights.
A dim sum flight ($21) comes with a BBQ Pork Bun, Brown Sugar Custard Bun, two Siu Maai, two Shrimp Dumplings and two Xiao Long Bao Tack on a dim sum dessert with an order a duo of egg tarts or a durian creme brulee.
Its scratch-made dumpling flights ($13.50) come with a selection of its trademark dish, colored with fresh vegetable juice:
White: pork and chive
Orange: beef and carrot
Pink: chicken and mushroom
Green: veggie
Violet: shrimp and chicken.
You also get a choice of dipping sauces to pair with it, with options such as:
Vinegar and soy sauce
Scallion garlic
Cilantro garlic
Spicy garlic
Ma-La Szechuan style
Spicy black bean
Vinegar.
Another street food flight option is Sun’s Kitchen’s skewers ($34.95). It comes with three Lamb Skewers, three Beef Skewers, two Broccoli Skewers, two Tofu Triangles, two Fish Cakes and two Mini Sausages.
A variety of Chinese cuisine
Other menu selections you can dive into are Szechuan-style Dan Dan Noodles, Ma-La Dried Peppers Chicken and Ma-La Shredded Tofu. (Pro tip: You’ll want to try these out. Sun’s uncle is a Szechuan chef who used to work for the Chinese Embassy and owned a restaurant in Washington, D.C., for 30 years.)
Cuisine from Northern China, where Sun was born and raised in Beijing, is also woven into the menu. The restaurant’s recipe for Ja Jang Noodles was passed down in Sun’s family for many generations, and the Beef Stew Rice Bowl is a popular dish in the region.
Sun’s Kitchen
Location: 3216 South Blvd., Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28209
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Instagram: @suns.kitchenclt
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