"Owner Dan Nguyen and her family-run Vietnamese restaurant are so beloved in Charlotte that regulars started a fundraising campaign to keep the place open through the pandemic. It worked, and Lang Van is thriving again — and as crowded as ever. The menu at lunch and dinner still has more than 130 items, and Nguyen still uncannily remembers what customers like when they come back. Try banh xeo, a classic curry-yellow pancake filled with shrimp; com chien thom, pineapple fried rice served in a hollowed-out pineapple half; or the crispy quail, served with a little dish of salt and black pepper with lemon." - Timothy DePeugh, Kathleen Purvis
