Newk’s Express Cafe

Good food, my husband loved the lobster bisque! The service here was superb! Everyone was very thoughtful and attentive. The only thing is they are not wheelchair accessible.

I had a simple salad along with a side of mac & cheese. Both were totally edible but nothing overly exciting. The mac & cheese was kind of bland. I think that it needed some fresh ground pepper, but I assumed that they didn’t have that, so I didn’t even ask. The salad was pretty good. I prefer mixed greens that don’t have Romaine. I am kind of a salad snob. The croutons & balsamic vinaigrette were both very tasty.
Newk’s did meet my needs, because I just wanted a quick, casual dinner as I was strolling in Uptown on a Saturday night. Personally, I think that I prefer Newk’s over Panera.

Came here for a quick bite before a show across the street at Belk Theater. Figured we didn’t have time for one of the many prime steakhouses downtown, but Newks has always had a reputation for good food, quick. Not the case tonight. Restaurant steady but not busy by any means, slow enough for only four workers, including who I assume is the manager.
We’ve ordered (a salad and a pizza) and sat for about 15 minutes when the «manager» came to our table and let us know they don’t have sausage for our pizza. That tells me they haven’t even started our order yet. Great. (Hint of sarcasm)
Now this «manager» has been in the food prep area making the salads and delivering the food (and bad news) to the customers. She has gone to the back behind closed doors, she has helped the cashier with a problem with the register by plunking in some numbers or secret codes into the touchscreen computer. Seems like a great manager, right? This person has been wearing the same latex gloves the entire time. Yes, the same pair. Gross.
The cashier was kind enough to turn her head when she coughed while serving us our food. The same cashier that was struggling with the register that the latex glove wearing manager fixed. One can only assume that the very sweet and friendly cashier spread her cough cooties all over that touchscreen.
So to recap, the same pair of latex gloves went from the fresh veggies salad area, out to the restaurant seating area, to the back room, to the register, to our table and then back to dive into the fresh veggies again. Those are some serious traveling gloves!

Wow! What a great place to get a fresh meal. The Lobster bisque was delicious and meaty, and the roast beef sandwich was made to order. The staff was quick to serve and extremely friendly, also a very clean restaurant. A hidden gem. The prices are very reasonable too.

I would give 5 stars because im obbsessed with their food, but AGAIN my order was messed up… I guess all the talent is in the kitchen because the food is always great but the cashiers cant seem to get it right! Im super sad to report that as much as I love this place, I may need to find a new favorite place… I think I gave them penty of chances…

The food was hot and quick. The service was attentive and friendly. The atmosphere was relaxing and quiet for a Monday evening. I had the half sandwich and cup of soup. The portion was generous and tasty!

Newk’s is over rated. The reason it gets so much business is that the space is large enough to host several people during lunch. The food is just okay at best. I had not been here for nearly a year, but gVe it a shot today because it was drizzling outside and I didn’t want to walk far. This was around 3:00. However, after ordering only soup, it took 6 minutes to get my soup. There was no line in front of me. The manager was talking to a staff member and given the time, I could have made it myself 3x in the time it took. When there is a line, 6 minutes is okay. When you’re just waiting on someone to take the initiative to make your order, it’s unacceptable.
On top of that, the food here isn’t great. My crab and corn chowder was salty. There are no discernible pieces of crab in the soup. I think it’s just crab flavored. In the past, when I got sandwiches, the sub bread is far too thick and flavorless. For the price you pay here, you can go to Dean and Deluca or Panera Bread for a meal of much higher quality than here. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. The staff has changed over the last year for the worse and service has suffered.

Newks is great for an express lunch. Great pizzas… and fresh soups and salads. Today i had a salad and soup. Ordinary??? Not really! The soup was Hoppin John. Very tasty with a little heat. The greens and blackeye peas gave it soul!!! Yummy!

First time to Newk’s and the people that work here are go above and beyond for the customer! Great experience all around, and their crab soup is excellent!

Twice now they’ve saved me in a pinch. Once I forgot my salad dressing for my lunch I brought with me to work and they had no problem giving me a little ranch to go.
The second time my boss gives me 15 minutes notice that 7 people need lunch. Easy peasy (and with a smile!), they took the order, waited about 10 minutes and I was on my way. I watched them making people’s salad orders while I waited and they are very efficient as a team and super clean!
I’ve yet to dine at this location, but I will definitely come back.
Work week lunch hours have long lines but move very fast.

since there is no option to give 3.5 stars, i am giving 3. the place is better than most others that I have tried recently. but not too great either. the bread of pizza was too oily for me. and the cake too sugary… like, way too sugary.
will i go there again? probably won’t mind…

Found this place by accident but it is perfect for what I wanted. Large sweet tea, warm and melty pimento cheese poboy with tomato, and side of pasta salad. Delicious. Prices are very reasonable and many good options from which to choose a lunch. They also have multiple weekday soup specials.

Just had a very delicious turkey BLT on freshly made sour dough roll heated comes with a side and I had coleslaw. Order at counter, food delivered and fun music playing, sort of reminds me of a low priced NYC Deli.

While there are lots of lunch options in the area, I was very pleased with Newks on their salads. I have always had Newks as my company catered it alot but to go there and try the salad was scrumptious.

Newk’s had their catering tent out at the South End Hops Festival. We had heard about the «white BBQ sauce» and wanted to give it a try. It was $ 7 for a small chicken BBQ sandwich on one of those cheap squishy hamburger buns with a scoop of pimento mac and cheese. The BBQ sauce was definitely interesting and challenges what you think and know about traditional sauce. The mac and cheese flavor was okay as well. That bun — ugh — totally ruined it for me — especially when at the restaurant they use baguette. For the amount of food I really didn’t see any value. 3 stars is being very generous.

Good place in the heart of uptown! Really tasty sandwiches with a very strong southern kick and taste.
This places gets real busy during peak lunch hours so better be prepared for that! A must try in uptown Charlotte.

I got my salad to go and wasn’t impressed. They didn’t seem prepared for the lunch rush and everything was disorganized. It’s too mechanical.
Granted, there aren’t many good quick lunch spots uptown. Nonetheless I won’t be back.

Newk’s is the perfect lunch spot. absolutely friendly and courteous staff, delicious food, reasonable wait during lunch given the location.
More detail: management is visible and actively training their staff. This is important. The customer service experience here is of the best and most consistent I have ever dealt with. I’m greeted with what seems a genuine smile and my order is accurately completed. Your order is on the screen, it’s repeated back to you and it’s reviewed prior to entering their hands. Seems like a fairly obvious process but it’s not executed very often in this industry and the attention to detail is fantastic. I recommend Newk’s to everyone I know and will come here for life.
Try:
Newks Q sandwich
Chicken salad sandwich
Ultimate salad

Great service, great food!
I arrived around 11:30am and luckily beat the lunch crowd. I got the tomato basil soup, a side of bread, and the grilled chicken sandwich (soup/​sandwich combo). Very delicious, no complaints. The order takers, fold runners, and busboy were all very nice.
Try to grab a window spot… This is an awesome place to people watch.

Situated across the street from the Blumenthal Arts theater, this is a go-​to place for theater-​goers before an evening weekday show. We have come here a couple of times, and the service is exceptional, plenty of seating available, and the toasted Newk’s Q is our favorite: signature white BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, bacon and swiss. Haven’t tried much of the other stuff since the warm sauce with the toasted sandwich bread is good enough for me, especially when the other sandwiches are nothing special based on the description.
I’m a fan for now.