SIXTY ONE YEARS!

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       That’s how long the Open Kitchen has been serving the Charlotte community. 

With the Open Kitchen’s modest exterior, it sits in Charlotte’s west side as a hidden gem for some and a refuge of nostalgia for others. Home to the area’s first pizza pie, the Open Kitchen had customers in the 1950’s wondering how this “pizza pie” would fare to their apple pie. Quick to introduce to a wanting public, brothers Steve and Speros Kokenes wowed diners with a menu of Italian specialties crafted with their own recipes. The dishes boasted of homemade sauces and marinades, salad dressings and desserts made in the small kitchen. The menu today is a mix of Italian, Greek, and American cuisine and can satisfy even the most complex palate. The restaurant grew to its current size with building expansions in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate the growing Charlotte population.

       The west side of Charlotte has certainly experienced many economic cycles in the past 60 years. The Open Kitchen has remained steadfast in its commitment to the West Morehead/Freedom Drive area and to the Wesley Heights community.