Laurel Park Earns Three Honors for Charlotte Restaurant Design
Laurel Park has quickly established itself as one of Charlotte’s most compelling new dining destinations. SouthPark Magazine recognized the locally owned restaurant with three distinctions: an Editor’s Pick, 2026 A-List Readers’ Choice for Best New Restaurant, and 2026 A-List Readers’ Choice for Best Patio. Together, the honors celebrate a restaurant where thoughtful hospitality, culinary creativity, and memorable Charlotte restaurant design work as one cohesive experience.
A New Restaurant Designed to Become a Neighborhood Favorite
SouthPark Magazine readers selected Laurel Park as the winner in the New Restaurant category, placing it ahead of fellow finalist La Lima. The publication’s A-List Voters’ Choice Awards were determined through online voting conducted May 1–22, 2026.
Laurel Park was envisioned as more than a place for a single occasion. The restaurant was created to serve SouthPark throughout the day, from polished business lunches to energetic dinners, cocktails, and relaxed gatherings. Dunne Kozlowski shaped the environment around that ambition, balancing a vibrant social atmosphere with warmth, comfort, and an elevated sense of hospitality.
The result is Charlotte restaurant design that feels refined without becoming formal. Layered materials, welcoming finishes, intentional lighting, and carefully planned guest touchpoints support an experience that feels personal, attentive, and easy to return to.
Readers Name Laurel Park Charlotte’s Best Patio
Laurel Park also earned the Readers’ Choice award for Best Patio. The elevated, covered outdoor space is positioned above Barclay Downs Drive, overlooking the trees near Symphony Park. SouthPark Magazine described the patio as feeling like “its own little world” and selected it as the place its editors wanted to enjoy throughout the summer.
The patio was conceived as a destination rather than a secondary seating area. Its covered bar, comfortable dining zones, treetop views, lighting, furnishings, music, and connection to the interior create an outdoor experience with its own identity. It shifts naturally from daytime dining to cocktails, shared plates, and lively evenings while offering shade and protection from the strongest summer sun.
An Editor’s Pick for Happy Hour
In addition to the two reader-selected awards, SouthPark Magazine featured Laurel Park’s patio among its Editor’s Picks in the “Happy hour” category. The editors highlighted the elevated setting, summer atmosphere, cocktails, and shareable dishes as reasons the patio stands apart.
Receiving both editorial and public recognition reinforces the success of Laurel Park’s central idea: bring together original, approachable food, genuinely attentive service, and a distinctive environment under one locally operated concept. For Dunne Kozlowski, the three honors demonstrate how strategic Charlotte restaurant design can help transform a challenging site into a recognizable, experience-driven neighborhood destination.
SouthPark Magazine: Charlotte Restaurant Design
