Address: 2127 Ayrsley Town Blvd #101-A, Charlotte, NC 28273
Restaurant Type: Casual
Rooney’s Market is probably the best restaurant you’ve never heard of…In a city that seems at times to be devoid of good food, in an area that magnifies this void, comes a bright spot. Rooney’s Market seems to have changed its identity a couple of times since I started adding it into my regular rotation. In the beginning, the store’s primary focus was that of a coffee/breakfast spot serving some alcohol at night. It also concentrated heavily on being a market, where you can buy household products as well as alcohol. The most recent revamp was to a tapas/bar like atmosphere, keeping the breakfast in the morning. Whatever their focus, they always seem to pull off exceptional food, and their happy hour might be the best deal in town….
The Good: After a couple of reluctant weeks, I tried the new tapas menu; admittedly, I was hesitant because I was burned so many times in the area. Between the overpriced (said in my humble opinion) that are the Corner Bar, Piedmont Social House and Portofino’s, I almost didn’t have it in me to try another bland Ayrsley restaurant (…I would still like my hunger and my money back…). Once I tried the food, I was surprised to discover that I enjoyed everything on the menu. We started with the Street Tacos, pictured above. They were light, and decadently flavorful, with a nice sour cilantro lime sauce. Moving on to the Mini Gyro Sliders, I once again had a great experience. I love lamb to begin with, mixed with a nice dressing and some feta it made for a dish pleasing to both the eyes and the palate with a lush bite of red onion. An additional plus was that you get four of every tapa you order. Rooney’s is not stingy with the food; combining two things I love big (tasty) portions and low prices. What I liked the most about all the appetizers at Rooney’s is that they are unique. From the turkey lettuce wraps (not gamey, seasoned to perfection!) to the lamb meatballs, everything tasted fresh and different. I think I have had my fill of the repeated, and yet grotesque requisite fried calamari and wings that pass as small plates that seem to plague the area.
The breakfast has a whole different feel, but it is also demonstrably better than “good.” The egg sandwiches are great, although getting rid of the rosemary focaccia bread was a big mistake (throwing out hints to anyone reading this). My favorite part of Rooney’s are their specials. For two hours from 4-6pm, you can get all the appetizers half price. I like to be able to eat appetizers and not get a bill as if I went to Tavern on the Green, the happy hour makes this easier. The random daily specials are also amazing, Saturdays and Tuesdays especially with wine by the bottle being half price. I feel like I should be wearing a ski mask when I go there, because no place in Charlotte gives this many good deals.
The Bad: I think Rooney’s has suffered an identity crisis on the verge of ‘Split’ because it does not seem to know what it wants to be…and yet manages to be endearing. In the morning, it is a coffee house/deli and market. At night, it gets trickier, it’s not really a bar or a restaurant. I wouldn’t even say it’s a hybrid, more like an incomplete version of both. Furthermore, there isn’t a full bar, just (exceptionally good) wine and beer. Even the atmosphere seems a bit mixed up. It seems Rooney’s Market needs to order a Ancestry.com test to find out where its roots are…
One point of annoyance for me is the restaurants advertising. Upon announcing their revamp there were/are giant signs everywhere; the signs showed beautiful dishes, such as Octopus and salami. Which would be great if those items were actually on the menu… The fact that their menu was different then the sign had me avoiding Rooney’s Market on principle alone.
The Ugly: Looking around the town of Ayrsley there are lot of eateries that are totally packed, but Rooney’s isn’t one of them. When I see people running to Portofino’s or Piedmont Social House it drives me nuts. The fact that this restaurant is empty on many nights is perplexing to me. I am not sure if people just hate their money and their taste buds, but I find no excuse for even stepping into some of Rooney’s Market’s horrid neighbors….
The Verdict: 7.5 out of 10: Yes, it would be nice for this exceptional establishment to have a bigger dinner menu, but I’ve enjoyed every dish I have tried. Rooney’s Market makes my short list for the best tapas in Charlotte. When combined with a solid breakfast and lunch menu there is absolutely no reason not to try it….and keep going back..
UPDATE: Rooney’s is closed and I can’t say I am surprised. I was originally going to add the update that they removed their great happy hour and replaced the items with smaller plates. It essentially charged more money for half the food. I just couldn’t justify spending more than that of BLT, apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Too many changes and too few deals ultimately sunk this establishment.