Counter service is having a quiet boom in Charlotte.
This year has played host several much-hyped fast casual spots in town. The value prop is simple: good food fast, not as fast as fast food, but good-er. Counter service is therefore inherently tied to its pricing drill. The promise is that if you pay them just a little more, and wait just a little longer, you can get something significantly better than a fast food chain down the street.
Some new counters, like Ace No. 3 [7.7], thrive on delivering on this promise. Others, like Taco Mama [1.6], die by the sword.
Capishe is in the former camp, a 2019 counter standout.
It's in the personality-stricken Morehead deadzone between the hospital and Rhino Market, and the interior doesn't do much to make up for it. But what they lack in design, they make up for in function. All my food was out within 15 minutes. I spent $25.80 with tip for an Americana Pepperoni and a caprese.
The pie is cooked well, especially its cheeses and oils. I don't have nearly as many opinions on pizza dough as your average New Yorker, but from my counter bumpkin perspective, I found it soft, buttery, and above average.
The tomato on the caprese tasted fresh and juicy, and while the mozzarella is lacking in flavor, the presentation was beyond what I thought I'd get from a counter.
It's not Cicchetti [9.1] or North Italia [8.0], but you won't find Italian food this good for this cheap anywhere else in Charlotte. Several of their pies are priced under $10.
Capishe delivers above its expectations (and its price point) to earn a position in your work lunch rotation.