Tour De Charlotte! Salud Ceveceria

The Basics

Location: Salud Ceveceria, 3306 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Website: saludceveceria.com

Facebook: facebook.com/saludcerveceria
Instagram: @saludceveceria

Vibe/Atmosphere: arty, clubby, boho chic, San Francisco 60s, melting pot

Beers We Tried: El Carnaval, Del Patio, Vibes Don’t Lie, Unshakable, Que Golazo

Parking: limited street, nearby paid lots

Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends!

There aren’t that many bars that get nominated for a prestigious James Beard award in America, let alone in North Carolina. So, when we were planning our first brewery tour of Charlotte, Salud Cerveceria shot up high on the list because it was a James Beard 2025 semifinalist in the outstanding bar category. (Sidenote: we at NC Beer Explorer have been known to be standing outside a bar, but that’s about the extent of our glory!)

As highlighted in the Charlotte Business Journal, Dairelyn and Jason Glunt opened a bottle shop in NoDa to escape desk jobs. Over the next decade, the Latin-themed business sprawled to seven times its original space and now includes a restaurant, wine bar, and coffee shop. Salud Cerveceria’s relaxed vibe and all-day offerings have propelled the business to unexpected heights

We have to endorse the above narrative. While walking past the bottleshop, the first person we encountered was Head Brewer Dustin di Lorenzo going about his daily routine, loading kegs onto a van.

After we heard Dustin discussing their Michelada Lager, we were disappointed that they were out. Speaking of Michelada, if you don’t know what it is, it’s a hispanic cocktail that is like a Bloody Mary made with beer, and it typically includes tomato juice, lime juice, Mexican lager, worcestershire, and various spices. It’s served rimmed with salt – we’ve never had one, which is surprising, since we spent most of our lives in Texas before moving to NC. We’ll have to make it back to Salud and try one of theirs! (Sadly, the Micelada Lager isn’t in wider distribution just yet.)

Walking up the stairs and into the taproom, we felt the warm embrace of the surrounding NoDa neighborhood, a culturally vibrant and eclectic area. While Dustin went about his chores, we had no trouble making ourselves at home chatting up Jordan behind the bar and a customer named Gina, who owns Curio, Craft & Conjure just down the street. Salud is also a premium coffee bar, and she was enjoying a lovely-looking latte.

(Thank you, Jordan, for this inciteful and entertaining "Beer Minute.")

(Gina Spriggs, owner of Curio, Craft & Conjure was so stylish and poised, Rebecca jokingly suggested that Salud hired her as a "model customer" to sit at the bar.)

We were highly anticipating some impressive chow based on our research, and we soon confirmed that the reality matched the hype. The food. Is. Amazing.

Salud Cerveceria is well-known for their Neopolitan-style pizzas, which are wood-fired with a perfect crust and quality ingredients. We had the Latin Lingo: spicy crema base, chicken, roasted corn, onion, jalapeños, cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime. So delicious and unique! There are also vegan and gluten-free crust options.

In a nutshell, Salud Cerveceria beers are meant to be highly drinkable and pair naturally with Latin-influenced food. Sitting in the taproom and digging the vibe, we easily could have been at a great cantina in Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana, having some delicious beers and gourmet snacks. If you can’t escape to a laidback beach resort, visit Salud Ceverceria and satisfy your cravings.

[Epilogue: as we were running around playing “tourista” at Salud Cerveceria, we ran into Jon Conroy from Sheffield, England, who is the Chairman of the Trust for employee-owned Abbeydale Brewery. We hope to one day get on a video call with Jon and learn more about his Charlotte brewing connections! Stay tuned.]

NCBE's Beer Notes - Salud Ceveceria

• El Carnaval

  • Style: Passion Fruit Mexican Lager

  • ABV: 4%

  • Color: lightly hazy yellow

  • Aroma: tropical fruit

  • Taste: bright fruit, sweet corn

  • Mouthfeel: creme soda

  • Aftertaste: sourish

• Del Patio

  • Style: Mexican Lager

  • ABV: 4%

  • Color: yellow

  • Aroma: faint

  • Taste: lightly malty, sour apple

  • Mouthfeel: easy drinking

  • Aftertaste: short and clean

• Vibes Don't Lie

  • Style: NEIPA

  • ABV: 8%

  • Color: bright yellow, lightly hazy, foamy head

  • Aroma: hops with a sweet note

  • Taste: tropical fruit notes of pineapple guava mango; perfumey floral notes

  • Mouthfeel: medium body, creamy

  • Aftertaste: long, citrusy, and astringent

• Unshakable

  • Style: American IPA

  • ABV: 7.2%

  • Color: bright yellow, lightly hazy

  • Aroma: hoppy

  • Taste: herbal, crushed clover, thyme

  • Mouthfeel: medium body, creamy

  • Aftertaste: Balanced malty/bitter finish

• Que Golazo

  • Style: German Pilsner

  • ABV: 5%

  • Color: dark yellow/golden, hazy

  • Aroma: burst of fresh air, green olive

  • Taste: brightly bitter, grapefruit, lime

  • Mouthfeel: bubbly, fizzy

  • Aftertaste: long bittery-nutty finish like toasted walnuts
    (Ben's comment: Excellent classic Pilsner using 100% Old World ingredients)

Tell us what you think about Salud Ceveceria.