The Diamond: Eight Decades of Comfort Food and Community

If you’ve lived in Charlotte for any length of time, you already know The Diamond. And if you’re newer here, let me introduce you to one of the most iconic spots in the city, a diner that’s been part of Charlotte’s heartbeat for nearly eighty years.

The Diamond first opened back in 1945, when Plaza Midwood wasn’t the trendy, eclectic neighborhood we know today. It was a blue-collar community made up of mill workers, mechanics, and young families just trying to make a life. Flonnie and W.A. James opened what was then the Diamond Soda Grill, serving simple food, hot coffee, and the kind of welcome that made you feel like you mattered the moment you walked in.

In 1963, their twin sons Robert and Ralph took over, and this is the era a lot of old-school Charlotte folks still talk about. The Diamond became more than a place to eat. It was the hangout. A true neighborhood institution. The kind of place where the booths stayed full, the counter stools were never empty, and the servers knew their regulars’ orders before they even sat down.  And this is when I started going every couple of weeks with my family when I was a young boy.  My dad worked nearby, so Mom would drive Jake and me there to meet Dad after work.  Being the ever-outgoing person that Dad is, the James twins knew him whenever we walked through the door.   One or both of them would also come to the table to visit which, for me, made our visits to the restaurant even more memorable.  I would almost always order the same thing: hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, fried okra, and a side salad with blue cheese.  Ranch dressing was not a thing in Charlotte in the 70s and early 80s.  Otherwise, I would have ordered that!  I remember the meals to be consistent, and we never had to wait long for our food.  

The rest of the menu? Classic Southern comfort food done the right way: fried chicken, burgers, meat-and-three plates, hand-cut fries… nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just honest food that hit the spot every single time. But what made The Diamond special wasn’t just the food, it was the cross-section of Charlotte you’d find inside. In the ’60s and ’70s, this place was a real melting pot. Mill workers on their lunch break, families grabbing dinner after church, late-night crowds rolling in after a show, and every now and then you’d spot a local politician or musician tucked into a booth. For two decades, the James brothers created the kind of community every neighborhood wishes it had.

When they stepped away in 1982, ownership went to Jerry Pistolis, who kept the diner going as Plaza Midwood evolved around it. Then in 2011, after a brief closure, Jimmy King and Brian Rowe stepped in, leased the space from Pistolis, and brought The Diamond back to life, neon sign and all. They didn’t try to reinvent it; they honored what it was, and that’s why it still works.

Today, The Diamond stands as one of Charlotte’s last true classic diners. Walking inside feels like stepping into a piece of living history, not a gimmick, not a “retro theme,” but the real thing. Eight decades of stories, meals, families, friendships, and late-night memories packed into a place that still feels like home. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, the menu is still quite similar to what it was 50 years ago.  However today, there are a few additions such as a couple of entree salads and hot oven subs.  Plus alcohol is available, which you would never find in a traditional meat and three in the past.   But as the saying goes, “the times are a changin’!”

If you like to experience some Charlotte tradition and venture to different parts of town, I hope that you will take the time to check out The Diamond.  Perhaps combine it with visiting some of Plaza Midwood's eclectic shops or one of its many breweries.