Roz Café to open at Joinery in Optimist Park this summer

Charlotte’s newest café promises pillowy pastries, breakfast sandwiches and more.

Roz Café, a Mediterranean eatery, will set up shop at Joinery in Optimist Park with plans to open this summer, according to a news release sent to CharlotteFive.

It joins a growing lineup of retail spaces at the mixed-use residential community, including Small Bar NoDa and Sharigato sushi hand rolls, real estate developer Space Craft said in the release.

A large, modern building sign for “Joinery East” features bold white 3D lettering mounted on a vertical wood-paneled backing against a light brick wall. To the right of the sign, a striking circular arched entryway leads into the building, flanked by large rusted metal planters with tall ornamental grasses. A neighborhood dive bar will join more than a dozen retailers at the Joinery in Charlotte’s Optimist Park neighborhood. Kelsey Mard Photography NiceDay

“At Joinery, we focus on creating ground-floor spaces people actually want to use daily,” said Emma Kenney, asset and retail manager at Space Craft. “They’re destinations that bring energy to the street, bring people together, and make the neighborhood feel active and lived in.”

Roz Café will be headed by Ahmad Altaany, who’s also behind Roz Grill in South Charlotte at The Arboretum. The café is his latest venture and will offer a full breakfast and lunch menu, plus cookies, croissants and other pastries.

A man in a navy blue polo shirt stands smiling and gesturing with both hands toward a large, circular backlit sign on the wall. The glowing white sign features the word “ROZ” in gold lettering, surrounded by a complex geometric pattern of black radiating lines. Ahmad Altaany, the owner of Roz Grill in South Charlotte. Alex Cason CharlotteFive

Breakfast sandwiches will also be on the menu, along with shakshuka, savory pies and more.

Additional information wasn’t immediately available. CharlotteFive reached out to Roz Café and was awaiting a response.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Roz Café

Location: Joinery, 1816 N Brevard St, Charlotte, NC 28206

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Instagram: @rozgirllnc

Two square pieces of golden-brown baklava are presented on a white plate, showing their many thin, flaky layers of phyllo pastry and a thick nut filling. Each piece is lightly drizzled with honey syrup and garnished with a sprinkling of finely crushed green pistachios. The cream baklava at Roz Grill is a sweet, flaky pastry made with layers of phyllo dough and cream, soaked in syrup and topped with pistachios. Alex Cason CharlotteFive
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Tanasia Kenney

Sun Herald

Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.