Bit of trivia. Open Kitchen was the first place in North Carolina to serve pizza.
Yes, people traveled near and far to experiment with such "international cuisine." It wasn't all that long ago that PIZZA was unique.
Of course, it wasn't all that long ago that you could see SugarCreek at Dixie Electric Company next to Cinema Blue.
And for you babies whom want to correct me, "The Creek" was originally named SugarCreek and they lived off Carmel Road.
The food as a whole is truly extra-medium; but, walking in the front door is like entering a time warp circa 1974.
Charlotte hasn't done a very good job saving the historical places. . .or bands. What ever happend to SugarCreek? Heck, less than 3 blocks away is an empty, leveled field where Coffee Cup used to be. Sigh.
As such, Open Kitchen is a fun place to go on occasion.
Italian: no. Go to Villa Antonios for that.
Old Charlotte "Greek Italian" cooking and a tase of history: yes. They're nice people and you'll see some fun B&W photos at the cash register.