The Penguin is my MUST-eat stop when we have visitors to Charlotte. It just has such a unique feel. Although it has a small dining area, employees are seemingly required to have a tattoo, and it'll typically have a lunchtime horde of folks waiting for a table outside, we'll keep coming back.
Things i love about the Penguin:
1. Service. It seems like they tag-team every table. Any employee that passes your table will offer you drink refills or get you what you need.
2. Prices. Good prices on food. Cheap drink prices: $1.50 draft Yuengling and Shocktop ((Shocktop may have ended in December?))
3. Food. My old standby is the Winky Dinky Dog (chili and pimento cheese hot dog) and sweet potato fries cause they are awesome. i tried a ribeye sandwich and thought it was pretty good, the onions on it were really tasty.
SUMMARY: If i want to take visitors somewhere unique to Charlotte, this is the place. Don't let the line outside scare you, the quick service turns the limited tables pretty quickly. Enjoy.