Oooh I loves me some Mert's! When I worked downtown this place was a regular on my list of favorite lunch spots. You can smell it a block away! Amidst all the new fine dining places Charlotte has to offer is this little gem of home cooked greasy goodness.
It's hard to recommend any one thing in particular, because I've had almost the entire menu...but I guess my favorite meal had to be the blackened pork chops with some yams, charleston red rice and sauteed squash on the side. It's the kind of lick your lips food that makes you forget it's going to be a long day on the treadmill tomorrow. The fried chicken is also fantastic, as is the shrimp po'boy.
The owners here are so friendly, and you often see various members of the family working the registers or serving tables. They talk to all the patrons like they're newly inducted members of the family, and make it a very fun, comfortable atmosphere to eat some great food in. We've also used them for catering several times and they stole the from some of Charlotte's biggest names.