NUSA

Fast-casual counter service, but MAN is the food so high quality. Not a lot of Indo places in the US in general, so glad this place opened up. The lobster padang special was delicious, but also can't go wrong with a classic fried chicken or curry chicken.

This has the taste of Southeast Asia written all over it. I have to admit the pictures weren't too appetizing! And this is coming from a guy who grew up in Asia. But man, the flavors were poppin, interesting, and homey. The serving size was huge for the two-piece smashed chicken. Charlotte, with its limited authentic Asian restaurants, is lucky to have a place like this. Will definitely come back and try the rest of the menu!

Fantastic Indonesian plates, my family got assorted chicken dishes and they were all fantastic

Restaurant is set up so you walk in and order at the counter, and then sit down with a number and they bring out your food.

I personally got the crispy chicken dish with the yellow rice, green beans, Balado egg (fantastic!!), and noodles

Crispy chicken had an excellent crust on the chicken and juicy chicken underneath, some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Green beans were sautéed with some garlic, not super seasoned but crunchy and good. Balado egg had to be in some soy sauce type marinade and then maybe fried? Hard boiled egg with a crispy exterior, absolutely delicious flavors. Noodles were simple, lo mein like taste.
I will definitely be getting this again for takeout only so that I can devour the chicken with my fingers in the safety of my home and get every last bit.

The Arboretum is starting to become one of my favorite places for Asian food. Who would have thought? Nestled between Malaya Kitchen and Kung Fu Tea, Nusa serves tasty and approachable Indonesian food. Their specialty is chicken which you can mix and match with sides and sauces. In fact, their model reminds me a bit of Viva Chicken.

My partner and I shared the corn fritters appetizer, one smashed chicken entree, one grilled chicken entree, and a variety of sides. First off, the corn fritters are wonderful. The appetizer comes with two, and I really wanted both but I decided to share.

On to the main event, the chicken. I loved the grilled chicken. The marinade was perfect and the meat juicy. You get to choose one sauce on the side. We went with the spicy one, which I didn’t think was spicy at all. Honestly, the chicken is flavorful enough to not need sauce, but it’s worth trying.

Each entree also comes with three (yes three!) sides and rice. It was fun trying all the different sides. My favorites were the green beans and balado egg.

We ordered our food to go. Everything was packaged well and ready for me when I got there. I look forward to trying more of their dishes

Food was delicious! Service was very nice. Great addition to Charlotte culinary scene!!! Also appreciate the allergy stickers as it isn’t always obvious when something contains nuts, so thank you!