I first went to the Penguin in 2008 and it was awesome.  Hip vibe, crowded, cold beer, and delicious food.  Alas, time has not been kind to the penguin.  I have tried it several times since then when I found myself in downtown Charlotte and it has gotten progressively worse each time.\n\nThe food is still good - how can you go wrong with pimento cheese?  However, the servers are clueless, the service slow, the menu is smaller, the beer selection is limited, the kitchen is slower.  It is sad because the neighborhood has finally caught up with the coolness of what the Penguin used to be.  Do yourself a favor and try one of the many new restaurants that have opened while the Penguin was resting on its TV appearances.  Going to the Penguin will just leave you disappointed.