Room Service Is a Shining Light in a Camp North End That Has Come of Age

If you’d asked me seven years ago whether Camp North End could turn into what it’s becoming, I would’ve rolled my eyes. Back then, I was perched on abandoned factory parts at a Sofar Sounds show, sipping BYOBs in the middle of warehouses that looked like they may be home to a zombie or two.

At the time, the idea of rejuvenating the 76-acre site felt like yet another overly ambitious project — a graveyard of “bandos” foreshadowing the idea that developers maybe had bitten off more than they could chew.

But every return visit chipped away at that doubt. First, it was returning to the familiar water tower corridor known as The Boileryard to buy cacti from an Airstream and realizing a few displaced city favorites had found new homes. Then it was celebrating QC Nerve Editor-in-Chief Ryan Pitkin’s engagement party at NoDa Company Store’s little sister, Canteen.

Later, I placed an order at Gravity Sourdough Pizza Co. for their Friday pizza flights (RIP to the three-mini-pie special, on pause since August).

But my most recent visit sealed the deal: Room Service, the sleek cocktail bar and restaurant that opened in late 2023, proves Camp North End isn’t just a destination — here, it’s a daycation in the Queen City.