Essex Bar & Bistro Coming May 2016! Welcome to Essex Bar & Bistro, where the cocktail is king. Charlotte’s first uptown craft cocktail bar and gastropub, Essex is part bistro, part lounge, and part meeting place. We’ve put as much care into the craft of cocktailing as we do our menu of international cusine, which are designed to complement master mixologist Todd Bayley’s liquid creations. Located in the heart of uptown Charlotte at Trade & Tryon, and only steps away from the Time Warner Cable Arena, Essex is the perfect place for happy hour, evening cocktails, after-dinner drinks, or a late night rendezvous.