Whether you’re looking for a dining experience or just a square meal to make those hunger pangs vanish, the Mooresville area has much to offer. For the former, the downtown hot spot is Soiree, an elegantly casual eatery presided over by chefs Jon Spencer, Alan Jackson and Michael Spencer. Serving main courses such as Southern fusion chicken and roasted rack of lamb, it’s the perfect location to celebrate an anniversary or impress a valued client. Even if fine food isn’t enough to close the deal, the attentive service and historic train-depot setting will likely do the trick.

Dining by the Lake

At Vinnie’s Grill & Raw Bar you’ll find a slightly different sort of experience. This rustic yet charming eatery on Williamson Road near Lake Norman features crab legs and other seafood entrees, along with sandwiches, wraps, wings and delicious desserts. Nearby, at Big Daddy’s of Lake Norman, oysters are a customer favorite on a menu that promises “the best seafood and the best steaks and prime rib in the South.”

Town Square Meals

If you just can’t make up your mind, check out a mix of dining options at Mooresville Town Square. This upscale retail center is home to Burger King, Cartucci’s Italian Restaurant, Fusion Bowl Asian Cuisine, Indigo Joe’s Sports Pub, Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches and New York Bagel. And let’s not forget Red Eye Martini Bar. Despite the name, you won't have to drink your dinner here. The menu offers a variety of options, such as burgers, salads, soups and baby back ribs, amid decor reflecting the ambiance of a cross-country flight – complete with a bar shaped like an airplane wing.

Taste of Downtown Mooresville

Sushi fans head downtown to find just what they’re looking for at J.J. Wasabi’s, a restaurant described by owner Joel Jose as an “Asian grill and bar with an American flair.” The reasonably priced menu offers Japanese steakhouse-style hibachi meals, along with sushi, soups and salad, and the quintessentially American quarter-pound burger.

La Patisserie, also downtown, is a family-owned bakery known for concocting tantalizingly delicious desserts and pastries, as well as luncheon treats such as empanadas, mushroom crepes and fruit-topped French toast. For special occasions, catering and specialty cakes are also available at La Patisserie. Those with advanced kitchen know-how will want to pay a visit to The Savvy Chef, billed as an upscale culinary shop with cooking classes and catering services. And pick up the freshest ingredients at the Rotary Farmer’s Market on Church Street, open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. until noon.