Chili Willi's Brings Cult-Favorite Tex-Mex to Lake Norman

Chili Willi's, the cult-favorite Tex-Mex restaurant with nearly 30 years of history in Huntington, West Virginia, is now open in Lake Norman. It landed in the waterfront building at 9615 Bailey Road in Cornelius, the spot where The Waterman Fish Bar served its last dinner in February 2025, and it has been drawing a crowd since opening day. Here is who is behind the revival, what to order, and why this particular corner of the lake keeps changing hands.

Who is behind Chili Willi's?

Chili Willi's started in Huntington, West Virginia, where it ran for nearly 30 years as a genuine cult favorite, the kind of place with a loyal following that talked about it the way people talk about a family recipe. The revival in Lake Norman comes from Rob Duckworth, the restaurateur behind Duckworth's Grill & Taphouse, who teamed up with Ron Smith, the original founder and chef. That pairing matters: Duckworth knows how to run a busy, dependable restaurant, and Smith knows exactly what made the original taste like itself. The result is a brand with real history opening in a town that loves a good story, and Cornelius is already collecting it.

What to order at Chili Willi's

The menu is scratch-made Tex-Mex with a wood-fired grill doing a lot of the heavy lifting. The sizzling fajitas are the centerpiece, and the tacos are worth planning around: carnitas tacos land around $17 and blackened mahi tacos around $25. Enchiladas sit in the $12 to $14 range, chimichangas and the house chilis round out the classics, and the queso fundido with chorizo is the table to start with. If you want something off the taco path, the coffee-rubbed hanger steak runs $35 and the grilled salmon with ancho chile sauce runs $28. To drink, the scratch margaritas are the move, with a serious tequila and mezcal list and draft beer for the easy night.

The space and the water

The restaurant sits in the waterfront building at 9615 Bailey Road, across from Atrium Health Lake Norman, on the stretch of the lake where The Waterman Fish Bar served its last dinner in February 2025. It is a prime piece of lakefront real estate on the Bailey Road dining corridor, and the water is right there. If you plan to arrive by boat, call ahead and ask about transient slips before you tie up, because a waterfront corner that has changed hands twice in two years has its own rules.

Hours, parking, and practical notes

The reported hours are 11 AM to 10 PM daily. New restaurants fine-tune their schedules in the first few months, so if you are rolling in late, a quick call beats a closed sign. Plan for the weekend rush: this has been one of the busiest corners on the Bailey Road corridor since opening week, so build in a few extra minutes to park. And if the new-restaurant energy makes you nervous, give it a couple of weeks to settle, then go for a quieter weekday lunch.

The Lake Norman waterfront is turning over

Chili Willi's is the biggest sign yet that the waterfront dining scene in Lake Norman is changing fast. The Waterman Fish Bar closed at this same address in February 2025, and the Tex-Mex arrived in its place within about fifteen months. Across the lake in Mooresville, the former Queens Landing site at 1459 River Highway is being redeveloped as Vitale Lakeside, a family-friendly waterfront restaurant with 38 boat slips, an upstairs cocktail lounge, and a floating bar in the plan, though opening reports have been mixed, so check before you head out. And closer to home, Jack's Corner Tap in Cornelius closed in April 2026 after years as a neighborhood watering hole near the Peninsula. The takeaway for diners: the lake keeps changing, and the way to enjoy it is to keep going back to see what is new.

Chili Willi's in Cornelius, answered

Is Chili Willi's open in Cornelius?

Yes. Chili Willi's opened Friday, May 8, 2026, at 9615 Bailey Road in Cornelius, in the waterfront building where The Waterman Fish Bar used to be.

Who is behind Chili Willi's?

Rob Duckworth of Duckworth's Grill & Taphouse revived the brand with Ron Smith, the original founder and chef from the Huntington, West Virginia original that ran for nearly 30 years.

What was at 9615 Bailey Road before Chili Willi's?

The Waterman Fish Bar Lake Norman, which closed in February 2025. Chili Willi's reopened the waterfront corner about fifteen months later.

What should I order at Chili Willi's?

The sizzling fajitas are the centerpiece, with carnitas tacos, blackened mahi tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, and queso fundido close behind. The coffee-rubbed hanger steak and the grilled salmon with ancho chile sauce round out the menu, and the scratch margaritas are the way to start.

What are Chili Willi's hours?

The reported hours are 11 AM to 10 PM daily. Call ahead if you are coming late, since a new kitchen sometimes adjusts its schedule in the first few months.

Can you get to Chili Willi's by boat?

The restaurant sits right on the water. If you plan to arrive by boat, call ahead and ask about transient slips before you tie up.