Nana Morrison's Soul Food Comes to Lake Norman This Winter

Nana Morrison's Soul Food, the Charlotte favorite that was recently voted the city's best soul food, is opening its fifth location at 9810 Gilead Road in Huntersville, with a debut expected in December 2026. It will be the family-owned restaurant's first Lake Norman outpost, and it lands on the southeast side of the lake after a year that already brought Rio 150 and Fin & Fino to Huntersville. Here is what is opening, where, and what to expect this winter, with the details you can plan around.

Nana Morrison's Soul Food: the family story behind the name

Nana Morrison's started in 2011, when Shawn and Kiana Morrison moved from New York and Kiana could not find the soul food she grew up eating. So the family opened their own spot and named it for her great-grandmother, the original "Nana." Fifteen years later it is still a hands-on family operation, with the next generation working the restaurants alongside them, and the menu still runs on the same family recipes.

The vote that made headlines came earlier this year, when local readers picked Nana Morrison's as Charlotte's best soul food. That kind of recognition travels, and it is a big reason the Huntersville opening, its first move into Lake Norman, has been one of the most talked-about announcements of the season. For the rest of what is already cooking on the southeast side of the lake, the Huntersville restaurant directory has the full lineup.

What is on the menu

The menu is built around the recipes the family has been cooking since 2011. Fried chicken and baked chicken anchor the list, joined by smothered pork chops, smoked turkey wings, and fried shrimp. The sides are the real draw for regulars: yams, collard greens, baked mac and cheese, cabbage, potato salad, green beans, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans all show up on the standard menu, and the full list is on Nana Morrison's menu page.

In other words, this is classic, make-you-sit-down soul food, the kind you order by the plate with two or three sides and then plan a walk around the neighborhood. Nothing about the concept is fussy, and nothing about it is a chain template either: each location is run by family, and the recipes do not change when the address does.

When does the Huntersville location open?

The Huntersville location was announced on September 21, 2026, and the restaurant is expected to debut in December 2026, though the family has said the timeline could shift. The address is 9810 Gilead Road, Huntersville, NC, on the southeast side of the lake, an easy pull-off for anyone coming up or down the I-77 corridor.

One honest caveat: hours for the new location had not been announced as of late October. The existing Nana Morrison's locations open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, which is a reasonable guide until the Huntersville spot confirms its own schedule. If you are planning a December visit, call ahead or check the restaurant's site in the weeks before you go, because soft-opening hours are usually the last thing to settle.

What else is new in Huntersville this year?

Nana Morrison's is not the only recent arrival on the southeast side of the lake. Rio 150, the Mooresville-based family-run Mexican chain known for Baja-style tacos and an oversized margarita program, opened its Huntersville location on May 14, 2026 at 16801 Caldwell Creek Drive, in the space that used to hold La Victoria Cocina Mexicana & Bar near Exit 25. It is the chain's fifth Charlotte-area restaurant, and on paper the hours are about as accommodating as they get: Monday through Thursday 11:00 am to 9:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Sunday from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm. Visit the Rio 150 Huntersville page for the details.

At Birkdale Village, Fin & Fino has quietly become the raw bar anchor in the shopping center, serving oysters on the half shell, tuna crudo, and pan-roasted oysters in the space that housed Dressler's for two decades. It opened back in February 2024, so it is no newcomer, but it is the right answer when the weather goes cold and you still want a seafood counter. Suffolk Punch Brewing's two-story taproom, with a full-service bar downstairs and a rooftop bar upstairs, has been around the corner since December 2025.

For the bigger picture on how Huntersville's dining row has been shifting, our Birkdale Village dining update covers what closed and what arrived at the shopping center, and the dining trends post explains why new places keep landing around the lake this fast.

Winter in Lake Norman: the waterfront does not shut down

The other story worth knowing this season is that winter is no longer the quiet season it used to be around the water. Take LakeHouse Wine Bar & Grill at 18665 Harborside Drive in Cornelius, the rebranded version of the old Port City Club that reopened under new ownership in November 2024. It runs year-round, with 22 boat docks, a heated patio, and indoor tables with lake views, so the sunset crowd keeps showing up even when the boats are dry-docked. The kitchen goes from small bites to steak, seafood, and house-made pasta. LakeHouse closes on Mondays and otherwise runs Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 am to 10:00 pm and Sunday 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, with bar seating first-come, first-served. More on it at lakehouselkn.com.

The same question, "is the bar still open?", is worth asking at the established dock-and-dine spots: Eddie's in Lake Norman in Mooresville, Hello Sailor in Cornelius, and Big Daddy's Oyster Bar in Sherrills Ford are all worth the trip when the weather cooperates, and waterfront hours do shift with the season, so a quick phone call before you drive is the move we recommend to every friend who asks. The honest upside is real: on a mild winter afternoon, the tables at these spots are a lot easier to get than they are in July. Our waterfront restaurant rankings track which spots keep boat access and what they offer.

Winter openings in Lake Norman, answered

Where is Nana Morrison's Soul Food opening in Lake Norman?

Nana Morrison's Soul Food is opening its fifth location at 9810 Gilead Road in Huntersville, expected to debut in December 2026. It is the family-owned Charlotte soul food restaurant's first Lake Norman location.

What does Nana Morrison's Soul Food serve?

The menu leans on family recipes: fried chicken, baked chicken, smothered pork chops, smoked turkey wings, and fried shrimp, with sides like yams, collard greens, baked mac and cheese, cabbage, potato salad, green beans, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans.

What are the hours at Nana Morrison's Huntersville location?

Hours for the Huntersville location had not been announced as of late October 2026. The chain's existing locations are open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, a reasonable guide until the new spot confirms its schedule.

What else is new in Huntersville dining in 2026?

Rio 150, the Mooresville-based Mexican chain known for Baja-style tacos and oversized margaritas, opened at 16801 Caldwell Creek Drive on May 14, 2026, and Fin & Fino serves raw bar and small plates at Birkdale Village. Suffolk Punch Brewing's two-story taproom with a rooftop bar opened nearby in December 2025.

Which waterfront restaurants stay open in Lake Norman in winter?

LakeHouse Wine Bar & Grill in Cornelius runs year-round with a heated patio and 22 docks. At the established dock-and-dine spots like Eddie's in Lake Norman, Hello Sailor, and Big Daddy's Oyster Bar, waterfront hours shift with the season, so call ahead before you drive; winter is the easiest time to find a waterfront table by land. Our waterfront rankings have the current list.