Places in Mooresville NC:
I have tried several barbecue joints, and have been pleasantly surprised at the food. There is a place called Big Tiny’s that is a Texas style barbecue with some great banana pudding and Shiner Bock in bottles. Another place is called Lancaster’s which is an East North Carolina barbecue with plenty of NASCAR memorabilia all over the place, wings are good as well as the BBQ pork and a decent banana pudding as well.
Have tried Epic Chophouse, which I have visited several times and the food is always excellent. They have several menu items I have loved, one being the Smokin’ Hot Couple and the other is the Mixed Grill. Of course the steaks are great and they have a very good bar with many options on wines and beers. They are known for their deserts as well, which having tried a couple I can say they are great, have heard they are from a local bakery in town. This is my usual go to place when some one I know is coming onsite to visit and say lets do dinner.They require everyone to dress reasonably and men’s shirts must have sleeves. Almost every time I have been there it is packed but have not had an issue getting a table of finding a place in the bar area.
Places in Cornelius NC:
131 Main, which I guess technically is a chain, but they only have four locations three in the Charlotte area and one in Asheville NC. Have only been once, but the food looks great, I tried the Southern Shrimp and Grits and had appetizers of Deviled Eggs and Cast Iron Cornbread. Everything was excellent and I was so stuffed I could not try dessert.
Places in Davidson NC:
Kindred is a great place to eat and is usually packed. Have been several time and have never had anything that was not excellent. The menu is seasonally driven and and is different everyday.
Flatiron Kitchen + Taproom, have been about six time here, and the food is always excellent, and the beer and wine selection is great.
Mesitzo is a Contemporary Mexican restaurant, it is fairly small but has a nice outdoor patio with a view of the downtown area.