Merino Mill Mooresville Restaurants for a Full Day Out

The building that once powered the Mooresville Cotton Mills has brick walls, ceilings about 50 feet high, and tall arches. Its patio tables look out over a pond. Since last fall it has been an Italian dining room. Florence Wine & Beer Garden opened at 518 S. Church St. after owner Michal Bay spent two years renovating the century-old powerhouse. Service started Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, CharlotteFive reported, and the ribbon cutting followed on Oct. 7. Its first year of service ended on Sept. 22, and the anniversary of its ribbon cutting fell last week.

Florence is the newest piece of something bigger. The south end of Main Street, centered on Merino Mill, now holds enough coffee, lunch, shopping and dinner to fill a full day. For most of downtown Mooresville's recent history, that day would have taken place a few blocks north.

Seventeen years of work on one property

Merino Mill's address is 500 S. Main St. Bay bought the former Burlington Mill in 2008. According to the Town of Mooresville, it has grown into a district of more than 1 million square feet with more than 50 tenants, 10 of them international companies. Greenworks Tools and DEHN USA run their corporate headquarters there. The campus also has an antique mall with 430 vendors and a mix of retail and office space.

The Town said in July 2025 that after 17 years of restoration, the renovation was "almost fully complete." Bay put it this way in the Town's account: "It became wonderful with everybody's help – the community, the Town, the mayor." At the same event, Mayor Chris Carney said that what Bay "has been able to do for the community and redevelopment of the southern part of Main Street has been amazing."

The scale matters for daily life. Corporate headquarters and dozens of office tenants keep the campus busy on weekdays, while the antique gallery and restaurants give people a reason to come on weekends. Because Merino Mill has both, the south end isn't a place that only comes alive one night a week.

The south end, hour by hour

The mill's own directory, along with the Town's coverage, covers every part of a day. In order:

1. Morning. Defined Coffee sits in Suite 112 and roasts its coffee on site. It's open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Sunday.
2. Lunch. Aliño Pizzeria is in Suite 401, and The Barcelona Burger Bar is in Suite 300. The Town calls both "award-winning." Barcelona's menu runs to burgers, draft craft beer and rotisserie chicken, with outdoor seating.
3. Afternoon. Nest & Bower is in Suite 111 and The Perfect Dress in Suite 116. The Mill Cyclery and Main St. Antiques & Design round out the shops. The antiques gallery's 430 vendors alone can fill a slow Saturday.
4. Evening. Picasso Mediterranean held its grand opening on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, and the Town presented a proclamation honoring the mill's community impact that day. Florence, across the campus on South Church Street, opened about two months later.

Two of the four restaurants opened within about ten weeks of each other in the summer and fall of 2025. Before then, the south end had pizza and burgers. Since then, it has had a Mediterranean option and a sit-down Italian dinner as well. Barcelona says it can host private events for groups of up to 250, so the south end can also handle a rehearsal dinner or a company party.

The mill's online shops page doesn't list Picasso or Florence, though Town and Iredell EDC coverage confirms both. For now, the directory is a partial list.

The powerhouse, one year in

Florence calls itself an Italian restaurant with homemade, Italian-inspired dishes and a curated list of wines and craft beers. Iredell Free News described the menu at opening: Burrata salad, Fiorentina pasta, Chicken Parmesan, lasagna, beef ragu, sea bass and salmon. Vegetarian gnocchi, vegan pasta and gluten-free pasta are also on the list, along with European wines, Prosecco on tap and Italian desserts.

The restaurant's first season went beyond date nights. In January 2026, the Iredell EDC held its first investor event of the year there, a breakfast on Jan. 13. A county economic development group choosing a converted mill powerhouse for its opening event of the year shows the room is also working as a civic and business venue.

A Florence location page lists lunch hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with longer days from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. That page lives on a separate domain from the restaurant's main site, so it's worth calling ahead before planning a weeknight dinner around it.

What's still behind the fence on South Broad

The Town has said all along that the south end's next step is Moor Park, the historic ballpark on South Broad Street. At the Merino Mill event in July 2025, town leaders said they hoped the newly announced renovation would bring more energy to the south end of downtown.

The schedule has moved since then. When demolition and sitework began in spring 2025, the budget was $11.3 million and the target was spring 2026. The first package, Lake Norman Publications reported that April, included a 900-seat grandstand, restrooms and concessions, a turf infield and warning track, fencing, dugouts, a batting cage, and streetscape and parking work.

On March 16, 2026, town commissioners approved up to $14.26 million for the project. The revised schedule has the 90-year-old ballpark hosting baseball and other events in 2027, according to Lake Norman Publications. The outlet cited design and logistical adjustments, made worse by winter weather, for both the delay and the higher cost. Under the revised package, $11.2 million comes from bond-backed municipal debt, $2.96 million from the General Capital Reserve Fund, and $100,000 from the General Fund Appropriated Reserve.

That March report is the most recent published update. For the rest of 2026, the south end's draw is Merino Mill and the restaurants inside it. The ballpark that was meant to open alongside them is a 2027 story.

One more name sits on the horizon. The mill's shops page lists "Copenhagen" as coming soon, with no opening date. Until there's an announcement, it's just a line on a website.

Where the south end meets the late-October calendar

Merino Mill is at 500 S. Main St., and the Charles Mack Citizen Center is at 215 N. Main St. Most of downtown's late-October programming happens on that same street, which makes it easy to pair dinner at the mill with an event. Here's what's left on the calendar as of Oct. 12:

Monster Mash has live music from Rehab, Oray Band and Reup Tha Boss, plus a costume contest and specialty drinks. The Entertainment District evening brings music, line dancing, games and drink specials to participating businesses. The Movie Nights screening is free and outdoors, with local food vendors. Through the end of the month, the Mooresville Downtown Commission's "Fall for Downtown" display of seasonal plantings and decor fills JF Moore Park at Main and Center.

One fall date has already fallen through. The Commission cancelled the Oct. 3 Festival of Food Trucks on Oct. 1 because of projected storms. That leaves the Oct. 24 Entertainment District night as the main downtown evening before Halloween weekend.

Nancy and I have watched Merino Mill's brick, arches and old mill rooms find new uses one building at a time, and that kind of thoughtful restoration is the same work we bring to the homes we prepare and sell. If you'd like to talk about how historic character and careful renovation add value to a Mooresville property, Charlie and Nancy Zylstra would be glad to meet with you. Schedule a private consultation.