New on the Lake: Vitale Lakeside Opens at the Former Queens Landing Site

Vitale Lakeside, the new waterfront restaurant at 1459 River Highway in Mooresville, opened the weekend of November 6, 2026 on the site of the former Queens Landing. The two-story venue combines a family-friendly ground-floor restaurant with an upscale cocktail lounge upstairs and about 38 boat slips for guests arriving by water. Here is the history of the site, what to expect on a visit, and what to know about getting there by boat this fall.

The site's history: from Queens Landing to Vitale Lakeside

Queens Landing was a longtime Lake Norman landmark, running dinner cruises and hosting events from this stretch of the Mooresville shoreline for years. The property closed in the summer of 2023, and the waterfront address has since been redeveloped into a new dining destination. Charlotte-based Vitale Hospitality Group, led by Gennaro and Susan Vitale, took on the project, a reported $3 million-plus redevelopment that brought one of the lake's most recognizable waterfront properties back into use.

The result is a full-service venue built around the water: a ground-floor restaurant, a lounge upstairs, and a dock designed for boats, so the property works as a destination whether you arrive by car or by lake.

What to expect: Italian-leaning comfort food on the water

The ground-floor restaurant spans about 9,000 square feet and leans Italian, with an upscale comfort food menu built around seafood, burgers, pizza, and steak. The space is designed to be family-friendly, and the venue adds an expansive outdoor patio and a rooftop stage, so the dining room opens up to the water and the sky. The second floor holds Bonnie & Clyde's, the venue's upscale cocktail lounge.

Because the menu runs from wood-fired pizza and burgers to seafood and steak, a single table can cover everything from a casual lunch to a full dinner. The lounge upstairs gives the property a second, more polished room for drinks and evenings out.

Arriving by boat: 38 slips for dock-and-dine

Water access is one of the venue's defining features. Vitale Lakeside has about 38 boat slips, so guests can tie up at the dock and walk straight into the restaurant. Dock-and-dine is a signature Lake Norman experience, and this location puts it right on the Mooresville shoreline, within easy reach of marinas and coves across the lake.

A floating bar is planned for spring 2027

The property also has a floating bar planned for the lake, with an anticipated launch in spring 2027. Once it opens, the bar would extend the venue's drinks program out onto the water itself, adding another way to enjoy the lakefront setting.

Practical notes: hours, reservations, and getting there

Vitale Lakeside is at 1459 River Highway in Mooresville, on the Mooresville side of Lake Norman. The restaurant is in its first weeks, so hours and reservation availability are best checked directly: visit vitalelakeside.com for current hours, menus, and reservations.

Fall boating conditions on Lake Norman

If you plan to arrive by boat, this fall's low water deserves attention. Lake Norman has been running below its normal level through the season; Duke Energy readings in late October put the lake roughly three feet below full pool, a combination of dry conditions and the seasonal fall and winter drawdown that creates flood-storage capacity. Low water exposes stumps, rocks, and sandbars that summer levels cover, so stay in marked channels, avoid cutting inside marker buoys, and confirm dock access with the restaurant before you launch. Duke Energy publishes daily lake levels at duke-energy.com/lakes.

"Queens Landing was a landmark on this part of the lake for years, and seeing the property come back to life as a dining destination is a great sign for the Mooresville waterfront. A restaurant you can reach by boat changes how people use the lake, and we expect this one to draw from all around Lake Norman."

Vic and Amy Petrenko

For more on the area, read our Cornelius neighborhood overview and our guide to leasing waterfront homes on Lake Norman.

Thinking about buying or selling a waterfront home of your own on Lake Norman? Call or text The Petrenko Group at 910.916.4305, and Vic and Amy will help you navigate the process.