A familiar Mexican restaurant in Lake Norman is now open in Mooresville
Rio 150 — known for having the biggest margarita in Lake Norman — is expanding, bringing its Baja California-style Mexican food to downtown Mooresville’s Mill One development.
The restaurant had been set to open Wednesday, May 29, but that was pushed back to Monday, June 3 at 11 a.m.
The 8-year-old family-owned restaurant formerly known as La Unica Mooresville rebranded a few years back with the Rio 150 name. It’s owned by Rashel Limper and her husband, Dylan, along with her parents, Ruben and Martha Soule, and her uncle, Guillermo Ceballos.
“We’re here all the time. I feel like that makes a big difference in the service, when you have so many people there who care about it,” Rashel Limper told CharlotteFive.
The food: Rio 150 fans can expect the same menu at the new location, including its $2 Taco Tuesday on the first Tuesday of every month. Popular menu items at the restaurant include Mexican street corn, Guacamole Mexicano, Pollo Ranchero and its quesabirria tacos. “That’s a huge seller right now,” Limper said.
And don’t forget about that margarita. “ We are the home of the biggest margarita in Lake Norman, Limper said. “It’s 56 ounces — It’s huge.”
“We’re very excited to bring that to downtown Mooresvillle,” she said.
The space: At Mill One, Rio 150 will have a more contemporary Mexican feel with industrial touches, including 18-foot ceilings with exposed ductwork, white quartz countertops at the bar and polished concrete flooring.
All the furniture was custom made in Jalisco, Mexico, and the dining room is decorated with a mural by Charlotte artist Nick Napoletano.
The 130-seat restaurant will also include a patio with a view of Mooresville’s Liberty Park Amphitheater, where the “Rock the Park” Liberty Park Summer Concert Series runs. (You’ll be able to make reservations.)
“We get to build now from scratch, and I get to completely design it. To see something that you put together come to life and completely design from head to toe — that’s something awesome, Limper said.
Rio 150
Location: Mill One, 201 N. Church Street, Mooresville, 28115 (opening Monday, June 3)
Location: 482 River Hwy, Mooresville, NC 28117
Cuisine: Mexican
Instagram: @rio_150_mexican_restaurant
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This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 5:45 AM.
