Food and Drink

Popular family restaurant with homemade recipes expands with a 2nd Lake Norman location

Owners Faustino and Dominga Hernandez opened their second Lake Norman-area Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant in late December on Williamson Road off Interstate 77 exit 33 in Mooresville.

The couple’s menu features homemade recipes for its meat, beans, rice and other selections that have proven popular at their first location on North Main Street in Mooresville, Faustino Hernandez told CharlotteFive at the exit 33 location on Tuesday.

The name of the family restaurant may sound familiar to patrons of El Veracruz Mexican Restaurant in Pineville, which operated the location on North Main Street in Mooresville until the Hernandez couple bought it three years ago.

Faustino Hernandez, who owns the two Lake Norman-area Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurants with his wife, Dominga, is pictured at the I-77 Exit 33 location in Mooresville on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Faustino Hernandez, who owns the two Lake Norman-area Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurants with his wife, Dominga, is pictured at the I-77 Exit 33 location in Mooresville on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. JOE MARUSAK jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com

In September, CharlotteFive readers selected El Veracruz as among the most underrated restaurants in the Charlotte area.

The North Main Street location opened six years ago in a historic former Catholic missionary church that dates to 1835.

Faustino Hernandez said he previously worked as a server at La Unica in Huntersville and the former Pueblo Grande on South Broad Street in Mooresville.

He is from Puebla, Mexico, and his wife from Veracruz, Mexico.

Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant’s second location is now open.
Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant’s second location is now open. Mi Veracruz

Mi Veracruz features menu items similar to El Veracruz in Pineville, Faustino Hernandez said.

Hernandez said customer favorites at Mi Veracruz, which is open daily for lunch and dinner, include:

Tres generaciones: shrimp, grilled chicken and Carne Asada served with rice, beans, guacamole and pico de gallo ($30.99).

Pollo Hawaiian: grilled and marinated boneless chicken covered with a fresh-sliced poblano pepper, pineapple and melted cheese, served with Mexican rice and salad. ($14.99).

Enchiladas con Mole: three chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, rice and salad ($12.99).

Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant now has two Lake Norman locations.
Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant now has two Lake Norman locations. Mi Veracruz

The exit 33 location features a large bar and four large flat-screen TVs. Karaoke nights are planned on Fridays and Saturdays, Hernandez said.

The new location seats 42 and the North Main Street location 23, he said.

The large parking lot in the Food Lion-anchored retail center was a big plus that attracted the couple to the exit 33 location, Hernandez said.

Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant

Location: 761 N. Main St., Mooresville NC 28115

Location: 835 Williamson Road, Mooresville NC 28117

Instagram: @miveracruzmooresville

Homemade meat, beans and rice recipes are featured at Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, co-owner Faustino Hernandez said.
Homemade meat, beans and rice recipes are featured at Mi Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, co-owner Faustino Hernandez said. MI VERACRUZ MEXICAN RESTAURANT
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Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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