Food and Drink

New restaurant promises gourmet food, cocktails in Charlotte’s South End

A 3D rendering of the interior of a large restaurant with a full bar and modern decor. Diners are seated at small tables and bar stools in the foreground, with large-screen televisions mounted above the bar in the background.
Guests at Market on Morehead can expect a 62-table dining room, double sided bar, climate-controlled patio area and more, according to Swinerton Builders. Photo courtesy of Swinerton Builders
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Key Takeaways

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  • Market on Morehead will open in winter 2025 in Charlotte’s South End.
  • The 10,000-sq-ft venue will feature gourmet food, live music, and outdoor spaces.
  • The restaurant aims to energize Charlotte’s Rail Trail with dining and events.

A new dining concept is coming to Charlotte’s South End community, though customers will have to wait a few more months before they get a first taste.

Market on Morehead, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant offering gourmet food, craft drinks and live music, is slated to open this winter, Swinerton Builders, the engineering company heading the project’s construction, said in a news release.

The eatery is a sister concept to Market on Main in Columbia, South Carolina, and will occupy the ground floor level of the Offices of Carson Station at 1001 Morehead Drive.

A rendering of a vibrant urban scene with a train on tracks running parallel to a multistory building with a “Market and a Table” sign. The building is surrounded by lush landscaping and people walking on a street as a modern skyline rises in the background.
Market on Morehead, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant, is setting up shop in Charlotte’s South End community and will overlook the city’s Rail Trail. Photo courtesy of Swinerton Builders
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“With their creative interiors, innovative layouts and unique construction challenges, restaurants are some of our favorite projects to tackle,” Thomas Ivy, project executive for Swinerton’s Carolinas division, said in the release.

The company’s other projects have included North Carolina’s First STK Steakhouse, Chapter Six and Fin & Fino.

“Market on Morehead is particularly exciting as it further activates this stretch of Charlotte’s Rail Trail with an energetic, bold and inviting dining and socializing destination,” Ivy said.

Guests can look forward to a sunken 62-table dining room, double-sided bar, climate-controlled patio area, a turf park for off-leash dogs, a 25-foot LED jumbotron, and indoor and outdoor performance stages.

Details on the menu were limited. However, the offerings at sister property Market on Main run the gamut from steak and eggs and baja fish tacos to truffle fries and black bean burgers.

A 3D rendering of the interior of a bustling restaurant with diners seated at tables and booths. In the foreground, a man sits on a stool and plays a guitar, with the restaurant’s open kitchen visible in the background.
Market on Morehead will feature indoor and outdoor performance stages for live music and entertainment. Photo courtesy of Swinerton Builders
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Co-owner Josh Willoughby said he has high hopes Market on Morehead will be “Charlotte’s ultimate party destination.”

“Our partnership with Swinerton will deliver a world class facility for Charlotteans, as well as the Carolinas region as a whole,” Willoughby said. “We can’t wait to open our doors and transform each guest’s experience into an epic celebration.”

The new restaurant was designed by Charlotte-based architect Wagner Murray, with help from Black Dove Interiors, according to the release.

News of Market on Morehead’s impending arrival garnered spirited reactions from fans online:

  • “LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT,” Liz Reeser wrote on Instagram.
  • “Very happy for you folks and the people of Charlotte!” Kelly Nash commented on the restaurant’s Instagram post.
  • “This is so exciting!” Discover CLT wrote. “Gosh, thinking about how far this area has come since we moved here back in the day.”

Market on Morehead

Location: 1001 Morehead Square Drive, Charlotte NC

Cuisine: Americana / craft cocktails

Instagram: @marketonmorehead

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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