Charlotte’s Little Mama’s Italian restaurant expands to Lake Norman
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- FS Food Group will open a new Little Mama's Italian in Cornelius in early 2026.
- The 4,300-square-foot space includes a bar, dining room and sunroom seating 140.
- Menu features house-made pastas, brick oven pizzas and curated Italian wines.
Charlotte’s Little Mama’s Italian restaurant is expanding to Lake Norman with its Italian-American classics and brick oven pizzas, founder Frank Scibelli said Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The new location will open early next year in celebrity chef David Burke’s former G.O.A.T. Restaurant and Bar space on Bailey Road in Cornelius, Scibelli said. Little Mama’s has restaurants in SouthPark and Rea Farms.
“Little Mama’s is a heartfelt project for me, built on the simple yet delicious flavors of my childhood in New England,” Scibelli said in announcing the Cornelius location. “These are the foods I grew up with and love to share — classic Italian-American dishes, made from scratch and served with genuine hospitality.”
The 4,300-square-foot Cornelius location will seat 140 and include a bar and sunroom.
Scibelli’s FS Food Group started Little Mama’s in 2020 as a sister restaurant to its longstanding Mama Ricotta’s, a Midtown fixture since 1992.
The menu includes scratch-made pastas; mozzarella prepared to order; and such classic dishes as penne alla vodka; its “giant” homemade prime beef meatballs with spaghetti; chicken Parmesan; and lasagna.
Wines, and craft cocktails designed by beverage director Mary Wilson will also be available.
Chef partner Tom Dyrness, FS Food Group chief operating officer Stephanie Kalish and Wilson shaped the Little Mama’s concept, Scibelli said.
Little Mama’s Italian
Locations: SouthPark, 4521 Sharon Road
Location: Rea Farms, 9825 Sandy Rock Place, #1A
Location: 9623 Bailey Road, Suite 100, Cornelius (opens early 2026).
Instagram: @littlemamasitalian
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM.