The Prickly Pear in Mooresville, Iredell County, United States | Restaurant

Welcome to The Prickly Pear Restaurant, Mooresville, United States. The building the The Prickly Pear Restaurant occupies has an interesting history. The Jesuit priests, an ancient order of teachers, missionaries and carpenters in the Catholic Church, claim that their construction technology in the early 1400's led them to building five sets of portable rafters in Venum, Portugal.

The rafters were designed to be portable so that the missionaries could follow their avocation of building missions, one after another. The missions were designed in such a way that once the roof was complete, the rafters could be removed. The story goes that one of the five sents was transported overseas to Mexico from Portugal or Spain in the late 1700's where it was used for the construction of five missions between Tampico and Guadalajara.

Around 1880, the rafters traveled to Los Alamos, New Mexico for the construction of a new mission. In 1821, the rafters were again moved - this time for the construction of the first Catholic chapel at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, just south of Jacksonville, NC. The rafters' last move came in 1944 to Mooresville, NC for the construction of a Catholic church - the building where The Prickly Pear Restaurant now resides.

The Prickly Pear Restaurant is now taking reservations for private and corporate luncheons and events for groups of 50 people or more. When planning your next event, please consider our unique venue and allow our professional and courteous staff to create a memorable dining experience. The Prickly Pear will cater any event up to 150 people. We can design a menu to meet your particular needs and budget.