These longtime Fayetteville restaurants thrive on a strip crowded with fast food chains
On a bustling strip of shopping centers in West Fayetteville, locally owned eateries with food from all over the world are nestled among chain restaurants and big-box stores.
It’s easy to miss the local flavor along Good Middling Drive, a mile-long stretch between Cliffdale and Gillis Hill roads, dotted with a dozen fast food giants like Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and KFC.
But there are also Fayetteville-owned cafes and restaurants serving up international flavors, from Greek pastries and Thai favorites to barbecue plates and bowls of ramen.
Here’s a look at the homegrown eats you might have missed on Good Middling Drive.
Caffe Opa
Caffe Opa serves Greek and American food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus desserts and coffee all day. Grab a table to soak in the nautical vibe of the dining room, where bright blue walls are adorned with photos of coastal Greece, or take your food and drinks to go.
Address: 9527 Cliffdale Road
Fuller's Old Fashioned BBQ
First established in 1986 in Lumberton, Fuller’s Old Fashioned BBQ on South Raeford Road in Fayetteville opened in 2016. There’s also a location on Eastern Boulevard.
Known for its comfort food buffet, the long-running local chain’s specialty is whole-hog barbecue smoked over hickory wood for 12 hours, but you can also get fried chicken, steak, salad and house-made desserts.
Address: 7735 S. Raeford Road
Pad Thai Cuisine
Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, Pad Thai Cuisine has served Thai food from its spot on Good Middling Drive for nearly a decade. On the menu are Thai stir-fried noodle dishes and curries; appetizers like wings, spring rolls and meatballs; plus Chinese American entrees like sesame and General Tso's chicken.
Address: 7737 Good Middling Drive, Suite 105
Gohan Ramen Bar
Gohan Ramen Bar, a spin-off of Gohan Bistro on Reilly Road, opened in February on Good Middling Drive, in a new shopping center between Westin Centre and IHop. The new restaurant is focused on ramen and offers bowls of brothy goodness with ramen and udon noodle dishes, including a vegan ramen option.
Address: 7835 Good Middling Drive, Suite 128
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El Cazador
El Cazador first opened on Skibo Road in 2002 and has since opened three Fayetteville locations, as well as restaurants in Cameron and Carolina Beach. The West Fayetteville outpost on Good Middling Drive opened in late 2022. The huge menu features tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, enchiladas, tamales, nachos, tostadas, margaritas and desserts.
Address: 7835 Good Middling Dr., Suite 100
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Yang Garden
Long-running Chinese restaurant Yang Garden serves lunch and dinner daily and is one of the few locally owned spots open on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. A popular takeout spot, it serves familiar dishes like General Tso's chicken, egg rolls, wonton soup, sweet and sour pork and kung pao chicken.
Address: 9561 Cliffdale Road
Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: These West Fayetteville, NC, restaurants are hidden gems
