Fayetteville-area food news: Barbecue, bodega, boba and brunch are new or coming soon
It was a busy November for the Fayetteville-area dining scene, with many openings and announcements of new restaurants coming soon.
Perhaps you missed some of the news while you were out of town for Veteran’s Day weekend or were preparing for Thanksgiving.
To keep you up to date, here’s a look at the changes and other news in the Fayetteville-area food scene in November.
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Fayetteville’s Kwon’s Kitchen Korean Fusion Cuisine teams up with chef at former PJ Thai Cuisine
Street food like Korean hot dogs and fried chicken have been a calling card for chef-owner Vanessa McKoy since she opened Kwon’s Korean Kitchen Fusion Cuisine food truck in 2021 and a restaurant the following year.
On Friday, the menu at the Bragg Boulevard restaurant expanded to include Thai food and drinks, McKoy said. Joining her as a business partner and chef is Pornjai Smith, who owned and operated PJ Thai Cuisine on Person Street from 2019 until it closed in January.
Smith said Thursday that she learned to cook at her family’s restaurant in Thailand before emigrating to the U.S. in 1970. At Kwon's, she will serve bestsellers from her former restaurant: Thai tea, boba tea, basil chicken, drunken noodles, pad Thai and panang, red, yellow and green curries.
“I’m passionate about cooking and people love my food,” Smith said.
Beginning in January, McKoy said she plans to extend restaurant hours to five days a week and later dinner hours.
The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It is closed Tuesday through Thursday,
Long-anticipated Haymount Truck Stop opened on Black Friday in Fayetteville
Haymount Truck Stop, a project more than two-and-a-half years in the making, was up and running for the first time Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving.
Located at 100 Broadfoot Ave., owner Jordan Sherrod said that more than 2,000 people attended the opening weekend. The location is a pet-friendly spot with a full-service bar, an arcade, a patio, lawn games, picnic seating and a rotating selection of food trucks.
While the property is permitted to allow four food trucks at a time, Sherrod said he wants to be sure that the trucks will see adequate business before scheduling four at a time.
“There’s a balance of giving people selection, but also having the traffic to support the trucks,” he said.
Business hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Wisconsin-based fast food chain Culver’s plans a Hope Mills location
A Wisconsin-based fast-food chain known for butter burgers, frozen custard and cheese curds is planning a location in Hope Mills.
Construction of a Culver’s is slated for 3320 S. Peak Drive, a vacant lot between a childcare center and a real estate office adjacent to Millstone Town Center.
On the 1.4-acre property, the plans show a 4,124-square-foot restaurant with a two-lane drive-thru and a patio with five tables.
Related: Wisconsin food chain serving burgers, cheese curds and custard plans Hope Mills location
Dogslingers owners plan The Depot: a food truck stop, bodega and restaurant on Raeford Road in Fayetteville
Mike and Jennifer Adams of Dogslingers plan to turn a 1940s Fayetteville building into a lunch and late-night restaurant, bodega and food truck hub.
Located at 2801 Raeford Road, the 2,400-square-foot squat brick building was formerly Blackstone Smokehouse & Pub, and before that, New China Restaurant.
It will soon be outfitted with a walk-up window and dining room, where the couple will serve the same Chicago-style sandwiches and hot dogs that popularized their food trailer, as well as other Midwestern favorites.
A small store in the front of the shop will offer distinctly local produce, meat, eggs and pantry items from area farms, Jennifer Adams said.
The couple will also offer the kitchen to serve as a commissary for up to 10 food trucks, who may host menu takeovers at the restaurant and serve customers from the parking lot, Mike Adams said.
Slated to open in the spring, they’re calling the new venture The Depot.
Related: Fayetteville's most popular hot dog stand is planning a restaurant and food truck stop
New Raeford restaurant Stewart’s Tavern serves former Fowler’s recipes
Husband-and-wife duo James and Kimberly Stewart opened Stewart’s Tavern at 116 M. Main St. in Raeford on Nov. 4. The barbecue restaurant borrows recipes and smoking techniques from Fowler’s Southern Gourmet in Fayetteville which closed in August.
Stewart’s has a full bar, Wednesday trivia nights and five screens where fans can watch Panthers games.
Business hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
All-day brunch restaurant The Salad Box & Some opens in downtown Fayetteville
Downtown Fayetteville’s newest restaurant has roots in the Salad Box on Murchison Road, but with a brand-new menu and Instagram-worthy decor, the former salad bar is practically unrecognizable.
The Salad Box & Some opened Nov. 3 at 132 Person St., which was formerly the Quesadilla Gallery, and before that, the Fried Turkey Sandwich Shop. Now, the space has been outfitted with a glitzy new decor.
Like the Murchison Road location, customizable salads are still part of the menu, but the selection has expanded to include loaded baked potatoes, stuffed peppers, shrimp and grits, spirits and wine.
Business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.
Previously: Downtown Fayetteville gets a new brunch restaurant with Instagram-worthy decor
Two local restaurants plan to take over spots at Cross Creek Mall
SimLo’s Island Cafe and Manhattan Deli & Grill are both slated to open outposts at Cross Creek Mall in mid-December.
The 700-square-foot site of the former Pho Love will soon house SimLo’s Island Café.
The original SimLo's on Boone Trail Extension, where jerk chicken and curried goat are popular, pays homage to owner Simone Atlan’s native Jamaica. The food court location will serve a paired-down version of the restaurant menu, Atlan said.
Manhattan Deli & Grill is opening at the 600-square-foot stall where Rookies Express operated until February.
The deli started with a 24/7 location on Village Drive in 2012 before opening a second restaurant on Camden Road in 2020 and a third on Great Lane in Raeford earlier this year.
The mall location will serve breakfast sandwiches, hot and cold subs, and customizable salads with Mediterranean-inspired toppings, owner Joe Ali said.
Get the full story: Fayetteville-owned deli and Jamaican restaurant to open at Cross Creek Mall food court
Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville food and dining updates for November 2023
