Ask a Local: This Fayetteville takeout restaurant has fried chicken that tastes like home

Taylor Shook, The Fayetteville Observer
Updated ·2 min read

Welcome to Ask a Local, a weekly summer series where we get the lowdown on where to go, what to do and what to eat around Cumberland County from the people who know it best. Interested in being interviewed? Fill out the form here.  

In this week’s edition, we interview Bronx native LaQuia Rodriguez, 41, a Fayetteville tax professional, military spouse and mom of four. By living and eating in the area intermittently for the past two decades, she’s found a bevy of old-school favorites.

Read on to learn about Rodriguez’s favorite Fayetteville food, including takeout that tastes just like her mom’s cooking, an epic Jamaican food mash-up and a Japanese restaurant that keeps her whole family happy.

Responses have been edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Best old-school restaurants?

If you want great service and delicious food, go to Rainbow Restaurant. It reminds me of the New York City diners my parents would take me to. I love the French toast, bacon and potatoes.

Barbara Ann's Southern Fried Chicken has an old-school feel to me, even though it just opened last year. They have fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and yams that taste just like your grandma or mom would have made, plus the best fried gizzards and red velvet waffles.

Tyshia Smith puts an order together for a customer at Barbara Ann's Southern Fried Chicken restaurant at 3740 S. Main St., Hope Mills.
Tyshia Smith puts an order together for a customer at Barbara Ann's Southern Fried Chicken restaurant at 3740 S. Main St., Hope Mills.

What Fayetteville food reminds you of home?

Fortune Cookie is very close to the Chinese food I would eat in New York City. I always get the boneless spare ribs with fried rice and fried dumplings.

Best new restaurant?

Poki Bowl, a build-your-own Hawaiian poke restaurant. The staff patiently explains all the ingredients and the process of assembling your bowl. I had octopus and shrimp over brown rice. It was amazing!

Where do you like to take the whole family?

Menkoi Ramen House. We usually get a couple appetizers to share and everybody gets their own ramen.

What's next for the Social District? To-go alcohol sales in Fayetteville are booming.

Where do you take visiting family and friends?

I take them to Archway Burgers, Dogs And Beer. They have delicious smash burgers and hot dogs on brioche buns. I like that you get to customize your burgers and dogs to your liking, they have tons of toppings to choose from. The customer service is also top-notch.

What's one can't-miss dish in Cumberland County?

The mac patty with oxtail meat from SimLo's Island Cafe. It is a beef patty on coco bread topped with macaroni and cheese and tender oxtail meat. Definitely, a must-try, it’s absolutely delicious.

Best day trips?

I suggest visiting some of the beautiful museums in Raleigh. I enjoy taking my kids to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Museum of History.

More: Now sold by the box in Hope Mills: Grandpa's empanadas, made from scratch in Puerto Rico

There’s also an H Mart Asian market in Cary with a whole food court that sells sushi, Thai food, pork bao, Korean hot dogs, bulgogi and other dishes from all over Asia.

I also like the Carolina Premium Outlets in Smithfield. They have Croc, Nike, Coach, Under Armour and Champion outlets with really great prices.

Food, dining and business 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: Best new and old-school Fayetteville food, according to a mom of four