Fayetteville plaza once dominated by strip clubs is home to restaurants loved by locals

A shopping plaza in Fayetteville’s Bonnie Doone neighborhood that not long ago was lit by the neon glow of strip club lights is now home to some of the city’s most heralded restaurants.

In an area with countless strip malls, Midway Center’s shared gray U-shaped building off Bragg Boulevard blends in among the rest.

What its plain exterior hides, however, is vibrant cuisine from Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Korea served in three restaurants cherished by locals.

One is a long-running lunch stop with a menu like a love letter to the owner’s late mother; another is a hip spot with heritage in every bite; and a third serves up fusion food that nods to the chef’s Philadelphia upbringing and Korean roots.

Here’s the story behind the hub of hidden gems at Midway Center:

‘We’re holding it down’

Neil Gordon, an Army veteran hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, has served cuisine from the islands of his homeland for nearly 15 years.

The restaurant first opened in 2009 as Mystic Jamaican Diner, but the name changed to A&M Island Cafe in 2014, Gordon, 40, said.

Most of his business is at lunch, when soldiers stop in for Jamaican staples like jerk chicken, curried snapper and stewed oxtail.

His mother’s photo hangs above the cash register in the cafe, and many of the dishes served are made from her recipes, he said. Before she died in December, she was often seen at the shop, either cooking, baking or selling Jamaican sports jerseys, Gordon said.

“She was the life of the restaurant,” he said.

Though he said it’s not the same without her around, Gordon marches on, priding himself on cooking with spices imported from Jamaica, and halal meat.

His restaurant opened when the shopping center was still dominated by strip clubs, and at times, he said, he’s been the only tenant. While he has been tempted to open a second location, he doesn’t want to leave Midway Center.

“We’re holding it down,” he said.

‘It’s like a trip to San Juan’

Josefa Burgos and her husband, Ernest Cardona, both have parents who owned restaurants in their native San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The pair have carried on the family tradition with their restaurant Desde Mi Balcon, which translates to “from my balcony.”

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The name and a mural inside pay homage to Old San Juan, a historic Puerto Rican district where shops and restaurants operate on the ground floor of pastel-colored buildings, with residences and balconies just above.

The restaurant first opened in Cliffdale Square in 2019, but outgrew the space and moved in August to a site at Midway Center that's nearly twice the size of the original location.

With a full bar and botanical chic decor, the restaurant has a hip, urban vibe. But make no mistake, Burgos, 33, said: The food is authentic.

“We make everything from scratch,” she said. “It’s like a trip to San Juan.”

Among the dishes served are a traditional Christmas platter with roast pork, potato salad and yellow rice; mofongo, or mashed plantains topped with fried pork; and filetes empanadas, a breaded chicken breast made from Cardona’s family recipe.

On weekdays, the restaurant hums with a lunch crowd hungry for daily $7 specials, which range from chicken wings with guava sauce to sweet plantains stuffed with beef and cheese.

Burgos, who started her culinary journey by serving Puerto Rican kebabs from her West Virginia home in 2011, said the new location has treated them well.

“I’m very proud of where I’m at,” she said.

‘We're trying to build it'

Vanessa McKoy, a Fayetteville native and mother of four, worked as a barber before she opened her food truck, Kwon’s Kitchen Korean Fusion, in 2021.

In December, she opened a brick-and-mortar spot in Midway Center, showcasing her signature cuisine, a blend of her mother’s Korean heritage and her father’s Philadelphia upbringing.

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The centerpiece of the menu is her Korean hot dogs, served in mozzarella, beef, chicken and cheddar variations. Each is battered in a chewy rice flour coating, deep-fried and topped with sugar, white sauce, green onions and cabbage.

Though her food has earned a cult following on social media and the food truck enjoyed success, she said that business at the restaurant has been slower than she expected.

That’s due in part to the reputation of the area, she said, which is associated with drugs and violence.

McKoy, 34, said she wants the shopping center to be known as a place to shop, dine and recreate.

“It's not as bad as how it used to be,” she said. “We are trying to build it.”

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 plaza home to beloved international restaurants