Outdoor dining options abound in Fayetteville By Rebekah Sanderlin
A feast al fresco I
[ 32 | Aug/Sept • 2010
t hasn’t always been easy to find somewhere in Fayetteville to enjoy great food and drinks in the open air. In the past, only a few restaurants have offered outdoor dining. “Whenever my wife and I wanted to go out to dinner there was nowhere
to go to eat outside,” said Nick Parrous, one of the owners of Luigi’s. “It was always a challenge to find a restaurant with a nice patio and good food.” Not anymore. Restaurants downtown and along the Skibo, McPherson Church,
Raeford and Ramsey corridors are opening decks and patios for dining almost as fast as their wait lists fill with names. And, oddly enough, it’s not our region’s balmy weather that we have to thank for the boon in outdoor dining; it’s our new smoking law. When the state banned indoor smoking in bars and restaurants in January, establishments that already had outdoor areas saw their business spike and others scrambled to accommodate smokers with outdoor options. With new and expanded patios all over town, that development is good for everyone who likes to eat under the stars. There are almost too many mention: Morgan’s Chophouse, Carolina Ale House, Blue Moon Cafe and so many more, but here’s a quick sampler:
Moveable feast | It’s one giant progressive supper downtown. Start at Huske Hardware House, left, and make your way down to Pierro’s Italian Bistro, above.
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