CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 57 Behind some of the best food in Fayetteville a Greek cook can usually be found. To Fayettevillians, perhaps the most well-known Greek foods are the colorful Greek salad, chock full of tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers and feta cheese. The gyro sandwich is a popular fast-food choice. Baklava is a Greek dessert, thin layers of pastry filled with a pistachio and honey mixture. But newcomers are often surprised that everything from Fayetteville's finest Italian fare to the best Southern meat and threes is prepared by some with a Greek accent or in many cases their children and grandchildren. Among some of the most well- known Greek-owned restaurants are Luigi's, Chris's Steak House, Rainbow Restaurant, Zorba's, Baldino's and the veritable local landmark that is the Hamont Grill. Naming all the Greek families who have achieved success in the restaurant and hospitality business is not possible; they are legion. But some of the most well-known family names in the restaurant business include Parrous, Kalevas, Hasapis, Skenteris and, yes, Poulos. "The passion of it is being able to be creative," John Poulos says. "You P ete Poulos looks out at the busy intersection of Eastern Boulevard and Grove Street. It's almost always been a Fayetteville hub, from the earliest settlers to the days when U.S. 301 ruled the East Coast, and not a little byway known as Interstate 95. But for one Greek-American family, it's something more. "This is our corner here," Poulos says, "this is our place." He says Deno's Pizza Palace was Fayetteville's first pizza joint, and it's still the place to go for a mean plate of spaghetti, steak or even an egg platter. The father-son team of Pete and John Poulos works around the clock, dishing up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Left | Lula's Café, in Southern Pines, displays the essence of good hospitality with a wide choice of delicious foods and a friendly staff. Here, a satisfied customer grins his approval.

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