Fayetteville food: Get the list of restaurant openings, closings and coming soon

In the dog days of summer  — late July through August  — several Fayetteville restaurants said goodbye. The scene is heating up, however, with a few new openings and more on the way.

Among the happenings were the closure of African, health food and sandwich restaurants. An American Southern restaurant opened downtown, a new food truck began selling grilled cheese, and at least three more eateries are set to open soon in the city.

Here’s the latest Fayetteville food scene news.

Closed: Axum Ethiopian Restaurant

Axum Ethiopian Restaurant, which opened in March at 5945 Cliffdale Road in Cliffdale Square, announced in a since-deleted Aug. 22 Facebook post that the restaurant is closed after five months in business.

Get the full story: Fayetteville restaurant on Cliffdale Road shutters after five months in business

Closed: Which Wich

A handwritten sign on the door of the Which Wich Superior Sandwiches in the Marketfair Mall shopping center last week stated that the restaurant at 1916 Skibo Road had closed its doors for good.

Open: Down South Family Restaurant & Bar

Down South Family Restaurant & Bar opened Friday at 106 Person St., the former site of Caruso’s Confections. With seating for about 40 inside and a dozen on the patio, the 2,300-square-foot spot bills itself as an American southern restaurant and full-service bar.

Open: Feena’s

Feena’s owner Hafeena Ali-Martinez was prepared to close her well-known dollar store and dessert shop when her longtime lease was set to run out in early September, but public outcry led to another two years in Fayetteville’s Bronco Midtown shopping center.

'I have to pay the bills' What's next for Feena's in Fayetteville?

Closed: Corelife

CoreLife Eatery in the Freedom Town Center on Skibo Road closed earlier this month. The former Fayetteville location was the health food chain’s first in the state when it opened in 2018.

Read the full story:: Healthy restaurant chain quietly closes Fayetteville location in Freedom Town Center

Open: Bus Stop Melts food truck

Bus Stop Melts, specializing in artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches pressed panini-style, got its start in mid-July. Proprietor Kerry Washburn, 44, owned the former Fayetteville Pie Company, which closed last year. Bus Stop Melts now operates from the same retro school bus that briefly sold the old restaurant’s sweet and savory pies.

Check it out: Former Fayetteville Pie Company owner now serves grilled cheese from a '90s school bus

On its way: Caribou Coffee

Caribou Coffee is planning a 625-square-foot drive-thru location with outdoor seating at 5837 Lakewood Drive, according to plans posted to the county geographic information system. The store is set to open in November.

On its way: Kusinera Filipino Cuisine

Kusinera Filipino Cuisine is set to open at 3047 Legion Road in the coming weeks, owner Nannette Thomas said last week. The new restaurant will serve Filipino fare from the location of the former China Garden Restaurant at the Legion Crossing shopping center.

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com. 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: Get the list of restaurant openings, closings and coming soon