Lucia and William Stridiron say that their bestseller is the oxtail-and-goat combo. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Nobody does comfort food quite like “Mama.” With her friendly and funny personality — and, of course, her cooking — Lucia Stridiron has earned the term of endearment from everyone who eats at the colorful restaurant that she owns with her husband, William. In 2016 the Stridirons started a food truck named after a restaurant that William’s mother opened in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1967. Lucia took the truck to Camp Lejeune every day, building relationships with the Marines there. In 2022, she opened her brick-and-mortar, where she cooks a variety of comforting Caribbean dishes — braised oxtails (which William eats daily), curry goat, jerk and curry chicken, plantains, whole red snapper, collards, and empanadas — using recipes that she’s developed, as well as a few from her own mom.
93 Western Boulevard, Suite F
(910) 968-0069
facebook.com/thewestindiankitchen
Marrakesh hummus is served with fresh pita. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Even before he opened his own restaurant in 2010, Ahmad Rahman was used to spending time in the kitchen, cooking at home for family gatherings. He’d emigrated from Jerusalem in 1967, and owned gas stations and grocery stores in the Jacksonville area. Rahman’s three sons all worked with him from a young age, and since he retired in 2016, two of them — Sami and Nabeel, along with Nabeel’s sons, Nyrav and Naseme — continue his legacy at Marrakesh. (The third son, Sammer, owns Olea Mediterranean Kitchen, with locations in Swansboro — also on the International Food Trail — and Fayetteville.) In the open kitchen, the family uses traditional techniques to cook authentic Mediterranean food: spiced pita with olive oil and house-made dips; chicken, beef, or lamb kabobs with rice; tabouleh salad made with parsley, green onions, cracked wheat, tomatoes, and olive oil; platters of lamb or salmon seasoned with house-made blends. Diners enjoy their meals at intimate booths and lace-covered tables beneath multicolored glass lamps and dark, Moroccan-inspired fabrics draped across the ceiling — a taste and a view of the Mediterranean.
409 Western Boulevard
(910) 219-0229
marrakeshjax.wixsite.com/marrakesh
Don’t miss the signature rotisserie chicken at Pollos Tete. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Karla, Mia, and Alexander Guzman photograph by Matt Ray Photography
After her husband left the Marine Corps in 2018, Karla Guzman Chavez decided to open a restaurant that would serve the rotisserie chicken so popular in Peru and her native Bolivia. But when she did, Chavez found herself with a huge South American rotisserie oven and no restaurant experience. “I didn’t even know how to turn the oven on,” she says. Luckily, she figured it out, and she and her son, Alex, are now involved in every aspect of Pollos Tete, cooking and serving in addition to running the business. Chavez takes great pride in the quality of her food, and it shows in dishes like arroz chaufa (fried rice), lomo saltado (beef strips with rice, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and made-to-order fries), ceviche, and, of course, the famous oak- and charcoal-cooked rotisserie chicken.
222 Brynn Marr Road
(910) 333-0696
facebook.com/pollostetenc
Creative flavors like strawberry cheesecake, coconut choco banana, and Fruity Pebbles — to name just a few — make it fun to pick your paleta. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
All of the homemade ice creams and paletas, or popsicles, at this Mexican ice cream shop are made from scratch using all-natural ingredients and real fruit — including coconuts cracked by hand. The 43 flavors of popsicles and 24 flavors of ice cream — from mango to Oreo to bubblegum — are complemented by savory treats like esquites, or Mexican street corn. Ramiro Medina and his wife, Brenda, opened their first shop in Greenville in 2015, naming it after their daughter, Deyanira. A loyal customer suggested that they open a shop in Jacksonville. Now, Paleteria Deya has three locations — in Greenville, Farmville, and Jacksonville (the last owned by Ramiro’s brother and sister-in-law, Antonio and Alejandra) — plus even more happy customers.
224 Brynn Marr Road
(910) 333-0538
facebook.com/p/Paleteria-DEYA-Jacksonville-NC-100042176480574/
When Keith Nemcoff opened The Milk Road coffee shop in 2016, he aimed to offer a treat that was different: Liege-style Belgian waffles. Pearl sugar sourced from Belgium is kneaded through brioche dough to create a warm waffle with a soft interior and a slightly caramelized crunch. Current owner Dee Clark, a Navy and Army Reserves veteran, wanted to continue serving fresh baked goods with an international twist when she bought The Milk Road in 2023. “One of the best things that being a Marine Corps spouse has given me is travel,” she says. “Everywhere I go, I try to learn a local dish that represents that location. There’s so much rich culture out there.” Clark — who is also a chocolatier and develops many of The Milk Road’s recipes — sources ingredients that are as local as possible, including honey from right down the road.
4240 Gum Branch Road
(910) 968-0650
milkroadcoffee.com
On the first day of Butch Greene’s deployment as a Marine in Okinawa, Japan, he walked into a bar and fell in love. “When I saw [Noriko],” he says of his wife, who was working as a bartender at the time, “I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with.” That was in 1972. The couple eventually moved to Jacksonville, and, in 2007, opened Aji Ichiban, where Noriko makes from-scratch dishes reflecting her roots. She arrives early at the restaurant each day to prepare Japanese classics like teriyaki, tempura, and sushi. But for a real taste of Okinawa, ask for the locals’ menu: Specialties include pork belly soup, which takes a day or two to prepare, and braised pigs’ feet, which simmer for two to three hours and are wildly popular with Okinawa natives in town. Fifty-two years after they met, Noriko — and her food — can still capture Butch’s heart.
343 Western Boulevard, Suite I
(910) 353-8880
Beloved by Filipino transplants looking for a taste of home, this authentic, family-owned restaurant is a style known in the Philippines as turo turo, meaning “point point.” Customers approach the hot bar and literally point to what they want, choosing from trays of chicken or pork adobo, chicken curry, beef caldareta (a stew with carrots, potatoes, and peas), and whatever else is available that day. For dishes that are made to order, customers can also point above the counter, where specialties like lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly), fried rice, pho, and breakfast options like longsilog (a sweet sausage with eggs) are listed with photos, making the experience comfortable even for those who have little familiarity with Filipino cuisine.
331 Western Boulevard, Suite C
(910) 333-9294
facebook.com/p/filipino-cuisine-100046661384630
In September, Joaquin Molina-Uscanga moved his café to a larger location where customers can enjoy treats like Cuban coffee and guava pastries. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Pair your café cubano or cortadito with a flaky guava pastry. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Before opening his coffee shop in Jacksonville in 2020, Joaquin Molina-Uscanga traveled all over Europe and visited cafés in search of the perfect cup. The result: a menu that combines items inspired by his travels — Italian espresso drinks and desserts like Havana cake (similar to tiramisu) — with pastries, empanadas, and Cuban coffee, an homage to his mother’s homeland. Born and raised in Mexico, Molina-Uscanga spent 22 years working in Cancun restaurants prior to moving to Jacksonville in 2000. He makes all of the icings, drizzles, and fillings for his cakes and pastries from scratch, from chocolate and tres leches cakes to a guava and cream cheese pastry that’s popular in Cuba. Coffee beans imported from Colombia are used to make drinks like espresso mixed with cane sugar (café cubano), cane sugar and steamed milk (cortadito), and even chocolate syrup (for an alcohol-free espresso martini). There are a lot of options, but Molina-Uscanga says, only half-joking, “If you don’t taste a Cuban coffee or a cortadito, you weren’t here.”
1010 Henderson Drive, Unit 400
havana58cafe.com
For more restaurants on the Jacksonville region’s International Food Trail, including Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, and other cuisines, go to visitjacksonvillenc.com/189/international-food-trail.
Mark our words: Whether they nod to North Carolina or were penned by its residents, these notable, quotable passages remind us of the power of speech inspired by our state.
When one stream flows into another, the two chart a new course for the future — together.
When the weather outside is frightful, one chef serves loved ones dishes so delightful.
A historic Rose Bowl pitted Duke University against Oregon State in Durham. Then, in the dark days of World War II, those same football players — and a legendary coach — joined forces to fight for freedom.
