The Ghazi Shuffle: Cafe #2 Closes

If you’re having trouble keeping up with the Ghazi’s, you’re not the only one.

Ghazi Issa and Steve Glenn, owners of Ghazi’s Pesto Cafe in Fayetteville, have closed their second restaurant, which opened less than two months ago in the building at 3075 Market Ave. that previously housed Caprice, a Russian/American restaurant owned by Ben Israel.

The second Ghazi’s Pesto Cafe opened May 15 about a mile from the original Ghazi’s, which has been in operation for a year at 1150 N. College Ave. The menu was basically the same at both Italian restaurants. Each restaurant could seat about 50 diners.

The second Ghazi’s closed July 1 after a dispute with the landlord, says Issa.

Issa and Glenn plan to open their third restaurant — well … now it will be their second — at 1830 N. College Ave. later this month. Originally, Issa intended for the new restaurant to serve French food (under the moniker Cafe de Paris chez Ghazi’s), but since closing the second eatery, Issa says he has decided to serve Italian food and some more exotic dishes at the new location, Ghazi’s Pesto Cafe Plus. In addition to Italian food, he plans to also offer seafood, rabbit, quail and steak Diane at the new eatery. The new restaurant will seat about 75 diners.

Issa says he’s looking for a larger building to use as a French restaurant.