Hoffbrau, formerly located at 31 E. Center Street in the space currently occupied by Damgoode Pies, as seen in 2005. Photo: Rod Jacobs

In Fayetteville, and probably in most college towns, restaurants open and close pretty frequently.

Thousands of new freshmen move to town to start school at the University of Arkansas each year, and with them, nearly as many seniors graduate and move on to careers outside the city.

Maybe it’s that semi-transient population, or maybe it’s just the way the world works in a capitalist society, but just as the influx and students ebb and flow into the city like the rising tide, so goes the world of eateries, cafes, and diners that make up the local food landscape of the city.

Our popular Restaurant News column is pretty solid evidence of this fact, and thinking about that ever-changing world led to a post on our Facebook page earlier this year that prompted a pretty interesting discussion.

We asked, simply, “If you could bring back any restaurant from Fayetteville’s past, what would it be?”

The post, which netted 600 comments and 112 restaurant mentions, brought back some pretty great memories, at least for us.

We compiled the list, tabulated the votes, and added some of our own recollections about a few of the 112 most missed restaurants in the history of Fayetteville.

Obviously, our methods are not scientific, but the resulting list is fun to look at, reminisce on, and discuss.

Feel free to add your favorite stories in the comments. What restaurant from Fayetteville’s past would you bring back if you could, and what do you remember or miss most about the places listed below?

1. Hoffbrau

Wes Hall’s Minute Man Facebook

Steaks, burgers, a good salad bar, and crazy drink specials are what we remember most about Hoffbrau, formerly located at 31 E. Center Street off the square in the space currently occupied by Damgoode Pies. The restaurant closed in the early 2000s, but apparently still lives on in the minds of several Fayettevillians. Of the 600 responses on Facebook, Hoffbrau was mentioned over 50 times as the restaurant locals most wanted to bring back from the great restaurant beyond.

2. Fuzzy’s

Former burger and barbecue joint Fuzzy’s came in as the second most missed restaurant in Fayetteville. It was located on Garland Avenue, across from Fast Tracks in a building that has since been demolished as part of the still-underway street widening project. It was the place where I ordered my first legal beer. They had crazy good battered fries, nachos, a delicious barbecue burger. They closed sometime in the early 2000s.

3. Coy’s Place

Another steakhouse comes in as the third most missed restaurant in town. Coy’s Place, the project by charismatic and well loved restauranteur Coy Kaylor, was located on College Avenue in a building that has since been demolished across from Herman’s Ribhouse. It had a large porch out front for folks waiting for a table, and an intimate bar area off the dining room where Coy frequently could be found chatting with customers. I remember they had good steaks and prime rib. My grandfather once took the whole 1996 Prairie Grove Tiger basketball team there, fulfilling a promise to do so if we made it to the state tournament. The place closed not too long after that. We’re not sure of the exact year.

4. ROTC on Dickson

Restaurant on the Corner, known locally simply as as ROTC (pronounced “rot-see”) is still open at 3582 N Hwy 112, but locals miss the restaurant’s original home. For years, ROTC was located on the corner (hence the name) of Dickson Street and Rollston Avenue. It had a great diner-style atmosphere, focusing on a menu of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, good brunch items, and more. When developers for the 3 Sisters Building purchased the property in the 1990s, the restaurant, along with across the street neighbors The Grill had to relocate, leading to the consolidation of the two restaurants in their current location. It was one of the first places we frequented for coffee with friends in high school (Sorry waiters and waitresses. We most likely overstayed our welcome on more than one occasion.)

5. Muley’s

We barely remember Muley’s. It was on the south side of Colt Square in a relatively large building, and its heyday was probably in the late 1980s and early 90s. We don’t remember much about the food, because we were probably eating from the kids menu back then, but it seems like they served some pretty standard American fare of burgers, sandwiches, a few steaks, and salads. We also remember it nearly always being packed. What do you guys remember about Muley’s?

A watercolor by artist Daniel Kerlin of the old Jerry’s Restaurant in Fayetteville Courtesy, University Libraries

6. Jerry’s Restaurant

Jerry’s Restaurant was located near the corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue, in the space currently occupied by Dead Swanky salon. They served a killer breakfast in a great diner-style atmosphere. We remember comfortable booths, and a steady supply of coffee. It was the first place I ever tried my eggs sunny side up. The restaurant closed sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s.

7. D-Lux

D-Lux was a restaurant on Dickson Street on the west side of the currently-vacant space most recently occupied by Aqua Fire (and 1936 Club before that). The restaurant, which according to Once Upon Dickson author Tony Wappel dated back to the 1930s, specialized in burgers and sandwiches. Longtime local resident Ben Schelegel said he remembered the place also had a pretty cool game room on the east side of the building.

8. The Old Post Office

The Old Post Office, or O.P.O. as it’s commonly called locally, was a restaurant and night club located in the center of the Fayetteville square in the space currently occupied by Country Outfitter. It was possibly known more as a nightclub than a restaurant, with frequent crazy drink specials. For example, they had a 10¢ well drink night if we remember right. For some reason, those memories are a bit cloudy.

9. Goldie’s

Goldie’s was located at 3251 N. College Avenue, in the space currently occupied by Zaxby’s. The restaurant was actually part of a chain that still operates nine locations in Oklahoma. The restaurant specialized in pretty standard fair of burgers and sandwiches, but what we remember most was the self-serve pickle and salsa bar. They also had a pretty nice patio out front if we remember correctly, and on Tuesday nights, burgers were two for one.

Brenda’s Bigger Burger Staff photo

10. Brenda’s Bigger Burger

Ah, Brenda’s Bigger Burger. The little roadside restaurant at 645 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in south Fayetteville served up some delicious burgers for 47 years before closing in 2012. It was an order-at-the-counter experience, and you could either take your burger with you, or enjoy it on one of the picnic tables out front. In addition to great burgers, they also had some tasty onion rings, served in a paper sleeve secured with a toothpick, and really delicious malts and milkshakes.

11. The Station

12. Casa Taco

13. LJ’s

14. Hush Puppy

15. La Maison Des Tartes

16. 36 Club

17. Suzi Wongs Rice Bowl

18. Boardwalk Cafe

19. Bizy’s

20. Minute Man

21. Uncle Gaylord’s

22. Chloe

23. Mama Dean’s

24. Schlegel’s Bagels

25. Cheeburger, Cheeburger

26. Village Epicurian

27. Kirby’s

28. La Familia

29. Sassafrass

30. Burger Life

31. Pete’s

32. Lyn D’s Cajun Gypsy

33. TGI Friday’s

34. Red Bird Cafe

35. Tuesday Mornings

36. Twin Kitchen

37. Ozark Brewing Company

38. Farmer’s Daughter

39. King Pizza

40. Cafe Santa Fe

41. Lin’s

42. Morning Glories

43. Rally’s

44. Widespread Bagel

45. Polly’s Cafe

46. Belvedere’s

47. Hog City Diner

48. The Grill

49. Luby’s

50. Fuddrucker’s

51. Godfather’s Pizza

52. Rufino’s

53. Soul

54. Bogey’s

55. Smokey Bones

56. Tapanazos

57. Fazoli’s

58. Bobby Joe’s Cafe

59. Bonanza

60. Burger Broil

61. Dairy Queen

62. Hoot’s

63. Hooter’s

64. El Chico

65. Fat Tony’s

66. Celi’s

67. Jackson’s

68. Kisor’s

69. Joe’s Bistro

70. Poor Fred’s

71. Senor Bob’s

72. Sho’Nuf BBQ

73. Solamente Lo Mejor

74. Taco Mayo

75. Taco Place

76. Tacos and Spuds

77. Tastee Freeze

78. Tim’s on College

79. Asahi

80. Alligator Ray’s

81. Blimpie’s

82. Bowen’s

83. Butcher Block

84. Cable Car on Campbell

85. Chicken Hut

86. Danver’s

87. Dixie Cafe

88. Early Berlin

89. Great American Hot Dog

90. Hjem

91. HuHot

92. Long John Silver’s

93. Ma Drake’s

94. Mary’s at Ozark Lanes

95. Mike’s South

96. Mr. Burger on College

97. Mr. Quick

98. Munchies

99. Muskrat Roadhouse

100. My Pleasure

101. Nick’s

102. Ozark Mountain Smokehouse

103. Pizza Inn

104. Ryan’s

105. Sale Barn Cafe

106. Shanghai

107. Smoothie King

108. Top Hat

109. Uber Burger

110. Urban Table

111. Wilson’s Cafe

112. Working Class Hero