The platters are the thing to get at The Petra Cafe in Fayetteville, AR. Served with pillowy toasted pita, the plates are the ideal showcase for chef-owner Saleh Faur’s creamy hummus, lemony tabouleh, crunchy falafel balls, smoky baba ganoush, and warm foule modammas, a fragrant stew of slow-cooked fava beans, onion, and tomato. With just 22 seats to fill, the place is often slammed during lunch—yet Faur goes out of his way to greet every customer personally. The 60-something Jordanian emigrated to the U.S. in 1973. He ran a gas station for years, but it’s cooking the cuisine of his homeland that is his true calling. The restaurant walls are hung with Jordanian souvenirs, including an oud, hookah pipe, and vintage poster of Petra. Faur loves regaling diners with stories of Jordan—and there’s no better way to get to know him, or to soak up the atmosphere of the place, than by ending your meal with a demitasse of rich, thick, cardamom-spiced coffee and a fat wedge of sticky baklava layered with crushed walnuts. Perfection.

31 E. Center St., Fayetteville, AR; 479-443-3090.