Monday Munchies: Handshake in the Fayetteville library
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In case you needed another reason to hang out at the Fayetteville Public Library, you have one.
📚 State of play: Handshake offers breakfast, lunch and lounge bites right inside the library. This is ultra-convenient for those who find themselves spending lengthy days working or studying there, or are just making the most of a leisurely day at the library.
The vibe: It's an inviting café on the first floor and is surrounded by windows looking out onto the street.
- You're generally supposed to stay quiet in most parts of the library, but Handshake is a spot where you're free to chat. Or you can keep reading or working quietly, as long as some background noise won't bother you.
🥪 What to try: I went at lunchtime and got a chicken pesto sandwich ($13). This was a juicy piece of grilled chicken with a generous amount of tasty tomato pesto plus some mozzarella and veggies on focaccia.
- I don't go to a library planning on more than an emergency café snack or mediocre grab-and-go item, if anything. So this made-to-order hot sandwich plus the cold pasta salad side ($3) made for a satisfying lunch.
- I also don't go to a library expecting to spend a lot of money, and about $20 for a full lunch was not upsetting.
🧒 Zoom out: Appropriately, there's a kids' menu that includes a $6 grilled cheese — cute and convenient for parents taking kiddos to story times or to find a book.
- 👀 I, however, will be coming back in the evening for that smoked salmon dip.
🏗️ Flashback: The library unveiled a major expansion about five years ago with an event center, teaching kitchen, robotics lab, recording studio and more amenities.
- A restaurant, 641.DELI, lasted a few years and closed in 2024. Handshake has taken over the vacant space.
📍 Stop by: 9am-8pm Tuesday through Saturday at 401 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville.