Food and Drink

Smashburgers and Yemeni coffee ... together? This new Central Ave spot says yes

Breakfast, burgers and Yemeni coffee drinks are on the menu at a new restaurant in Central Avenue’s Plaza Central Shopping Center.

Starting at 8 a.m., Crazy Burger is serving egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches with your choice of bacon, sausage, turkey sausage or turkey bacon, along with cream cheese and jelly or bacon alternatives. Its sandwiches come on your choice of roll, bagel or hoagie bread.

There are also breakfast platters on the menu, with your choice of home fries or eggs and sausage.

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A medium shot of a smiling person with a short beard and a purple plaid shirt, standing behind a wooden service counter in a cafe. The background features a well-stocked beverage station with syrup bottles, a coffee machine, stacked cups, and shelving filled with jars and canisters.
Salah Dafalla owns Crazy Burger on Central Avenue, where you can get a Yemeni coffee with your burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive
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Crazy Burger’s coffee drinks

Crazy Burger is also the newest place in Charlotte to get a taste of Yemeni coffee, joining Middle Eastern cafes that have quickly spread across the area over the past few years, bringing international flavors to prominence.

Espresso, specialty lattes and cappuccino are on the menu alongside the traditional Yemeni drinks. Among those options are Arabic coffee, mufua’ar (Yemeni coffee with cardamom and cream), qishr (coffee husks brewed with ginger and cinnamon) and maleki (coffee husks brewed with finger, cinnamon and cream).

Yemeni red tea with cardamom, Moroccan tea with fresh mint and Adeni chai — a richly spiced brew that’s creamier than American versions — offer new tastes, too.

An eye-level shot of a restaurant’s dining area featuring a row of black vinyl booth seating paired with three dark wood laminate tables. Opposite the booths stand four classic wooden dining chairs with black upholstered seats. The accent wall behind the seating features a striking design of black-and-gold marbled panels framed by vertical wooden slats. The space is completed with warm wood-look flooring, a dropped ceiling with recessed lighting, and a red “NOW OPEN” banner visible near a window in the background.
Inside the dining room at Crazy Burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive

Lunch, dinner at Crazy Burger

The star of the show at Crazy Burger — its burger lineup — is also bringing big flavor.

The smashburger-style Crazy Burgers are available with single ($9.99), double ($11.99) or triple patties ($14.99) and come well-seasoned with crispy edges. Lettuce, tomato and onions come free, but you can also upgrade with an onion ring, cheese stick, avocado or grilled onions for $2 more.

Making it a meal adds on fries and a canned soda for $4 more with a single or double and $5 more with a Crazy Triple Burger.

A close-up shot of a double cheeseburger and a side of french fries served on a red tray lined with pink and white checkered paper. The burger features two large, grilled beef patties stacked with melted cheese, lettuce, and sauce on a classic bun. A small plastic cup of dipping sauce sits next to the pile of golden, skin-on french fries.
A Crazy Double Burger meal at Crazy Burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive

I ordered the Crazy Double Burger meal, alongside an Adeni chai — all of which came out piping hot. A dipping cup of creamy chipotle sauce showed up with my lightly seasoned fries, but ranch and ketchup are also available.

As someone who eats a fair number of burgers, that Crazy Double was easily the best I’ve had in a while, and it’s really well priced for that amount of food, especially since I saved half for later.

A close-up, slightly high-angle shot of a whole patty melt sandwich sitting on a piece of crumpled white deli paper. The sandwich consists of a thick, seasoned beef patty topped with gooey, melted yellow American cheese, all served between two thick slices of perfectly golden-brown, butter-toasted Texas toast.
A patty-melt style Crazy Butter Melt Burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive

Owner Salah Dafalla was behind the counter, making coffee drinks and helping in the kitchen as the restaurant undergoes finishing touches. He’s happy to chat and went out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed

His favorite thing on the menu is a patty-melt style Crazy Butter Melt Burger ($11.99), which led me to give that a try, too. Just a few bites of the savory sandwich with grilled onions and mustard was all I could manage at that level of fullness, but I’d absolutely order one again on a second visit.

A close-up shot of a hand holding a cross-section of a freshly cut patty melt inside a restaurant. The sandwich features a seasoned beef patty, melted cheese, and grilled onions nestled between two slices of golden-brown, toasted bread. The background is a softly blurred restaurant interior showing booth seating, a service counter, and digital menu boards hanging on the wall.
A look inside Crazy Burger’s Butter Melt Burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive

Dafalla settled in Charlotte about 11 years ago, but he lived in California and New York before that, so you’ll also notice food influences from other regions. Plates with chicken over rice, fried fish with rice and vegetables, and chicken shawarma wraps are on the menu with New York-style Chopped Cheese, a Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken Parmesan sandwiches.

Crazy Burger is still in its soft opening phase, with plans for a grand opening coming soon. Workers are finishing up an extended dining area that will double its available seating.

Online ordering for pickup or delivery is in place via GrubHub.

A wide, eye-level shot of a restaurant’s dining booth area featuring a row of four black vinyl booths paired with dark gray laminate tables. The distinctive accent wall behind the seating combines sections of vertical wood slats with vibrant green panels featuring subtle gold marble-like veining. In the background, a framed yellow lattice decorative piece is mounted on the wall. The space is lit by track and recessed ceiling lights, highlighting the warm wood-look flooring.
Booth seating at Crazy Burger. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive

Crazy Burger

Location: 4808 Central Ave., Suite H, Charlotte NC 28505

Menu

Cuisine: Burgers, breakfast, Yemeni coffee

An eye-level outdoor shot of the storefront for “Crazy Burger and Cafe,” located in a strip mall. The building features a red brick facade with a wide, white overhang supported by a central white support column. Multiple signs advertise the business: two rectangular signs on the roofline read “CRAZY BURGER” in orange letters with a green border, flanking a small oval “CAFÉ” sign. Below the overhang, two identical white banners feature orange text that reads “CRAZY BURGER AND CAFE” with small line-art icons of a burger and a coffee cup. Between the two main glass entrance doors, a large, stylized graphic of a steaming coffee cup is mounted directly onto the brick wall.
Crazy Burger is located at 4808 Central Ave., Suite H, in the Plaza Central Shopping Center. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive
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Heidi Finley
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Heidi Finley is a writer and editor for CharlotteFive and the Charlotte Observer. Outside of work, you will most likely find her in the suburbs driving kids around, volunteering and indulging in foodie pursuits. Support my work with a digital subscription
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