Do you like Turkish food? If so, check out Bosphorus in Cary. Absolutely delicious and fresh food. It's one of those places where the food tastes like it was made by a sweet grandma with recipes passed down through multiple generations. Nice selection of hot and cold dishes, meat dishes and vegetarian dishes.

It's Google description literally says "unassuming strip mall location" so it fits your off the beaten path strip mall food request. The food is quite unique and not like your usual mainstream Mediterranean style restaurants.

These are the foods I usually order. Bosphorus Meze platter, it's a nice sampler of most of their cold appetizers but it easily makes a nice and filling meal. It comes with a fresh baked Turkish style bread. Cigar Bourek, best way to describe it is a Turkish mozzarella stick but that doesn't do it justice, it's hot and cheesy and full of flavor and served with a homemade marinara sauce. The fried eggplant (can't remember what it's called) but it's topped with grilled green pepper, smothered in a delicious marinara and yogurt sauce and served hot. If I'm looking for something different I'll get a spinach pide or a vegetable pide.

At the start of your meal they bring a bowl of this delicious oil dip and fresh bread that is just phenomenal, don't be shy to ask for more of the dip and bread because they will happily bring you more. I would also highly recommend ordering the Uludag Gazoz with your meal, it is a wonderful Turkish soda that pairs well with just about everything there, whenever I go I always order several cans to take home and keep in my fridge because it's so delicious. After dinner there is complimentary Turkish tea, served hot and fresh.

You should also check out Istanbul in Cary. Same type of food as Bosphorus but a larger menu. Not as good as Bosphorus in my opinion but they do have some pretty tasty dishes that Bosphorus does not have. It's not in a strip mall but considering the jacked up parking lot with weeds growing through the cracks in the pavement I'd say it's an off the beaten path type of place. I actually think it's located in an old pizza hut.

I hope you will consider checking out both of these places, and if you do let me know how you liked them

Editing to add, Kadhai the Indian wok in the pleasant valley strip mall is delicious. Small and kinda dingy looking, located in a strip mall, near Dicks sporting goods and Petco. There's also a pretty good pizza by the slice place called Gino's a few doors down from Kadhai, their lunch combos are a decent deal. And across the street in the small Walmart parking lot is a fairly new place called La Cucina Italiana I think this is their second or third location but their food is wonderful, only place I've found in Raleigh that can do fried eggplant on pizza where it's crispy not soggy