Like the cyclone-tossed farmhouse that slays the Wicked Witch of the East, pre-fab 7 Brew coffee shops have materialized in the sky along Arkansas’s major thoroughfares this year, dangling precariously from high-powered cranes until they land their mark and unleash 850-calorie white chocolate confections on under-caffeinated Arkansans. Not all restaurant arrivals have been so dramatic (or hazelnut-driven), of course. Some, like The Bagel Shop, built a fanbase over time, gradually accruing enough buzz to make a brick-and-mortar venture feel like a sure bet. Others, like the Riverdale outpost of Wright’s BBQ, have been long pined for from afar, the smell of takeout brisket from the original Northwest Arkansas location filling southbound vehicles along Interstate 49 on its way to convert yet another Little Rocker to fanatic fervor. Here, we’ve rounded up a few restaurant comings and goings — loud and quiet, lowbrow and highfalutin, healthy and hedonistic.
Departures
Dave’s Place, 210 Center St., Little Rock
Possibly the least pretentious place you could have a business lunch downtown, beloved Little Rock diner Dave’s Place — a diner loved for its tomato bisque and for making you feel like you’d stepped into an upscale version of your grandmother’s kitchen — closed its doors in July after 30 years in business, citing health concerns of its namesake and patriarch, Dave Williams.
Cañon Grill, 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock
Hillcrest’s long-standing Tex-Mex restaurant known for its Southwestern pizza, crispy chicken nachos and boozy blue margaritas made its closure official this year after months of speculation that it would not return in a post-pandemic world.
Kream Kastle Drive Inn, 15922 U.S. Highway 70, Benton
Guy Lancaster/Anna LancasterSo revered it needed no roadside signage to state its name and business, this greasy spoon between I-30 and Hot Springs served up killer milkshakes and the perfect dairy bar burger, small enough not to overwhelm and topped upon request with strips of bacon curled and crisped in the hot oil of a deep fryer. Guy Lancaster, who wrote a love letter to the dairy bar for the Arkansas Times in 2019, called it a “living fossil,” noting that the dense ring of pickup trucks that surrounded the drive-in was a surefire litmus test of the food’s enduring charm. Though we’ve received no reply to our inquiries about whether its closure is permanent, the drive-in’s been dark since late summer.
Betty’s Old Fashion, 1334 E. Hillsboro St., El Dorado
Lines formed under the rust-streaked metal sign mounted atop the state’s oldest dairy bar, Betty’s Old Fashion, when it announced in March it would close its “Order Here” window for good. The building is slated to be razed for a highway widening. Fear not, though, ice cream lovers: The soft-serve mecca is slated for a revival at 919 E. Hillsboro St., according to its Facebook page.
Graffiti’s, 7811 Cantrell Road, Little Rock
Just short of its 40th year in business, Graffiti’s announced it was closing its Cantrell location but would continue serving its menu items out of Venezuelan restaurant La Terraza Rum & Lounge in Hillcrest. The owners of La Terraza purchased Graffiti’s in 2017.
Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 301 Main St., North Little Rock
Rhett BrinkleyAfter operating at the corner of Broadway and Main streets in North Little Rock since 2007, the workmanlike Irish dive bar shut its doors for good after Argenta’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.
Powerhouse Seafood & Grill, 112 N. University Ave., Fayetteville
Simultaneously adored and reviled — depending on which Fayetteville resident you asked — one of Dickson Street’s most long-running party bars closed its doors in July after three decades in business. Adieu to the “Kilowatt,” the Powerhouse’s signature frozen booze offering, concocted from pineapple juice, orange juice, hurricane mix, Bacardi 151 and house-made coconut rum. (Bet those Dickson Street pharmacies are selling a bit less single-serving Ibuprofens these days.)
One Eleven at the Capital, 111 W. Markham St., Little Rock
Dinner service resumed at the Capital Hotel’s fine dining restaurant in October 2022 after a pandemic shutdown of more than two years. It ended again in June of this year. Breakfast and brunch are still served in the upscale space across the lobby from the Bar and Grill.
AQ Chicken House, 1207 N. Thompson St., Springdale
An iconic Springdale restaurant known for its pan-fried chicken and for hosting Bill Clinton’s 47th birthday party, AQ was demolished earlier this year to make room for a car wash. An investment group owned by the Lundstrum family, including Republican state Rep. Robin Lundstrum of Elm Springs, announced plans to revive the restaurant on land they own in Springdale.
Dog Town Pizza, 5500 MacArthur Dr., North Little Rock
Located in North Little Rock’s Amboy neighborhood, Dog Town Pizza was destroyed by the March 31 EF3 tornado five months after it opened. The owners appealed to the public to help rebuild, raising money from T-shirt sales and an online fundraiser.
Damgoode Pies Hillcrest, 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock
Damgoode PiesDamgoode Pies announced the permanent closure of its original Kavanaugh store in October after slinging stuffy pies, cheap PBR and wisecracking marquee quips in Hillcrest for more than 22 years. About three weeks later, Damgoode ended its run in Central Arkansas, closing its location on Cantrell Road. “The post-COVID restaurant life is just brutal,” owner Jeff Trine said. “And I gotta be a good dad, and I don’t think I can do that while being a restaurant owner.”
David Family Kitchen, 2301 S. Broadway St., Little Rock
Kat Robinson A sign taped to the front window gave notice to the permanent closure of one of the best soul food restaurants in the city, opened by the late Rev. Stoy David and Pearletha David (better known as Ms. Pearl) in 1998.
South on Main, 1304 S. Main St., Little Rock
Brian ChilsonAfter opening restaurant/music venue South on Main in partnership with the Oxford American in 2013, chef Matt Bell sold the restaurant to Don Dugan and Tasha Stratton in the weeks leading up to the pandemic. Terrible timing aside, Dugan said there were “issues that needed to be dealt with” and he was planning on shutting down to “retool and rebrand” before an opportunity to sell the restaurant presented itself. The sale fell through.
North Bar, 3812 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock
A fire broke out at North Bar’s Lake Hill Shopping Center location on a Monday night in October when the restaurant was closed. The North Little Rock Fire Department had the fire contained within the hour, but the damage was extensive. It’s not gone forever, though. “We are here to stay,” owners Kyle and Snee Dismang told the Arkansas Times, “and we will rebuild.”
Arrivals (and revivals)
Flora Jean’s, 433 E. Third St., Little Rock
Rhett BrinkleyFlooded with natural light and winsome servers offering you chlorophyll-enhanced water, Flora Jean’s serves up a vegan and vegetarian menu full of delicate touches — biscuits rendered a denim blue from butterfly pea flowers, baby pink beetroot lattes with rose petals afloat on the foam, cocktails with quinoa vodka and carrot juice. Think: the “food as medicine” counterpart to its owners’ classic downtown diner, @The Corner.
BCW (Bread Cheese Wine), 1424 S. Main St., Little Rock
BCWTapas, shareables, small plates, #girldinner: whatever you want to call it, BCW is doing it with finesse. Come for the gruyere cheese puffs and lemon herb potatoes at Nathan Miller’s SoMa newcomer; stay for the euphoric interior design, with art vibes courtesy of locals Sulac and Judson Spillyards.
Coy’s Steakhouse, 305 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs
“Posh Hot Springs hotel revives vintage Spa City steakhouse (and also a Little Rock breakfast spot?)” wasn’t on our 2023 bingo card, but here we are. The Hotel Hot Springs, Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame announced ceremoniously in September that the hotel would relaunch not only Little Rock’s Satellite Cafe, which closed in 2010, but Coy’s, a Hot Springs fixture known for its steaks and its house dressing, best enjoyed with warmed saltine crackers.
Wright’s BBQ, 1311 Rebsamen Park Road, Little Rock
Wright’s BBQPitmaster Jordan Wright’s on a roll, and the Texas-style brisket that garnered devotees at the BBQ spot’s flagship Johnson location in Northwest Arkansas has sparked an offshoot in the quonset hut-style building in Riverdale behind Town Pump. Don’t sleep on the collard greens.
The Busker, 1304 S. Main St., Little Rock
After the sale of South on Main fell through, owners Don Dugan and Tasha Stratton decided to play to their strengths and reopen as a neighborhood bar, restaurant and music venue offering “approachable bar food.”
The Bagel Shop, 1501 S. Main St., Little Rock
The Bagel ShopJust a little over a year after Trevor Papsadora and Myles Roberson began a farmers market pop-up bagel operation that almost instantly became a Little Rock summer phenomenon, The Bagel Shop opened a brick-and-mortar location in downtown’s SoMa neighborhood, with Monica Chatterton of Flake Baby Pastry heading up the pastry program.
Draft + Table, 301 Main St., North Little Rock
Chef Kev Doroski, formerly of Ristorante Capeo, is bringing fine dining to the former Cregeen’s space in Argenta with “a tour of America’s greatest sandwiches” for the lunch crowd, along with a Saturday and Sunday brunch. The restaurant opened in November.
Big Bad Breakfast, 306 Main St., Little Rock
Rhett BrinkleyArkansas’s second outlet of James Beard Award winner John Currence’s popular breakfast franchise is open in its new downtown Main Street digs and looking fully like a nod to a mid-century New York diner.
Riviera Maya, 801 Fair Park Blvd., Little Rock
Fans of Riviera Maya were once again able to order a Cheese Combo or the Enchiladas Banderas topped with chorizo and one grilled shrimp when Riviera Maya reopened its Fair Park location in October. The restaurant had been closed for a year and a half following an overnight fire in March 2022.
Sterling Market, 515 Shall Ave., Little Rock
Brian ChilsonFidel Samour of Fidel & Co opened a food hall across the street from his coffee shop in the former Sterling Paint Factory building in Little Rock’s East Village neighborhood. The 4,000-square-foot market features a butcher shop, a salad station, an artisan pizza station, a full bar, a ridiculously good bakery and a rain-or-shine, temperature-controlled outdoor dining space with a retractable roof.
La Chingada, 313 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
Mexican restaurant La Chingada opened in November in the former Library Kitchen + Lounge space and will continue the tradition of offering music and late night weekend hours in the large River Market space. Many Facebook users commented about the name La Chingada, which appears to have some vulgar translations. The employee we spoke with said the restaurant’s name isn’t a crass one. He said it can also refer loosely to a place — in this case, one that serves really fresh food.
Old South Restaurant, 105 E. Harrell Drive, Russellville
Kat RobinsonKnown for having served “two presidents and a king” because Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and King of Rock ’n’ Roll Elvis Presley reportedly dined there, the historic Old South Restaurant reopened in a former Russellville Dixie Cafe after a fire in June destroyed the eatery’s iconic modular Main Street location that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Certified Pies, 9807 W. Markham St., Little Rock
Brian ChilsonKreg Stewart, Samantha Stewart and Harlem Wilson opened a brick-and-mortar pizzeria in the same West Little Rock shopping center where they previously operated a ghost kitchen concept, serving pizzas and some of the best breaded wings in town out of the back door for almost three years.
DONS Southern Social, 901 Central Ave., Hot Springs
Rhett BrinkleyYou have to pass through a payphone or an art gallery to enter chef Joshua Garland’s new Hot Springs speakeasy-style restaurant. Order the deviled egg appetizer and stay for dessert with the pie flight, which comes served on a windowsill.
Ol’ Bart at Diamond Bear, 600 N. Broadway St., North Little Rock
After cooking barbecue for duck lodges all over the U.S., Bart Likes opened Ol’ Bart Southern Eats in Conway and has transformed Diamond Bear Brewing’s restaurant into a barbecue joint.
Pettaway Coffee, 406 E. 21st St., Little Rock
Brian ChilsonThe neighborhood-focused coffee shop in the new Pettaway small business district doubles as a mocktail bar in the afternoons and features a fantastic cold brew-based coffee soda that’s batched in kegs for about 72 hours.
Sweet Cheeks Espresso, 912 Eastline Road, Searcy
Searcy finally has a drive-thru coffee shop with bikini-clad baristas.
Franks, 2511 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock
A new quick service/drive-thru hot dog/burger restaurant opened in the former Church’s Chicken on McCain Boulevard to positive reviews.
Shorty Small’s (Mobile)
Shorty Small’sThe iconic Shorty Small’s location on Rodney Parham is now a 7 Brew, but the restaurant returned this year on wheels as the Shorty Small’s Cheese Stick Factory.
George’s, 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock
Glen HooksAfter major renovations at the former Cafe Prego building, upscale Italian restaurant George’s opened in the Heights and features three distinct dining rooms, an outdoor patio and a separate speakeasy bar known as Barnaby.
Red Bowl Noodle & Dim Sum, 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road
The city’s dim sum scene got a lift this spring when Red Bowl opened in the space previously occupied by Homer’s West.
City Silo Table + Pantry, 17701 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock
A self-described “creative, clean eating establishment” with two locations in Memphis, City Silo opened in the Chenal Promenade in September. Its menu ranges “from gluten free to vegan to carnivore” and was created “with the intention of offering food that appeals to all taste buds, diets and bodies,” according to a press release.
Park Grill, 501 E 9th St., Little Rock
Brian ChilsonThe Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ new restaurant, Park Grill, opened in May and is headed up by executive chef Patrick Herron, a Culinary Institute of America alum and former executive chef at the Governor’s Mansion.
Gold Bowl, 215 Center St., Little Rock
Rhett BrinkleyIt was the summer of ramen for the Eat Arkansas office when Japanese/Chinese restaurant Gold Bowl opened in August at 215 Center St. Now it’s finally soup season, and the broth in the kimchi ramen and spicy miso ramen may temporarily cure your winter doldrums.
CHAINS
Whataburger
Little Rock collectively lost its shit when Whataburger opened a Little Rock outlet on Chenal Parkway in April. A video posted to Reddit shows cars lined up for blocks to get a taste of the Texas-based burger chain on Arkansas soil.
Crumbl Cookies
A franchise with more than 7 million followers on TikTok, Crumbl Cookies opened a store in North Little Rock’s Lakewood Village Shopping Center in February.
Beef-A-Roo
“Still famously delicious since 1967,” Rockford, Illinois-based Beef-A-Roo opened its first Little Rock store in the former Krispy Kreme on Shackleford Road in October.
Crazy King Burrito
Originally founded in Cozumel, Mexico, Crazy King Burrito opened its first Arkansas location at 401 S. Bowman Road.
