Delicious food is all well and good, but it doesn’t make for much of an experience if the setting is bad or the service is poor. On the list below you’ll find eleven Arkansas restaurants that offer more than delicious food—they offer delicious experiences . Each eatery is located in an unusual place and offers incredible cuisine to complete your culinary adventure. If you’ve been dreaming of eating catfish on a riverboat, a burger on a grounded plane, or steak in an early 20th century schoolhouse, you definitely need to check out the restaurants below, which are listed in no particular order. They’re all so good and so unique it’s hard to order them properly.
1. Bean Palace (Rogers)
Bean Palace is located on the third floor of War Eagle Mill, which is the only working gristmill in the Natural State. The setting itself is incredibly charming, but what makes the restaurant even more extraordinary is that the Bean Palace uses products that were actually milled on site. Bean Palace is located at 11045 War Eagle Road in Rogers.
2. Wilson Cafe (Wilson)
Wilson Cafe looks like somebody’s charming home, doesn’t it? With a homey-looking exterior and a sleek, modern interior, Wilson Cafe is a gorgeous place to eat your meal. Perhaps even more impressive is that the vegetables used in the restaurant are grown right across the street in Wilson Garden. Wilson Cafe is located at 2 North Jefferson Street in the tiny Delta town of Wilson.
3. Forty Two (Little Rock)
Forty Two gets its name from our 42nd president, Arkansas’s own Bill Clinton, and there’s good reason for that. You see, Forty Two is located in the Clinton Presidential Center. They’re open from Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they specialize in preparing delicious, affordable food using locally sourced ingredients. You can find Forty Two at 1200 President Clinton Avenue in Little Rock.
4. Weinkeller Restaurant (Altus)
Weinkeller Restaurant sounds a little like its location. You see, Weinkeller is built into the side of a hill where a hand dug wine cellar dating from 1880 once held the wine made on the grounds. It’s a charming part of the Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, just a stone’s throw away from the gorgeous vineyards there. Weinkeller specializes in three things: ambiance, totally delicious European food, and wine pairings. If those three things are at all interesting to you, you can find Weinkeller at 3324 Swiss Family Drive, Wiederkehr Village.
5. James at the Mill (Springdale)
James at the Mill is called that because it’s located on the grounds of the Inn at the Mill, which lends an incredible setting to an already incredible dining experience. You can enjoy the view of the Johnson Mill, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, from the huge windows of a dining room designed by renowned architect James Lambeth. And the food? Well you’re not going to find more impressive gourmet cuisine anywhere. James at the Mill is located at 3906 Johnson Mill Boulevard in Springdale.
6. Parachute Inn (Walnut Ridge)
How about that airplane food, am I right? Well, you’re not going to find any disturbingly bland food aboard the retired and remodeled Boeing 737 that constitutes a dining area at the Parachute Inn. Instead of peanuts and nasty freezer burned chicken, you’ll find absolutely delicious home style cuisine that you can eat without ever leaving the ground. Parachute Inn is located at 10 Sky Watch in Walnut Ridge.
7. Arsaga’s at the Depot (Fayetteville)
Arsaga’s is basically famous in Northwest Arkansas for offering delicious food, roasting its own coffee beans, and turning those beans into nearly perfect coffee drinks. What you may not realize is that the Arsaga’s location at 548 West Dickson Street in Fayetteville is actually in a converted train depot. The folks of Arsaga’s put a lot of work into renovating the space, just like they put a lot of work into making absolutely delicious meals with locally sourced ingredients and a plethora of vegan and vegetarian offerings.
8. Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets (Keo)
Housed in a historic pharmacy building, Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets is no stranger to rave reviews. That’s partially because Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets makes pies and pastries that are totally out of this world, but we should never forget about the "eats" part of that name. They make soups and sandwiches that are absolutely to die for. You can find this little eatery at 290 Main in the tiny community of Keo.
9. Dondie’s White River Princess (Des Arc)
If you’re up for a seafood buffet that will satisfy your craving for perfectly fried deliciousness, you’ve got to drive to 203 E Curran Street in Des Arc. The building you’ll find there is designed to look like an old steamboat, and boy-o is she gorgeous. Set on the banks of the scenic White River, there simply isn’t a more charming setting in which to eat a whole heap of impeccable seafood.
10. The Cow Pen (Lake Village)
How about some dinner and dancing in a barn? You might think I’m kidding, but I’m only joking a little bit. The Cow Pen looks just like a glorious old barn, though it’s actually an impeccably clean, charming restaurant that serves delicious food with a friendly smile. As you might expect from a place called the Cow Pen, beef is always on the menu, and they’re doing it right. The Cow Pen is located at 5198 US-82 in Lake Village.
11. Colonial Steak House (Pine Bluff)
Colonial Steak House is located in a Tudor-style building that was first used as an elementary school. The building was first home to an elementary school way back in 1912. The building has had a long life, going from school to training facility for World War II veterans before becoming the long-standing steakhouse it is today. They serve dinner from Tuesday through Saturday, offering fantastic food that’s too delicious to pass up. From steaks to crab legs to lobster, at 111 West 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, you’ll find a gorgeous setting where you can consume a glorious meal.
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