Pickens Restaurant Serves Up Big Flavors In Small Town Arkansas
By Carol Ann Carson|Published August 31, 2020
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
Within the teeny tiny town of Pickens, Arkansas resides a restaurant with big flavors and an even bigger history. The restaurant in Pickens is only a part of the R. A. Pickens and Son Company but it’s our main focus for today, and a delicious one at that! Big pies, bigger burgers, and big-hearted service helps create the atmosphere of Pickens Store & Restaurant. Let’s grab lunch and learn more about this local favorite:
Although it goes by quite a few names, the restaurant in Pickens is a favorite of locals and travelers alike.
The restaurant sits on what used to be the 1881 Pickens Plantation at Walnut Lake. The plantation later evolved into R. A. Pickens and Son Company, an agricultural conglomerate that included everything from saw mills to cotton gins. Today the building is known as the Commissary by locals or just Pickens Restaurant by those passing through. Regardless of names, this historic building is the place to go if you're needing an easy plate lunch with big flavor.
The restaurant sits inside a sizable country store that carries groceries as well as farm-charm goodies.
There are no frills here, just homestyle food worthy of clean plate every time. The big bowls of chili are perfect during the winter but regular plate lunches are delicious too!
Typically the restaurant settles on two to three specials of the day (imagine BBQ pork loins, smoked chicken, or a fried pork chop) and has about ten sides to pair with your choice of meat. The side decision will be the hardest! Squash dressing, turnip greens, fried okra and tomatoes, and black eyed peas are only half of the menu and we're already drooling.
Lunch is great but what makes Pickens Restaurant a travel destination is the pie.
Pickens pies have earned plenty of media attention throughout the decades and it's easy to taste why! The dessert counter is filled with homemade goodies including sweet fruit pies to rich creams and chocolate. It's best to grab an extra slice to-go for the trip home.
Pickens Store & Restaurant is a town staple that every traveler should try!
