How to Eat Well in Little Rock, Arkansas

Eating in Little Rock, Arkansas, is not all fast food joints and chain restaurants full of processed, high-sodium fare. Rather, the city is full of great restaurants that serve real, high-quality food made from scratch. As a Little Rock native, I assure you that there are plenty of culinary delights that allow visitors and residents alike to eat well with no sign of a drive-thru.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• An appetite for great-quality food

1. Start your quest for great food by strolling through the River Market District, on President Clinton Avenue downtown, where there are plenty of good places to eat. The actual River Market has lots of vendors offering all types of food: Mexican, Japanese, Middle Eastern and more. Boulevard Bread Co., located at one end of the market, has excellent sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts, bread and lots more, made of locally grown and organic ingredients. From April to October, check out the Farmers’ Market where local farmers sell fresh fruits and vegetables. These few blocks of the avenue will surely hold something for every palate: The Flying Fish for fried catfish and the like; Gusano’s for deep-dish pizza; Sticky Fingerz for all kinds of chicken; and many others. Beer lovers should check out the Flying Saucer and Boscos. At night the restaurants and bars come alive with musical acts and other excitement.

2. Explore the rest of downtown for great weekday lunch spots. Your Mama’s Good Food at 220 W. 4th St., Suite 130, serves quick, cafeteria-style Southern cuisine, like mashed potatoes and gravy, fried chicken, meatloaf and other down-home favorites. With its walls covered with new and old political signs, Cotham’s in the City, at 1401 W. 3rd St., is famous for its giant burgers, but also serves Southern classics like chicken fried steak and fried catfish. Across the Arkansas River in downtown North Little Rock, Creegan’s Irish Pub at 301 Main and Broadway is a great lunch spot for fish and chips, bangers and mash, and great soups, sandwiches and burgers. The whole pub was imported from Ireland, making it a great place to enjoy a pint.

3. Visit Hillcrest and the Heights on Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock’s midtown, which is packed with cute shops and awesome restaurants that offer myriad food choices all on one street. If you’re in the mood for pizza, check out U.S. Pizza (There are two on Kavanaugh – at 5524 and 2814) for to-die-for salads and, of course, pizza, and Damgoode Pies (at 2701), the home of the Hog pizza and other specialty pies. Local favorite Canon Grill (at 2811) is a great place to relax with a margarita and to sample incredible Tex-Mex cuisine. Chic Brazilian eatery Café Bossa Nova (at 2701) has an outstanding menu – everything is fantastic. Don’t leave without trying the cheese bread! Located in an old house with an interior covered in vintage European posters, Café Prego (at 5510) has great Italian favorites: Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken Prego and daily specials. Another Boulevard Bread Co. (see above) is at 1920 N. Grant St., just off Kavanaugh. If you have a sweet tooth, the new Cupcakes on Kavanaugh (at 5625) features basic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and some specialty ones like the Peanut Butter Cup, Carrot Cake and Black Forest; all are made with organic ingredients and Ghirardelli chocolate.

4. Venture out to other areas of the city for more great eats. You can’t come to the South without eating barbecue and the best place to go is Whole Hog Café at 2516 Cantrell Road. Pulled pork, beef brisket and barbecue chicken are served on sandwiches or as plates with one of the delicious sides: baked beans, potato salad or coleslaw. Whole Hog is a hotspot for tourists, politicians and anyone else that you can think of. For excellent authentic Mexican food, head way out west to La Palapa (18321 Cantrell Road), housed in an old gas station, for great Mexican seafood, margaritas, salsa and other excellent dishes.

Tips & Warnings

• For more information about places to eat well in Little Rock, check out www.littlerock.com.

• While you are in the Heights and Hillcrest neighborhoods, browse through the shops that line Kavanaugh for all kinds of cool stuff.

• The River Market District can get pretty busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so keep that in mind if you visit that area.

• Many of the restaurants in the Heights and Hillcrest are closed on Sundays.

Resources

• Little Rock River Market District