Discovering Little Rock One Meal at a Time

Carrie and me walking across the bridge

We took a vacation this past week while Carrie was on Spring Break at her work. I took a few days off so we could all go on a trip together. We traveled with Erin and Greg, and while we had originally planned to go to Florida, those plans did not work out. Instead, we threw a bunch of destinations into a virtual hat and voted.

From that list, we narrowed it down to Chicago, San Antonio, and Little Rock. We do plan to go to Chicago at some point, likely by train, but decided now was not the right time. While we had all passed through Little Rock on various trips, none of us had ever spent any real time there. With the voting finished, we started researching places to stay and, more importantly, places to eat.

We reviewed several Airbnb options and selected one. About two weeks before our trip, the owner reached out to let me know they needed to cancel. What? There was some mix up on their end, and they said they could no longer host us. The host asked us to cancel the reservation so they would not lose their preferred host status. Instead, I contacted Airbnb customer service and asked them to assist with the process. The host was not happy about it, but they ultimately had to cancel, which allowed us to receive a full refund. Airbnb's FAQ clearly states that if a host asks a renter to cancel, you should not do so and should contact customer service, which is exactly what we did.

Lunch at Torchy's Tacos on our Way

We scrambled to find another place since several of the spots we had originally saved were no longer available. We did find one that had been on our original list, but it was outside of Little Rock. The house was in Alexander, about twenty minutes from downtown. It turned out to be the perfect spot. The host was excellent, kept us updated on everything, and provided great recommendations on where to eat and drink.

We stayed in the Little Rock area for five nights, leaving on Saturday, March 14, and returning on March 19. We could not take Oliver with us, so Joan and Eddie watched him while we were gone. We figured he would have a better time with them than traveling with us, and the Airbnb we selected did not allow pets anyway.

Between friends, Reddit, vloggers, and our Airbnb host, we had no shortage of recommendations for places to eat, drink, and visit. We had a great time exploring the area and even managed to fit in some cultural stops along the way.

Some highlights from our trip included the following.

• George’s Little Rock is an upscale Italian restaurant in the Heights neighborhood of Little Rock, located on Kavanaugh Boulevard. The menu focuses on classic Italian dishes, along with house made desserts and a thoughtfully curated wine list.
  
  

  

  Lasagna at George's

  
  
• Brave New Restaurant overlooks the river and is located in a business area. The food was delicious, with a menu that includes seafood, wild game, and locally sourced ingredients. It was a perfect spot for lunch or dinner. We went for lunch and sat outside.
  
  

  

  Shrimp for Lunch at Brave New Restaurant

  
  
• The Oyster Bar was a place we discovered while searching for local spots. It was a great find, offering oysters, Cajun options, and other seafood selections. It worked well for either lunch or dinner.
  
  

  

  Oysters and Lobster for Lunch

  
  
• Dust Bowl Lanes was another spot we found when we decided to go bowling on Sunday. It is a retro location where we bowled on old school lanes, drank local beers, and had a great time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Brood & Barley was recommended by vloggers Kelly and Cody, whom I follow. We stopped in for drinks. While we did not eat there, the food coming out of the kitchen looked amazing. We almost went back before we left town but decided to try something else. It is definitely a spot we will visit again on a future trip.
  
  
• Local Lime was another place we came across while researching. It offers Mexican inspired street food done very well. They also had some of the best margaritas I have had in quite a while. A great spot overall. No pictures from this visit.
  
  
• Scoops was one of the ice cream places we found that had not been on our original list. We each ordered two scoops, which turned out to be a lot of ice cream, but I finished all of mine. It was a great stop and one I would highly recommend if you are in Little Rock. We almost went back again before leaving the area. No pictures from this visit.
  
  
• Delicious Temptations was the one breakfast spot we visited. It is family owned and was very busy, with about a twenty five to thirty minute wait, but it was well worth it. This was a recommendation from our host, and I would absolutely suggest stopping in if you are nearby. No pictures from this visit.

Bill Clinton Presidential Library

Those are just a sampling of the highlights from the trip, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and dessert. We all want to go back again, as there was so much more to do beyond eating and drinking. We also did some sightseeing to expand our cultural experience. We visited the Bill Clinton Presidential Library, which was interesting to see, and stopped by the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, a key moment tied to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling and one that connects directly back to Topeka, Kansas.

Sunset in Little Rock

It was a fun trip, and we all hated to leave and head back home. I cannot wait to visit again. Hopefully next time we will be camping, as we scoped out several locations for a future camping trip. After all these years of driving through Little Rock without stopping, I am glad we finally did. It was well worth the trip, and I look forward to going back.