Best Restaurants in Arkansas 2021
Best Restaurants in Arkansas 2021
Matthew Martin
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Arkansas Times’ Readers Choice restaurant contest. The issue went to press at a time when restaurants have, for just shy of one year, been faced with a pandemic and the necessary safety rules that have limited their customers. So, this year, we have a new category to join our traditional bests: Best Pandemic Dining. Our readers have praised Trio’s Restaurant and The Hive in Bentonville for keeping diners safely spaced. They’ve toasted Flyway Brewing and Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs for their beer-to-go service. (A feature on Flyway, which also won Most Innovative, illustrates how it kept aloft.) They’ve recognized Star of India for its to-go packaging (and we give Sami Lal his due for his enduring success). Our readers found much to praise in restaurants from Fayetteville (Atlas and The Farmer’s Table Cafe) to Marianna (Jones Bar-B-Que Diner), from Dumas (Taylor’s Steakhouse) to Jonesboro (The Parsonage), from Rogers (Local Lime) to Cabot (Pea Farm Bistro), creating a road map to good eating in Arkansas. Enjoy.