Dining in Riverdale, Little Rock

Riverdale is the home of some of the most talked about restaurants in Little Rock. Most locals at least know of places like Brave New Restaurant and Loca Luna. My favorites in the area include the Faded Rose, Brave New Restaurant and Shogun's, but you won't miss trying most of these great restaurants.

Fine Dining

Brave New Restaurant
2300 Cottondale Lane, Suite 105
11 am-2 pm Monday-Friday, 5-10 pm Monday-Saturday
501-663-2677
Brave New Restaurant is well known to Little Rock residents as one of the best restaurants in the city. It's elegant interior, excellent new American cuisine and attentive staff set it apart. Beautiful view of the Arkansas River on the patio. Expensive.

Cajun's Wharf
2400 Cantrell Rd
5pm-10pm Monday-Thursday, 5pm-11pm Friday-Saturday, Bar: 4:30pm-1am Monday-Thursday, 4:30pm-2am Friday and Saturday
501-375-5351
Some classify Cajun's as fine dining and while I don't agree with that completely, they do have one of the best views of the river in the city. Lots of great seafood and excellent steaks can be found here. Thursday nights Cajun's is the place to be for their deck parties. Expensive food but if you're just there to play, the prices for drinks aren't that bad.

American

Buffalo Grill
1611 Rebsamen Park
11 am-10 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am-9 pm Sunday
(501) 296-9535
Great burgers and a fun atmosphere. Large, relaxing deck. Moderately priced for burgers, pretty inexpensive for dinner.

Faded Rose
1619 Rebsamen Park Road
Noon to 9:30 pm Sunday, 11 am-11 pm Monday-Saturday
501-663-9734
This is a mix between a burger joint and a Cajun restaurant. The "thin fish" is great as is most of the menu. This is a favorite lunch hangout of locals. Moderate pricing.

Loca Luna
3519 Old Cantrell Road
11 am-2 pm for lunch Monday-Friday, 5:30-9 pm Sunday-Thursday and 5:30-10 pm Friday-Saturday for dinner, 11 am-2 pm Sunday brunch
501-663-4666
Loca Luna has won several awards for being a great neighbor restaurant. They have an eccletic mix of cusines including seafood, pasta, pizza and more. Loca Luna is elegant and excellent but a bit pricey.

Barbeque

Cross-Eyed Pig
1701 Rebsamen Park Rd
501-227-7427
Huge portions and great prices.

Whole Hog Cafe
Riverdale Shopping Center, 2516 Cantrell Road
11 am-8 pm Monday-Saturday
501-664-5025
Memphis style BBQ which some say could be the best in the city. Rather you agree or not, it's more than worth the price. Lots of great sauces to try. Pricing is a steal.

Italian

Bene Vita
3519 Old Cantrell Road
Lunch from 11:30 am-1:30 pm Monday-Friday; dinner from 5-9 pm Sunday-Thursday and 5-10 pm Friday-Saturday
501-666-8482
Bene Vita serves northern Italian cuisine which is lighter than what Americans call "Italian." Bene Vita has lots of great seafood, veal and light pasta dishes as opposed to Alfredos and marinaras.Pricing is moderate.

Pizza Cafe
1517 Rebsamen Park Road
501-664-6133
I read one review of Pizza Cafe that said they had the best cold beer in the city. I don't know if that's true or not but their crunchy crusted pizza is always a treat. Pricing is a steal.

Mexican

La Hacienda
3024 Cantrell Road
11 am.-10 pm daily
501-661-0600
La Hacienda was probably one of the first "authentic Mexican" restaurants to make it's way to Little Rock. They have a large menu to suit all tastes. Pricing is a steal.

Las Casitas Del Valle
1615 Rebsamen Park Rd
501-664-0046
10 am-10 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am-10 pm Saturday-Sunday
Great mole and traditional Mexican food. A bit greasy but it's Mexican so what do you expect? Moderate pricing.

Japanese
Shogun's Japanese Steakhouse
5:00pm - 9:30pm Sunday-Thursday, 5:00pm-10:30pm Friday-Saturday
I love the sushi here and it was one of the first hibachi grill themed restaurants in Little Rock. It's still one of my favorite places to go for Japanese food. Moderate pricing.