When you come to Hot Springs, Arkansas, forget the fast food restaurants and prepare you stomachs for a vacation all their own. A veritable feast is laid out before you with choices you wouldn't dream possible in this corner of the nation. From good old-fashioned home-cooked meals to international delights, you will find that variety is not lacking here in Hot Springs.
Hot Springs Breakfast Options:
Start your day off with a good, hearty breakfast. You will find the familiar places like Waffle House, IHOP, Perkins and Cracker Barrel, and then there are local favorites like Granny's Kitchen, serving biscuits and gravy, and the Pancake Shop where you may have to wait to be seated, but well worth it for the cooked-to-order breakfast accompanied by fresh squeezed orange juice, giant ham steaks and large, fluffy pancakes.
Hot Springs Lunch & Dinner Options:
Hot Springs Mexican Dining
For lunch and dinner the choices are endless. If you are in the mood for Mexican, there is Acapulco's Restaurant & Cantina; they serve moderately-priced Mexican food in a rustic setting with daily lunch specials. Don Juan's serves mex-style enchiladas, runny white cheese dip, and great guacamole with wonderful service. La Hacienda is an authentic Mexican restaurant with a superb array of entrees and On The Border will set your taste buds on fire with Tex-Mex at a reasonable price in a fun atmosphere.
Hot Springs Italian Dining
If you are in the mood for Italian you will not know where to begin. Besides the pizza restaurants like Angels, Rod's Pizza Cellar, Sam's Pizza Pub & Restaurant (accessible by car or boat) and Rocky's Corner, you'll find J's Italian Villa has all that is Italian with a huge menu plus fish and beef specials and yummy desserts if you have the room. Pompeii Caf' and Pizzeria offers a variety of pasta dishes, appetizers, steaks and gourmet pizzas as does Horseshoe Vineyard Italian.
Hot Springs Cajun Dining
You will find Cajun cuisine at Cajun Boilers for the seafood-lover, and more Cajun at the Little Rock original, the Faded Rose, where the Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. If you love German, Hot Springs Brau Haus should be moved to the top of your list with a cozy atmosphere and its own history. The Bohemia has served Good German and Czech dishes for half a century in the Hot Springs area. In the mood for Chinese? They have it here. Hunan Palace offers great deals on meal combos for two or three people. The Exchange serves innovative and beautifully prepared dishes with an Asian flair in artsy surroundings.
Hot Springs BBQ & Steak Houses
If you just have a hankering for some good old-fashioned BBQ, don't worry. You'll find a place that will serve it the way you like it. There is McClard's offering some of the best barbecue in Arkansas, Mickey's Bar-B-Q serves cafeteria style, Pruity Barbecue has good smoked meats at affordable prices and Shapiro's is a family-friendly spot specializing in smoked barbecue ribs and chicken, plus a daily one-pound T-bone special for $9.95 and on the weekend you can enjoy live blues music to boot. If you have to have a big, juicy steak you'll find Applebee's and Outback Steakhouse have the familiar. Give Coy's a try, it is Hot Spring's best-known steakhouse, and the Back Porch Grill will serve you up an Omaha black angus steak from their large menu selection.
Hot Springs Burger Joints
If burgers and fries are what you are craving, step out to Brick House Grill where not only will you get a good burger but also steaks and seafood, and they offer a kid's menu. Jason's Burgers & More offers just that, burgers and a whole lot more. Just ask the locals and they will tell you that they love it for the filets, fried shrimp, Ribs, catfish, and not to mention the burger, all at a great price. For a touch of the past when the times were simple try Kream Kastle Drive Inn where burgers, dogs, cones and shakes are served the way they are suppose to be at a reasonable price.
No matter what your taste buds tell you they want, you won't have a problem giving in to them in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's just one less worry you'll have when making plans for a great vacation.
