Hot Springs Arkansas

We stayed at embassy suites recently for a convention but they say the Arlington is nice. It’s beautiful and supposedly “haunted”. Only ate at a little Irish pub down by the bath houses. It was good.

McClards BBQ is supposed to be very good but I have not eaten there.

Go see the bath houses; I assume they are still there. Been a while since we have been.

McClards: Found the 'Q' unremarkable.  Best was the chicken.  Seasoning rub was OK.  Otherwise, meh.

Phil's Restaurant: Great breakfast joint, daily specials for lunch.  Chicken and Dumplings when we visited.   Probably the world's LARGEST hotcake – beware.  They bring 2! 

Jahnas: Really enjoyed this place. Great service, steak was excellent, her veal Marsala was great for her. She loved the crabcake appetizer. Although its yelp rating is 2 dollar signs, should prob be 3. Food was worth the money though.

Things to Do: Not a lot: Anthonys Chapel (Glass Church In The Park) is neat. Mountain Tower Obervatory. Did a Duck Boat tour--OK. Walk the Promenade for exercise. Bring some gallon jugs to fill with Spring water from the downtown fountain. Its pretty good when you chill it.

I’ve never tried Delucas but I’ll give it a go next time I’m up there.

I’ve never tried anything else there, but The Godfather from rods pizza cellar is pretty good. You’d better be hungry though.

I was there last NYE.

We rented a place on the lake via AirBnB.

Our highlights were the baths themselves (make reservations or you will be slumming it), the German restaurant down the lane from the baths and that old gangster bar across from the bathhouses. Was not a fan of the brewpub.

I would agree with the others on McClards I've been a few times when in Hot Springs, it's ok but not OMG!! Only other thing I can suggest is Oaklawn in season, or Magic Springs amusement park can be fun and wasn't crowded last year. Don't ride the ducks they can be a death trap, no seriously...

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Pizza at delucas

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Best pizza I've ever had. The Italian sausage and the little homemade meatballs are our favorite toppings. The salads are good too. One salad feeds 2 to 4 as a starter. The owner usually comes around to check on you. He's a hard worker.

Limited days open, so check first. And make a reservation for dinner. He makes a certain number of dough balls for a day, and when they are gone you are SOL. They'll hold dough for customers with reservations. Website mentions this.

Lunch has never been crowded for us, so no reservation was needed.

Looks like they moved to the south end of Central last fall. I've not been to the new location, but it is near the Craft Beer Cellar. CBC has a good selection of package beers, plus it's a bar with several on tap.

My other good booze sources there include Tri Lakes Liquor (same strip as Jahna's) and The Wine Rack & Spirits Shoppe.

I second the recommendation above for Jahna's. Had a couple of really good meals there. Via Roma Italian Restaurant is another good choice.

For Mexican/tacos, I like Taco Mama. Nothing fancy. Just solid and reliable. Be sure to get some of the complimentary roasted jalapenos. But don't try to pick it up by the stem or it will probably hit the floor.

Friends who lived there hated McCLard's and liked Smokin' In Style for BBQ. We liked McClard's better. The Q was good, and the tamale plate is one hell of a pile of good eats. Often has a line, so best to go at off peak times.

Mr Whiskers is popular as hell for fried catfish, especially with older white folks. We thought it was pretty fair. They get big crowds.

McClard's is cool as an historic institution, but it's not that great of Q (tamales are legit). This seems to be a common theme in BBQ these days. Kansas City is similar: Gates, Arthur Bryant's, and a lot of the historic BBQ places are now playing second fiddle to newer joints (KC Joes, Q39).

That being said, visiting historic eateries is cool, even if the food isn't always the best.

Garvan Gardens hasn't been mentioned yet, and it's pretty awesome and worth checking out.

stay at the waters its right in the middle of the action.
pizza at grateful heads pizza is very good.

we did the baths at quapaw it was cool enough.
drive to the top of the hill behind the bathouses for a a great view. theres also good hikes up there

PSA: the main drag gets sketchy at night. do your outside stuff and/or do whatever by dusk then get inside a bar