Some of you all look hungry for some restaurant news. Here’s what we know about several places that have opened, closed, or plan to open soon in Fayetteville.
Kiko Rice & Noodle
A restaurant that got its start in a food truck will move into a brick-and-mortar location soon.
Kiko Rice & Noodle recent closed their truck location that has been at the corner of North Street and the Razorback Greenway trail, and are working on opening a location nearby at 1065 N. Garland Avenue, in the space formerly home to Domino’s Pizza. (Domino’s moved into a new building across the street).
As the name suggests, Kiko specializes in a variety of fried rice dishes and noodle bowls, along with egg rolls, sushi, and other dishes.
According to recent posts, the restaurant is closed currently but will announce their reopening via their social media profiles soon.
Hills Hideaway
A restaurant that opened in the Legacy building last year has been closed recently, though a sign on the building indicates the closure may be temporary.
A paper sign taped to the door of the building of Hills Hideaway, located at 401 W. Watson just off Dickson Street, says, “We are closed for a short time.”
Tables and chairs appear to have been removed from inside and outside the building recently, however.
The restaurant offers sandwiches, a few entrees (catfish, steak, pasta, and chicken) along with appetizers, salads, and more, and was open for lunch and dinner.
We reached out to the owner via email for more info, and we’ll provide an update when we know more.
Stonemill Bread
A Fayetteville bakery that closed last fall has reopened.
Stonemill Bread closed its Fayetteville location in October of last year citing facility maintenance and long-term lease negotiations with the landlord as reasons for the closure.
After a soft opening period, the restaurant officially reopened on Monday, Nov. 6.
“The day is finally here! We are so excited to announce the official reopening of our Fayetteville cafe, Monday, November 6th,” read the announcement on Instagram. “We are so grateful for your patience during this process. Thank you to the many customers and friends who reached out with support and kind words over the last year. We can’t wait to serve you again, Fayetteville!”
The restaurant also operates locations in Springdale and Bentonville, and those locations have remained open.
The remodeled restaurant includes additional seating, a full coffee bar, espresso machine, new bathrooms, and other improvements.
The bakery is open Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Flyway Brewing Company
A North Little Rock-based brewery has opened a new Fayetteville location.
After a soft opening last week, Flyway Brewing Company officially opened on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 1550 E Zion Rd, in the building formerly home to Apple Blossom Brewing. The new location is the first location outside of central Arkansas for the brewery.
Flyway got its start with owner Matt Foster brewing tiny batches of their Free Range Brown Ale in the back of Loblolly Creamery to provide a single house beer for the South on Main restaurant in Little Rock.
A couple years later, he built Flyway Brewing in North Little Rock’s Argenta district in 2015, offering food and local brews at that location.
Foster told us back in the spring that locals can expect to find all of their favorite year-round and seasonal brews they are used to from Flyway at the new Fayetteville location, along with some beers that will be exclusive to the new taproom.
In addition to the brews, the restaurant will serve burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and a host of appetizers and other bar fare.
According to their Google listing, Flyway Fayetteville will be open Wednesdays-Fridays from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Marlo’s Taco Shack
A taco restaurant that has served Fayetteville since the 1990s (and before that if you count the Casa Taco years) was recently closed, but there is hope it could soon return.
Marlo’s Little House of Tacos, also known locally as its previous name of Marlo’s Taco Shack, has been closed during regular open hours for the past couple weeks, and a Facebook page for the business was marked “permanently closed” by administrators about a month ago. We stopped by to find the restaurant closed at lunch time two weeks ago, and dialed the phone number associated with the business a few times recently as well to get a message saying “the person you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.”
Last week, however, a sign posted on the door of the restaurant indicates it will soon reopen.
The hand-written letters, which was taped to the door and drive-thru window on both sides of the building, are not signed, but are dated Nov. 6.
From the letter:
We will be back open as soon as we finish our deep cleaning and get our new equipment in. The recipes will be the same as well as the cheese dip. We will be looking forward to seeing you all.
Marlo’s is located at 1192 N Garland Ave, in a small building located in Oak Plaza Shopping Center. As the name suggests, the restaurant was best known for their tacos served by the meal or by the six pack, along with their cheese dip and other items.
It wouldn’t be the first time the restaurant closed briefly. Marlo’s Taco Shack (as it was originally named) also closed in 2016, only to reopen again weeks later as Marlo’s Little House of Tacos.
We reached out to an email address associated with the business for more details last week, and will update this post if we hear back from them.
Little Caesar’s Pizza
A pizza chain that has been open a couple times in Fayetteville has found another spot and is planning to open soon.
According to signs that appeared on the building recently, Little Caesar’s is planning to open a location inside the White Oak Station building at 1940 N. Crossover Road.
The chain previously operated locations on Garland Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fayetteville that we can remember. The Garland Avenue location closed in the summer of 2020.
Auntie Anne’s / Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
The Auntie Anne’s and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on Dickson Street closed its doors earlier this fall.
The restaurant was located at 644 W. Dickson Street, in the space previously home to Mickey Finn’s. It opened in the spring of 2021 after moving from their location at Pinnacle Hills Promenade.
The shop offered soft pretzels, lemonade and other items, along with chocolate dipped strawberries, cheesecakes, caramel apples, and other sweet treats.
Big Chicken
A restaurant backed by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal will soon open in Fayetteville.
Big Chicken, which specializes in chicken sandwiches, tenders, and other items, is in the works in the building formerly home to Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, and others at 2190 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The building was very nearly a Rib Crib, as restaurant officials told us of their plans to open there in the spring before eventually pulling out of the project in the summer.
According to the company’s website, Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by Las Vegas-based Authentic Brands Group in partnership with O’Neal. The company currently operates 18 locations in 14 states, including one on a Carnival cruise ship.
A spokesperson for the company told us recently if all goes well, the Fayetteville location is set to open sometime around the end of November.
Moff’s Pizza
A new pizza truck will open soon in the Dickson Street area.
The new place, called Moff’s Pizza, will be set up outside Puritan at 205 W. Dickson Street.
Here’s what the owner had to say about the new business in an email to the Flyer this week.
Focused on quality ingredients and driven by a passion for the craft of pizza making. Our dough is house made and hand tossed with lots of love and care. My intent is for the pizza to be approachable and nostalgic. Expect to see the classics (cheese, pepperoni, sausage, white) but also a rotating specialty pizza based on the season and what produce is available locally. I’m excited to work with local farmers and try and spotlight their work as much as possible.
The truck will offer whole pizzas, and pizzas by the slice. If all goes well, the new pizza truck will be open sometime before the end of the year.
Wienerschnitzel
California-based hot dog franchise Wienerschnitzel has submitted plans for a new restaurant on the west side of town.
The new location is being proposed on the north side of West Wedington Drive across from Catfish Hole restaurant.
The plans show a 1,500-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru and associated parking.
The company’s menu includes 11 hot dog options along with burgers, sandwiches, Tasty Freeze desserts and several breakfast items.
Texas-based franchisee Tejas Dogs opened the first Wienerschnitzel location in Arkansas in June on Centerton Boulevard in Bentonville. The group opened its second franchise in September on Elm Springs Road in Springdale, and a third location is expected to soon open in Siloam Springs.
The group plans to open a total of 20 Wienerschnitzel locations in Arkansas over the next five years.
Founded in 1961 with in a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel now has more than 340 franchise locations in 10 states.
Dot’s Nashville Hot Chicken
A food truck that got its start in Fayetteville is back in town.
After spending a few months in Rogers, Dot’s Nashville Hot Chicken returned to Fayetteville recently.
Dot’s opened in Fayetteville during the summer of 2017. As the name suggests, the truck specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken and other dishes.
Owner and chef Russell Ingram announced back in the spring his plans to move the truck to the lot next to Natural State Beer at 5214 Village Pkwy Suite 140 in Rogers.
After a few months up north, however, he said he decided to come back to his original spot at the Yacht Club.
The best way to catch them open is to look for their hours on social media.
Crepes Paulette
A crêperie that got its start in the northern part of the region has expanded into Fayetteville.
The owners of Bentonville-based restaurant Crêpes Paulette recently announced that their new location at 2341 N. College Ave. is officially open for business.
Crepes Paulette originally opened in a food truck on the Bentonville square, and is operated by Paula Jo Chitty Henry and her French husband Frédéric Henry, according to their website. The menu focuses on a variety of sweet and savory crêpes, along with soups, coffee drinks, and other items. The restaurant moved into their first “brick-and-mortar” location in 2016.
In addition to the new Fayetteville location, Crêpes Paulette still operates their Bentonville location at 100 SW 8th Street.
To start, the new Fayetteville location is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. “temporarily,” according to a comment on their Instagram page. We’re guessing they’ll likely expand those hours eventually.
