Restaurant News: Leverett Lounge, Eclectic Kitchen, Haipai Small Eats, and more

Get hungry, Fayetteville. It’s time for another installment of restaurant news.

Here’s what we know about some places that have opened, closed, or that plan to soon open in Fayetteville.

Leverett Lounge

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A new restaurant and lounge focused on a rotating menu of small plates, entrees, craft beer, and wine is now open near the University of Arkansas.

Leverett Lounge, operated by the creators of Little Bread Co. and the revitalized Maxine’s Tap Room, shares the building with Sit & Spin Launderette at 737 N. Leverett Avenue.

The restaurant has taken the place of the slider and donut concept that originally opened in the location.

Co-owner Ben Gitchel, who trained as a chef in New York’s French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center), created the menu for the new place after getting a recent itch to get back in the kitchen.

The menu includes several unique small plates, like their “Mel’s Diner” wedges of fried garlic cheese grits, their Chicka Chicka Boom Boom fried chickpeas, and “Fancy Hank” handmade jalapeno tater tots with herb creme fraiche.

Entrees include Tournedos Au Poivre, a beer tenderloin dish, Cordon Bleu, 3 Cheese Lasagne, Seared Cod, salads, and other dishes.

The restaurant also serves local beers and a handful or wines by the glass or bottle, and may eventually add a craft cocktail menu. They also recently added a small outdoor seating area.

They’re open Monday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m.

For a bit more info, check out their Facebook page.

Eclectic Kitchen

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Not far from Leverett Lounge, another restaurant with a diverse-sounding menu is set to soon open.

Eclectic Kitchen will open at Oak Plaza Shopping Center on Garland Avenue, in the building formerly home to TJ’s Sandwich Shop.

According to a sign posted in the window, the new restaurant will serve soups, salads, wings, sandwiches, cheese sticks, tapas, steak, and seafood.

We spoke to the owner briefly on Wednesday, who said he is hoping to hold a soft opening in the next few weeks, with a grand opening coming sometime in early December.

Boar’s Nest

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Boar’s Nest Barbecue has closed its Fayetteville location, formerly located at 1189 Steamboat Drive.

A sign posted in the window of the restaurant directs customers to their Rogers location at 4404 W. Walnut Street.

Six Twelve Coffee House & Bar

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Cafe Imbibe, formerly the Perk, on Wedington, is under new ownership with a new name.

The new cafe will be called Six Twelve Coffee House & Bar, and after a quick closure for a deep cleaning and some freshening up, will reopen in a few days.

Co-owner Angela Messner told us on Wednesday that the menu will initially be similar to what Cafe Imbibe has served, but she plans to eventually change it up and make it her own.

The restaurant will open later this weekend, and a grand opening is in the the works for sometime in the next few weeks.

Axis Lounge

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A new restaurant, bar, and virtual reality lounge is now open on Center Street.

Axis Lounge recently opened at 25 E. Center St. in the building formerly home to Hawaiian Brian’s.

The restaurant serves Mexican food-inspired small plates and craft cocktails, and also has a virtual reality area set up inside. They’ve also been hosting electronic music shows from time to time on the weekends.

They’re open on Wednesday and Thursday from 5-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until midnight, and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Haipai Small Eats

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A new food truck has popped up on Dickson Street, in the lot next to Fayettechill.

The truck, called Haipai Small Eats, was created by Fayettevillian Jerry Stiles and his wife, Luna, who have both studied culinary arts. Stiles is a Fayetteville native, who recently moved back to town after spending a few years at various places in Asia.

The truck focuses on a small, rotating menu featuring east Asian street food. When we stopped by today, they were serving a noodle dish, some dumplings and some Shanghai wontons. Here’s a photo of the menu.

For more info, check out their Facebook page.

Quick Town

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A new food truck court is forming on South Government Avenue.

Three trucks – Zuppa Zuppa, Harvest Moon Pies, and Cathead Biscuits – have come together in a lot right across from Walmart Neighborhood Market to form a new community called Quick Town.

The lot is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.

Jimmy’s Egg

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Oklahoma City-based breakfast restaurant chain Jimmy’s Egg will soon open their second Fayetteville location at 2589 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The restaurant will be serve breakfast and lunch with traditional breakfast faire along with sandwiches, burgers, and other items.

According to a press release issued today, the new restaurant will open sometime this month.

Hardee’s

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Hardee’s recently closed its Martin Luther King Boulevard location.

A sign posted in the window simply stated that their lease was up, and they’ve decided to close.

There’s still a Hardee’s in Fayetteville, however, at 2985 N College Ave. in the Fiesta Square Shopping Center.

Rally’s

Rally’s is back.

The burger chain will open a location inside the Walmart Supercenter on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard this fall.

It’s not the first time Rally’s has had a location in Fayetteville. The chain operated a restaurant on MLK Jr. Boulevard nearly two decades ago, and a “closed for remodeling” sign stayed on the building for what seemed like years.

Rally’s/Checkers is an enormous chain that operates over 800 locations worldwide.

If all goes well, Talk Business & Politics reports that Rally’s will be open by Black Friday.

Andouille Cajun & Creole

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We recently noticed a new food truck setting up in the North Street Mini Mart Parking lot.

The new place is called Andouille Cajun & Creole, and as the name suggests, looks like it will focus on Louisiana-based faire.

It’s located right along the Razorback Greenway.

That’s about all we know about this one for now. There’s a big ‘Coming Soon’ banner on the truck, and their Facebook page states the plan is to open in October, so it should be open any day now.

Qdoba

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San Diego-based burrito chain Qdoba recently closed the doors to its location at 603 W. Dickson Street.

According to a sign on the door announcing the closure, the chain plans to reopen the Fayetteville Qdoba at a new location on Joyce Boulevard sometime in 2018.

Qdoba specialized in build-your-own burritos, tacos, and other dishes. Competition in that market had increased in recent years, with local concept Flying Burrito Co. moving in across the street in 2013, and Chipotle opening in the neighborhood in 2011. Taco Bell Cantina also opened a restaurant on Dickson Street earlier this year.

The chain operates more than 600 locations nationally. According to an employee working to close up the restaurant, the nearby Qdoba location in Rogers plans to remain open, and will be the closest option for fans of the restaurant to get their fix until the Joyce Boulevard location opens next year.

Bobo’s Ribbon Ice

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Bobo’s Ribbon Ice is moving from its location on Wedington Drive to a new spot in Uptown Fayetteville.

The restaurant, which focuses on frozen treats that are a cross between ice cream and the traditional shaved ice desserts popular in Hawaii and Asia, is renovating a space at 4155 N. Steele Blvd. across from Shogun.

We peeked inside the window, and it’s pretty impressive-looking in there.

They’re still currently open at 1155 N. Tahoe Place, but if all goes well, the plan is to move into the new location sometime later this month.

Wood Stone Pizza + Bar

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Wood Stone’s planned second location in Uptown Fayetteville is moving along.

Renovations have been underway for a few months, and owner Jerrmy Gawthrop said he expects to be wrapping up and opening up soon.

If all continues to go well, the new location will be open sometime in December.

Natural State Sandwiches

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A Fayetteville-based food truck will soon become a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Springdale.

Natural State Sandwiches, the gourmet sandwich shop that got its start at the Yacht Club before moving to the lot next to Fayetteville’s Funky Yard Sale, recently announced it will move into a building at 107 E. Emma Avenue.

The food truck location in Fayetteville has closed, and they’ll use it from time for pop-up events or catering.

For now, Natural State Sandwiches is open at the new location Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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