November 7, 2025 • 16 mins
We sat down with local food writer and curator Katie Robertson to chart Bentonville's rise as a destination for inclusive dining—with celiac-safe kitchens, vegan menus, and allergy-aware staff. Katie takes us behind the scenes of a movement powered by a growing population, deeper nutrition awareness, and Arkansas’s agricultural backbone. We spotlight fully gluten-free breweries like Stoic Brews Alternative and bakeries like Sandi Sue's; and shout out to vegetarians with a variety of Southeast Asian cuisine, and the vegan scene gets a boost from Third Space Coffee’s 100% vegan menu, plus unexpected menus like Pedaler’s Pub and Sunny’s with lots of tasty options.
This episode can be paired nicely with our delicious food guide, prepared by Katie: https://www.visitbentonville.com/blog/stories/post/holiday-dining-in-bentonville-glutenfree-vegan-allergyfriendly/
A New American Town is here to help you plan your trip to Bentonville, Arkansas. From guides, events, and restaurant highlights. Find all this and more at visitbentonville.com and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Beth Bobbitt (00:10):
Welcome back to a new American Town.
I'm your host, Beth Bobbitt,and I'm thrilled to get to talk
to local food expert andadvocate Katie Robertson about
inclusive food Bentonville.
Katie, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much.
It's great to have you here.
And so you're currently workingwith Living Artists as a
contributing food curator at theMomentary.
(00:32):
You've written for The WineEnthusiasts, Food 52, Food and
Wine magazine, and VisitBentonville.
You've got quite the resumehere.
So tell us a little bit abouthow you got into this and your
background, what led you toBentonville?
Katie Robertson (00:48):
Sure.
So I grew up in Little Rock.
I'm an Arkansas native.
But I always wanted to be awriter and I didn't know exactly
what form that would take.
And so after college, I startedworking in restaurants, as many
of us do in our 20s, and fellin love with it.
I wanted to be a chef.
So I worked back of house for alittle while and then worked
(01:11):
front of house for a littlewhile.
And then realized I didn'treally want to be in restaurants
because that was going to takesome of the magic and love that
I had for it away for mepersonally.
And so I went back to writingand um worked for magazines
while I was living in New Yorkgetting my graduate degree from
(01:31):
NYU and food studies, which isjust a fancy way of saying it's
a liberal arts degree focusedentirely on food.
Amazing.
Sounds perfect.
Yeah.
So long story short, I wantedto get back to family and be
back in Arkansas.
And when the Momentary opened,I found an opportunity to come
work with people who wanted toelevate food to, you know, this
(01:55):
art form and think about it andtalk about it in that way.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (01:59):
So well, we're glad you're here.
And, you know, probably sinceyou've been here, there's been
so many more options in terms ofbeing more friendly for folks
that have dietary restrictions.
So I'm curious as to why youthink this has come about
(02:19):
recently or what has spurred thegrowth.
Katie Robertson (02:23):
Well, I think just having a growing population
is going to do that for yourrestaurant scene.
But um, you know, I remembercoming back uh visiting 10 years
ago, just coming back to seefamily.
And um, my stepmother had uhwas gluten intolerant for many
years.
And so she said, there's arestaurant that we have to go
(02:44):
to.
It's called the Preacher's Son.
And so I thought that wasreally amazing, even for any
place to be entirely gluten-freeat that time.
And so um, over the years, it'sjust slowly added, and there
are a lot of different peopleliving here, so there's a lot of
different um flavors, tastes toserve.
(03:05):
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (03:06):
And I do think, you know, as a society, we are
just more aware of our ownpreferences, we're more aware of
nutritional value, you know.
Absolutely.
Um so I think there's moreinformation coupled with the
fact that there's a growth inthe region.
And then of course, we're anagricultural community.
(03:28):
So there's there's that.
Um perfect storm for you know,lots of options.
So I think let's jump in andyou mentioned gluten-free.
Yeah.
Walk us through some of thecurrent restaurants or menu
items that that you've seen.
Katie Robertson (03:47):
So um a lot of folks who are local will
recognize the name MatthewCooper, uh, chef Matt Cooper,
who uh started at uh thePreacher's Son and now runs
Conifer and Ryn.
Uh, those are two uh finedining experiences that you can
have that are completely safeand totally gluten-free.
Uh Chef Cooper has celiachimself, and so um it's a safe
(04:11):
place to eat if if that's uh oneof your concerns.
Also, Stoic Brews is kind ofremarkable.
There are not many gluten-free,completely gluten-free
breweries out there.
And so you can go to Stoic umand have uh both gluten-free
beverages and snacks.
Um, also Sandi Su's Bakery.
(04:32):
That is an amazing option thatwas originally kind of housed
out of 8th Street Market.
And um that's been a wonderfulresource for this community over
many years, for at least forthe past five years.
And um, now they have their ownbrick and mortar.
So that's a great place to gofor cinnamon rolls.
I've I've been hearing lots ofthings about those cinnamon
(04:52):
rolls.
Beth Bobbitt (04:52):
So gotta get your order in for Christmas because
they spell out.
Yes.
And they also have classes.
I don't know.
Yeah.
You can, as a family or as agroup, pick a class, learn to
bake gluten-free.
It's amazing.
Katie Robertson (05:06):
It is nice.
It's a it's a good resource tohave that education component
too.
And then there are a lot ofplaces that are um gluten-free
friendly.
So maybe not exclusivelygluten-free or have an exclusive
gluten-free kitchen, but have alot of options for folks
looking for gluten-free.
So um Sunny's on second is oneof those, uh, the Meteor, which
(05:29):
is a great place for um, youknow, traditional pizza,
gluten-free pizza, lots ofdifferent menu items there.
Uh Blue Seafood House is agreat option, which um a lot of
people don't think, you know,see a lot of seafood is
automatically gluten-free, justdepending on how it's prepared.
Beth Bobbitt (05:46):
And so and the rice, yeah.
Katie Robertson (05:48):
Yeah.
And um, so that's a great, likeeveryone in the group, uh,
everyone in the family can goand enjoy that.
And the buttered biscuit isalso a great option.
They have pretty much anythingon their menu.
If you say, Do you makepancakes gluten-free?
They'll say, Yes, we'll do thatfor you.
So that's uh that's really niceto have that, um, those
(06:09):
options.
Great to know.
What about vegetarian fare?
So one of the great thingsabout uh food culture in
general, you know, in 2025 isthere are a lot of vegetarian
options at most restaurants.
But um, one thing that we havegoing for us here in Bentonville
is we have some reallyincredible Southeast Asian
(06:30):
restaurants um, ranging fromnorthern Indian to southern
Indian to, you know, Thai,Laotian. And a lot of these
places have either separate,exclusive vegetarian menus or
have um a lot of vegetarianitems.
So it's just a focus of thecuisine.
Beth Bobbitt (06:50):
Do you have a favorite?
Katie Robertson (06:51):
Um, I love Chola Cafe.
I love Thai Basil.
Um I am hoping to try a fewmore around town.
Uh flavors is always a, youknow, a great standby.
So there are so many options.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (07:07):
Yeah.
Katie Robertson (07:07):
Thank you.
India Mart 2 has um, if you goto their cafe, they have some
really great things in thatgrocery store that you can check
out as well.
Right.
Excellent.
Beth Bobbitt (07:18):
Okay.
So let's move into the omnivoreand pescatarian friendly
restaurants.
And you mentioned blue, youknow, already one.
Katie Robertson (07:28):
So yes.
Um, blue is a great option.
There's also let's see,Sunny's, I mentioned before.
Uh Sunny's is just a greatoption for all things um health
focused.
So if you have a specific diet,like if you're keto or paleo,
you can get um meals that arespecifically made for that diet
(07:51):
there, which is great.
Um, same thing goes for SnackLab. The every single one of
their items is uh labeled sothat you know like this is
dairy-free, gluten-free,vegetarian.
So that's a great option forgrab and go and just any kind of
like healthy um fare.
Amazing.
(08:12):
And then um one really greatthing is like Rush bowls.
So I don't know if you've beenby there.
No, not yet.
But the thing that is so greatabout rush is that almost, I
mean, you can do almosteverything get dairy-free, which
is great.
Dairy-free is kind of one ofthose allergies that gets
(08:32):
forgotten about a lot of times.
And a lot of people don't feelempowered to speak up about it.
Yeah.
Um, and so rush bowls, lots offruit, uh smoothie bowls, things
like that, really healthy, goodfor you things.
Um, but if you're looking forsomething a little bit less
healthy that's dairy-free, uh,trash uh ice cream caters to
(08:54):
folks who are um who can'thandle dairy but want to have
that traditional ice creamexperience with all the add-ins
and everything like that.
So they just have a uh aregular uh ice cream flavor and
a dairy-free ice cream flavor.
Beth Bobbitt (09:08):
So Willie D's ice cream truck also.
Yes.
And there's a couple differentlocations around town.
Katie Robertson (09:17):
Yeah.
I'm finding that a lot of icecream places do generally have
like one vegan or um, dependingon how it's labeled, vegan,
dairy-free, um, depending.
It's good to always just ask,though, right?
What about other allergyconscious places?
So um one spot that I love thatI always feel really
(09:38):
comfortable taking folks whohave um special diets or
allergies is Yayos.
Yayos um has a lot ofgluten-free items just because
of having such the best corntortillas that there are around.
But um, there are a lot ofgreat vegetarian options.
I've I have um converted, youknow, my most uh intense
(10:02):
carnivore friends to thosecauliflower tacos at Yale's.
Um and similarly, BentonvilleTaco and Tamale, same kind of
thing.
Everybody in the family canalways find something um at
Bentonville Taco and Tamale.
One thing to remember though iswhile you're out and about and
you might not you kind of youkind of signed up for uh an
(10:25):
event or um a program, say likegoing to Crystal Bridges.
11, the restaurant at CrystalBridges, is fantastic for
allergy um accommodations.
So um I've worked with thatteam uh personally uh many for
many years and know that it's uha really big deal for them to
(10:47):
make sure that everybody feelssafe and accommodated.
So you can always find optionsfor everyone at 11.
Beth Bobbitt (10:53):
Yes.
Katie Robertson (10:54):
I checked out yesterday, actually, I went
to Towny Burgers for the firsttime.
And I've got to say I'm reallyimpressed.
Um, everybody loves a burger,but you can pretty much for any
diet find something at TownieBurgers, which is really
impressive for kind of like adinery type feel.
(11:16):
Um, great salads.
The crab cakes were fantastic,burger great.
So I can say all good thingsabout Townie Burgers.
Yes.
And if you're interested, we dohave a podcast about movies.
So check that out.
Awesome.
Um, there are some otheroptions too.
Like if you are focused more onum beverage and you want to go
(11:37):
out for a couple of drinks, butyou want to make sure that you
have options on the menu forsnacks.
Callisto Bar, which is reallyfun if you haven't been there
yet, it's a speakeasy um hiddeninside of an art gallery here.
And so it's kind of wonderfulto be able to go out with your
friends and even when you'rejust having drinks, um, not have
(12:00):
to uh stress about being ableto eat because that's when you
really want to eat.
Beth Bobbitt (12:04):
Yeah, exactly.
Yes, and you should be able to.
Yes.
Um and let's talk about thevegan scene.
I know there's lessestablishments that are solely
focused on vegan, but they'repopping up.
Katie Robertson (12:19):
Yeah, we do have uh at least one.
We have Third Space Coffee,which is a great coffee shop um
focused on sustainable sourcing.
Um it's right next door to BestFriends Animal Shelter.
So I know that a lot of friendsgo there to um quote unquote
co-work and look at puppies andkittens, puppy therapy. Yes,
(12:42):
but they do have a 100% uh veganmenu.
So that's awesome.
And like I mentioned before,Sunny's always has great options
for vegans.
But surprisingly, I bet somefolks wouldn't know this about
Peddler's Pub.
Um, you can get, they have anentire vegan menu.
Oh my gosh, have you had thosevegan fries?
(13:03):
I haven't, but I'm sure they'redelicious.
Amazing.
Um, but so peddler's is reallyfriendly um for uh having vegan
options as well.
Right.
Beth Bobbitt (13:14):
And as we're heading into the holidays,
curious if you have any adviceor um for how we accommodate for
dietary restrictions, anyhosting recommendations.
Katie Robertson (13:27):
Yes.
So when you are sending outyour RSVPs, if you're if you're
going that formal, ask for folksto um email you or let you know
if you have an allergy.
Oftentimes they will appreciatethat um so much more than even
you planning the event.
Um so uh just ask for thataccommodation if you're hosting
(13:50):
at home, but if you're headingout, um I've seen folks who have
a uh kind of complex allergies,they'll um write out a index
card, which is really helpfulfor the restaurants, but never
feel uh embarrassed aboutspeaking up.
I know that from the point ofview of the kitchen and the
(14:11):
front of house, all of they wantto do is make sure you're safe
and have a wonderful experience.
And so um just let folks knowand check out this guide and
list because there are a lot ofwonderful options in
Bentonville.
Beth Bobbitt (14:24):
This is so helpful. Our family especially
has quite a few restrictions andpreferences.
And so I had no idea that wehad so many options.
This is great.
Katie Robertson (14:36):
Thank you so much.
Oh, and one last shout out.
Table Mesa, they always uh arethey have historically been
great at this, but um veryinclusive.
So if you let them know whenyou arrive, they can accommodate
almost any allergy.
Beth Bobbitt (14:51):
Yeah, they were already a favorite.
Now they're for sure afavorite.
And right there on the squarefor all of those holiday
activities.
That's right.
Speaking of, what culinaryevents should we mark on our
calendar?
Do you know of anything comingup that we can't miss?
Katie Robertson (15:05):
Well, I have to do a personal um shout out.
I am working with the team atthe momentary to produce a
pastry week, which is our firstyear doing this.
So we'll be bringing in some umpastry experts from New York,
Caroline Schiff and uh StacyMaeyen Fong.
They're both uh pastry chefswho also are authors, and
(15:27):
they'll be doing workshops.
And then we'll also have greatmovies that are focused on all
things sweet and baking.
Um we'll have a a tastemakerdinner as well to round out the
experience and a local makersmarket.
Wow.
Excuse me, makers and bakersmarket.
So it'll be basically likeBritish baking show brought to
(15:50):
life.
A dream at the moment, Terry,and that will be that first
weekend in December.
Beth Bobbitt (15:56):
Great.
Amazing.
And you've written for VisitBentonville so we'll link to
some of the blog posts in theshow notes.
But anything else coming upthat you want to mention?
Katie Robertson (16:07):
Um I think that, you know, that's kind of
top of mind for me for sure.
But um I always love coming outfor um the indoor farmers
market here in Bentonvillearound the holidays as well.
And any kind of uh holidayparade.
There's so much fun going intothat.
(16:27):
I always just make it a pointto like park and get down here
because you're going to eat alot, but you know you're gonna
walk a lot as well.
So in the whole day.
Yeah, as well.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (16:36):
Thanks so much, Katie.
Katie Robertson (16:37):
Appreciate your time.
Beth Bobbitt (16:38):
Yes, thanks for having me.
Don't forget, Visit Bentonvilleis here to help you navigate
things to do, where to eat andstay, and what's going on in our
new American Town.
Check out the show notes tofollow us on social, sign up for
the newsletter, and visit ourwebsite at visitbentonville.com.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome back to a new American Town.
I'm your host, Beth Bobbitt,and I'm thrilled to get to talk
to local food expert andadvocate Katie Robertson about
inclusive food Bentonville.
Katie, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much.
It's great to have you here.
And so you're currently workingwith Living Artists as a
contributing food curator at theMomentary.
(00:32):
You've written for The WineEnthusiasts, Food 52, Food and
Wine magazine, and VisitBentonville.
You've got quite the resumehere.
So tell us a little bit abouthow you got into this and your
background, what led you toBentonville?
Katie Robertson (00:48):
Sure.
So I grew up in Little Rock.
I'm an Arkansas native.
But I always wanted to be awriter and I didn't know exactly
what form that would take.
And so after college, I startedworking in restaurants, as many
of us do in our 20s, and fellin love with it.
I wanted to be a chef.
So I worked back of house for alittle while and then worked
(01:11):
front of house for a littlewhile.
And then realized I didn'treally want to be in restaurants
because that was going to takesome of the magic and love that
I had for it away for mepersonally.
And so I went back to writingand um worked for magazines
while I was living in New Yorkgetting my graduate degree from
(01:31):
NYU and food studies, which isjust a fancy way of saying it's
a liberal arts degree focusedentirely on food.
Amazing.
Sounds perfect.
Yeah.
So long story short, I wantedto get back to family and be
back in Arkansas.
And when the Momentary opened,I found an opportunity to come
work with people who wanted toelevate food to, you know, this
(01:55):
art form and think about it andtalk about it in that way.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (01:59):
So well, we're glad you're here.
And, you know, probably sinceyou've been here, there's been
so many more options in terms ofbeing more friendly for folks
that have dietary restrictions.
So I'm curious as to why youthink this has come about
(02:19):
recently or what has spurred thegrowth.
Katie Robertson (02:23):
Well, I think just having a growing population
is going to do that for yourrestaurant scene.
But um, you know, I remembercoming back uh visiting 10 years
ago, just coming back to seefamily.
And um, my stepmother had uhwas gluten intolerant for many
years.
And so she said, there's arestaurant that we have to go
(02:44):
to.
It's called the Preacher's Son.
And so I thought that wasreally amazing, even for any
place to be entirely gluten-freeat that time.
And so um, over the years, it'sjust slowly added, and there
are a lot of different peopleliving here, so there's a lot of
different um flavors, tastes toserve.
(03:05):
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (03:06):
And I do think, you know, as a society, we are
just more aware of our ownpreferences, we're more aware of
nutritional value, you know.
Absolutely.
Um so I think there's moreinformation coupled with the
fact that there's a growth inthe region.
And then of course, we're anagricultural community.
(03:28):
So there's there's that.
Um perfect storm for you know,lots of options.
So I think let's jump in andyou mentioned gluten-free.
Yeah.
Walk us through some of thecurrent restaurants or menu
items that that you've seen.
Katie Robertson (03:47):
So um a lot of folks who are local will
recognize the name MatthewCooper, uh, chef Matt Cooper,
who uh started at uh thePreacher's Son and now runs
Conifer and Ryn.
Uh, those are two uh finedining experiences that you can
have that are completely safeand totally gluten-free.
Uh Chef Cooper has celiachimself, and so um it's a safe
(04:11):
place to eat if if that's uh oneof your concerns.
Also, Stoic Brews is kind ofremarkable.
There are not many gluten-free,completely gluten-free
breweries out there.
And so you can go to Stoic umand have uh both gluten-free
beverages and snacks.
Um, also Sandi Su's Bakery.
(04:32):
That is an amazing option thatwas originally kind of housed
out of 8th Street Market.
And um that's been a wonderfulresource for this community over
many years, for at least forthe past five years.
And um, now they have their ownbrick and mortar.
So that's a great place to gofor cinnamon rolls.
I've I've been hearing lots ofthings about those cinnamon
(04:52):
rolls.
Beth Bobbitt (04:52):
So gotta get your order in for Christmas because
they spell out.
Yes.
And they also have classes.
I don't know.
Yeah.
You can, as a family or as agroup, pick a class, learn to
bake gluten-free.
It's amazing.
Katie Robertson (05:06):
It is nice.
It's a it's a good resource tohave that education component
too.
And then there are a lot ofplaces that are um gluten-free
friendly.
So maybe not exclusivelygluten-free or have an exclusive
gluten-free kitchen, but have alot of options for folks
looking for gluten-free.
So um Sunny's on second is oneof those, uh, the Meteor, which
(05:29):
is a great place for um, youknow, traditional pizza,
gluten-free pizza, lots ofdifferent menu items there.
Uh Blue Seafood House is agreat option, which um a lot of
people don't think, you know,see a lot of seafood is
automatically gluten-free, justdepending on how it's prepared.
Beth Bobbitt (05:46):
And so and the rice, yeah.
Katie Robertson (05:48):
Yeah.
And um, so that's a great, likeeveryone in the group, uh,
everyone in the family can goand enjoy that.
And the buttered biscuit isalso a great option.
They have pretty much anythingon their menu.
If you say, Do you makepancakes gluten-free?
They'll say, Yes, we'll do thatfor you.
So that's uh that's really niceto have that, um, those
(06:09):
options.
Great to know.
What about vegetarian fare?
So one of the great thingsabout uh food culture in
general, you know, in 2025 isthere are a lot of vegetarian
options at most restaurants.
But um, one thing that we havegoing for us here in Bentonville
is we have some reallyincredible Southeast Asian
(06:30):
restaurants um, ranging fromnorthern Indian to southern
Indian to, you know, Thai,Laotian. And a lot of these
places have either separate,exclusive vegetarian menus or
have um a lot of vegetarianitems.
So it's just a focus of thecuisine.
Beth Bobbitt (06:50):
Do you have a favorite?
Katie Robertson (06:51):
Um, I love Chola Cafe.
I love Thai Basil.
Um I am hoping to try a fewmore around town.
Uh flavors is always a, youknow, a great standby.
So there are so many options.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (07:07):
Yeah.
Katie Robertson (07:07):
Thank you.
India Mart 2 has um, if you goto their cafe, they have some
really great things in thatgrocery store that you can check
out as well.
Right.
Excellent.
Beth Bobbitt (07:18):
Okay.
So let's move into the omnivoreand pescatarian friendly
restaurants.
And you mentioned blue, youknow, already one.
Katie Robertson (07:28):
So yes.
Um, blue is a great option.
There's also let's see,Sunny's, I mentioned before.
Uh Sunny's is just a greatoption for all things um health
focused.
So if you have a specific diet,like if you're keto or paleo,
you can get um meals that arespecifically made for that diet
(07:51):
there, which is great.
Um, same thing goes for SnackLab. The every single one of
their items is uh labeled sothat you know like this is
dairy-free, gluten-free,vegetarian.
So that's a great option forgrab and go and just any kind of
like healthy um fare.
Amazing.
(08:12):
And then um one really greatthing is like Rush bowls.
So I don't know if you've beenby there.
No, not yet.
But the thing that is so greatabout rush is that almost, I
mean, you can do almosteverything get dairy-free, which
is great.
Dairy-free is kind of one ofthose allergies that gets
(08:32):
forgotten about a lot of times.
And a lot of people don't feelempowered to speak up about it.
Yeah.
Um, and so rush bowls, lots offruit, uh smoothie bowls, things
like that, really healthy, goodfor you things.
Um, but if you're looking forsomething a little bit less
healthy that's dairy-free, uh,trash uh ice cream caters to
(08:54):
folks who are um who can'thandle dairy but want to have
that traditional ice creamexperience with all the add-ins
and everything like that.
So they just have a uh aregular uh ice cream flavor and
a dairy-free ice cream flavor.
Beth Bobbitt (09:08):
So Willie D's ice cream truck also.
Yes.
And there's a couple differentlocations around town.
Katie Robertson (09:17):
Yeah.
I'm finding that a lot of icecream places do generally have
like one vegan or um, dependingon how it's labeled, vegan,
dairy-free, um, depending.
It's good to always just ask,though, right?
What about other allergyconscious places?
So um one spot that I love thatI always feel really
(09:38):
comfortable taking folks whohave um special diets or
allergies is Yayos.
Yayos um has a lot ofgluten-free items just because
of having such the best corntortillas that there are around.
But um, there are a lot ofgreat vegetarian options.
I've I have um converted, youknow, my most uh intense
(10:02):
carnivore friends to thosecauliflower tacos at Yale's.
Um and similarly, BentonvilleTaco and Tamale, same kind of
thing.
Everybody in the family canalways find something um at
Bentonville Taco and Tamale.
One thing to remember though iswhile you're out and about and
you might not you kind of youkind of signed up for uh an
(10:25):
event or um a program, say likegoing to Crystal Bridges.
11, the restaurant at CrystalBridges, is fantastic for
allergy um accommodations.
So um I've worked with thatteam uh personally uh many for
many years and know that it's uha really big deal for them to
(10:47):
make sure that everybody feelssafe and accommodated.
So you can always find optionsfor everyone at 11.
Beth Bobbitt (10:53):
Yes.
Katie Robertson (10:54):
I checked out yesterday, actually, I went
to Towny Burgers for the firsttime.
And I've got to say I'm reallyimpressed.
Um, everybody loves a burger,but you can pretty much for any
diet find something at TownieBurgers, which is really
impressive for kind of like adinery type feel.
(11:16):
Um, great salads.
The crab cakes were fantastic,burger great.
So I can say all good thingsabout Townie Burgers.
Yes.
And if you're interested, we dohave a podcast about movies.
So check that out.
Awesome.
Um, there are some otheroptions too.
Like if you are focused more onum beverage and you want to go
(11:37):
out for a couple of drinks, butyou want to make sure that you
have options on the menu forsnacks.
Callisto Bar, which is reallyfun if you haven't been there
yet, it's a speakeasy um hiddeninside of an art gallery here.
And so it's kind of wonderfulto be able to go out with your
friends and even when you'rejust having drinks, um, not have
(12:00):
to uh stress about being ableto eat because that's when you
really want to eat.
Beth Bobbitt (12:04):
Yeah, exactly.
Yes, and you should be able to.
Yes.
Um and let's talk about thevegan scene.
I know there's lessestablishments that are solely
focused on vegan, but they'repopping up.
Katie Robertson (12:19):
Yeah, we do have uh at least one.
We have Third Space Coffee,which is a great coffee shop um
focused on sustainable sourcing.
Um it's right next door to BestFriends Animal Shelter.
So I know that a lot of friendsgo there to um quote unquote
co-work and look at puppies andkittens, puppy therapy. Yes,
(12:42):
but they do have a 100% uh veganmenu.
So that's awesome.
And like I mentioned before,Sunny's always has great options
for vegans.
But surprisingly, I bet somefolks wouldn't know this about
Peddler's Pub.
Um, you can get, they have anentire vegan menu.
Oh my gosh, have you had thosevegan fries?
(13:03):
I haven't, but I'm sure they'redelicious.
Amazing.
Um, but so peddler's is reallyfriendly um for uh having vegan
options as well.
Right.
Beth Bobbitt (13:14):
And as we're heading into the holidays,
curious if you have any adviceor um for how we accommodate for
dietary restrictions, anyhosting recommendations.
Katie Robertson (13:27):
Yes.
So when you are sending outyour RSVPs, if you're if you're
going that formal, ask for folksto um email you or let you know
if you have an allergy.
Oftentimes they will appreciatethat um so much more than even
you planning the event.
Um so uh just ask for thataccommodation if you're hosting
(13:50):
at home, but if you're headingout, um I've seen folks who have
a uh kind of complex allergies,they'll um write out a index
card, which is really helpfulfor the restaurants, but never
feel uh embarrassed aboutspeaking up.
I know that from the point ofview of the kitchen and the
(14:11):
front of house, all of they wantto do is make sure you're safe
and have a wonderful experience.
And so um just let folks knowand check out this guide and
list because there are a lot ofwonderful options in
Bentonville.
Beth Bobbitt (14:24):
This is so helpful. Our family especially
has quite a few restrictions andpreferences.
And so I had no idea that wehad so many options.
This is great.
Katie Robertson (14:36):
Thank you so much.
Oh, and one last shout out.
Table Mesa, they always uh arethey have historically been
great at this, but um veryinclusive.
So if you let them know whenyou arrive, they can accommodate
almost any allergy.
Beth Bobbitt (14:51):
Yeah, they were already a favorite.
Now they're for sure afavorite.
And right there on the squarefor all of those holiday
activities.
That's right.
Speaking of, what culinaryevents should we mark on our
calendar?
Do you know of anything comingup that we can't miss?
Katie Robertson (15:05):
Well, I have to do a personal um shout out.
I am working with the team atthe momentary to produce a
pastry week, which is our firstyear doing this.
So we'll be bringing in some umpastry experts from New York,
Caroline Schiff and uh StacyMaeyen Fong.
They're both uh pastry chefswho also are authors, and
(15:27):
they'll be doing workshops.
And then we'll also have greatmovies that are focused on all
things sweet and baking.
Um we'll have a a tastemakerdinner as well to round out the
experience and a local makersmarket.
Wow.
Excuse me, makers and bakersmarket.
So it'll be basically likeBritish baking show brought to
(15:50):
life.
A dream at the moment, Terry,and that will be that first
weekend in December.
Beth Bobbitt (15:56):
Great.
Amazing.
And you've written for VisitBentonville so we'll link to
some of the blog posts in theshow notes.
But anything else coming upthat you want to mention?
Katie Robertson (16:07):
Um I think that, you know, that's kind of
top of mind for me for sure.
But um I always love coming outfor um the indoor farmers
market here in Bentonvillearound the holidays as well.
And any kind of uh holidayparade.
There's so much fun going intothat.
(16:27):
I always just make it a pointto like park and get down here
because you're going to eat alot, but you know you're gonna
walk a lot as well.
So in the whole day.
Yeah, as well.
Yeah.
Beth Bobbitt (16:36):
Thanks so much, Katie.
Katie Robertson (16:37):
Appreciate your time.
Beth Bobbitt (16:38):
Yes, thanks for having me.
Don't forget, Visit Bentonvilleis here to help you navigate
things to do, where to eat andstay, and what's going on in our
new American Town.
Check out the show notes tofollow us on social, sign up for
the newsletter, and visit ourwebsite at visitbentonville.com.
Thanks for listening.
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