Arkansas Diner — Restaurant in Kaohsiung

shrimp scramble (TWD 260): eggs, chopped peppers, and garlic grilled shrimp slathered in melted cheese and surrounded by crispy tater tots... cannot really go wrong. well flavored and seasoned. 4/5

TF salad (TWD 280): large salad with salted duck egg, pulled chicken, and grilled butter shrimp. came with sesame dressing. refreshing. 5/5

the harold pulled pork burger (TWD 290 + TWD 50 for onion ring): burger was amazing, pulled pork was extremely tender and flavorful (the generous BBQ sauce contributed greatly). combined with the toasted bun and fried egg, one can only wish for another order. 5.5/5

blueberry milk shake (TWD 180): so generous that it came slightly overflowing. rich and creamy; a proper milkshake. 4.5/5

chicken gravy biscuit (TWD 170): this unassuming dish was amazing. in retrospect it was the fried chicken that contributed the most, but the fried egg, gravy (which seemed a bit like undiluted cream of mushroom soup with a lot of pepper added), and biscuit were instrumental in rounding out the dish. 5/5

pumpkin pie (TWD 130): a must try. pie was well executed and tasted like what a pumpkin pie should taste like. a taste of home. 5/5

apple pie (TWD 130): there are many variations of apple pie. this one is not exactly our cup of tea but it was still quite good. 4/5

pecan pie (TWD 130): a must try, but be warned it is sweet. we are of the school that desserts should be sweet (why call it a dessert otherwise) but if you do not prefer your desserts sweet then skip this. otherwise, a must try. 5/5

owner came around to ask how the meal was, which very few western eateries will do here in Taiwan.

environs were clean. value proposition is...

My daughter and I spent Saturday night in Kaohsiung and had a truly great meal at the Arkansas Diner. I had the half rack of ribs with coleslaw, beans with bacon, corn on the cob, and a biscuit ($450). Izzi had the meatloaf ($340) with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and a biscuit, and we shared an appetizer of sloppy joe chilli, jalapeños, fries, pulled pork, tater tots and melted cheese called “The Bill” — presumably named after one of Arkansas’ more famous sons, Bill Clinton ($220).

The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, extraordinarily meaty, and slathered with the owner’s homemade BBQ sauce. They’d compare favourably with any of the BBQ ribs I’ve had in Taipei, and at a considerably lower price. The coleslaw was also good, as were the beans and biscuit. My daughter loved her meatloaf but couldn’t finish, so we had the leftovers packed away for us. The portion sizes of everything were exceedingly generous, and we were both stuffed when we left.

This place has a DIY charm to it that you don’t see in Taipei restaurants much these days. It’s decorated with all kinds of Arkansas-themed decor, the music was both vintage and American (I hadn’t heard Kris Kristofferson’s “Convoy” in years), and the friendly owner & head chef, Landis Shook, kept popping into the dining room to chat with the customers, most of whom he seemed to know by name.

We liked this place so much we came back for breakfast the next day and had an equally good experience. If I lived in Kaohsiung, I’d be coming here all the time. It’s authentic comfort food, lovingly prepared, and at astonishingly low prices, at least by...

Service: Bad. We're a group of 3, we just sat down, and other clients came in, the female owner of the restaurant just told us to spend XXX dollars quickly before introducing the menu. She might wanna go serve others, but that attitude and rude tone make us feel not respected and uncomfortable. (Seeing the reply for the negative comments, I'm not surprised. If I were a service provider, I'd think about why they're unhappy, and what the clients need / want.)

Food: Rich and oily. Not an option for those who seek for light meals. But if you're looking for American food / dishes of hometown, it's your paradise.

Environment: Cool American style. Advantage is we could meet other English speakers here.

A bad impression: We heard the female owner shouted at people who parked in front of the restaurant, and tried to confront one of the them. Even he just left, didn't argued with her, she still followed him to the building, pushed the door and "educate" him. Surprising.

Those who park might live there or are clients of another restaurant, or maybe potential clients... Like my gf and I parked for a short time there once, discussing about what to eat, but didn't come in eventually, the employees inside just came outside and stared at us. We wouldn't eat here but for meeting with friends though. Like in Chinese said, it's a 一次店, not worthy of...