Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Arlington

Only wish I could give them 10 stars! First visit for my both my bestie and me celebrating my birthday but it will be first of MANY. We splurged and ordered nearly double what we could eat because there were so many appealing menu items. But let's talk about the service first. From entry to the to leaving, we were made to feel valued and welcomed, like we were visiting the home of a family friend kind of vibe. We were greeted by the nicest man and seated immediately. Our server was quick to check in with us and give us menus and was all smiles. We started with Fried Green Tomatoes and Skillet Pimento and Cheese. Perfectly prepared. The breading on the tomatoes was crisp while the tomato itself was just crisp enough to maintain it's structure but so velvety that it was a good combination of textures. Underneath the tomatoes was a serving of the creamiest and most flavorable grits I have ever tasted - YUM. Loved the Pimento Cheese warmed up with chips. Its rare to have it warm but I think it might be my new favorite way to consume it. I also ordered a cocktail since it was a celebration. The Peach Sangria - and wow perfection again. The items were brought to us fairly quickly by what we thought was just a food runner. We asked him what his favorite dish is and why. He stopped and gave us a run down sealing the deal of what I was going to order when he told us he was the executive chef and he had just wanted to get out of the kitchen for a minute and decided to bring us the dishes himself. The team of employees genuinely seem to enjoy working there and it spills out to how they serve their customers. I ordered the chef's favorite, Nashville hot chicken on macaroni & Cheese waffle with homemade pickles on top. My bestie ordered the Shrimp Po Boy with collard greens as a side. I'm not a big greens kind of girl, but I would order them again bc they were that good. I took home nearly all of my entrée as I was stuffed from the appetizers and wanted to sample their desserts, a decision I don't regret. Who can resist Banana Pudding and Pecan Pie?! I felt like I was back at my Grandma's house in Tennessee. True Southern food in a restaurant is hard to pull off but WOW Tupelo Honey not only doesn't but have set the standard of what all other eateries should strive for. Definitely putting this gem into our dining out rotation. Side note - we felt treated like Queens and who doesn't love a little fuss over themselves once in a while. The gentlemen working this restaurant really are...

Took my husband here for Father’s Day brunch and so glad we did! First time visiting and we had a great experience. It was great music playing which added to the energetic atmosphere and vibe.

We arrived a little before our reservation and were seated right away. Our server was quick, efficient and accommodating with a special food request for one of my twins.

We ordered a variety of dishes which were so good and full of flavor. Started out with the “biscuits for a cause” and Brussels sprouts. The biscuits were warm and melted in your mouth. Twin B really liked the blueberry jam they were served with. The crispy Brussels were really good and the red pepper & almond romesco complemented them nicely.

My mother-in-law ordered the gumbo appetizer and thought she was going to have leftovers but she ate the whole bowl. That’s how delicious it was she said. It’s a good serving of gumbo for an appetizer so it could definitely be a meal.

My husband ordered the honey-dusted fried chicken (white meat) and said “somebody in that kitchen knows how to cook chicken.” 😆 He said it was seasoned perfectly and surprisingly was NOT dry, but tender, juicy and full of flavor. He got the Parmesan crispy potatoes for his side and a side salad.

Twin A ordered the whiskey and onion Smashburger with fries and thoroughly enjoyed.

Twin B ordered the farmhouse breakfast platter with two eggs (any style), parmesan crispy potatoes, apple cider bacon and Texas toast. He said his food was just ok. He opted for scrambled eggs but didn’t like the way they were scrambled. Too fluffy for his preference. He said the Texas toast was bland and could have used some seasoning or something.

He did order a plain waffle on the side and that made up for where the Texas toast lacked.

I’m vegan and although there aren’t any vegan options, I was able to do the harvest bowl. It had garlic & cumin quinoa, carrots, roasted peppers, radish, fennel, broccolini, red pepper romesco sauce and almonds. It was very satisfying and filling. I had leftovers and roasted some tofu the next day at home which was a great addition.

Overall, we had a great experience for our first time. My mother-in-law is already making plans to go back for her birthday.

Highly...

I have given Tupelo Honey a fair chance—having dined here three times—but unfortunately, two out of those three visits left us very disappointed. While the southern style food is above average, the service and attitude of the staff-from the front door to the kitchen—have consistently missed the mark.

Let’s start with the most recent visit, which sealed our decision not to return.

I ordered for the Love of Cobb salad, and immediately noticed the dressing had an unusually tangy, almost “off” taste. Concerned it may have been the wrong one—possibly a Caesar with anchovies—I politely asked our server. Without a word, he took the dressing away. A few minutes later, a second gentleman appeared (never introduced himself, but we assume he was either the owner, the chef ? or a manager). What followed was incredibly unprofessional. He responded to my question in a condescending, borderline aggressive tone, stating they “do not have anchovies in this restaurant” and that “all dressings are made in-house.” I calmly explained that since they do offer a Caesar salad, I simply made an incorrect guess. Rather than acknowledge or de-escalate, he doubled down on his defensive attitude, again asserting their anchovy-free policy with clear annoyance. The tone and demeanor were unnecessarily rude, making it obvious the conversation wasn’t going anywhere productive. He never offered another option, correction or apology. His dressing was disgustingly off so I ended up eating my salad without dressing which was disappointing, especially considering the price point and expectations.

To be fair: if you're craving deep friedn food like fried chicken, bacon, or waffles, this place delivers. Their Southern comfort fare is where they shine. But, if you’re looking for healthier options or decent hospitality, look elsewhere. The attitude here suggests that customer feedback isn’t welcome—and neither, apparently, are questions.

There are simply too many great restaurants in Arlington to waste time and money on one that can’t treat diners with basic courtesy....