Leverett Lounge — Restaurant in Fayetteville

I genuinely think this might be one of the most incredible dining experiences I have ever had in the whole of America. The Leverett Lounge reminds me of eating in Portland, Austin or Brooklyn before anyone had ever heard of those cities and certainly never thought of them as culinary cities to eat in.

The attention to detail to everything here is heart warming and also mind blowing— the food, the drinks and even the bathrooms are all absolutely divine and exquisite.

I started this evening at Arkadia Retrocade (the most authentic video arcade place you could ever find in 2025 and equally as flippin amazing as the Leverett—and just up the road!) and the owner Shea suggested we go to check out the Leverett after it for dinner.

If you can still find a more magical night in America right now, than doing these two things back to back please list it here!

So we headed up to Leverett after much arcading and Shea’s tip was spot on. First off we ordered drinks. The cocktails we had at the lounge were absolutely delicious and truly crafted and downright incredible. If it takes five to ten mins to come out it’s because this cocktail is going to be magnificent, so don’t worry.

And dinner was just as incredible. All the food we tried that night was just meticulously created and so lovingly made and absolutely delicious—and it all just comes together to create this truly unique moment that is dining at the Leverett. Even the street the restaurant sits on is so mysterious and out of the way, it’s like you just found somewhere no one else knew about!

And if you don’t spend 20 mins just looking at the interior decor alone you have missed out. It is better than almost all the art shows I see now. And the bathroom is better than most MOMA installations too! Find a reason to go in, even if you don’t need to. And look up at the ceiling too.

I also want to mention all the people at the restaurant that night, who were so beautifully kind, relaxed and effortlessly cool. That includes all the staff and the patrons. Special mention to our server Mary Grace. Wonderful energy and so kind and patient with us both. She was as incredible as this restaurant is.

I truly believe people are gonna ask me in 10 years time, “you went to Leverett Lounge in the summer of 2025! You lucky devil!”

People show the same amazement when I tell them, “I went to Justine’s Brasserie in East Austin in the 2000’s and I had the whole bar to myself!” No one went there in those days. It was too far away from downtown. Leverett feels like it has the same magic.

So Leverett Lounge, your restaurant is absolutely beautiful. It was a privilege to spend a night there. We will be back. Many, many times. I expect it to be harder and harder to get a table. I won’t...

Its rare for us to try a new restaurant during their first week and even more rare that we like it enough to go back a second time in the same week! First, this is what Fayetteville has been needing. I hesitate to call it "tapas" because its not Spanish food- but the small plates are perfect for group sharing or a light dinner. I'll admit, we've in two visits, we've worked our way through the menu already and I'm struggling to find a favorite. If I absolutely had to choose, it'd be a straight tie between the Queen Bee, Wally's Garden, and Ben's Lasagna!

This is the newest concept by local restauranteurs Ben Gitchel & Hannah Withers, co-owners of Maxine's Tap Room, and previous owners of Little Bread Co., both located on Block Street. Venturing in to a new cuisine in a different area of town, they've opened Fayetteville's newest, most fun culinary experience and my new favorite dinner spot!

The most remarkable part of Hannah & Ben's restaurants is always their attention to quality and Leverett Lounge is certainly no exception. They have a knack for hunting down the very best fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and Ben prepares them expertly. I've been lucky to sit at their table many times throughout the years but I was blown away by literally every single thing we ate, and I can honestly say that's a first for me (I'm a very picky eater!). This kind of dining experience is rare anywhere, but Fayetteville has been needing this for a very long time!

The lounge is a hidden gem- next door to a super adorable laundromat in a converted Pizza Hut building, it's a super short walk from the University of Arkansas. Decor is kitschy and fun, paired with soulful jazz and mouth-watering smells- making this a great place for casual dinner with friends or a romantic date night.

I'm scared of raving about it too much because I don't want to ruin my chances of getting a table so please don't go try it- just take my word for it.

My (not so) short list of recommendations: Wally's Garden (Tomato Aspic) Fried Garlic Cheese Grits Queen Bee (Goat Cheese) Lasagna Fruit Custard...

DINNER REVIEW

Since I moved from Fayetteville around a year ago, I hadn't really heard much of Leverett Lounge since it had just opened up before I left. However, I'm glad I came back because this was an amazing dining experience.

Leverett lounge is one of those restaurants that used to be something else. Think how Pesto's Cafe is in a former motel, Nomad's is in a former gas station, and Bocca is in a former drive-through restaurant. This apprently used to be an old diner that was attached to a laundromat (and it's still attached!). That aspect of it is only the tip of the ice berg in terms of its uniqueness.

When you walk in, you notice the interesting wall decor: stuffed birds, random plates, old paintings, etc. And then the bathroom is covered in flamingos! They have a nice covered, screened-in patio too

FOOD: The menu here (which is uniquely shaped where you page through it vertically rather than horizontally) is small and manageable which I love. They are all over the place with cuisines which makes it for a very unique experience.

My friend and I shared an appetizer and each got our own entrees:

BA Burrata - this is a piece of burrata over shakshuka sauce (no egg). I was SHUK. Can you imagine a more delicious combination!? I just wish there was more bread to sop up the goodness

KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) - THIS, folks, is the KEY reason why this place got a 5. This is some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. It was deep fried boneless skinless chicken thighs (already a good start) but then covered in a sweet and spicy Korean bbq. I could have eaten this non-stop

The service was attentive and friendly without being overbearing so overall, it was a great experience and I would love to come back to try more of the unique things...