Cafe 1217 — Restaurant in Hot Springs

Okay, so I'm a new vegan, and so far, it has been kinda tricky finding things at restaurants I can eat without seeming like the world's pickiest woman. (My non-vegan husband has been a pretty good sport about it so far.) So I was looking at a bunch of restaurants in town trying to find somewhere I could have something other than a $8 super basic iceberg lettuce, carrot, and tomato salad, and this cafe looked promising.

I talked my husband and a friend into going there with talks of pork chops, paninis, and enticing meat and cheese dishes (lol). And WOW! When you first walk in, the first thing you see are some incredible-looking pies and other desserts! It's almost enough to make a vegan eat some eggs and butter! 😂 There were so many different choices of delicious-looking/sounding entrees that the other two took quite a while deciding what to get!

As for me, I explained that I was looking for dairy-free options, and it turned out they had a whole slew of different and interesting side dishes to choose from. I got the salad sampler, which included a small salad and then my choice of 3 or 4 sides. I had the wheatberry and quinoa veggie salad, the cranberry apple walnut wild rice, the pineapple roasted beet salad, and the teriyaki asparagus with oranges. Yummm! The asparagus was especially delicious! I'd never really had beets, so that was cool. They're not my super favorite, and I'd probably get the Brussels sprouts next time, but I think that's just because of the flavor of beets themselves, not how they were prepared. I still ate them all and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to a beet-lover!

My husband and our friend both had the blackberry ham and cheese panini and they sure didn't skimp on the ham! They both really liked it!

Did I mention the customer service? If you notice in the picture of my plate of food (which I didn't take a picture of till halfway through my meal--there was a lot more food before I started eating!), the salad is kinda pushed to the side. I got my food and looked at the salad and went, "hmmm... I think there's cheese in that dressing." The dressing was just drizzled on, and wasn't touching anything, so I just pushed it to the side, but after about 2 mins, the lady who took my order came over and was like, "Don't eat the dressing! It has dairy in it!" She offered to bring me another salad with an alternate dressing (I did balsamic vinaigrette). I was like, "She cares about me!" The manager (owner maybe?) was also talking to my dining companions about the interesting combination of the blackberry with the ham, and came over to see how they liked it. It was really nice.

So, to sum up: a very nice, clean, cute atmosphere, great food with some awesome healthy options, and really caring staff! All around fantastic! Would...

While visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas, for our babymoon, my wife and I stopped at Cafe 1217, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed by the warm, inviting atmosphere and the evident emphasis on freshness.

The staff were absolutely incredible—friendly, kind, knowledgeable, and eager to help. They went above and beyond by offering samples of several dishes, as everything looked too good to resist. Their enthusiasm for the food was contagious, and it was clear they take pride in serving top-notch, homemade dishes.

We ordered a variety of items to truly experience everything the menu had to offer: the beet salad, a Reuben sandwich, chili, a coconut cream pie, an egg salad sandwich, and a tamale. Each dish was bursting with flavor and made with the freshest ingredients. The beet salad was vibrant and perfectly balanced, the Reuben was hearty and satisfying, and the chili was rich and comforting. The coconut cream pie was the perfect sweet finish, with its luscious filling and flaky crust. Everything tasted homemade in the best way possible, and we couldn’t help but savor every bite.

Beyond the food, the entire dining experience was flawless. The restaurant was impeccably clean and organized, including the restrooms, which were spotless. The friendly and courteous staff made us feel right at home, and their attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed.

Cafe 1217 exceeded all of our expectations and then some. It’s clear that they pour their heart into every dish and every customer interaction. If you’re in Hot Springs, this is an absolute must-visit spot. We left with full stomachs and big smiles, already planning to return on our next trip to town.

Thank you, Cafe 1217, for making our meal so memorable and for being such a shining example of what a great dining...

My wife has a knack for finding unusually good establishments in unfamiliar territory. We were visiting Hot Springs and she continued her streak.

Our family of 4 ordered different plates and then we spent the rest of our meal trying to convince the others our meal was better than theirs. We each got to sample each other's plates. Each one of them was outstanding.

Son had the Bacon, BBQ burger and was thoroughly impressed. Daughter had a grill cheese sandwich. I had to talk with the kitchen to learn their technique and I'm convinced my future sandwiches will always come up short when compared to the new benchmark. Wife had the CA Club with house pasta. She loved the sandwich and absolutely raved about the pasta. I had the ham and cheese sandwich on a jalapeno/cheese bun, and house chips . "Damn" is about the best word I have. It was noteworthy.

We don't have time or space to discuss their desert options. I'm not an expert and I'm not from Hot Springs. Its not an exaggeration to say that you could go Twice per week and never NOT come outta there with a new and better experience. They have EXCELLENT deserts!

Go in there and chat with them. They are a friendly group and they not only make you feel welcome, they don't mind you fogging the glass and asking all sorts of questions. The options for pastries, cookies, cakes, etc. are mind boggling.

If you don't know about the place, find it. If you already know about Cafe 1217, go back and frequent the...