Southern Tail Brewing — Restaurant in Little Rock

Part 1/2

The gist of this review is going to be - pleasant, but over priced. (Read further for details)

The atmosphere here is nice. And I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t tried every single thing on the menu. But I don’t review places often and definately not after only one visit unless warranted. I’ve been to Southern Tail 3 times now, and in those visits, there are things that have been consistent in a way that makes me feel comfortable to form an opinion.

The beers: the beers are decent but not great. I’ve been to more breweries than I can count locally, nationally, and internationally. I don’t say that to sound pretentious. I just really like beer, and if I am visiting somewhere I’m going to try it. That being said, i want to try more of the options here but so far it’s just ok. They do have a gluten free beer that I enjoyed but otherwise it’s not special. But that would be totally fine if that was all I had to say.

The food: the food is overpriced. It tastes good. But it’s not gourmet like the price suggests. I’ll use the rice-Otto as an example. It’s tasty. But it’s $9 for 3 average meatball sized balls of rice and cheese. That’s $3 a ball which I find crazy considering how cheap rice is. Gouda cheese I know is a pricey-er cheese but not to this extent. In fact, you could cut it with another cheaper cheese and it would still be tasty and more affordable. Bottom line, I expect a starter to be divisible by two. Three balls is not that. 4 would make more sense and for this price and size of the ball I would expect 6. Again, I’m using this as my main example, but every item of food I’ve tried thus far could be summed up as good but not worth the price. If I could make a suggestion to this establishment, let your sandwiches include the fires instead of coleslaw. You know everyone wants fries and $2 is not a small upcharge in this instance no matter how you word it. In the end, it makes me feel like I’m being squeezed which would deter me from coming but I want to support local businesses. Potatoes are cheap. Fries are easy.

The dogs: i was most excited about this place by the way it was advertising being dog friendly. Perhaps I assumed or misunderstood but this is not a dog park with a brewery attached. It’s just a brewery that allows dogs and that is not unique. Every brewery in town allows you to bring your dog. The only unique thing is you can order bone broth for your dog. (Which is awesome). But otherwise it’s not as unique as I expected based on what I heard and the NAME of the establishment being Southern TAIL.

The staff: the servers I’ve had thus far are nice but not knowledgeable at all. Every time I’ve been they always have to go back and check if I have a question. This includes questions about what kind of beer, what they would recommend, and even about specials. There was a special I came in for because I saw it posted about online and the server had no idea what i was referring to and had to double check. Again, friendly, but they need to at least be aware of specials and maybe have stock answers about preferences if they don’t have any themselves. Another note on this I’ll make is the bar tender should be able to take a beer order, pour and serve at the bar and not ask the customer to go take a seat and wait for a server. One of my visits had this occur. Sometimes I just want to be able to go the bar and make an order. Especially if no one else is in the building. (Also, please give your servers devices that work. They always seem to be bugging out one way...

Went here for my birthday today and I was so excited to try this place out but left thinking I probably should have spent my special day somewhere else.

We entered and the place was busy but not full. We checked in with the hostess who said she would get us seated but needed to clean a table. We were like okay thanks we will wait. She was super awkward about it, like I almost felt like she was really trying to tell us she couldn’t seat us or wouldn’t seat us but didn’t know how. She kept awkwardly telling us to go to the bar or sit in the comfy seat section but we were like no we’re fine we’ll just wait for you to clean the table. 15 minutes later she brings our party of 5 past several empty tables that seat 6 to a four top with a high chair stuck on the end for our 5 year old. We told her our five year old would not need a high chair (nor would she fit). She removed the high chair but still wanted us to sit at the four top. When I questioned our seating arrangement and asked why we couldn’t sit at one of the other tables we passed that would accommodate our party she stated that per policy they were for parties of 6 only. At that point I was about ready to leave and I think she could tell I was frustrated because she then offered to push a smaller table together with the four top. We proceeded to sit down but found the table still filthy. It looked like the hostess had cleaned the table top only to have dumped all the crumbs into the seats and floor. I’m guessing the table who had previously had a child their had left quite a mess and since we had a kid too we wouldn’t mind sitting in the disgusting remains. Before we had to say anything another employee came over who had checked on us in the beginning to tell us we were welcome to move to one of the 6 top round tables. Once we moved we discovered the facility was only staffed with 3 servers on a busy Saturday at lunch. She told us the hostess was new and had been over seating. It took us at least another 10 minutes to get waters. We then asked about a child’s menu and discovered the hostess hadn’t provided one but should have. My husband went to ask about a child menu but she kept refusing because they had no crayons. Parents still need to have the food options for kids regardless of crayons, come on! He eventually convinced her to give him a kid’s menu but he was beyond frustrated. Once we were finally able to order things went much more smoothly. Our waitress did her best to improve the situation but first impressions cannot be easily overcome and this visit started off with a bad bang. She probably could have made a full comeback with her service once she was able to get to us but the food ended up being just meh. I found it overpriced ($8 for a kid hot dog & fries with no included drink) for the quality and portions of food provided. I’m sure the rocky beginning didn’t help form my opinion but again I think our waitress was turning it around. Had the food been phenomenal as expected I wouldn’t have minded the cost, but for it to be mediocre I’m just going to have to pass. Big Orange has some higher priced burgers and sides but they are worth the cost, this place not so much. Beer was good but I can get better food and service with beer I like too at Lost Forty. If they want to stick around they better step it up. So sad this couldn’t be the great birthday experience...

Holding our wedding rehearsal at this venue was nothing short of a transcendent experience that shattered and rebuilt my every expectation for what an event could be. To say it was amazing is an understatement; it was an absolute masterclass in perfection from the first handshake to the final farewell.

From our very first interaction, it was clear the owners were not just proprietors, but deeply invested partners in our celebration. They orchestrated the entire planning process with the precision of a seasoned project manager and the passion of a true artist. Our initial meetings to lock down dates, timelines, and logistics felt less like a transaction and more like a creative summit, culminating in a flawless project flow that instilled absolute confidence and erased any potential for stress.

The true magic, however, began when we approached the menu. They didn't just hand us a list; they invited us on an epicurean journey. The tasting was a symphony of flavors, featuring dazzling samples from their standard and brunch menus, alongside an expertly curated selection of wines, inventive cocktails, and craft beers. Our collaboration was effortless and inspiring. We could describe a vague craving, a mere whisper of an idea, and they would translate it into a culinary masterpiece that exceeded our wildest dreams.

We ultimately selected a trio of appetizers that set an impossibly high bar: irresistibly crispy Brussels sprouts drizzled with golden honey and studded with savory bacon; a velvety, sharp pimento cheese that was the epitome of Southern comfort; and ethereal, golden-fried crawfish beignets that burst with succulent flavor. Upon our special request to venture off-menu, they didn't just agree—they embraced the challenge with gusto. The result was a sublime stuffed and wrapped shrimp amuse-bouche that served as a perfect overture, followed by the star of the show: a braised short rib so impossibly tender it dissolved on the tongue, nestled against a cloud of buttery mashed potatoes. The trial run we had two weeks before the event was a revelation, a breathtaking preview that still failed to prepare us for the sheer perfection of the final product.

On the night of the event, the execution was flawless. The evening unfolded with the grace and precision of a choreographed masterpiece, every moment flowing seamlessly into the next. The ambiance was electric yet deeply intimate. The staff operated with an almost supernatural intuition—attentive yet unobtrusive, ensuring that a drink was never empty and a need was met before it was ever voiced. We were never rushed or pressured, allowed to savor every last second in the beautiful event room. They even crafted a vegan dish on the fly that was a work of art in itself, a vibrant, flavorful creation that drew envious glances from every corner of the room.

Every single one of our 54 guests was left spellbound. Throughout the night and for weeks after, I received a continuous chorus of compliments, with friends and family personally declaring it the most spectacular and exquisitely orchestrated event they had ever had the pleasure of attending. It was, in every conceivable...