Yes, a chain, but it’s delicious. The Kilwins in Hot Springs has two coolers with ice cream flavors and shelves of packaged chocolates and other candies you can take with you. We went here twice for ice cream, and it was indulgently perfect both times. Andrew went for the classic cone and Laura got a cup with hot fudge. You can’t go wrong with either.
We loved this place, which is pronounced “squeezebox.” It seems like a very welcoming place for city residents and visitors. When you walk in, you can’t really tell that there’s a bar in the back where you can sit and order dinner, so if you’re like us and prefer eating at bars, just know it’s there. We ordered a large Greek salad and a small Greek pizza to split and both were delicious but the salad in particular was fresh and delicious. Our bartender was polite and attentive and everyone else working there was friendly. Highly recommend.
Maxine’s is a classic dive bar on the main strip of old Hot Springs with red lighting; good drinks; cool bartenders; and dark booths for hanging with friends, being shady, or blogging. They play good music and host karaoke and drag shows on different nights. Good times!
This is an old-school diner in downtown HS that gets long lines on the weekends for breakfast, so we woke up early (for one of us) on our last Saturday to walk over and get there by 8:30 am. We managed to arrive right before the wait started, so shoot for 8:30! The blueberry pancakes, eggs, and coffee were delicious and the staff were all so friendly and welcoming. Another highly recommended spot!
Rolando’s is a “nuevo Latino” restaurant in HS that we visited primarily because the back patio looked cool. Laura got cheese and jalapeno tamales and Andrew got a chicken burrito, and we were both pleasantly surprised with our food. The patio didn’t disappoint either. It’s a stone patio up against the West Mountain with lights strung up and a band playing. Moderately recommended.
We ate here for lunch but neither of us were in the mood for beer. This is the only brewery in a U.S. national park, so we’re both disappointed in ourselves. The food was fine.
One of the locals we spoke to said she loves living in Hot Springs because she gets free spring water. There are a couple stations set up downtown for anyone to load up jugs of spring water and take it home. We only had our small water bottles, but we had to get some of the good stuff. We should have realized from the name that the water would be hot, but we didn’t. Here’s Laura scalding herself a little. Be prepared and get some free, all natural spring water for yourself.
The Grateful Head: We don’t recommend this place. The pizza was pretty gross. Don’t be fooled by the cool patio… it smells like sunbathing dumpsters.
