In our Lunching in Little Rock blog series, Michael Kirkpatrick will explore and review the best restaurants in Little Rock and its surrounding area – all in time to get back to the office. This week, Michael ate lunch at Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom.
Little Rock is a beautiful town with tons of character. Regrettably, some of our most character-filled neighborhoods and buildings are falling into disrepair. Happily, some being are preserved and revived. One of my favorite revitalized neighborhoods is SoMa, South Main, which is home to not only a revitalized building, but also a fantastic restaurant. Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom on Main Street didn’t just beautify an old building, but added style, class and flavor to the street.
Raduno is situated between stylish shops and hip hangouts. The restaurant takes advantage of that with a large front porch-style entry where patrons can meet, hang out and dine. Inside, the eatery is spacious and open, art and décor filled, with tables and a bar running almost the length of the restaurant. You are welcomed immediately and seated with genuine smiles and hospitality, while ice-cold water is poured from recycled wine bottles.
A sandwich at Raduno Brick Oven and Barroom in Little Rock.
There are four of us dining today with a variety of tastes. Luckily, everyone has good taste and we decide to start with the Seasonal Burrata, fresh mozzarella and cream accompanied by candied pancetta and sourdough, for the table. If you are trying to cut carbs like me, you can just skip the delicious crusty bread. Between the four of us, two took advantage of the salad and slice of pizza lunch special, one had the soup and sandwich combo, and I had the Caesar Salad topped with pancetta. Sometimes pizza by the slice can be a gamble, but not at Raduno. It was clearly fresh and made with premium ingredients. The Margherita Grilled Cheese was a gorgeous sandwich and looked perfect with the Tomato Basil soup. My salad was just what you want on a warm spring day. The greens were fresh, the croutons were homemade, and the dressing wasn’t too heavy.
Maybe you’re feeling a little rundown or neglected and need a fresh facelift in the form of a fresh meal and premium hospitality. If Raduno Brick Oven and Barroom can fix up and building, they can fix you up with nourishment.
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Pizza at Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom in Little Rock's SoMa district.