On South Main Street in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas, The Root Cafe is the kind of couple-owned restaurant that proves food can be both deeply personal and powerfully community-minded at the same time.
Since opening in 2011, husband-and-wife team Jack Sundell and Corri Bristow Sundell have built one of the most beloved farm-to-table restaurants in Arkansas — a place where every ingredient tells a story and every meal feels like a direct connection to the land and people around it.
How The Root Cafe Won Little Rock’s Hearts
Jack and Corri Sundell didn’t open The Root Cafe just to serve food — they opened it to build something that Little Rock had never quite seen before. 🌿
From day one, their mission was clear: build community through local food — and that philosophy has driven every single decision they’ve made, from the farmers they partner with to the menu they put in front of guests each morning.
The Root sources 100% of its meat, eggs, and bread from small Arkansas farms and producers, along with the majority of its vegetables, fruits, nuts, and cheeses — a commitment to local sourcing that is rare, genuine, and immediately apparent in the quality of every plate.
The restaurant earned national recognition when Guy Fieri visited and featured it, spotlighting the house-ground Pimento Cheeseburger and hand-made bratwursts as standout examples of DIY farm-to-table cooking done at the highest level. 🎉
Beyond the food, Jack and Corri built The Root into a full community hub, hosting workshops, cooking classes, live music events, potluck parties, and seasonal contests — turning the restaurant into a gathering place that draws people together far beyond mealtimes.
Diners have described the experience as “local, fresh, cute, and special” — a simple but deeply accurate summary of what makes The Root Cafe unlike anything else on the Little Rock dining scene. 🏡
That relentless dedication to craft and community is exactly how The Root Cafe went from a neighborhood newcomer to an award-winning Arkansas institution — one plate of pimento cheeseburger, one biscuit, and one beautifully sourced local ingredient at a time.
Food Highlights
- Banh Mi Sandwich: Organic fried tofu, house-pickled carrot and daikon radish, fresh cilantro, thinly-sliced jalapeños, homemade mayo, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha on a baguette from Arkansas Fresh Bakery — a sweet, spicy, crunchy, creamy Vietnamese-inspired masterpiece. 🌶️
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Root Benny: Poached eggs and locally sourced toppings served atop house-made buttermilk biscuits, finished with hollandaise sauce — the single most-ordered breakfast item. 🥚
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Buttermilk Biscuits & Sausage Gravy: Fluffy, homemade buttermilk biscuits smothered in real-deal sausage gravy made from locally sourced, pasture-raised pork. 🤍
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Pimento Cheeseburger: House-ground Arkansas beef patty topped with spicy pimento cheese, 14-day house-made sweet pickles, and garlic vinaigrette. 🍔
- Old World-Style Bratwurst: Hand-made bratwurst from local, pasture-raised pork served with house-fermented slaw, Dijon mustard, and house mayo. 🌭
- French Toast: Thick-cut bread from Arkansas Fresh Bakery, soaked and griddled to golden perfection. 🍞
- Curry Chicken Salad: Toasted curry chicken salad served over a generous bed of fresh spring mix, topped with crunchy apple matchsticks and creamy buttermilk dill dressing.
- Classic Hamburger: Locally sourced, in-house ground and hand-pattied beef, cooked to juicy perfection with house-made pickles, garlic vinaigrette, and a fresh-baked bun.
Atmosphere
The Root Cafe’s South Main Street location radiates the warm, lived-in energy of a place that was built with genuine love for its community — casual, welcoming, and full of the kind of character that only comes from years of consistent, people-first hospitality.
The space doubles as a community gathering hub, hosting everything from live music to cooking workshops, which means the dining room buzzes with a lively, social energy that feels refreshingly unlike a typical restaurant. 🎶
It’s the kind of restaurant that feels as good to be in as the food feels to eat — an all-around experience that is as nourishing for the soul as it is for the appetite.
Bottom Line
The Root Cafe is Little Rock’s crown jewel of farm-to-table dining — a couple-owned community institution with 100% locally sourced ingredients, nationally recognized dishes, a warm and lively atmosphere, standout plates from the Root Benny to the Pimento Cheeseburger, and the kind of genuine, mission-driven hospitality that makes every visit feel meaningful. 🌱❤️
Address:
1500 S Main St, Little Rock, AR 72202
🕔 Open Tue–Sun 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Closed Monday)