Geno’s Pizza

If your in the mood for a slice of a New York style pie by the slice then Geno’s is the place for you. Located on the West end of Dickson street Geno’s offers reasonably priced pizza by the slice. Geno’s is opened everyday until midnight and offers slices of cheese, pepperoni, sausage and supreme pizza for about $2.50 a slice. If you’re not a big fan of pizza, Geno’s also hot sandwiches and salads. Possibly the most popular thing about Geno’s is dollar slice night, every thursday and sunday from 5-9. There is a limit of 4 pieces of pizza per person, so don’t plan on stocking up for the week.

Smoke and Barrel: Kick Back and Relax

This is definitely a bar and not a restaurant. There is no food at Smoke and Barrel, hence why I said it was a bar, but if you like scotch and want a place that is very laid back, then Smoke and Barrel is the place for you.

Bar owner, Evan McDonald, said that he feels like S&B fills a hole in the local bar scene by providing a spot where “people can actually relax and have a conversation.”

Smoke and Barrel stocked 38 different whiskeys upon opening, but McDonald said that he planned to continue expanding upon the bars selections. “The scotches outnumber the bourbons right now,” McDonald said. “But we’ll see about that.”

Along with an atmosphere that is conversation friendly and a wide variety of whiskeys S&B also has a variety of “activities” to utilize while at the bar. In the back of the bar is a shelf complete with everything from chess and checkers to a huge selection of board game.

For those of you reading this telling yourselves that this bar sound quiet and boring I can tell you that you couldn’t be further from the truth. Along with the relaxing scene, S&B also is a supporter of Fayetteville’s local music scene.

So, to recap, Smoke and Barrel provides local music, good whiskey and fun games. The last thing I will add is that if the typical Dickson Street “frat” crowd isn’t the kind of group you want to run with, then this is the place for you. I walked in wearing a polo shirt and a pair of khakis and felt quite overdressed, t-shirts are definitely welcome.

Hog Haus Brewing Company

Hog Haus is one of Fayetteville’s most recognizeable landmark’s. The restaurant features its own brewery and claims to be the only operating brewery in Northwest Arkansas. A number of different microbrews are available at the bar year round and there are also a number of seasonally featured beers. Hog Haus happy hour is from 2-5 every day and features half price pilsners and also half price appetizers. On Mondays it is also Stein and Brat night. A Hog Haus stein can be purchased for 10 dollars and on Monday night it can be filled for only six dollars, it is eight to fill the stein any other time. In addition to the beer Hog Haus also has some great food, unfortunately for students the quality of the food is reflected in its price. Entrees on the menu range from 15 to 25 dollars and sandwiches are between eight and 10 dollars. So, if you go for a lunch outing expect to spend around 15 dollars and for dinner abou 25 or 30.

Restaurants and BBBQ

With Bikes, Blues and BBQ coming up this weekend I wondered how local restaurants felt about the festival. Initially I thought that most business owners would be thrilled with the influx of people in Fayetteville, but upon further review I was a bit surprised. Doe’s Eat Place is one of the most famous steak joints in Fayetteville and is known across Arkansas. The menu at Doe’s doesn’t have much variety, there is steak, tamales, a few side items and beer. I spoke with a member of the Doe’s kitchen staff, Seth Jackson. Jackson said, “The festival just brings the wrong kind of customer to Dickson Street. We will have plenty of people that sit down and have a tamale and a beer, but no one is going to sit down for dinner when they can get a six dollar turkey leg on the street corner.” Jackson also mentioned that since the street is so crowded that people that would normally come in for dinner avoid the area. As I took in the rest of the Dickson scene that afternoon I noticed that other restaurants planned on closing their doors for BBBQ. So it appears that my initial hypothesis was wrong. The Street itself is packed with people, but other than the crowd that sits down for a beer, restaurants’ clientelle seem to avoid the area and as Jackson mentioned the people there are “the wrong kind of customer.”