Two restaurants, Bentonville Taco and Tamale Co. and Azul Tequila Bistro, are planning to open on the downtown Bentonville square over the next few months. Both will approach Mexican cuisine from their own distinct perspective, representatives from the eateries say.
Bentonville Taco and Tamale Co.
Northwest Arkansas residents have enjoyed Yellow Rocket concepts like Big Orange and Local Lime since the restaurants moved into Rogers several years ago.
Planning to open late winter or early spring, Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. will be the Little Rock-based company’s third location to serve food in the region and its first in Bentonville, according to creative director and brand manager Amber Brewer.
The restaurant, located downtown at 101 W. Central Ave., will be an “Arkansas meets Texas mashup” in the vein of Heights Taco & Tamale Co. in Central Arkansas.
“Just as the Little Rock location is housed in a historic space that inspired much of the decor, Bentonville is as well. Our building served as a bank in the late 1800s and has quite a storied past,” Brewer says. “Guests can expect historic influences and nods to that past and to the history of the Delta-style tamale in the design and menu items.”
The shop will feature all the popular menu items from the Heights location in addition to some new location-specific appetizers, entrees, desserts and cocktails.
“Bentonville and surrounding areas are very supportive of their local food community and as a 100% owned and operated Arkansas company, that’s important to us,” Brewer says. “We are also thrilled to be in a city that is traveled by many people who are not from our state so that we may offer them a uniquely Arkansas dining experience to remember their visit by.”
The location was first announced in March 2020, though a few complications have slowed the project, Brewer says. An exact opening date has not been announced.
Yellow Rocket has more plans for Northwest Arkansas on the horizon as well.
“We have another location of an existing concept in the works for Fayetteville but are not quite ready to announce details,” Brewer says.
The company’s other concepts in Central Arkansas include Lost Forty Brewing, Camp Taco at Lost Forty and Zaza Fine Salad & Wood Oven Pizza Co.
Azul Tequila Bistro
Azul Tequila is known across Northwest Arkansas for its Mexican dishes. With a new location in downtown Bentonville, owner and founder Ricky Cortes hopes to bring even more distinct fare to the region.
When Azul Tequila Bistro opens in mid-March, it will aim to provide an entirely authentic experience of food from Mexico and Cortes’ home state of Jalisco.
Cortes says the restaurant at 111 N. Main St. is a different concept than the other two Azul Tequila locations, which opened in Bentonville in 2013 and Springdale in 2018.
“The restaurant scene in Northwest Arkansas has been changing a lot. People now want a culinary experience,” Cortes says. “It’s not going be the typical Mexican restaurant. We’ll have more authentic recipes in terms of the way we prepare stuff, the process and the presentation. (The menu) will be different and smaller, so that we can really focus on the quality and the preparation.”
With ingredients from Mexico easier to get than before, now is a great time to innovate and educate, Cortes says.
If the other two locations are about 65% authentic and 35% Tex-Mex, then Azul Tequila Bistro will be about 95% authentic with plans to move towards 100%, Cortes says.
He hopes the new location will both educate residents about Mexican cuisine and culture and generate a widespread desire for more authentic Mexican food in the area.
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