When it comes to restaurants, Arkadelphia college students have notoriously had very little choice. Of course, students have fast food favorites like Taco Bell and McDonald’s, and even some places like Waffle House and Cracker Barrel. There is also the great Burger Barn. But for the most part, the restaurant business has been a sparse one in Arkadelphia until now.
Enter Dino’s Main Street Cafe, a small family-owned business that opened at 629 Main St. in Arkadelphia on Aug. 18. At first glance, the new establishment doesn’t look like much. There is no fancy sign and little parking, but once you get inside you’ll forget how hard it was to parallel park on Main Street. The atmosphere is the first thing you’ll notice. The room is spaced out nicely and has a lot of that intangible “locally owned restaurant” feel.
The menu is not lacking either. It includes everything from sandwiches like a classic club or roast beef sandwich to sub sandwiches, paninis and even wraps and salads. And the quality of the food? It is excellent. My personal favorite was the grilled chicken ranch wrap, which came with homemade potato salad. Definitely a mouth watering experience if ever there was one.
The cost is not hard to swallow either. Most of the entrees come with a $4 to $6 price tag, and that includes the potato salad.
Got a sweet tooth? Dino’s has you covered in spades. There are freshly baked cookies every day, including snickerdoodle, white chocolate macadamia nut and present chocolate chip. If cookies are not your thing, there are also fudge brownies, sundaes, milkshakes and fudge pecan pie. I found the blueberry swirl cheesecake brought in from the famous Cheesecake Factory to be the tastiest choice. Indeed, one could go to Dino’s only for their desserts and would not be disappointed.
All the great food is definitely the meat of the Dino’s experience, but there is also really something to be said for the people behind the experience. The soon to be famous Dino stands in the kitchen, personally preparing each of the dishes ordered. His wife works at the register, taking orders and, perhaps more importantly, creating enjoyable conversations for customers. Even the kids get into the act, taking the orders out to the tables, bussing the tables and generally doing some of the grunt work of running a restaurant. All of this adds up to a very enjoyable experience paired with some very good food.
Not only that, but the experience is tailored to college students, unlike so many other places that believe students will “chase off” their other customers. The owners welcome college students into their establishment, citing it as a “ministry opportunity.”
As such, other long overdue activities will be coming to Arkadelphia soon by way of Dino’s, including open mic nights, karaoke and live entertainment. There is no doubt that Dino’s will become a mainstay in the optionstarved world of the Arkadelphia college student.
