RESTAURANT CLOSED.

Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite restaurant is Mary Maestri’s in Tontitown. We discovered it in 1996 when we moved to Northwest Arkansas, which seems like ages ago yet it has been around since 1928.

Located at the corner of Hwy 112 and Hwy 412, Mary Maestri’s restaurant is in an unassuming white house and is sweet in an old-fashioned way. Once inside is a perfect blend of both casual and fine dining. The lights are perfectly dimmed and there are plenty of nooks and crannies. We have our own spot. The first table on the right, closest to the host table.

Mary Maestri’s is consistent. I know that the food will always be presented the same and taste the same and there never are surprises. They prepare comfort food in the broadest sense of the word comfort. And the strangest thing: you can be wearing jeans or a dinner gown and fit in perfectly. It never ceases to amaze me.

The food is made from scratch, all of it. The house salad is simple, chopped iceberg, house Italian, and three perfectly placed green olives. A homemade whole wheat dinner roll accompanies the salad and is my husband’s favorite. Dinner comes and there arrives another homemade dinner roll, this one is a white roll.

I have tried everything on the menu (that my food allergies allow) and I have to say it is all amazing. The fried chicken is perfect and the pecan-crusted salmon is impeccable. The dessert? It’s all homemade: flourless chocolate tortes, coconut cream pie, spumoni… all of it is simply amazing.

So what makes Mary Maestri’s my favorite place? The food, yes. But the one thing that makes it more than just another great restaurant is the fine people who are the heart of Mary Maesti’s: Danny, Brigitte, and Jennifer. Year after the year the same wonderful people greet us, make sure we get our favorite spot, and make us feel like we are more than dinner guests. They make us feel like we are family.

If you haven’t been to Mary Maestri’s yet I highly recommend the experience!

Mary Maestri’s is open daily from 5:30-9:30.

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