The Arkansas Restaurant Where Infamous Mobsters Once Dined

Fancy drinking and dining like a gangland superstar? If you are ever in Hot Springs, Arkansas, you might want to check out The Ohio Club, a restaurant and bar rife with over a century of notoriety. Arkansas might not be the place you picture the likes of Al Capone and Lucky Luciano having knocked back some illegal hooch, but, just like Dondie's White River Princess restaurant in Des Arc, The Ohio Club is serving up a hefty dose of history alongside delicious food and cocktails.

The Ohio Club opened in 1905 — way, way before the Nashville restaurant that is nearby Tennessee's oldest dive bar — and was named after a family birthplace of founders Coffee Williams and Sam Watt. For years, The Ohio Club was a lively hub for gambling and tippling, even during times when one or both were illegal. During Prohibition, the owners erected a false front in the main building and "converted" the club into a cigar shop that just so happened to have a speakeasy in the back. Soon enough, mobsters flocked to The Ohio Club. 

The owners nurtured a good relationship with local authorities, who occasionally "raided" the club for appearances, but did little in the way of doling out actual consequences. Today, the original bar mantel of The Ohio Club, carved from a piece of solid mahogany and bedecked with horse heads, still lights up the establishment. Al Jolson and Mae West have graced the stage there in the past; today, there is live music five nights a week.

Is a burger a sandwich, or its own thing? We don't have the definitive answer to that one, but we'd happily stuff our faces trying to get to the bottom of things at The Ohio Club. Juicy burgers are the star of the menu, with some stacked, delicious-sounding specimens on offer: a coffee-rubbed Kobe beef patty, a Hawaiian burger with a thick slice of grilled pineapple, and a "Hangover Burger" with a fried egg are just some of the options. You'll also see typical pub grub gone slightly upscale: sweet potato fries, chips and guac, fried pickles, and a charcuterie board. Made men might once have swilled spirits at the bar, but, today, The Ohio Club offers a healthy selection of mocktails that will delight the youngin' and teetotaler alike.

On TripAdvisor, The Ohio Club boasts 4.5/5 stars based on over 2,000 reviews. Some folks have complained that getting a seat can be dicey during busy hours, but most people agree that the food is top-notch, along with the coolness factor. "The Ohio Club never disappoints. Great service, excellent food and drinks. We love the live music and always look forward to coming back," one happy customer gushed. "The history, ambiance and cocktails are all epic," a favorable Yelp reviewer agreed. "I had a perfect martini and was very happy to sit and just be there, talking it all in. The staff was wonderful too!"