Pizza Hut4000 John F. Kennedy Blvd., in the Lakehill Shopping Center at the top of Park Hill in North Little Rock, closed Saturday, for an “unknown period of time,” according to a sign on the door. The sign also expresses hope to “be back very soon.” The closure is not yet noted on the restaurant’s website (oldmillpizzanlr.com) or its Facebook page (facebook.com/OldMillPizzaNLR). One hopeful sign: The phone number (501) 379-8539 has not been disconnected — it returns a voicemail message saying no one is available and asks the caller to leave a message.

Mockingbird Bar and Tacos1220 Main St., Little Rock, announced on Facebook (facebook.com/mockingbirdbarandtacos) on August 5 that Mason Jonah Bean has taken over as owner and operator. Original owners Jack Sundell and Corri Bristow-Sundell, of The Root Cafésold the SoMa restaurant almost exactly two years ago to JLC Entertainment Holdings – owned by Johnny Campbell and Harry and Joe Einhorn. Bean, according to a series of Facebook posts, “started as a waiter at Dixie Cafe, where he learned the basics of the restaurant business” and has since been a member of the “Thin J’s Family.” It’s not yet known if Bean plans to make any significant changes to the menu or hours – currently Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (501) 313-5413.

Mockingbird Bar & Tacos on Little Rock’s Main Street has a new owner/operator. (Democrat-Gazette file photo)

And speaking of a change in opening hours: Certified cakes9807 W. Markham St., Little Rock, is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. And yes, they’re closed on Mondays. (501) 442-5096; certifiedpies.com; facebook.com/CertifiedPies.

The original Purple Cow8026 Cantrell Road in Pulaski Heights in Little Rock, will reopen in early September and is hiring for all positions, according to a late July announcement on Facebook (facebook.com/ThePurpleCowRestaurants). The building, which was heavily damaged by a tornado on March 31, 2023, was rebuilt at a cost of $1 million. purplecowlr.com.

Two drive-in coffee chains are planning to open locations on Oak Street in downtown Conway: 7 Make coffee1005 E. Oak (a third location in Conway) and Scooters Coffee1920 E. Oak. There are no dates given for either.

And speaking of Conway, look out for an outlet of the Chuy’s fine Tex-Mex Chain at 600 S. Amity Road in Conway’s Lewis Ranch development. The target, we’re told, is sometime in the first half of 2025.

In the meantime, work is underway for Searcy, as we have been informed: Chipotle Mexican Grill in the former Tacos 4 Life at 3113 E. Race Ave. (no schedule), and just a few blocks away, a branch of David’s Burger3502 E. Race Ave. (opening scheduled for mid-November).

The HTeaO chain opened its second Arkansas location last week in Centerton. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

And an outlet of the HTeaO chain opened last weekend at 1520 E. Centerton Blvd., Centerton, near, if not directly on, the border between Bentonville and Centerton (it has a Bentonville mailing address). It is the first HTeaO in Northwest Arkansas and the state’s second (the first, perhaps ironically, is in Benton — 2150 Arkansas 5, to be exact). Big opening promotions include special happy hour prices on cups and gallons of tea through Saturday. HTeaO offers “at least 20 carefully curated flavors of sweetened and unsweetened tea, made with a proprietary water filtration system and 100% natural ingredients,” according to a press release, as well as coffee products (two of Free Rein Coffee Co.’s premium blends: Homestead and American Dirt) with “convenient drive-thru service.” Hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9:05 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9:05 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9:05 p.m. There is some confusion regarding the phone number, which we were given as (479) 480-7444. HTeaO.com.

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The Torta Pierna Enchilada at Tortas Mexico in North Little Rock. Another of the restaurant’s tortas, the Torta Toluqueña, is one of the “Ten Must-Try Southern Sandwiches and Where to Get Them” selected by Garden & Gun magazine writer John T. Edge. (Democrat-Gazette archive photo)

Garden & Gun magazine recently published a piece by John T. Edge, founding director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi, entitled “Ten Must-Try Southern Sandwiches and Where to Get Them” (tinyurl.com/44ec8pb4). It includes the Torta Toluqueña at North Little Rock’s Cakes Mexico (incidentally, incorrectly identified as being located in Little Rock).

“Gaspar Vazquez and his wife, Silvia Sanchez, ran a grocery store and flour mill in San Cosme in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala,” Edge explains. “After immigrating to (North) Little Rock, they opened a torta shop in a strip mall off I-40, with orange brick walls and gumball machines by the door.”

“Jordy and Daniel Vazquez, their sons, now offer 20 tortas, including the Toluqueña, inspired by the city of Toluca, where chorizo ​​is revered. Here, that means a seared steak chop covered in the spicy pork sausage, topped with avocado and sliced ​​jalapeños, stuffed into a fluffy bolillo and pressed tightly until the ridged crust browns and blisters.”

Other sandwich options from Edge include the Lemon Pepper Wet Chicken Sandwich from Like Crispy Express in Atlanta; the Pork Banh Mi in Banh Mi from the east side in Nashville, Tennessee; an egg and olive sandwich at Trowbridge in Florence, Alabama; shoulder sandwich with coleslaw from Helen’s Bar-B-Qin Brownsville, Tenn.; shrimp with caper butter at Panino Veloce in Oxford, Miss.; Breakfast in a sack by Russ Does in Jacksonville, Florida; Grilled Pimento Cheese and Mortadella at Parker and Otis in Durham, NC; a hot ham and cheese PizzaBar in Carbon Hill, Ala.; and the Crispy Catfish at Leon’s Oyster Shop in Charleston, SC (The photos look good too.)

Cakes Mexicois located at 1000 W. 37th St., North Little Rock. Hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (501) 771-1341; ordertortasmexicoar.com/location.php; facebook.com/tortasmexico.vazquez.

Has a restaurant near you opened or closed in the last week? Does your favorite restaurant have a new menu? Is there a new chef at the helm? Drop us a line. Send an email to: (email protected)