Cliff House Inn Restaurant & Gift Shop

The Cliff House is such a great find! We recently visited for lunch on a Sunday
with a group of 12. Obviously, it is in the middle of no-where and it is one of
the only sit down restaurants in the area. It is certainly worth the drive out
of town simply for the view! It is breathtaking.

The restaurant is perched on the top of a large canyon. The entire restaurant
facing the canyon is windows, so you can look outside while you eat. They also
have a huge balcony patio expanding the entire length of the restaurant, with
nice rocker benches to sit on.

We called ahead and let them know we were coming with a large group. The Owner, who answered the phone, was very accommodating and said he would save us a
table. Upon our arrival, he greeted us friendly, welcomed us, and explained the
daily specials.

Obviously we were with a large group, so I am just going to review the food that
my husband and I ordered. It was so scrumptious. We always try to split two
entrees so we can sample different things. He ordered the fried cornmeal catfish
with coleslaw, fries, pinto beans, hot water fried cornbread, homemade tarter
sauce and  green tomato relish. Omg! Soooo good. The catfish was very hot and
freshly prepared. The large platter came with 5 pieces of fish for $14.99. The
pinto beans had ham hocks in them and were the best I have ever had. The
coleslaw was lightly dressed and still crisp, the cornbread was crispy on the
outside and creamy on the inside, and the tarter sauce was the best I have had.
It was laced with fresh dill and was well seasoned. They even had jalapeno
ketchup for the fries! They really thought of every detail.

I ordered the chicken fried chicken, which came with homemade cream gravy,
mashed potatoes, and a daily veggie (green beans) with an angel flake biscuit. Everything was great. The chicken was a decent size of meat, and was well seasoned. The mashed potatoes tasted freshly mashed. I really enjoyed it.

For dessert, I ordered a piece of the lemon buttermilk pie, which was creamy and tart. It had the texture of lemon curd and was not overly tart or sweet. My husband ordered a unique dessert called Company's Comin Pie. It was a meringue pie shell with nuts and crackers in it, and filled with fresh whipped cream and pineapple. So tasty! I have never had anything like it. It was not too sweet, which I expected it to be. The rest of our table seemed to like their desserts too.

All in all, if you find yourself in the Arkansas mountains, Cliff House is a great place to go. There wasn't too many review written about the food, so hopefully this detailed review helps. I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5 because the service  was a bit on the slow side but it seemed to be because they were busy.

Review was written on 7/30/11. We had returned from our 10 day motorcycle trip in the west and decided to ride out to the Cliff House for lunch. It was an excellent day of riding. Excellent food, fantastic ride, awesome view!  We have returned twice more on the bikes since this initial visit.  Never disappointed. Always excellent and the view simply fantastic.

We stayed two nights the first week in October. The leaves had not started to change yet, but I can imagine what the view would be like from the private room balcony or restaurant when they do. The owners are very nice people who were most accommodating. The room was older, but clean and had Direct TV. Because we were in the room farthest from the office (rm 6) the Wi-Fi didn't work. If you went to the lower patio it would. The bathroom was small with limited water pressure. If you are staying here for the room, you are staying for the wrong reason. The view from the private balcony is beautiful at sun up and in the late afternoon. Our room had two double beds that were very comfortable. I am just not sure that it was worth $80 before the leaf season. The fact that breakfast off the menu for two definitely made it a better deal. The office and restaurant closed at 3 throughout the week and the closest place to get dinner is 8 miles away, so plan ahead.
Overall, it was a pleasant and relaxing experience. I would recommend Cliff House if you want a clean and comfortable place to stay with an amazing view.  If you are looking for luxury, look elsewhere.