The Wooden Spoon

We’ve been wanting to go to this place for years. Took off work a little early and got there by 5:30. Place was packed. About a 45 minute wait but it was worth it. Service was great. Our waitress told the owner we had taken off work and he came over and thanked us for coming. They have rotating specials on Friday nights (the only night they are open for dinner). I had the steak tips and my wife had the ribeye sandwich. We will be back.

We've eaten here several times over the years, and we've loved it. This time, we had to write a review. Calleigh B, our waitress was amazing, sweet, personable....the food was mmm mmm good. Normally, places will turn people away when it's close to closing time. Or give them bad looks. I saw people coming in shortly before closing, and they closed while waiting on their food. And the waitresses were so friendly in spite of it. I would definitely recommend coming 💕

Many great salads to choose from. Wraps, Chicken Strips, a Burger and Fish. And then there are the desserts. A rural farm décor and atmosphere with classy modern feel. Check the pictures, especially the desserts. Everything is a delicious as it looks. Mennonite ladies in their traditional conservative attire provide the superb service. Comfortable seating. An extremely popular restaurant. Go Early!

It's just as good as it was 10 years ago! Good made from scratch home cooking! Their homemade lemonade was great and so was our food. The stellar star is their pie - bumblebee is the best! Highly recommend a stop in if you're close!

Food was ok but I realize it’s home cooked so I’m not trying to be picky - the desserts were amazing! Would definitely come back again!

Really good home-cooked food. I especially enjoyed the baked potato soup which was super creamy and delicious. Also had shepherd's pie and broccoli salad.

A quaint country restaurant with made from scratch dishes. Weekly special meals and of course the menu too. The potato salad was the bomb!!! But you definitely need to try the bumblebee and chocolate pies!!! The service was great it felt like family.

A worthy reason to get away from the bustle and take a scenic drive. Great, wholesome, quality food, service, and atmosphere, plus a cute gift shop with local handmades.

Enjoyed lunch with a friend and we had the Santa Fe wrap and I had a side of the Tuscan soup. Everything was delicious.

The ambiance and decor are nice and inviting. It's the first look at the menu which clues you in that you're paying Rogers & Bentonville prices for Gentry food. $5.99 for a cup of soup? $7.99 for a bowl? I ordered Country Fried Streak with two sides. Asked if I could get a cup of soup as a side. "Yes," I was told, "no upcharge." It was an extra $2.79 on the bill. My wife ordered the grilled mushroom wrap. It arrived with wads of spinach and four (yes, my wife looked for them) small mushrooms. As my wife was disappointed in the $13.99 wrap and didn't eat it, due to so much spinach, she spoke to our server. After returning from a quick conversation from the manager she offered to comp a cookie and a dessert. Wife said fine and asked for a dessert and was told it was too expensive and she couldn't pick it. Choose another. My portions were small and disappointing, which combined with my wife's choice left us unsatisfied and $48 poorer for the experience. I do hope the owner sees this and considers how the management can take care of customers more effectively. My suggestion? Drive into town a little bit further and find the restaurant with a woman's name on the sign. Great prices and value, larger portions, locally owned.

Finally had the chance to try this place after living in Gentry for 3 years. I had high expectations because of all the hype it gets and from what I hear. Unfortunately, my experience was not that great. The fries I had were extremely salty. I couldn't even finish it. The half chicken was just like regular rotisserie style chicken, nothing special about it. My fiancé had their steak burger or sandwich. Very disappointed in that.. I think I'll try again one more time in a few months or so. Hoping to have a better experience.

After waiting 45 minutes for our soup and salad, the server didn't apologize. Two other tables that were seated after us had hot food before we got our soup and salad combos. Then, when we wanted to order pie, they were out of most of the popular ones. When the chocolate pie arrived, it looked like it had been dumped in the bowl with hersheys syrup thrown on. We have always loved wooden spoon but this was a disappointing experience!

Oy! This used to be one of my favorite places to eat!! Prices are the same. Most of the menu items are the same... Ownership has changed.... The food is only fair now... it seems like every time we come there's a serious issue with the food. First Friday ribs used to be divine!! Now they're usually dried out, overcooked, barely edible. And they do a side with sandwiches... except the avocado toast... it's listed under sandwiches... but they won't let you have a side. Really? How insulting - the least they could do is change the menu! If you don't get a side, don't say you get one!! And why so stingy? Why not give a side with every sandwich (open faced shouldn't change it!). We've gotten potato soup that had broken (curdled!!). Yipes! How could you scoop that into a bowl and not see it's no good!?!! It's so sad - used to be such a great, consistent restaurant and now it's hit or miss, mostly miss! Very obvious I'm not the only one that feels this way from the empty parking lot!

Good service and the meatloaf sandwich was so so good. Tastes like they put love into the plates they serve! Nice atmosphere as well, I love coming here when I'm in town.

We walked in at noon and the wait was 45 mins. The hostesses and servers were courteous as people were standing and waiting and checking the wait list. The restaurant had a rustic open feel but what stood out for me were how the tables were widely spread out and therefore everyone had their own private space. The food ... I had the crispy mushroom burger with the baked beans. I looked at the beans and it's not what I had in mind until I took that first bite. It's sweet and the variety of beans made it so good! My niece ordered the chicken wrap and potato soup. They pan fried the outside crispy! Potato soup is a must. Creamy and full of flavor. It's a beautiful restaurant with outstanding service and the food is well with the wait!

Great warm & welcoming atmosphere. The staff was friendly and the food was phenomenal. My husband ordered the all-you-can-eat catfish, and he said that it was the best he'd ever had! You've gotta save room for dessert because there's so many options! They even have frozen meals that you can take to-go. Can't wait to go back!

We traveled from Tulsa to Gentry to eat here for my sisters birthday dinner. The building and atmosphere is so cute and homey. My husband read that some of the beams inside dated back to the 1870s!!! We all tried something different but a few of the standouts were the ribeye steak, catfish, gourmet potatoes and creamy pecan chicken!!!! We also tried a few different dessert samplers that had half pieces of three different desserts. Our favorites were peanut butter, bumblebee, and bread pudding!!! It was a great dinner and we had a nice long family table that we were able to chat and relax and enjoy my sisters birthday. The service was excellent and our waitress was so sweet to help us decide what we wanted to try.

The food was good but I found it to be a little pricey for just plain food. Apparently there is a secret menu because the table next to us ordered tacos and they were not on the menu.

I ate here twice last week! Once for lunch (the portabella sandwich was so good!) and once for dinner. I had the grilled chicken salad for dinner. The lettuce and veggies were fresh and tasty. But, in my opinion, you go to wooden spoon for the dessert! I had the bumble bee cream pie (or similar name) which was excellent. Second visit I had the apple cobbler. It was ok, but not like any cobbler I have had. More like a bar/cake and lots of nutmeg or allspice or something. Not my favorite, but I'm sure I will come back and sample more desserts in the future!

Just took a friend there a week or so ago to celebrate her birthday! Awesome place!! There is always a lg crowd waiting for tables, but they seat everyone fairly quickly. All of their foods..from soup through desserts..are totally delightful. Service is good too. Love this place and will go again and again!

Great food. Great people. We always come here when we have special company in town. It's too expensive to eat here on the regular. The bread pudding is DIVINE and I usually don't like it elsewhere. It's not mushy.

Loved this place. Stopped while traveling through. Lovely place. Gardens out front. Inside was rustic nice. Waitress was very friendly. All food made to order and looked tasty. I had the strawberry pecan salad with chicken. It was more than I could eat and I was hungry! It was very good. Hubby had the brisket sandwich bbq. He said it was very good. Had a very good sweet tea. So happy. We were going to have the triple choc layer cake but they were sold out . But we were already stuffed so opted for no dessert. The only negative is that it was really cold in there. I had a jacket in the car so got it. Would def go back as several options on the menu I would have tried. Also had clean restrooms, greatly appreciated.

After many have told us we needed to try this place, we finally made it. It was a 55 minute drive and a 30 minute wait to see what all the talk was about. This building is actually a very old horse barn that was torn down and moved to Arkansas, The timber are incredible. All the staff are nice, prompt and professional. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes after reading all the reviews. While it was very good, I was reminded later that my body doesn't like fried foods any more. I also had the peach cobbler. It was very different than any I have had before, it was cut in a square and firm. However it was excellent. It was a very good experience and if we are ever in the area again, we will stop by.

My wife and I live in Bentonville and regularly drive 25 minutes to the Wooden Spoon (lucky us). The ingredients are top quality and the meals never disappoint. It is a bit more expensive (+/- $3 a plate) than a cheaper place, but well worth it. We're fond of the roast beef open face with mashed potatoes and gravy. The desserts are superlative ----hint: the Bumblebee pie (ala mode) is legendary. On one occasion I stopped in when they had cheeseburger soup...now I keep hoping each visit! The staff are well trained (might I say charming?). And helpful in navigating menu options. The decor is rustic and the atmosphere is pretty much perfect for this restaurant. See you in a week or so........

Not worth the drive or wait Burger was overdone Chicken was overdone Should have tried one of the desserts

Well, this was a shocker to me .... in a good way, of course. The Wooden Spoon was recommended by a friend and so we went. When I first saw it from the outside, I figured it was a typical ma-and-pa type restaurant -- you know, decent food, but not great, and bad décor. I was sorely mistaken. When my wife and I walked in, it was cozy, not dirty; homey, but not to specific to the owners to make you feel uncomfortable that you are invading someone's personal home. We had to wait about 10mins. During that time, we looked over the cookbook and were impressed by the simplicity of the recipes. After we were seated, the wait staff was prompt to bring water and help us get our order. We ordered the chicken fried chicken and the catfish -- both highly recommended by our friends and the wait staff. When the food came to the table, it doesn't look amazing, but it was very, very good. The CFC is some of the best I've had, while the catfish was moist and tender. The sides (mac & cheese and beans) were also excellent (FYI, the mac&cheese is homemade! bonus!!!!!). After lunch, we had some dessert -- after all, their motto is "come for dessert, stay for a meal." So, we got the pie sampler with bumblebee pie, peanut butter, and a caramel pecan cream cheese. Incredible, all of them!!! All in all, this was a great place to eat. Well worth the drive out to Gentry and well worthy the wait. My only wish is that they were open from dinner during the week (they only serve dinner on Friday night). Highly recommended! 5-stars!

Every time I go to The Wooden Spoon is such a treat! Everything I've eaten here has been excellent, and I always get a new dessert to try (how can you NOT?!) I've never seen this place not busy, but it is well worth putting your name on the list, and I have usually been seated faster than the quoted wait time. It is such a friendly atmosphere, and such a sweet country setting (with a big porch and chairs and hanging swings) that the wait goes by fast. Or you can just stare at all of the yummy desserts and TRY to decide which to pick for later. The food is great every time - I've had sandwiches, soup, Chicken Fried Chicken (a recent FAVORITE - not sure if it's every day but we were there on a Monday and they had it), and most recently the Carmel Pecan Pie (cheesecake). Boyfriend also got a burger and Mac and cheese which was delicious (the cheese on the burger really popped). The staff members are very nice and make sure your drinks are filled (even when they are busy, which is all the time). It's a little out of the way for some, but if you are even close to the area, make the drive. You won't find another place like the Wooden Spoon!

Still a really cool space, and desert is still awesome. I think the taste and quality of the food has changed a little since new ownership, but still a good choice.

I got the grilled chicken salad with corn, beans, etc. it was great. My husband got the salad with steak and raved about the whole steak on top and the crispy onion rings it had on it. The carmel pecan cream cheese pie was delicious!

The wooden spoon has fabulous, entrées and lunches, but their cookies and pies look and taste absolutely amazing.

Love this place! Great food...always busy but we'll worth the wait. I buy the frozen food too so that I have some when they are closed.

Great people and food, especially desserts! Get there early because it's a very popular place.

Ribeye steak sandwich and potato soup Are my favorite choices! I've never had anything that wasn't good waitress is an owner polite and friendly, hometown atmosphere wonderful place

Wonderful food and service on a Friday evening. My out of state family was very impressed! It was said the Tri Tip beef was the best ever. I had the best salmon ever as well.

Best salad I have had in a very long time, can't wait to come back and try more of the menu! I hear breakfast is great, I can't wait! We also scored a delicious scone, I believe it was an apples and cinnamon? First time I've had that flavor, taste buds blown! They really are worth the hype, already planning our next visit!!

I have only tried the frozen meals; Breakfast burritos, beef enchiladas and cheesy beef potatoes. The burritos and enchiladas were just ok. Definitely not worth the price or the wait to purchase it. The potatoes were gross. They had the consistency and taste of baby food. Mushy with no flavor. Hopefully the food is better when you eat in person but still expensive. Will not eat from them again.

Definitely worth the drive from Bentonville. Meal was delicious, atmosphere cozy, service was a little slow.

A MUST STOP if you are in or passing through Gentry! You WILL NOT be disappointed! Save room for their HUGE, DELICIOUS, all homemade selection of pies for dessert! The chicken salad sandwich is soo big and delicious, the leftovers I had for dinner. The meatloaf sandwich was soo very thick and just about as big as the platter it is served on! Definitely one of our "go to" places for lunch and dinner. Get their EARLY for lunch, they fill up fast!!

We absolutely love the wooden spoon. Wish I could give it 6/5 stars. We lived off their freezer meals during maternity leave and I can't leave the building without fresh potato soup!

Can't be in a rush.Delicious food courteous staff

Great food best in northwest Arkansas the staff is awesome and the pies and cakes. Well let me just tell you they are the best of the best.

I love Wooden Spoon! It has been one of my favorite spots in NWA. The food is delicious and the staff is friendly. What more can you ask for?! If you're coming here, make sure you're aware of the hours- they're only open for lunch on the weekdays and dinner on Friday. I have come by for lunch and the brisket nachos are an all time favorite of mine. The queso and the brisket are amazing! They have rotating dinner specials every Friday. If you're coming for dinner, make sure you get there before they open- you'll find a line of people waiting to get in... it's that good! This Friday I tried Jenna's Chicken ($16) , which was similar to a cordon bleu. It was awesome. The filling in the chicken was delicious and the creamy sauce that surround the chicken was perfect. It came with two sides- I got the roasted broccoli, which was good but could have used a little more "roasting" and the Mac n cheese. OH BOY- you don't wanna miss out on the Mac n cheese, y'all. It's that good! On to dessert.... which I mean come on.. even if you're full by now, which you likely are, you've got to get the dessert. The bread pudding is always a favorite of mine. Even non bread pudding lovers love the bread pudding here! We also tried the chocolate peanut butter pie which tasted like a Reese's cup- it was yummy! I love love love wooden spoon and will definitely keep coming back- it is worth the drive from Fay! I do recommend all visitors do dress in stretchy clothing.. you will leave stuffed! Which I don't think is a bad thing :)

This was a little far( hehe, )I'm from Texas and already spoiled to every so close to me . Had the chicken fried chicken with gravy mash taters Hubby had the roast beef with squash casserole Dessert, peanut butter pie Bumblebee pie with ice cream Coconut cream with meringue

We My family went to this establishment ever Friday night for several years. The staff is kind and the food is great! The menu changes up every week so follow the Facebook page and make sure you enjoy the menu.

We came on a whim and a prayer on a random Wednesday afternoon and oh boy are we glad we did. Things to note: they are not open on the weekends (which is when we typically venture out to try new things) and they are only open from 10:30-2pm M-F and for supper on Fridays. But the place is that good they can set their own rules! Everything is homemade from their bread to their sauces to their desserts. My husband had the chicken fried steak special. You could tell it was a home cook recipe because I'm sure they use cube steak which can be thin and tough, which it was. But it was smothered in yummy gravy and mashed potatoes. Heck even the side of green beans was good! And the homemade roll was tender and Devine. But what I have not seen mentioned here nor pictures of (which I failed to as well) is the meatloaf sandwich. Let me say meatloaf is something I never order at restaurants. Ever. And for some reason I ordered the meatloaf sandwich. It was perfection. A perfectly grilled French bread with homemade BBQ sauce, cheese and meatloaf. I would order it every time. So I will say to those that complained about $16 for a sandwich, they are ordering the wrong sandwich. This is not your run of the mill Turkey or club sandwich. This is perfection and not something you'd get at home. I also got the side of Mac n cheese which was creamy but not soupy and the noodles were still Al dente not mushy. We shared the caramel pecan cheese cake for dessert and man it was a flavor bomb of homemade simplicity. We will 100% drive the 35 min to come back. The place is a cool old barn renovated and so inviting. The service was wonderful. Yes plan on a wait. But take your sweet southern time and sip on some sweet tea and enjoy home away from home dining!

Looked for something different and local while traveling through the area. Stopped in for lunch with a co-worker. All staff encountered were so nice and cheerful, the food was amazing, and we left full and happy with plans to return again if we are in the area.

Everything I have tried here has been so delicious! You better come hungry and don't forget the amazing dessert options.

I am not sure if this would be classified as an Amish/Mennonite restaurant but they had the best baked goods and pies. Actually, all of the food was awesome. We were a group of 7 for a weekday lunch. We came in early as we had heard they can have quite a wait sometimes and the restaurant does not have a lot of tables. What they do have is great service and great food. I split/shared with my daughter. We ordered the Ranch Turkey sandwich which was delicious with the poppyseed cheese spread and the fresh vegetable toppings. The Arkie Sandwich was crazy good in the combination of ingredients. It seems odd with the mixture of everything but it just works. I could eat this 100 times! My husband ordered the meatloaf sandwich as he usually does. He loves the fresh baked french bread and the meatloaf flavors. All of their sandwich bread and rolls are so fresh. I don't usually eat bread but I ate all of it here. The desserts were really good too. Our table ordered a Peanutbutter Pie, Chocolate Peanutbutter Pie, Banana Cream Pie and a Bread Pudding. They were great. I thought the chocolate pie was really sweet but the Peanutbutter pie was perfect. Just the right amount of peanutbutter flavor. The whipped cream was homemade and we scraped the plates clean! It was a great meal and as an added bonus, there is a very cute country store/bakery in the front of the store to enjoy shopping at either before or after the meal. The service was great and don't forget to order a sweet tea. It is made with love!

I've eaten at The Wooden Spoon a lot. It's always so yummy. You must always get dessert. However, yesterday I needed a pie for my mother in laws birthday. The Wooden Spoon to the rescue. Her favorite pie is apple which apparently they always keep on hand. It's frozen, you take home, put on a cookie sheet, put in oven, turn oven one and cook. It was delicious!!! So if you need a pie in a pinch let them do most of the work for you!!!

An amazing place to eat. The atmosphere has that really down home appeal. Great, friendly wait staff. Food is excellent. I had the bumblebee pie. Oh my was it good!

I have had dinner here several time when the previous owners operated the wooden spoon and the food and service was always fantastic. Sadly, I can't say that was the case tonight. The food wasn't bad but the service was TERRIBLE. The waitress brought our two of the three drinks and took our order and didn't see her again until it was time to receive the check and then tried to charge for the third drink she never brought. I had to flag down another waitress to get a refill and ask if they still brought out bread because we never received that as well. THE WORST SERVICE EVER!

Had an opportunity to have a brownie from the cart in Bentonville and it was by far one of the best I ever had. Very friendly staff & highly recommend anyone visit and try their treats.

Very good food and service. Prices are slightly higher than the average restaurant but the food is worth the price. A very popular restaurant.

Just driving threw the area from out of town we saw the sign and stopped in HOLY SMOKES!!!! Absolutely amazing!!! Beautiful construction and atmosphere. All the ladies were so friendly and kind. Great selection of very cute items for sale at the front. But let's get to the important part........ THE FOOD! Sooooo delicious..... home made soups, sandwiches with fresh breads I mean what more could a girl want?? Right...... well the DESSERT a girl wants dessert lol You can not go wrong with any you pick, and the options are several. We chose the Carmel pecan cream cheese pie and the 6 layer lemon glaze cake!!! Yes that's six layers of heaven people! If your in town you must try it out you will not be disappointed. Very clean, easy to get in and out location.

So we dropped in for dinner the only night of week they serve dinner. Well the wait was approximately 45-50 minutes and tight quarters inside. They do have lots of open seating, swings and such outside. The staff and servers were wonderful. I had the roast beef plate and everything was tasty. Reminded me of home cooking. The dessert selection was enormous and so many options it was hard to choose just 1 so we ordered several and shared as a table. Definitely worth the wait and the trip.

Worth the wait if there is a line! Great home cooked food with the best deserts ever!

Excellent! I ate here a few years ago and was somewhat disappointed that much of the menu selections were salads and sandwiches. I was in the area and looked at menu on Yelp and saw the catfish. They had a plate with two pieces for $15.29 or all you can eat for $19.89. I opted for all u can eat of course. Got 5 large fillets served initially, and then asked for 3 more. Big mistake! I was miserable. But the catfish was among the best I've ever had and I like fried fish, and fry a fair amount of fresh caught fish at home. It was really good! The green tomato relish was incredible, but they serve it in a small plastic cup like you'd use for ketchup at a fast food place; so very small! That was disappointing. Potato salad was delicious! Hush puppies I don't eat much, but there's was very good.