A fine dining restaurant located in a beautifully restored 1898 church in Bentonville, Arkansas, known for its rustic American cuisine, craft cocktails, and unique multi-level dining experience including a rooftop bar and speakeasy.
Chef Matt Cooper is renowned for his innovative approach to dining, particularly his commitment to 100% gluten-free cuisine at his restaurant, Conifer. He also served as the Sr. Executive Chef at Mercedes-Benz...
The Preacher's Son is housed within a beautifully restored 1898 church in downtown Bentonville, offering a distinctive fine dining experience. The venue features a unique three-part setting: a main restaurant in the former sanctuary, a vibrant rooftop bar called Celeste, and a speakeasy located downstairs. It's known for its unique ambiance and is a popular spot for special occasions.
Customers generally praise The Preacher's Son for its phenomenal food, unique and beautiful atmosphere, and excellent service. Many highlight it as a perfect spot for anniversaries and special celebrations. Specific dishes like the Tuna Tostada, Duck Breast, Scallops, and Flat Iron Steak receive high acclaim. While most reviews are glowing, one customer noted issues with seating management and found the interior ambiance somewhat sterile, though still acknowledging good food.
Additional Details
The menu at The Preacher's Son changes often, encouraging repeat visits to discover new flavors. The restaurant is part of The Indigo Road hospitality group.
The restaurant is open for dinner from 5 PM daily (until 9 PM Sunday-Thursday, and 10 PM Friday-Saturday). Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends, given its popularity for special occasions.
Awards & Recognition
Award-Winning Dining Room
5
This place is amazing!!! We came here for our anniversary and they had a card prepared for us. The food was phenomenal, we had the pesto to start, the scallops, and flat iron steak. For dessert we had the lemon blueberry icecream and biscoff cheesecake. Honestly we can’t pick a favorite because everything was so perfect. Our server Shakira was so amazing and sweet!! The service was 12/10!!
Went in on a Saturday night while visiting Bentonville, had a reservation and showed up right on time. People we were waiting in the small entrance area. We were told our table wasn’t ready, whilst they took walk in on their list.
We were told to go upstairs to the rooftop to wait, no timeframe, just go away. Went upstairs and that was cool, it’s a rooftop bar, but cocktails were expensive, felt like a ploy to send you up for the pricier cocktails, we ordered, and then after 15 mins went back downstairs and everyone waiting had been seated including the walkins.
Not to mention when we were sat we had the worst table in the room and the walk ins had a booth type seating away from the entrance. The food was good, but the service let it down.
First impressions last and it didn’t feel great. We didn’t order any more drinks with dinner and ordered a salad and 2 mains. That was enough. We ordered the blackened salmon and the rigatoni. Both tasty, the salmon piece was a bit on the smaller side. It was a cool concept, but the vibe on the inside of the church felt bland and sterile, all white, no warmth or depth.
Had a wonderful anniversary dinner at The Preacher’s Son. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful and unique, and the food was incredible from start to finish. Everything felt special, from the service to the little details, and it made the night so memorable. A wonderful spot for a meaningful celebration. Highly recommend!
I had the pleasure of dining at The Preacher’s Son for dinner to treat myself while I am in town. From the moment I walked in, the experience was truly memorable. Wes, the host, greeted me warmly and shared the story of the building—how it was once a church for many years before later being transformed into a unique three-part setting: a speakeasy below, a balcony bar above, and the main restaurant in between. Walking into the church-turned-restaurant was breathtaking, with every detail of the architecture adding to the charm.
My server, Fiva, recommended dishes that weren’t necessarily the most popular on the menu, but the flavors said otherwise. The Tartare for the appetizer and Duck breast for the entree were simply outstanding—each bite felt like that magical “Ratatouille” moment of instantly falling in love with a meal. I enjoyed a moscato for dessert and that filled me up.
The atmosphere was just as impressive as the food. The staff worked seamlessly together, creating a smooth and welcoming dining experience. The portions were perfectly sized—enough to satisfy without being overwhelming—and the pricing felt very reasonable for the quality. I also appreciated the thoughtful details, like fans set up outside to keep flies away and the comfortable spacing between tables.
One of the highlights is that the menu changes often, which makes me excited to come back and discover new flavors. This time, I only dined in the restaurant, but I’m already looking forward to exploring the speakeasy downstairs and the balcony bar upstairs on my next visit.
Overall, The Preacher’s Son is more than just dinner—it’s an experience I’ll happily return again.
Just a wonderful eating and drinking experience. Had cocktails downstairs before having dinner upstairs. Personal favorite was the squash fritter appetizer. Excellent server... Didn't get her name. But everything was wonderful. Hope to return another time I'm in town.
