Dine in a Cave, an Orchard or Even a River at These Unforgettable Ozarks Restaurants (2024)

Imagine savoring lavender-infused steak at a family farm, hiking to a serene coffee shop deep in the woods or paddling to a riverside beach to enjoy co*cktails. The dining scene in the Ozarks is as diverse as the region itself, encompassing natural beauty, agricultural roots, college towns and major tourist destinations. Here are 9 remarkable culinary experiences.

Finley Farms & The Ozark Mill, Ozark, Missouri

Finley Farms sets the bar high for unique dining experiences in the Ozarks. You can enjoy a six-course dinner with your feet in the Finley River, dine family-style on a historic bridge under the stars, sip espresso while you learn how to arrange flowers, paddle down the river before heading to shore for craft co*cktails, or sample mushrooms and edible flowers on a Friday night farm tour. A destination evolving from the vision of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and his family, Finley Farms includes a riverside restaurant in the 1800s Ozark Mill, an urban farm, multiple event spaces and a speakeasy-esque lounge, The Garrison. Quite literally, there is always something going on here. Check the Happenings calendar, and make reservations early.

Harvest Dinner in the Orchard, Rogersville, Missouri

This hyper-seasonal, micro-local farm-to-table restaurant is a dining destination in its own right, but its fall Dinner in the Orchard series is next-level for foodies. Chef Craig von Foerster and his wife Tamara spend months curating four all-inclusive dinners, complete with wine pairings and pre-dinner champagne. Harvest sources just about everything except wine either on-site or within the Ozarks, and designs the alfresco family-style dinners to showcase a specific ingredient or theme. A past dinner coincided with the harvest moon; the menu featured both savory and sweet apple dishes. The reservation-only orchard dinners happen on weekends in late September and early October (keep an eye on Harvest’s socials a few weeks beforehand for details), and the restaurant is open Thursday through Saturday year-round.

Airship Coffee, Bentonville, Arkansas

Giving “coffee run” a whole new meaning, you can only get to Airship Coffee's Coler location by walking or biking one mile. It’s hidden in the woods in the heart of the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve (which isn’t just for cyclists; the preserve has hiking trails, swimming holes, campsites and spaces dedicated to practicing yoga). The entire path is paved and accessible for wheelchairs or strollers. Once you reach Airship, grab a coffee and a sweet or savory snack, then relax in a swing in the open-air space. Leave your laptop at home, though, because Airship very intentionally doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

Lavender Falls Farm, Clever, Missouri

Missouri is home to just a few lavender farms, and only one with an exceptional dinner experience. If you'd like a feast at Lavender Falls, plan well ahead: Dinners are served just two months of the year, May and June, at the farm south of Springfield. Reservations typically open a couple of months in advance and sell out quickly. Those who are able to nab a spot will be served foods that incorporate lavender grown and harvested on the farm, such as a goat cheese appetizer with lavender-honey compote, ribeye with a lavender demiglacé sauce, lavender panna cotta and lavender co*cktails.

Millsap Farms Pizza Club, Springfield, Missouri

Pizza farms are a decidedly—and deliciously—Midwestern tradition, and one of the best is in the heart of the Ozarks. On Thursday nights from May through October, Millsap Farms hosts Pizza Club, with a variety of wood-fired pizzas and live music. Bring a chair or blanket, drinks or even your favorite side dish, and serve yourself buffet-style. In addition to a Farmhouse Cheese pie, the farm makes three one-of-a-kind pizzas each week, using a combination of its own harvest and foods from other local suppliers. Past highlights include Birdy, a chicken and artichoke pie with roasted potatoes and lemon-garlic aioli, and Flaming Taco Pie, with ground beef, homemade salsa and queso fresco from local farm Terrell Creek. Now in its 10th year, Pizza Club has become wildly popular and guests must make advance reservations.

The Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, Arkansas

You may not expect to find a restaurant described as hip and airy in a restored 1904 Gothic Revival church building. But The Preacher’s Son exudes a vibe that’s both mythical and decidedly contemporary. A 2015 restoration modernized key structural features, revealing exposed original brick and adding custom local artwork to the soaring stained-glass windows. The menu perfectly matches the aesthetic, with choices both classic (a steak dinner for two) and creative (Bar Harbor mussels with cioppino broth). The rooftop terrace and a lower-level speakeasy, Undercroft, bookend the experience.Enjoy live music Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the speakeasy.

Grotto Wood Fired Grill & Wine Cave, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Quirky, artsy Eureka Springs was literally built around and on top of the city’s many natural springs. In the case of Grotto, a spring actually runs inside the restaurant. More accurately, Grotto was built inside a cave, so in addition to the very real continuously running spring, the stone walls and boulders you walk by aren’t just a facade. The upscale menu (smoked duck, grilled portobello with goat cheese) and extensive wine list complement the ambience, creating a romantic, fairy tale-like setting.

The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks, Branson, Missouri

At The Keeter Center's Dobyns Dining Room, students do everything—not just prepare and serve food, but grow and harvest it, too… right on campus. College of the Ozarks, aptly nicknamed “Hard Work U,” has a garden, greenhouses, dairy and even a mill where students grind flour. Be sure to stop by the Creamery to try ice cream made from fresh milk that students collect, pasteurize and bottle. Students work 15 hours per week to help cover the cost of their education and are not charged tuition at this unusual school, which offers student-run overnight lodging and other guest experiences in addition to dining.

Hangar Kafe, Miller, Missouri

How often can you say you flew to brunch? That’s just one option for getting to Hangar Kafe, a family restaurant 30 minutes from Springfield. It sits on the private Kingsley Airfield, beside an active runway. Don’t worry—you can also drive, and in fact, the Kafe is just off Route 66. From both inside and the enormous outdoor patio, you can watch planes take off and land. Look for skydivers, too, since the Ozarks Skydive Center operates at the airfield. If you’re aiming for a particularly adventurous date idea, book a tandem jump before your lunch of burgers or sandwiches. The aviation theme carries through to the inside of the restaurant, with a runway leading to the restrooms and a hot-air balloon basket serving as the cashier stand.