La Pastorella Bistro and Inn

The couple that own this little German restaurant along with their son helped us have an entertaining afternoon in dry Mammoth Spring. About 12 of us showed up unexpected and were served made to order sausage, kraut, fried potatoes, pulled pork & kraut sandwich-​yum, lentil soup, salads and wonderful desserts.
Don’t expect fast food, enjoy the wait and it will be worth the wait. Was disappointed not to be able to order the schnitzel that was on the dinner menu served after 3.

Ignore all the other deep-​fried or fast food places in the Mammoth Spring area and get in to La Pastorella (when it’s open) for the best German food in Northern Arkansas and for probably the best food in the area period.
The menu changes daily, but there are always plenty of delicious options. I had the Wiener Schnitzel with Spaetzle and salad. Every aspect of it was excellent. Even the salad that started it off was unique, with potato and some kind of glaze that meshed well with the fresh peppers and cucumber. The schnitzel itself was fantastic – slightly fried, but just enough to make it tender and the spaetzle was perfectly cooked. .
The sweet tea was also ridiculously tasty (rather than ridiculously sweet). They must sweeten it with something like honey or some secret combination of things since it seemed very light yet still sweet and very refreshing. And for dessert, both the chocolate raspberry cake and the apple puff were exceptional. The apple puff in particular was unique in that it tasted throughout like real apple (not just some candied apple mix) and the consistency of the crust was firm and supple rather than dry. Forget stale pastries, this was fresh and delicious.
The older couple who run the place are great talkers and will be happy to talk about pretty much any topic or person in town. Definitely worthy of a stop when you’re along the Spring River or passing through along Highway 63.
Note: the hours are a little odd. They seem to be open from noon-​onward Wed-​Sunday at the moment, but check their website or call ahead to make sure.