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Monday Munchies: Zelli Deli

The prosciutto and fig sandwich seemed to defy physics.

Food and Drink

🍝 Alex checked out <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Zelli Pasta" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/02/23/homemade-pasta-zelli-springdale-local" data-vars-content-id="39d1707b-182f-4ce2-b38a-1eb85a9783c1" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Zelli Deli" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/02/23/homemade-pasta-zelli-springdale-local" target="_self">Zelli Pasta</a> as take-it-home-and-cook-it-yourself, but they&#x27;ve since started serving sandwiches, which is more my style.The setup: Downtown Springdale may soon become my fave lunchtime location — there are tons of options, it&#x27;s easy for me to get to, and the crowds aren&#x27;t yet insane (if you can find a parking spot!).

The Agenda: Construction project plans

The Bentonville and Springdale city councils meet tonight.

News

Your city councils are back from spring break and plan to meet tonight.<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bentonville" data-vars-click-url="https://bentonvillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1728/files/agenda/8676" data-vars-content-id="37d352ce-2c0e-458c-b500-3572cd9ed6e8" data-vars-headline="The Agenda: Construction project plans" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bentonvillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1728/files/agenda/8676" target="_blank">Bentonville</a> will vote on:

Heartland Forward targets maternal mortality — but Arkansas lags

The U.S. now has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world.

Health

Bentonville&#x27;s Heartland Forward launched a drive to slash U.S. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="maternal mortality" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/05/09/heartland-forward-maternal-health-initiative" data-vars-content-id="dd5a2be0-e141-4c31-9bf6-948319f87b7b" data-vars-headline="Heartland Forward targets maternal mortality — but Arkansas lags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/05/09/heartland-forward-maternal-health-initiative" target="_self">maternal mortality</a> in half within five years.Why it matters: Maternal deaths in the U.S. have more than doubled since the 1980s, and the country now has the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="highest rate" data-vars-click-url="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/jun/insights-us-maternal-mortality-crisis-international-comparison" data-vars-content-id="dd5a2be0-e141-4c31-9bf6-948319f87b7b" data-vars-headline="Heartland Forward targets maternal mortality — but Arkansas lags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/jun/insights-us-maternal-mortality-crisis-international-comparison" target="_blank">highest rate</a> in the developed world. About 84% of the deaths are preventable and roughly 65% happen after childbirth.

Monday Munchies: Afghan food in Rogers

BEK Restaurant offers Afghan and Turkish menus.

I&#x27;ve eaten at a dedicated Afghan restaurant one time in my life. It was a wonderful experience, and it wasn&#x27;t in Northwest Arkansas.🇦🇫 The latest: We now have <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="BEK Restaurant &amp; European Gourmet Market" data-vars-click-url="https://beknwa.com" data-vars-content-id="43de37c6-a4ff-41f0-b668-5fa8d3506fe8" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Afghan food in Rogers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://beknwa.com" target="_blank">BEK Restaurant &amp; European Gourmet Market</a> in Rogers, where diners order off the Turkish or Afghan menus.

Monday Munchies: 10 NWA spots open on Mondays

Whether you've got a work team or family in town, there are still several local dining options to choose from on a Monday.

Monday dining can feel thin. Many operators don&#x27;t serve at the beginning of the week so they can prep, restock and give staff a break.<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bocca" data-vars-click-url="https://boccanwa.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="1746649b-0351-4dd8-bd15-5dfd20a30229" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: 10 NWA spots open on Mondays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://boccanwa.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">Bocca</a>, Fayetteville — Italian food and pizza, serving Mondays 5-9pm.</li></ul>

Food festivals, farmers markets and more in NWA this spring

Nothing speaks to culture more than food.

Local Brief

Nothing speaks to culture more than food. Check out NWA festivals and tasting experiences coming up this spring:🍴 April 25: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="BITE @ The Home Office" data-vars-click-url="https://bitenwa.com/event-information?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="d810d2a4-2ad6-4b09-a5aa-9a77dd0f8d40" data-vars-headline="Food festivals, farmers markets and more in NWA this spring" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bitenwa.com/event-information?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">BITE @ The Home Office</a> — BITE NWA will host a one-night food tasting event featuring more than 20 local restaurants and breweries at the Walmart Home Office in Bentonville. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Get tickets" data-vars-click-url="https://stubs.net/tickets/7759/bite-the-home-office" data-vars-content-id="d810d2a4-2ad6-4b09-a5aa-9a77dd0f8d40" data-vars-headline="Food festivals, farmers markets and more in NWA this spring" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://stubs.net/tickets/7759/bite-the-home-office" target="_blank">Get tickets</a> for $55.

Monday Munchies: Hive hype

I have long heard that The Hive in Bentonville has the best burger. I&#x27;ve also heard of about a dozen other places in NWA that have the &quot;best burger.&quot;👩‍⚖️ State of play: I marched into the lounge area of the restaurant inside the 21C Museum Hotel to see what all the fuss was about.

Bentoville Food Theater to spotlight diverse cuisine

The theater model is a bet that rotating, ticketed chef "shows" can deliver the diversity of big-city dining without requiring hundreds of permanent restaurants.

Onyx Coffee Lab and the startup restaurant concept <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bentoville Food Theater" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/08/michelin-star-bentoville-restaurant-investors" data-vars-content-id="db7717d1-60bc-4055-a294-a9dfeabc6f4f" data-vars-headline="Bentoville Food Theater to spotlight diverse cuisine" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/08/michelin-star-bentoville-restaurant-investors" target="_self">Bentoville Food Theater</a> are joining forces to create a novel experiential dining venue in downtown Bentonville.Why it matters: Northwest Arkansas is growing fast, but it&#x27;s still not big enough to support a constant global restaurant variety that many residents crave.

Food review: Ippudo's tonkotsu ramen rave

Every part of this meal — from the spicy bean sprouts to the last slurped noodle — was exquisite.

Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter night. If it happens to be world-class pork bone broth with tender noodles and all the fixins, well, that gets me weak in the knees.The setup: Before there was the new Bentoville Food Theater, there was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bentoville" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/07/bentoville-bento-boxes-bentonville" data-vars-content-id="e5a055c0-f2f4-47c3-b632-fd970b0d2fc7" data-vars-headline="Food review: Ippudo&#x27;s tonkotsu ramen rave" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/07/bentoville-bento-boxes-bentonville" target="_self">Bentoville</a>, a sort of virtual restaurant making bento boxes and hosting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="kaiseki" data-vars-click-url="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/what-is-kaiseki-japanese-meal" data-vars-content-id="e5a055c0-f2f4-47c3-b632-fd970b0d2fc7" data-vars-headline="Food review: Ippudo&#x27;s tonkotsu ramen rave" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/what-is-kaiseki-japanese-meal" target="_blank">kaiseki</a> events at the NorthWest Arkansas Community College&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Brightwater" data-vars-click-url="https://brightwater.nwacc.edu/" data-vars-content-id="e5a055c0-f2f4-47c3-b632-fd970b0d2fc7" data-vars-headline="Food review: Ippudo&#x27;s tonkotsu ramen rave" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://brightwater.nwacc.edu/" target="_blank">Brightwater</a> school for food.

What we're sipping: Hotel bar cocktails

We tried The Eddy inside The Compton Bentonville, a new hotel downtown.

Downtown Bentonville&#x27;s newest hotel, The Compton, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="promised to bring much more" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/10/07/compton-hotel-bentonville-opening" data-vars-content-id="fc284164-6a40-4286-93bc-80f14fb1df0a" data-vars-headline="What we&#x27;re sipping: Hotel bar cocktails" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/10/07/compton-hotel-bentonville-opening" target="_self">promised to bring much more</a> than a nice place to stay with event space, a Tuscan steak and pasta restaurant, a café — and a bar, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Eddy" data-vars-click-url="https://theeddybentonville.com/" data-vars-content-id="fc284164-6a40-4286-93bc-80f14fb1df0a" data-vars-headline="What we&#x27;re sipping: Hotel bar cocktails" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://theeddybentonville.com/" target="_blank">The Eddy</a>.🌳 The vibe: You come for the vibe. The whole place, including The Eddy, is gorgeous. Especially at night when you&#x27;re (probably) more likely to go for a cocktail and can look out onto the square from the hotel&#x27;s second story.

Monday Munchies: Lunch at Gaskins on Emma

One can settle for a salad or splurge on a prime rib focaccia melt, but I'll make the case for the Gaskins smash burger.

IMO, there are three types of burgers: Fast food, burgers made at joints that focus on making good burgers, and gourmet level.<ul><li>I&#x27;ve had gourmet-level versions at steakhouses and burger joints alike, so try not to judge a burger by its bun.</li></ul>

Monday Munchies: Handshake in the Fayetteville library

There's an honest-to-goodness restaurant inside the library.

In case you needed another reason to hang out at the Fayetteville Public Library, you have one.📚 State of play: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Handshake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.handshakefayetteville.com/" data-vars-content-id="5287c451-60fb-49d3-a72b-3967a58e83af" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Handshake in the Fayetteville library" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.handshakefayetteville.com/" target="_blank">Handshake</a> offers breakfast, lunch and lounge bites right inside the library. This is ultra-convenient for those who find themselves spending lengthy days working or studying there, or are just making the most of a leisurely day at the library.

Food and Drink 🍽

Monday Munchies: Zelli Deli

Monday Munchies: Afghan food in Rogers

Monday Munchies: 10 NWA spots open on Mondays

Food festivals, farmers markets and more in NWA this spring

Monday Munchies: Hive hype