21 West End is an absolute gem of a dining establishment! The setting of the restaurant is the old jail and courthouse and is so cool in and of itself. We were greeted by the owners and the staff for the evening, and given a few options for dining locations as we didn't have a reservation and they had a large group being sat just after us. We loved that had an opportunity to dine at a table in the "jail" section. The restaurant was packed but it still felt warm and cozy for our date night meal. We had multiple, fantastic servers taking care of us. I didn't get to capture the appetizer, the spinach and artichoke dip, but it was literally the best I've ever had and I even make my own! It was full of artichokes and spinach and it was in an amazingly light and fluffy white whipped dip served with fresh made breads onsite and pretzel bites from a local vendor. Our cocktails and wine were amazing. Then our main course arrived! One of our waiters was new and said the filet was the best he'd ever had, and he wasn't wrong! We travel often and dine all over, these filets were cut and prepared to perfection! We took his recommendation to add the blue cheese and blackened topper and it was phenomenal! The steaks literally cut like butter and melted in your mouth! Charred Pittsburgh style, medium rare and heavenly. Placed on a bed of mashed potatoes that blended in the warm blue cheese and asparagus, this meal made me feel like I was at NYC or Chicago's top steakhouses! If you live local or just passing through like us, don't miss this experience!!! It was absolutely delicious and at the top of my list for best steaks!!! read more

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One of Fort Smith's Fine dining and our favorite place to celebrate special occasions. Great atmosphere and amazing food, friendly staff. read more

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We were really disappointed with our visit to 21 West End. The service was extremely slow -- it took hours for our food to finally arrive, and our drinks sat empty for most of the meal. When dessert came out, it said "thank you" instead of "happy birthday," even though we had mentioned it was a birthday dinner. The food itself was sub par once it arrived. The experience as a whole just didn't meet expectations, especially for a special occasion. It was my boyfriend's first time to experience this location and I had raved about what a great place it was... only to leave with such disappointment that we will not choose to eat here again. read more

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One of the Best dining spots in the state. Speakeasy feel. Food outstanding!! Service excellent!

I'm extremely disappointed by the way my 17-year-old daughter was treated at your restaurant before her prom. What should have been a special, memorable dinner turned into an embarrassing and upsetting experience because of how your staff handled a simple, reasonable concern. She ordered her steak medium rare, and it was served well done. Politely and respectfully, she brought this to the attention of her waiter, exactly what any customer should feel comfortable doing, and something I'm proud she had the confidence to do. Instead of resolving the issue professionally, the waiter brought out a chef or manager who responded with rudeness and an unnecessarily confrontational attitude. This wasn't just poor service, it was disrespectful. A young woman who spoke kindly and appropriately was made to feel embarrassed in front of her friends on an important night. There is no excuse for speaking down to a customer, especially a teenager who handled herself with more maturity than the staff she encountered. Not only was she treated unkindly, she ate the over cooked steak anyway! It's hard not to feel that she was treated this way because she was young and female and without adults present. It raises serious concerns about how your establishment chooses to treat people based on who they are or who they're with. That's unacceptable and shameful. A restaurant (ESPECIALLY high end, where we are spending hundreds of dollars) should be a place where all guests are treated with courtesy and respect and professionalism. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. I hope you take a hard look at how your staff interacts with customers and make sure no one else (especially a young person celebrating a milestone) has to go through something like this again. I plan to make sure all my people know, and I hope this review impacts how you handle your business in the future. read more

The ambiance of this restaurant is simple and elegant. The service was absolutely fantastic. The food was delicious and plated very nicely. We took visiting guests for a great dining experience. read more

Every time we dine here, we are pleased with the amazing service, superb food and perfect atmosphere our special date nights! Please visit; you won't be disappointed! read more

Cool place, when you first walk up to it, in what I think is the old jail. The entry door looks imposing with a front door password door in the middle. Walk in go down the stairs and you end up in the basement. Food is high end, wine list is great. I had the stuffed salmon and my wife had the pork chop. Prices are a little high, but for what you're getting it's worth it so be prepared. read more

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Loved being there and highly enjoyed my time! Food was great! Very nice intimate vibe. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a date night or intimate celebration. Expect to be there for a while, we were there for 1 1/2 hours for dinner. I ordered the Duck entree and the lady had the lobster ravioli. Crème brûlée was OUT OF THIS WORLD! SO GOOD! Be warned, It's pricey here! Bring Benjamins * Also, to all my fellow Arkansans: They only have unsweetened tea! 21 West End is helping Arkansas with our diabetes problem! read more

Not just "Fort Smith" good, but it stands up against the best places in the biggest cities. I have never had anything I didn't like here, even things I never really thought I would be into. That said, the tried and true filet is VERY good consistently. All the typically places you think of in California or Dallas etc for Filet's? This is as good or better than the many of those I have tried. read more

10/10 for service and 8/10 for the view. 2/10 for the food. They need to learn how to cook and decor properly. Will not come back.

Exceptionally poor all the way around. Poor service - waiter more concerned about pushing bar products than serving his patrons. Very long wait for all aspects of the meal - appetizers 20+ minutes, main coarse same thing and deserts ordered simply didn't come out and had to cancel due to time constraints. I had the seafood linguini $40 - 2 medium shrimp and 2 mid-sized scallops literally all that was in the dish...there was a copious amount of pasta. Flavor was DOA... No bread was served with my meal or any of my companions. Ambience as you'd expect with the historical district vibe...quite like the look of the facility. Cool men's room - pic of the 3 stooges and the frog quite the hoot'. Not the place it once was...not sure if owner changed...chef changed...something indeed changed that tanked this place...will not return. Hope to save the grief of others thru this review. read more

3 of us ordered Caesar salads, all 3 were served frozen. Just highly unacceptable, is there a head chef? Lobster was undercooked. Steak was excellent. "21 Veg" must have been seasoned by a blind person, overly salted. Tamales were phenomenal. Sorry for being brutal. There's some great here, also some bad. read more

Been there 3 times while traveling for work; had food poisoning twice!! First time was good, second time left me in the fetal position, sprinting to the throne nonstop for 12 hours. Third was not quite as severe, but still a very rough 10 hours following. Each poisoning event was after eating raw items: steak tartar, and tuna tartar...lesson learned. Despite wanting to like this place, I can NEVER go back. Brutal experience. Only times in my life I can confirm getting food poisoning. read more

Good food and excellent service, a wonderful experience. We'll be back soon. Duck, blue cheese topped filet and sea bass were amazing.

The ambiance is fantastic. The food is excellent and Taylor - our server was very attentive. Can't wait to go back.

Be aware there are a lot of stairs Service was Okay, staffed by disgruntled but polite old men. The host with the man bun was not the best in service or being welcoming. Not a guy I would put front of house. He took so long to take us to our seats a waiter stopped by and asked if we needed help (thank u young man). This place has a nice ambience you should dress up for it and none of us struggled to hear each other during dinner which was great. I also liked there was plenty of parking available. You have to call and make reservations you can't do it on OpenTable which sucks. FOOD: -Brie wrapped appetizer: 1/5 Served at a tepid temperature. Wrapped in a very thin layer of phyllo almost not existent and it comes with not enough hard cracker like bread, don't order this! Very disappointing not well executed -Cajun pasta: 2/5 Dry chicken, bland sauce, broken noodles, served with bread that hurts your mouth -Pork Chop: 5/5 Unique flavor, succulent goes well with the vegetables -Caesar salad: 2/5 Not a real Caesar salad, they use that white dressing not the ingredients you're supposed to make and use for a Caesar salad. Bad garlic powder taste. -Creme Brûlée: 4/5 A solid choice, but served at the wrong temperature and they need to use better vanilla flavor it had an artificial aftertaste, kinda like instant pudding. BEVERAGES: The magazine (cocktail): 3/5 Incredibly sweet but good for sipping. They could have used better cherries Overall this place is nice for Fort Smith but it's not a great restaurant and the food was mostly subpar. read more

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What a fantastic restaurant. Atmosphere is relaxing and cozy, staff was super attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and just had great overall attitudes. The food was so mouthwatering delicious I dreamt about it lol. Our group was pretty big with 12 and they put us in our own room with a cozy seating area and a pretty Christmas tree. Everyone really enjoyed the food and our private room we didn't even ask for. If you are celebrating something or just want a delicious meal then absolutely try this place. We will definitely be back for all our big celebrations and what not yumm. read more

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Went a few weeks ago, food was good. I felt the Sea Bass could have used a smuck more seasoning but nonetheless it was still delicious. The risotto was on point, the appetizer tuna tartare was exceptionally delicious. We were also given a free crème brûlée from our server. Wine did seem a bit "hot" but I'm no wine expert. Cool atmosphere. The way in to the establishment is a bit confusing if I'm being honest. But had a great time and enjoyed some pretty good food. Service was exceptional. read more

21 West End - Chilean Sea Bass - New American Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

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My friend and I were in ft. Smith for work. She is from Austin and I'm from Denver. We often find ourselves in small towns for work and 21 West End is one of the best hidden gems we have ever found. 1. The building is amazing. It's over 200 years old but updated in a contemporary vibe. 2. Our waiter Chase was amazing. We talked for quite a long time with him. He had so much knowledge about on Ft. Smith and Arkansas in general. He was a pleasure to talk to. 3. The food was amazing. I had the pork tenderloin and my friend had the shrimp Rockefeller. My pork was cooked perfectly. We will definitely be back if we find ourselves in ft. Smith again. read more

21 West End - Pork tenderloin - New American Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Very good service and foodie-quality fare. The location is also notable. A great location for a special romantic occasion

As we entered from the street, we were led down some stairs. Definitely setting off old speak easy vibes. This restaurant is in the basement of an old building just off the river (no views). As we turn one corner after another, we finally come to a beautiful waiting room, and of course we spot another door, double iirc, that most likely was the front entrance. Either way we realized we may not have been dressed properly, and expected to either be turned away, or sat in the corner. But neither happened and we were sat promptly. The service was stellar. Ordered drinks, appetizer, and 3 filets. And of course 2 desserts to share. The food was delicious, and Michael was a great server. This is a must stop if you are in Ft. Smith. read more

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Well this was a lovely surprise. We stopped in Fort Smith after a long day of driving and happened into this restaurant. The restaurant is downstairs and the building is surrounded by very historic buildings and unique features. We had drinks, which were excellent and then dinner. We had a hard time choosing what to eat because everything looked very enticing. I started with the French Onion soup and it was delicious. My husband started with the spinach salad and enjoyed that as well. I had the filet which was very good and my husband had the Chilean sea bass. He loved it. The truffle risotto was amazing. The ambience was great. Give it a try if you're in the neighborhood. You won't be disappointed. Highly recommend this. read more

21 West End - Outside the restaurant. - New American Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

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The food was most definitely next level. My wife had the ribeye and she loved it. I had the jumbo scallops and they were cooked to perfection. As an appetizer, we had the shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms. Excellent we will definitely be back. read more

I absolutely love the food and drinks. Amazing staff with great conversation and I love the ambiance

It was okay. Some dishes are under seasone, some over seasoned. Overall, not worth the money. There is better food in Fort Smith without the price tag. The cocktails were good, but don't expect friendly service or attention. I'm sure a manager sat next to us never engaging us with conversation. it was awkward as he would get up to talk or yell at employees and then sit down and not pay attention to anything else. Probably won't go back . read more

Fun ambience and quality food. Since I'm gluten free and vegetarian I had to get creative to order. My husband had the steak and I took his potatoes and asparagus . Tomato soup is next level divine. Worth trying for the experience and then try their sister restaurant Piatto over at the Hub! read more

We really like the ambience of this restaurant. The appetizer portions were very large and very good. Both of our salads were very good and our entrées were exceptional! The owner was walking around talking to customers and he was very nice. Our first experience here didn't go very well but that was an irregular circumstance. The owner personally interceded to get us to return. We are so glad he did. We look forward to coming back again! read more

Enjoyed the excellent wine, appetizers, and steak here at 21 West End. I learned about and tasted a couple of new wines, and loved the historic building and atmosphere. It was a great setting for a business dinner, with plenty of options and a quiet environment to talk. Their filet mignon was the best, and something I would order next time. The crab stuffed salmon was pretty good, too, but the steak was exceptional. They also had great crème brûlée. Service was very good, as well. It's a local place where the servers are warm and friendly. read more

I was in Fort Smith on a business trip this week and took my customer to 21 West end based on previous reviews. The service was great, and the ambiance was terrific. The food was absolutely horrible and extremely overpriced. My customer and I both ordered the NY strip special that was recommended by the waiter. Both steaks were cooked correctly to temperature but were so completely inedible do to the amount of grizzle and cartilage through the entire steak. Cutting it was almost impossible. The table was shaking so much when we tried to cut it that it became comical. The waiter offered to cut it for me, but not to replace it. I will say they did have good wines at a reasonable price. read more

Favorite stop in Northwest Arkansas area, food and drinks are amazing. It is a great place for special occasions as well, the service has never been anything but top notch. We have been going there about ten years. read more

Great service and phenomenal food! We stumbled on this little gem before a concert and it was AMAZING! It's our new go-to from now on when we're in town! read more

21 West End - Shrimp Rockefeller - New American Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

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Ordered the special. Pictures included. Great flavor. The shrimp had a slight heat to it. Gouda risotto was delicious and filling. I couldn't finish it all. The lobster roll was also taste. 3 to an order. My only complaint was we were asked several times if it was a special occasion for us. Each time we said yes it's our anniversary. Usually at the end of the meal and ordering a desert it would come with some culinary art. Tonight it did not. read more

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21 West End is a cool place located in the basement of an old building in the Downtown District of Fort Smith - it almost has a "speakeasy" feel to it when you enter. They have a variety of specialty cocktails and the bar service was quick. Our server Jeffrey was polite and engaging and made some great recommendations. We had the Carpaccio for an appetizer, peppery and delicious. My wife had the Chicken Oscar with risotto and honey glazed Brussels sprouts - she said it was one of the best dishes she's ever had. I ordered the Sesame Ahi Tuna with risotto, very very good. Great date place or special occasion dinner. Get a reservation! read more

Excellent food and restaurant! You won't be disappointed!! Loved it! We had a party of 6 and got in without a reservation. read more

After posting my review about our visit back in May, the owner, Kevin, contacted me on Yelp offering his sincerest apologies for our experience (it wasn't even that bad!). He offered us a gift card to return to 21 West End, and since we may not be visiting Arkansas soon, I asked if he could send it to the friend from AR that dined with us that night, and he happily complied. It's always lovely to see such great customer care and service. Things happen, people get busy and forgetful, and it's always understandable, especially when management take the time to really make their customers happy one way or another. read more

Wonderful service. Great atmosphere. Really neat decor and building. Kevin, the owner/manager, really went out of his way to make our evening special after he heard we had gotten married the week before. The food was very good, steaks were cooked just right. Salads were solid. Crème Brûlée was perfect. Overall a great experience. "Affordable" as well for fine dining. read more

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Great Food! Atmosphere is unique and crème brûlée was fantastic!! Service is outstanding- very helpful!!

INCREDIBLE! The best restaurant between Little Rock and Oklahoma City--seriously! If 21 West End was in a larger city, it would still be among the best. Absolutely amazing food and cocktails with great service. I live in Oklahoma City and dine at 21 West End every chance I have. It's phenomenal. I hope the people of Ft. Smith appreciate what they have in such a fine establishment! read more

21 West End - Pork tenderloin with blueberry bourbon smash - New American Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Outstanding restaurant, from service and bar to menu and food presentation. Ambiance excellent; pricey. Worth it.