Terrible experience in terms of low quality and overpriced food, 3.5 hour wait, smelly sweet candle, and dingy atmosphere. Furniture looks like it survived the 90's. It's a trash restaurant charging 5 star dining prices. They won't even plate a porterhouse steak onto two plates if you ask. Told us we needed to do it ourselves. She laughed at us and said 'he's not going to do that,' referring to the chef. All the other restaurants that serve a porterhouse do that standard because it's a massive steak that two people share, and they offer before you have to ask. Just snobby and weird attitude about certain things. They also serve a cheap version of Caymus wine, but have it priced like it's the premium version (my friend knows wine). 3.5 hours is too long to wait for a meal, especially on a weeknight when the restaurant is empty. They also didn't apologize, acted like this was completely normal, and said 'we didn't know you were in a hurry.' Really? Pay the same price and pick a legitimate high end restaurant like Sestina, Conifer, Junto, Ruth Chris, or Atlas. This place is a joke and I still get mad when I drive by. No idea how they stay in business except maybe for tourists who don't know how bad this place is until they've wasted their time and money. We need better restaurants in this area. read more

First off, the restaurant has some great ambience. Our waiter and the owner checked on us, visited with us, and made sure our dining experience was top shelf. My wife ordered filet and I order the ribeye. Both were cooked to perfection, tasted great, and were very filling. The corn soufflé was outstanding. We each ordered dessert. The hardest part was trying to make a choice from the drool-worthy dessert menu. It is quality food, the price reflects that, but it is a place we will be back to eat at again. read more

Don't let the outside of the building fool you, or even when you walk in. The food you are about to experience will be some of the best in NWA. Certainly the best steaks and top notch seafood is served here. Been here many times and never disappointed. The side dishes are as good as the main courses as well.. Maybe the best macaroni and cheese I have ever had. read more

The Fat Chef - Filet - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

I was disappointed when I heard they had closed so after hearing that they were going to open back up we were excited to try it. We booked a reservation for the re-opening night. Well I can say that the food was really good. My wife and I had the seafood cakes for an appetizer. We split the surf & turf (8os filet mignon and lobster tail. Steak was pretty good, the lobster tail was a lobster tail, good but nothing to write home about and small considering the price) For sides, we ordered a twice baked potato (nothing special) and the creamed spinach (really really good). I had one Hibiscus cider, Belinda had a tea. Then we shared a cream brûlée (absolutely delicious - we are kind of snobs when it comes to cream brûlée). Final bill after fair tip was just shy of $300.00. Overall I think the food was on point for sure. Our server was mediocre at best. Final opinion is that I think it was good but overpriced. read more

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Wow!! What an amazing experience!! Absolutely delicious food, out of this world desserts, and an incredible staff! Ambiance is perfect! read more

We had a great Valentines meal! Steak and seafood were cooked very well and the house salad was delicious with homemade dressing. Bread was homemade with the tastiest compound butter! It had sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Lovely waitress and owner were very attentive! I appreciate when the owner comes to check on the service and experience you are having. Very, very nice place! read more

With a reservation we still had a wait and then over an hour to receive our food. The food itself was ok and definitely not worth the price. Friendly staff but seemed awkward when waiting on the dishes. Ambience is nice. read more

This place is worth the drive. the food is excellent, walnut encrusted Walleye was supreme! The staff gives top notch service and super friendly. Crème brûlée is perfection. read more

The food is amazing and the people are just as good! You won't find better hosts! If you want an uppity, stuffy environment, this isn't the place for you. You will be family before you leave if Christine has anything to do with it! Chef serves nothing but the best food and always creates amazing specials. But leave a little room for the bow tie on the meal..... the desserts! Best around and my suggestion is the pecan cobbler! read more

I was told to never judge a book by its cover and I don't do that with restaurants either. I probably should have here. A couple of friends asked us to join them here for the New Orleans inspired chefs menu night this week. Smoked Gator and all sorts of great food advertised so sure why not give it a go. I drive past here headed to the lake often but have never stopped in. We get there and they start us off with a salad, nothing crazy, just bagged salad mix with some ranch dressing. Then the "fat chef" I assume comes by with a small saucer of about 4 strands of what we were told was the smoked gator, with a blueberry sauce on it and single slice of jalapeño. The smoked gator was cold to the touch and not good. My wife's strand was just a piece of bone, was hoping for actual pieces of said gator not just one bite of it. The main dish was a platter of gumbo, jambalaya, mashed potatoes with brown "gravy" (dried up and hard) what they claimed to be a piece of cornbread but was hard as a boulder, muscles in the shell (half of my shells were already empty when I got them but that was fine as it was all cold so I didn't eat), and then cheese grits with two mini shrimps in it (only warm dish). All of the food except the grits were not even room temperature but cold. I ate the cheese grits and a bite of everything else but couldn't get more down because it was so unappetizing. I didn't have the heart to tell the sweet waitress that it wasn't good because you could tell they had tried at least but I had to come leave a review so they may see it and decide to not try that again. After all of that, our bill was $170+ tip. So disappointing. Safe to say I won't be stopping back in. read more

Service was so friendly and attentive. We felt super welcomed. Most importantly, the food was incredible. Fresh food, you can tell it's all made with care with delicate, thoughtful touches to each dish. This is definitely a good spot for date night, nice dinner out. Do recommend and will be back! read more

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Worth the drive! We made reservations to celebrate my partners birthday. Both the food and service were top notch. Everything we ate was incredible - portions were huge and the owners personally came and checked on us at least 5 times throughout the night to ensure we were having a great experience. When you walk in the door - they make you feel like family. They put so much care into every bite you eat and ensuring you have the best experience. Cant believe we hadnt heard of this place before - already planning to go back next week! read more

The food was excellent , we each had Fillet mignon Cooked to perfection medium rare, the service was very professional as well as very helpful in food selection The ambiance was a small log cabin very personal And very much enjoyed Great place to celebrate a special event in your life read more

I wish I would of some the reviews before coming. First I want to say our waiter and the chef wife were very attentive! I was so excited about this place. And hate that i didn't think the world of what I ate. To start hubby ordered the walleye with a baked potato served with some veggies. He had to ask for a Cajun spice as the seared walleye didn't have much flavor. But it was not fishy at all! Once he put a little Cajun seasoning on it , it was good. It came with a salad and asked for blue cheese dressing, it was very good. I Order a cup of clam chowder. It had potential to be very good if it was served hotter. The homemade bread they serve with the salad and soup is really really good! My escargot was just okay. I'm from Texas and have been looking for escargot to taste like a restaurant named Pappas . This is Not even close. I also ordered macaroni and cheese. It's $17. They use Gouda and white cheddar. Not sure why I didn't like it. It had no flavor. I was expecting it to be creamy and homemade tasting . It was homemade but just not my kind of Mac n cheese. Corn soufflé was the BOMB! Sweet and just pure deliciousness! I'm not sure I would go back. read more

Love this place. Bring your appetite because the menu is packed with great stuff. The Onion rings are a must as well as the crab rangoon. The steaks are superb and there a lot of other options out there. read more

Summary: The Fat Chef is a best-in-class steakhouse with mop buckets in the parking lot. Located aside RT12 sits The Fat Chef. The building is for sale, sits in front of poorly maintained storage units. We were told that The Fat Chef leases the building and that the property has been for sale for a long time. From the outside it looks like a dump. For a nice steakhouse it's not what you expect. Reservations - Saturday, 7:30p. Interior decor isn't that of a fine steakhouse. The floors are cheap tile so your chair slide around a little too much. Tables are covered in a plastic, where my wife sat the plastic was worn through. The chairs are padded but dated. It's a small restaurant, Maybe seating capacity is at max 30-40. At 7:30 the restaurant was about 60% capacity. Saturday night, I guess I assumed there would be more guests. Our waiter greeted us, he was professional but obviously not of top-notch steakhouse breed. That was ok though, he did an good job. We reviewed the wine list, we decided to get a bottle for dinner. First impressions of the wine list is overpriced. Sure, you expect to pay restaurant retail, but the most least expensive bottle was $60. I'm used to upper $30s/lower $40s as an option. We chose a red blend, the Sean Minor 2022 Signature Series-Nicole Marie. I had no experience with the wine, but it was very pleasant. It was worth a $60 so I didn't mind as much that there weren't less expensive items. For appetizer we opted for the Shrimp Cocktail. The menu says that there's four colossal shrimps. They are colossal! I've lived in major metros, traveled for over a decade 80k-100k miles a year, been to the best steakhouses in the US. I've never had shrimp that large. The cocktail sauce homemade perfection. At $34, expensive but you know you're getting something special. We waited 30min for the appetizer. The waiter apologized, that meant that we had to pace ourselves with the wine. A let down to the experience because we chose one bottle for the entire dining experience but now we're sipping water not wine to accommodate delayed courses. Entrees come with a house salad and a starch. Solid, well-crafted dressing on an average dinner side salad. Nothing to brag about but nothing to complain about. A small soft loaf was served with compound butter. The bread was very pedestrian. The compound butter was exceptional. Heavily herbed, the enjoyment was that the bread showcased the butter. Well done, it's a detail that deserves to be called out. We decided to each order the ribeye. Our waiter went to check if they still had the cut. He said they had one left. I let my wife take the ribeye and was happy to choose the T bone. We found it to be somewhat poor planning that they ran out of ribeye. We waited about 40min for the entrees. It was explained to us that my T bone was very thick. My wife's ribeye is described to be 14-16oz. That's conservative. I'd estimate her steak to be 20-22oz, it was prepared perfectly and at $62, including a salad and potato is a fair, in the upper end of price. Her potato was a special prep that was like a twice baked potato with horseradish. She didn't think the horseradish was overpowering but balanced nicely. T bone is described as 24-26oz for $84. I opted for the AuPauv Style preparation, $20. That priced my entrée at $124. It wouldn't surprise me if it weighed 32oz. They certainly underestimate their cuts leaving a nice surprise that they over deliver. I thought at first that they missed my AuPauv. I asked the server who pointed out the cracked pepper encrusted on my T bone. AuPauv is always a sauce prepared with heavy cream. In fairness, they do claim it to be "AuPauv Style" described as "Tri-Colored Peppercorn Encrusted with Brandy Glaze". I'm sure it was there but never detected glaze. The AuPauv was $20 extra I guess that's why The Fat Chef says "style", the encrusted peppercorn was WONDERFUL, for $20, I'd suggest preparing it as AuPauv, not AuPauv style. Added colossal fried shrimp ($24) to my entree. Like the shrimp cocktail, your wow'd! Perfectly crispy, 3-4 large bites a piece with the homemade cocktail sauce - extravagance. The steaks are the best you can get anywhere. Generous and prepared well. I lived in Chicago, been to all the steakhouses and a hundred other top steakhouses in major US cities. The Fat Chef's steaks are right there. You'll not be selling yourself short ordering a steak and you can be confident that you've had a top shelf steak. We finished with the Crème Brule. It was ok, no complaints but mine is better. Is The Fat Chef overpriced? I'll leave that up to you. The restaurant is a contradiction that you need to accept going in. I paid $124 for my entree, and I'll say, for me, yes but I'll also say I'd completely understand if someone else would say no. The food is worth it. The experience in totality is questionable at that price. Understanding what you're getting and not getting is a critical key to finding the value of The Fat Chef. read more

This is a nice place. It's not cheap but top notch food and service. I will say I dressed up based on the prices and was way over dressed compared to others. Dress up or not, they are cool with it. Great place and we will be back. read more

3.5 rounded up because Our server Dustin was awesome! Christine is absolutely fabulous and ao kind and seems to know many of the diners! I love that the inside is like a cozy log cabin. Super comforting and relaxing. They bring bread and butter and it was not very good. That's ok. The salads were amazing. Homemade blue cheese was delicious. Caesar salad was wonderful. The issues came with the main entrees. The veggie side of the day was cabbage and peppers. It just wasn't good. My son ordered his 8oz filet medium, we should have ordered medium well. It was basically mooing. He couldn't finish it. My husband was excited for walleye and he got it pan seared and probably should have gotten a different flavor but it was mild and not fishy and very good. The sea scallops were like butter. Melted in your mouth good. The Alfredo served with it was good but a tad crispy on top like dried out but under it was very good. The desserts were delicious and you must save room for some! Pecan cobbler was like brown sugary buttery nutty goodness. The Crème Brûlée was light and delicious. Overall very expensive. Wonderful service. And good food but not excellent which you would expect for the price. May try and go back now that they have burgers Wednesday and Thursday nights and the Reuben looked good as well. read more

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Got the big ribeye and it was about 99% fat. I like a juicy piece of meat, but this was ridiculous. Made a comment to both the waiter and then the chef when he walked out of the back... Both just shrugged. read more

A beautiful dining experience with delicious dishes for any travelers. Recommend any of their specials. I had the shrimp marsala, and... Finished. Every. Bite. read more

The Fat Chef - Shrimp Marsala - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

We were celebrating a huge milestone and wanted to try The Fat Chef. What a great place near the lake in Northwest Arkansas. We started with wine and stuffed mushrooms and both set the stage for a great experience. My husband ordered the bone in ribeye special and WOW. The steak was hand cut and huge, cooked perfectly, and also included shrimp and twice baked potato. I enjoyed a plate of delicious seafood fettuccine. Creamy and full of parmigiana goodness. The staff was very attentive and made the night super relaxing. We will be back. read more

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I really wanted to love this place. It seemed they were short on staff as there was one waitress and one busboy. It appears as thought they owner/chef's wife was waiting tables as well and she waited on us. We had a reservation after calling and she said "mmm, I can't get you at 7:30". Maybe the fact it sounded as though we were being squeezed in, should have been a sign. We were placed at a high top directly across from the bathrooms. I don't know if other patrons were just in there drinking but many used the restrooms over and over. I got up three times to close the doors because they would be left wide open. If I was the owner, I'd remove this table all together. So that wasn't pleasant. We ordered an appetizer of crab Rangoon dip and a steak to share with hash browns and salad. The app came out first, as it should. Hot dip and fresh fried wontons to dip with. It had a very sweet taste and I'm not sure why. I think of crab Rangoon at an Asian restaurant and it always taste of cream cheese, no sweetness so give it a C. The salad was next and it was a good salad so A on that. The steak was cooked medium as requested so A on the sear but I didn't think it had much flavor or seasoning so I'd have to drop to a C. The hash browns (our choice, you can get baked or mashed) were soaked in the red blood juice from the steak and just, well nope. F on those. We were there 90 minutes. It took a long time to get our order taken and a long time between app, salad and main dish. I usually don't mind a leisurely date night dinner but not at a high top, not by the bathroom, and the noise level was loud and we weren't even in the main dining area. It just wasn't worth spending over a Benjamin, especially when we split a meal. It's a small place really so perhaps with an additional server, it might be better. They have a large outdoor patio also. Others have given great reviews and perhaps they had a better experience and better food. May have been an off night but I likely won't return read more

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Great food and service. Enjoyed eating here with my husband and hope to go again soon. read more

The Fat Chef - Scallops- yummy - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

Great spot for dream dinner with a special someone. Excellent presentation and taste.

Small place in Prairie Creek that walks a fascinating line between haute cuisine and dishes familiar to the average Arkansan. It's small enough that you'd do good to give them a call beforehand to make a reservation so they can ensure they'll be able to give you the best service. The dishes rely a little too much on bell pepper for my taste, but that's part of what makes this a southern fusion restaurant. Everything had a special balance that made it incredible to me. Even the starter salad blew my mind, dressed with a few splashes of oil and vinegar and a few grinds of pepper. The prices are high, but I think what you get in the balance is the artistry and engineering. I don't know, maybe I was just in a mood to enjoy anything that night, but I plan on returning. read more

The Fat Chef - Fish and chips and haricots verts - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

Wow. When we sat down and read the menu everything sounded delicious. It was tough to decide what to order because we wanted everything. Best onion rings ever. The food was mind blowing. Great service. We will be back. read more

The Fat Chef - Lobster tail - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

Make reservations! It would be a shame to be turned away. We were greeted upon entrance by one of the owners and introduced to our server "who would care for us". And she did! My husband had a steak and I had salmon. Both were excellent. The chef is a perfectionist! Every part of our evening was personalized and simply gracious; a memorable anniversary. read more

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Best steak house (and more) in NWA. Crazy that it is out of town near Beaver Lake but we'll worth the drive. Local family run business chef/husband and host/wife are welcoming and will treat you right. Interesting yet upscale atmosphere set in old log cabin restaurant. We tried the brunch a few times but don't recommend going out of the way for it. Service is always understaffed and quality of brunch is not even close to standard we've come to appreciate during dinner. read more

Exactly what we were looking for!! Great service and great food!! We got lucky that we were there right as they opened. We did not have reservations. They greeted us warmly and allowed us to order dinner from the bar area. Don't take your chances, make a reservation!! read more

The Fat Chef - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

Got to admit you don't need to go here if you are on a budget as it is on the pricey side. However, you get what you pay for. The front of house staff was very kind, courteous and on point. The food is an amazing work of art and you can tell the chef and crew put care into every dish that comes out of the back. We will be back for more. read more

The Fat Chef - 30 ounce porter, 1 lbs. of crab legs and 1 massive shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

Was looking for a decent dinner I could either sit and read my book with a glass of wine, or get takeout to eat at my air bnb. I was able to do the first which was absolutely lovely. The food, wine and service was great. The food was out of this world. However it IS quite pricey for such a relaxed environment. I had crab cakes with quail eggs, twice baked potato, a glass of wine and crème brûlée for desert. After tip it came out to over $100. The average meal was around $50-60. It was all wonderful, and the relaxed environment worked out because the exterior looks quite casual so I went in with Jean shorts and a sweater, and as a foodie I do not mind paying for a great meal. read more

Pro's: Wonderful food. Nice presentation. Good size portions. Many items you don't see offered in this area. Neat experience. Brunch on weekends. Seated us in spite of online reservation issue. Con's: Tiny building. Limited parking. Uncomfortable chairs. Prices are rather high. Reserved online, location was not informed. read more

This bistro has been on our radar for a year. Finally had a meal with Fat Chef -ordered to-go. Clams linguine for the hubs and I had the grilled shrimp dinner (sub grill for fried). Charming bistro atmosphere and outdoor patio seating as well. From the moment they brought out my to-go bags, the intoxicating smells of melted butter and garlic made me want to inhale or lick the bag. I had a 20 minute drive home and our food was still hot. Entries included a crisp garden side salad and mine had sweet potatoes side - everything was delicious! The bread - yum! Next visit will be a sit down for a steak. read more

awesome food service and more The owner was the nicest person, and I just can't say enough about the food read more

French Onion soup was super yummy! Fresh garlic bread, and filtered water with every meal. read more

The Fat Chef - Fine Dining at the Lake. No burgers for dinner here! Very Fancy place and High Dollar. Reservations only. - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

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The Fat Chef is an interesting place. The food was good, certainly not the best we have had but very expensive. Our entrees were nearly $100 each. We had our reservations ahead several days but ended sitting with an unappealing view of the kitchen. Our server was friendly and efficient, however would have appreciated knowing the price of the "specials" we ordered. The atmosphere from our kitchen view was not good. Not likely to return. We were seated in bar hight table and chairs. Right in front of the kitchen door. We ordered one glass of wine and it was a fair price. No appetizer, no dessert and our bill, with tax and tip, was $280.00. Way out of line for what we had. And we did not order Prime steaks. Ordered Grouper with 3 large shrimp, twice baked potato and mixed veggie's and a small side salad. This was not al La cart. Be forewarned before you try this Fat Chef. read more

Food is very overpriced and definitely didn't live up to the hype. I was very excited for the Beef Wellington but I guess Gorman Ramsey's He'll Kitchen has spoiled me. This one was very dry. The staff doesn't get friendly until our waitress. Came in with a reservation , no line and restaurant was half full and stood at the front for 10 minutes until someone even acknowledged me and then it was another 5 minutes waiting to be checked in and seated. read more

Food and service was great. The owners are very involved and insured my wife and I had a good experience.

Strap in and listen to this... First and foremost... if you're snoody, have no respect for food and what it take to not only cook it but put forth the offset of timing an open menu to order.. go away. I've read reviews that seem like to reviewers had issue with things that didn't matter. Waiter was Dustin. Attentive to our needs. Excellent knowledge of the menu and off menu items. App: crab claws and shrimp. 8 out of 10. Complimentary corn soufflé 1000!!! Out of 10. Quail and Andouille consume' 9 out of 10. Entrees: 8oz filet with twice baked potato.. so amazing!!! 10 out of 10.. hands down! Entrees: main lobster with baked sweet potato 9 out of 10! Desserts: key lime pie and toffee and sea salt crepes .. OMG!!!! Blown away! Our experience was amazing!!! Met the chef, his wife and our great server, Dustin... absolutely wonderful !!!!!!! read more

This place is amazing! It was a special night out with my family and this place did not disappoint. We ordered appetizers, steak,fish and desserts- all 10 outta 10. Service was exceptional, too! read more

The Fat Chef - Seafood Near Me - Rogers, Arkansas

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