We stopped in "Labor Day" evening. The place was packed with visitors. The wait was long but we were treated kindly by Christopher the manager and Dara the server. Christopher brought out a wonderful dessert as a thank you for being patient. The food was delicious and the server was great. While waiting to be seated we checked out their outdoor lake patio which was beautiful in the evening. Great place! We will be back. read more

Mixed drinks were ok but not great. Food on the other hand 10/10. Spice and flavor on the food was perfection.

If you're wanting to wait for 2 hours to get a meal, this is the place to dine! Waited an hour for appetizers, was served warm beer, and almost 2 hours for entrees. Pictured below is the 10 pc fried shrimp, onion rings (burnt!), and coleslaw (I have never seen coleslaw look this horrible before). Overall a disappointment of an experience and no transparency about this wait for food at all- despite it occurring all day according to the manager. Would have gladly taken my business anywhere else but unfortunately it was past 9 pm and most businesses are closed. The manager did take accountability and I hope this is a learning lesson for them and they do better in the future because this is unacceptable. read more

The Local - Coleslaw? - Sports Bars Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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The crawfish was overcooked, the pasta wasn't al dente, but the sauce was good. The nachos were some type of bread, and it was a soggy mess. You only get half a crab, and the steak was overcooked. Although the pasta plate portion was large, I didn't even eat it. I was offered a different pasta, but that too tasted the same as the other one; the alligator was overcooked, and the pasta wasn't al dente. The service was slow, even though there were barely any customers. Having worked in a restaurant for 9 years that sat 300 customers, I found it crazy that the service was so slow. The ambiance didn't feel like a seafood place. read more

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Nice place for sure. Food and drinks were great. Service was excellent! (Ask for Santana). Nice inside and outside for seating on the water. read more

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THE FOOD WAS AMAZINGGG, and I lovee the vibe and the service was amazing!! our server was Rachel and she was absolutely fabulous!! and she was so nice! i got the blackened catfish and a house salad it was soo good! i definitely recommend!! definitely will be coming back! read more

The Local - I got a house salad and the blackened catfish!! - Sports Bars Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Truly local spot right on Lake Hamilton where you can enjoy some fresh oysters and cold drinks. Full bar with a courteous and attentive bar keeper. Great experience! read more

We came to hot springs for the weekend. We asked a local where they like to eat. He told us to go to the local seafood and oyster bar. They didn't disappoint the ahi tuna meal was amazing and Kaylee was awesome. Great service. read more

My favorite is the fried lobster tail it's so good ! It's not on the main menu so be sure and ask for it .

We came and got told that we had to wait 20 minutes and it ended up being more than 35. The two hostesses were having a rude attitude and didn't even apologize for the extra wait time. The food was plain and not even warm. I barely ate anything in my plate. And had to wait forever for the waitress to come get my check. The ambience was okay but not worth of spending your money if you're going to have a bad experience with the servers. Will not be coming back or recommending this place to anybody. read more

Food came out quick but I felt like we were being rushed the entire time. We're from out of town and wanted a dinner on the lake so we decided to come here. The host's had an attitude as soon as we talked to both of them. Maybe it's because we came in an hour and a half before they close but still...then when walking to our seat I noticed there were many tables available. But considered the server rotation thing..so whatever. But then they sat us right next to this trash can which I immediately moved and their busser dude walking around tren'd out moved it right back, lol sad attempt at an intimidation factor. I'll just eat dinner with my fiancée next to a trash can two feet from my food then . Common sense isn't common anymore , neither is respect . came in smelling real nice dressed nice , they know, and rushed us to order as if the trash can seat wasn't a big enough hint of them not wanting us here . Sorry ahh spot to eat at , never in my life again , would not recommend to my friends, families, or enemies !! And that food was mid af read more

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Great food - loved them crab cakes. Great service - lovely staff. Great location - seated by the water. Watched the sunset. Glorious read more

The food takes time. We bought our 92-year-old and she was very patient on how long it took the food. There were several larger tables that were seated after us that were served before. Nice waiter who tried to accommodate us. On the water with beautiful views is why we stayed. Once we received the food it was fresh and hot. May or may not return. read more

3rd time here - so good! Tonight we had fried shrimp, fried mushrooms and oysters on the half shell! All were delicious! Everyone was friendly even with us coming in 45 min before closing. We have come to this spot over the years to different restaurants - but this is a winner!! Clean and fresh look! read more

Dinner there with family. The food was good. Service was excellent. Ambiance was very pleasant.

I got the Cajun Pasta with Alligator! It was a solid 10/10! I order Cajun Pasta anytime it's available and this was THE BEST one I've ever had, my wife got the frog legs and she said they are AMAZING! This place is top tier!!! Don't miss out! GEAUX!!!! read more

The Local - Sports Bars Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

We had a great time. It was beautiful out so we sat on the patio. The outdoor area is great ambiance. Everything we ordered food wise was good. I had a cucumber mojito and I wouldn't order that again. The oysters were fabulous as well as the shrimp and grits. The crawfish had a great seasoning (even for my husband who loves spicy). The waitress was attentive and had a great attitude. She was patient and appreciative when the kids ordered their own food. read more

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Absolutely amazing service and staff! When we come back to hot springs this will be the go to! Awesome place keep it up! Devan was also an amazing server thank you Devan! This place also has a dock for boats! read more

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Was looking forward to trying this place and took our family from out of town to lunch on Monday after the 4th. Very dissapointed in the service, our waitress did not seem excited to be there or to provide a warm friendly service. Food was just okay, the 3-piece catfish plate was nothing to impress and the coleslaw had no dressing whatsoever, it was literally finely sliced cabbage with no flavor/dressing...isn't coleslaw supposed to have a tangy crisp taste to balance out the fried catfish...? needless to say, we will not go back - overpriced and nothing special, would rather visit smaller establisments with friendly service and authentic flavors. read more

I stopped in by a hotel request to try this place out. I will say that the shrimp Po boy was very good and good sized shrimp. I sat at the bar and didn't have any issues read more

The Local - Sports Bars Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Went to The Local Seafood & Oyster Bar at The Landing today in Hot Springs. Best shrimp poboy I've had in ages. Tasted like one of those hole in the wall only the locals know about in Florida! Menu here looked great. Want to come back to try their Cajun pasta next. I met the owners and you can tell they love serving their community. read more

The Local - Fried shrimp poboy - Sports Bars Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Walked in and went up to the host stand where two hosts were working. I asked, "Hi, do you have any availability for five tonight?" One of them scoffed and replied, "Please, it'll be at least a two-hour wait." This is a new restaurant, and I would expect them to rely on friendly customer service, especially at the front door. The attitude alone was enough. We turned around, walked out, and will be taking our business elsewhere. read more

The food and service were incredible. We enjoyed being able to look at the water while still sitting inside read more

My family and I waited 45 minutes for a table and never got seated. We were originally told the wait would be 20 minutes.

Good food. Great service. And beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the lake. Everyone here from the owner to the staff is very friendly read more

The food was excellent and the service was very good. The view of the lake was a nice addition to the experience.

This is my kind of place! Located on Lake Hamilton. Indoor/outdoor dining. We had the 3 piece catfish and it was delicious 9/10

Server was awesome, very attentive. Hubby ordered the Atchafalaya catfish, he said close to what he gets in Lafayette or Baton Rogue. I ordered the burger with sautéed onions and mushrooms. Yummy! We also ordered the crawfish eggrolls... tasty and hot! Sides were house salad which was loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers and mixed leafy greens. The other sides fried okra and grilled zucchini and squash with Cajun seasoning. Overall served hot and seasoned just right! Will return. Didn't take pictures as I was hungry and started eating right away! Local did not disappoint! read more

We might try again months down the road when the new wears off. Wait time for a table was absolutely terrible. Our server walked past us several times after we were seated and took a really long time to come to our table. Our order took forever to come out and we received our appetizer long after our meal. Our meals came out at extremely different times...about 20 minutes apart. Needed refills the whole time. Our food was not worth the wait! The only nice thing was getting to sit out by the lake. I would give this place zero stars if I could! read more

Our group tried The Local after we had been to Ward's many times. We were hoping for the same excellent food and service. We were not disappointed! Everything ordered was terrific. Love the out door deck ! read more

Food was great, especially the crawfish chowder. Service at Chris's table was excellent. Atmosphere was energizing and loved being on the lake. read more

Awful wait both to be seated and to receive food. No explanations until we started to leave. No offer to comp our food or offer of an appetizer while we waited 50+ minutes to get our food. The manager told my husband that a cook did not show up, but many things could have been done that would have made this better. read more

Visited Oct. 10, 2025. Party of 6. We won't ever go back. The told us it'd be a 20 minute wait. Turned out to be 45 minutes. No explanation. No communication. No apology. Heard hostes tell one complaining guest waiting say, "well, it IS a Friday night, you know." Got in, patio outside was full. But inside was only half full, plus an entire room was dark and empty (except for tables and chairs). Why have us wait so long in the lobby with nothing to drink? Waitress was young, nice. But said "i've got to close out another table and will be right back." Took her 10 minutes. We ordered tea/water/etc and asked to go ahead and order our food since it had been nearly an hour since our arrival. She took our order. Took 50 minutes to be served. Again, no explanation, no communication, no apology, except by our waitress. Waitress said they were slammed because of a part of 15 on the patio. Having worked in a really nice, high end restaurant in high school I thought "Just 15? that's no big deal, why did it take so long." Overheard every other table inside complaining about the wait. Couple of folks from the patio bring their food back in to be heated up... it'd been served cold. Several tables of people just eventually walked out. We were talking about doing the same when they delivered one plate... just to me. Wrong order. Few minutes later my plate came back correted, along with one other plate. Five minutes later two more plates came. 5 minutes later another plate came out. Finally a couple of minutes later last plate came out. Food was okay, though some parts were cold. But it was nothing worth writing home about. Talked with mgr in private after we paid. She asked "how can I make it right?" That she didn't know what to do (like immediately offer to comp our dinner, or offer 50% off or something similar) confirmed to me that this place had BAD ownership and very weak/inexperience or uncaring management. I suspect she knew what she needed to do to make it right, but wanted me to ask for a refund or discount instead. Pathetic. Then she complained that she'd had one cook not show up for work. I don't care. If that was the real problem they should have told us up front so we could decide to wait or go elsewhere. Another sign of poor management. And her complaining about it to me, a guest, was another such sign. All night we saw a steady stream of wait stuff shuttling one or two plates at a time to guests. The idea of serving a full party/table of guests all at the same time apparently never dawned on them. Poorly managed kitchen process, obviously. Incapable of preparing more than 1 or two meals at a time, even with a fairly limited menu. I'd say they had a poor operating system for managing the kitchen and food delivery, but that implies they HAD a system. They appparently did not. With mediocre food they really needed a great atmosphere or dining experience. Neither was on display. This place won't be long for this world. read more

I will start with the good: our server was way more patient than she should have been. Apparently one of the cooks left and the restaurant was seating far too many parties than they could accommodate. We had reservations for 7pm as a 10 top, did not get food until 9:30 and our food did not come out all at once. It came out in 10 min increments, so by the time the first person was served and done eating, the last person was finally getting their food. The server was up front with us on the situation and continued to keep our drinks full. It would have been worth the wait if the food came out good, but unfortunately nobody at our table enjoyed the food. Most dishes lacked seasoning and were either overcooked or undercooked. We enjoyed 1 of the 5 appetizers our party was served, but the entrees were not good. The seafood boil had ZERO seasonings. It came out as boiled crab, boiled shrimp, boiled potato, boiled corn without a drop of seasoning, just butter and cocktail sauce on the side. I will state again, the servers and employees were kind, but this experience was the worst I've had in Hot Springs. read more