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The Sonflour Bakery Wins Best Pimento Cheese in Arkansas!

Big Orange, Capital Bar and Grill, Diane's Gourmet and Kent Walker Artisan Cheese in top five

Pimento cheese consists of shredded cheese, mayo, diced red pimentos and spices, and while universally loved throughout the South, it's roots are actually in New York in the late 19th century. During this time, packaged cream cheese and canned Spanish peppers where easily accessible and affordable – a new recipe was born. Soon after, a farmer from Georgia began growing pimento peppers on U.S. soil, eventually bringing "Southern Pate" to the South.

  • Julie's Sweet Shoppe & Bakery
    Conway

    Travelers passing through the town of Conway can stop in at Julie's Sweet Shoppe & Bakery for an assortment of sweet treats, as well as a savory pimento cheese made from an old family recipe and served on a buttery croissant.
    Photo courtesy of Julie's Sweet Shoppe & Bakery

  • Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe
    Harrison

    The pimento cheese sandwich, a signature item at Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe in Harrison, comes grilled with creamy and smokey house-made pimento cheese and bacon, served with fresh tomato on Neighbor's multigrain bread.
    Photo courtesy of Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe

  • Lost Forty Brewing
    Little Rock

    The pimento cheese at Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock gets a spicy kick from smoked jalapeños and is served with goat horn peppers, celery and cracker bread. This appetizer version of our Arkansas sandwich pairs perfectly with a Day Drinker Belgian Blonde.
    Photo courtesy of Lost Forty Brewing / Facebook

  • Boulevard Bread Company
    Little Rock

    Diners at Boulevard Bread Company can transform any sandwich on the menu into a pimento cheese sandwich with the addition of the creamy combination of cheddar and jack cheeses, pimento, house mayo, jalapeño and paprika.
    Photo courtesy of Boulevard Bread Company

  • Gina's Place
    Jonesboro

    Gina's Place in Jonesboro serves an extensive menu of hot and cold sandwiches, including a classic cold pimento cheese sandwich served with a pickle spear. Remember to save room for the pie!
    Photo courtesy of Gina's Place

  • Kent Walker Artisan Cheese
    Little Rock

    Kent Walker Artisan Cheese specializes in cheeses of all sorts, and at lunch time, the restaurant serves a comforting grilled cheese sandwich made from Melinda's Pimento Cheese.
    Photo courtesy of Kent Walker Artisan Cheese

  • Diane's Gourmet
    Little Rock

    Diane's pimento cheese salad is made fresh daily – a perfect ingredient for a DIY sandwich. For groups of six or more, Diane's also prepares box lunches with croissant sandwiches or wraps that can include pimento cheese.
    Photo courtesy of Diane's Gourmet

  • Capital Bar and Grill
    Little Rock

    The Capital Bar and Grill in Little Rock serves a stellar grilled pimento cheese sandwich at both lunch and dinner. The Chow Down Lunch comes with a half sandwich and soup or salad.
    Photo courtesy of Capital Bar and Grill

  • Big Orange
    Little Rock

    The pimento cheese at Big Orange in Little Rock is made from a blend of four cheeses, including a high-quality sharp cheddar, for a creamy texture. Three pepper varieties add a spicy kick. The Big Orange Spicy Pimento Cheese Burger features an all-beef patty, green tomato pickles and a dollop of pimento cheese.
    Photo courtesy of Big Orange

  • The Sonflour Bakery
    Dumas

    The folks at the Sonflour Bakery in Dumas make their pimento cheese from a mixture of Monterrey jack, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses with a signature blend of spices. The creamy cheese comes with lettuce on a croissant or spinach herb tortilla wrap.
    Photo courtesy of The Sonflour Bakery

Today, you're hard-pressed to find a restaurant menu without some version of this simple and addictive concoction. While it's great as an appetizer (evidenced by some of our nominees), it also makes for a killer sandwich or burger topper.

10Best and Sandwich America wanted to find the best pimento cheese (in sandwich form or on bread) in the state, and to do so, 10Best editors joined forces with local Arkansas food writers and The Food Channel to nominate 20 worthy restaurants across the state. For the past four weeks, our readers have been voting daily for their favorites. The results are in!

The top 10 winners in the category Best Pimento Cheese in Arkansas are as follows:

  1. The Sonflour Bakery - Dumas
  2. Big Orange - Little Rock
  3. Capital Bar and Grill - Little Rock
  4. Diane’s Gourmet - Little Rock
  5. Kent Walker Artisan Cheese - Little Rock
  6. Gina's Place - Jonesboro
  7. Boulevard Bread Company - Little Rock
  8. Lost Forty Brewing - Little Rock
  9. Neighbor's Mill Bakery & Cafe - Harrison
  10. Julie's Sweet Shoppe & Bakery - Conway

Congratulations to all these reader-favorite restaurants, delis and bakeries!

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AlertThe Experts

Jennifer Daskevich

Jennifer Daskevich

After winning the World Sandwich Championships, Jennifer took her love of America’s first and still favorite “hand held device” better known as the sandwich, and founded Sandwich America, America’s comprehensive sandwich driven meal occasion platform. Jennifer believes that “a sandwich is the only food genre that is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or a snack.” Jennifer has won numerous cooking competitions and is a restaurateur, wine sommelier, award winning food photographer, TV food personality with NBC Affiliate WFLA in Tampa and appeared on FYI’s original series World Food Championships. She looks forward to embarking on The Great American Sandwich Trail this summer. Socialize with Sandwich America on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Kay Logsdon

Kay Logsdon

Kay serves as Editor in Chief of The Food Channel, developing food-related stories, videos, recipes and more for the website and its distribution network. She speaks and consults on food trends, working with some of the biggest food brands in America. Her favorite thing to do is work with chefs across the country as they do menu development, since she gets to taste and critique the dishes.

Kat Robinson

Kat Robinson

Kat, the Little Rock-based food and travel writer behind Tie Dye Travels, has authored three books: Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State, Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley, and Classic Eateries of the Arkansas Delta. She's written for a wide range of publications, including Arkansas Living, Forbes Travel Guide, Serious Eats and Food Network Magazine.

Steve Shuler

Steve Shuler

Steve Shuler is a writer for Rock City Eats in Little Rock. A long-time foodie, Steve started his career as a news producer with FOX16 News. In addition to his work on Rock City Eats, Steve is the host of the Little Rock Foodcast, a podcast covering Little Rock food. He has also served as food writer for Sync Weekly. Steve and his family have lived in the Little Rock area for 10 years.