In the small town of Emerson, dining options are a rarity, so I'm glad I finally tried and thoroughly enjoyed The Smokin' Bull. While passing through, I stopped in to grab a to-go lunch. The place was as pretty calm and quiet, but it was a weekday lunch. It had a relaxed vibe, but I can imagine it being the exact opposite in the evening. The restaurant itself is spacious, and there's a fully loaded bar in the back will lift your spirits if that's what you're into, I kept things simple and ordered a burger with onion rings. The tall guy who took my order was as friendly as they come. I couldn't finish my burger, but every bite was excellent. The Smokin' Bull is definitely on my "return-to" list. read more

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The service was friendly, the food delicious, and the cozy atmosphere of the porch under the heaters was perfect! I had a great birthday dinner! read more

Passing through. Our group all got something different. The food was really good, and the service came with a smile! Excellent down home comfort food. I had the chicken fried chicken (pictured). The chicken was battered well and juicy, the side of mashed potatoes was just a small scoop, like a 1/2 cup scoop size, and only 5 onion rings - so not quite proportioned to the entree and price, in my opinion. Still very tasty. Another at our table had the hot springs chicken - super flavorful!!! Seriously. Quite delicious. They have a nice drink menu. However, in my opinion they were overpriced for a casual restaurant. We are from a city where you can get a house margarita for $6-$8 but the drinks are about 30-40% higher here than what we are used to. All in all, we will surely stop here again when passing through. The food, atmosphere and staff really are GREAT!! It's pricey, but definitely tasty. read more

The Smokin' Bull - Appetizers 2025 - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

There food is very flavorful and there service is excellent Always prepared in a timely manner

We arrived just after opening at 1100. Sat right down and ordered within 5 min. The wife had Chicken Fried Steak and I had the Filet Mignon. For an appetizer we ordered the Jalapeño Straws and they were delicious! My steak was cooked perfect. The only thing we could find to fault were her mashed potatoes, they could have been warmer. The restrooms were very clean and had everything necessary. read more

The Smokin' Bull - Looking at entrance from our table. - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

Good food. We had the Pork Chop and Ribeye steak both were flavorful and tender enough to cut with butter knife. Also has onion rings which were perfect with onion and batter. Service was great. We did not order but next time think I trying the Chicken Fried Steak, it looked large and several individuals that had it I spoke with said it is great. read more

Had lunch here passing through. Found on yelp but wasn't sure as there were no recent reviews. Hot here and I guess it's a pretty popular place since I think it's the only place to eat in town! We both had the chicken bacon cheese ranch wrap. Well, maybe I didn't read the menu well as the "wrap" was actually 2 big slices of Texas toast and the whole thing was huge. Definitely something to eat with a fork & knife. Might could have shared 1. The chicken was over breaded so I just peeled off most of the crust so it turned out ok if I had realized I would probably just ordered the chicken by itself as neither my husband nor I ate the bread. Sweet tea was good. Wait staff nice. Clean bathrooms. Rustic farm house decor read more

This place is incredible! Locally owned and run by the family. They always make you feel welcome. Lunch today was a chicken fried steak that would barely fit on the plate and a BLT (not on the menu). Both incredibly good! This place also has a Bull Burger ranked in the top 10 burgers in Arkansas! read more

The Smokin' Bull - BLT and Onion Rings - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

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Good service and you'll leave full for sure! Join the waitlist on Yelp for faster seating. It's a small business and it's pretty popular so the wait may be a little long. read more

The Smokin' Bull - Mami Rita - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

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Delicious CFS and crawfish pasta among the many delicious dishes - yummy onion rings! Great service! A variety of seating options inside and outside! read more

It's all good! The food is tasty and served with generous portions. The service is decent. I noticed several high school aged girls working, so they are learning and I was with a party of over 10 people on both occasions that I was there in a span of 6 days. There were 2 much larger parties there on both days also; an adult's birthday and an end of year school staff party. Adult beverages are available with a full bar. Varied menu, including child menu. Gigantic burgers and homemade onion rings. Steaks perfectly cooked to perfection. Covered outside seating available with overhead fans. Cool a/c inside. Stage for a band outside. There's been a band there at different times that I have been present over the years. Interesting decor throughout establishment. Lunch menu. Good for kids; been there several times with some in the party. I really enjoy it when the kids are at the far end of the table from me! I have never heard anything negative about the food, the service, or the atmosphere. A very small town (population under 400) tucked away in very southern Arkansas. Hopefully, the Smoking Bull will be around many more years; hoping it doesn't get "discovered" by Hollywood crowd (Wink) Hollywood, Arkansas, folks are welcome! read more

This place is a rare find, and a must do if you're in El Dorado or Magnolia, or northern Louisiana for that matter. Food is top-notch service is excellent and the bar is well stocked. Good brands. The portions are to die for, and I highly recommend the ribeye, the cat, fish or seafood platter, read more

Great place with great food! The banging shrimp and the onion rings are the bomb! The bull burger is fantastic. Everything everyone else ordered looked just as good. Service was great! Can't wait for the next time I'm in Emerson, to visit this place again. read more

Delicious, fresh food with large portions. The service was exceptional with a real small town welcome feel. We enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner and had a chance to explore the unique atmosphere. Hoping to be back to enjoy a weekend evening there as we are confident it'll be fun. read more

Friendly staff. The owner even came to greet us. The steak was delicious. Very well prepared. The loaded mashed potatoes were very good. The price was about average compared to franchise restaurants, $86 for 3- 12oz Ribeyes with 2 sides and drinks. Definitely worth going back. read more

The Smokin' Bull - plate of food and a knife - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

Best onion rings on planet I've begged for recipe no luck so I drive 170 miles to get my fix lol

Head of house floor manager is the sweetest! He always takes care of us when we come there! Amazing food and great service!

I was very very impressed with the crowd and environment for such a hole in the wall restaurant! The wait wasn't too bad and the food was excellent! read more

The Smokin' Bull - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

There were 6 of us that went. Out of the four appetizers we got, (fried jalapeño straws, mushrooms (which I love mushrooms, theses were meh, i only ate 1 of each appetizer), cheese curds, & boudin egg rolls), the boudin egg rolls were the best appetizer. My husband had the fried fish, it was about 5 tiny pieces & nothing to write home about, it was fried fish, kinda bland, I tried it too. I had the crawfish & sausage pasta, I don't like sausage so I was giving those pieces to my husband, it was literally 1 small round cut in half, that is all that was in the pasta. The waitress assured me that I would not be disappointed, that it was full of crawfish tails, we obviously have different opinions of full of something, it may have been 1 or 2, maybe, table spoons, maybe that, it would've been better with a white garlic wine cream sauce instead of the orangy cheesy stuff....again, if you are expecting a crawfish pasta, you'll be disappointed. One of the couples go often & got their usual, sandwiches & were satisfied, the other couple were for the most part so so satisfied with what they got. I wish I would've taken a picture of my pasta. I may try it again if someone else wants to, otherwise I won't choose to make a little over an hour drive for it. read more

Very disappointed! Last night had the filet mignon, it was SO over cooked- dry and tasteless! The broccoli was so salty could not eat it. My husbands red snapper was awful, covered with oregano. Nasty! read more

Me and my wife went here for dinner tonight after hearing great things from our friends about this place. Upon arrival we were told that it would be at least an hour of a wait time which we were fine with because we did not call ahead and make a reservation, so we go to the bar to get drinks while we wait. I order a makers mark bourbon, which is very common and they are out of it so I get something else and my wife orders one of their drink specials, which was terrible. We finally get seated, and our waitress never ask for our drink order, so after I tell her that we would both like a water she finally brings them after about 30 minutes, but only shows up with one styrofoam cup. She sat it down and walks off. She comes back through another 15 minutes or so later and I ask her if we can go ahead and order an appetizer she says yes and i tell her that we want the fried pickles she says we are out of those I said OK we would like the fried mushrooms she says they're out of those also, finally we decide on the boom boom shrimp. We wait another 15 or 20 minutes and we still haven't gotten our appetizer. She comes back through and I tell her that I would like to go ahead and place the order for our entrées. She says OK no problem so we begin to order my wife gets the pasta and they are out of it, I said I would like the ribeye and they were out of those also. At this point, we are both aggravated to no end and just get up and leave. We drove over an hour to come here and it was a terrible experience. We will not be back. read more

Have only been here once for a work function but it was a wonderful experience! Had the famous Bull Burger and oh my gosh it was so good! And the burger was huge! Literally could only finish half of it! Definitely would recommend and service was pretty quick as well considering we had around 10 guests in our party. read more

The Smokin' Bull - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

I am highly impressed with this place. The staff and food were superb. Although a lot of people were eating, there was plenty of room and the atmosphere was great. We had steak and grilled shrimp and both were cooked to perfection. The huge homemade onion rings and the dipping sauce were delicious. All of the food came out of the kitchen promptly and hot. There is an outdoor dining patio as well. We have absolutely nothing but good things to say and I highly recommend it. We drove an hour to get here and it's definitely worth the drive! I thought for a minute not to let the secret out about this place but it wouldnt be fair to deprive other people :) read more

Great food, organization is lacking, Hostess sent notice that our table was ready and it wasn't. Had to wait longer.

This is our favorite place to eat. Everything is delicious. My wife and I go atleast once a week. Sometimes more. Great food, even better friends. Love the owners and all the employees. Yep we know them all by name. On Wednsday nights usually have own pub table. We always leave full, happy and anticipating our next visit. And always somebody there we know. read more

The food was very good and juicy. The staff was friendly. Although a little pricey but well worth it. Will come back.

My husband said the chicken fried steak was very good. I had the fried oysters they really was fried to hard and no taste. The only thing I wished was the sides to be added in the meal. The prices was a little off. The seats were hard and the cushions didn't really help. Everyone that worked there was exceptionally nice. All and all if you want to pay more then what you get go there. read more

Steaks were delicious and so were the sides. This little place is tucked away in a small town and obviously everyone there knows how good it is because it was packed. Our server was very friendly, service was prompt and our group was all satisfied with their food. read more

No high chair had to use a booster and the wait was a little long but other than that amazing food

First of all I'd like to say I'm on the road and out of town a lot, so I eat at many different restaurants. That being said, this establishment is absolutely fantastic. You walk up to the front door and it immediately has a homestyle feel to it. Walk in and you'll hear the music playing and a lot of friendly faces. The waitress instantly took our drink order and asked about appetizers, to which we ordered fried mushrooms. Delicious and fresh. I got the Bull Burger, and honestly their Bull Jam is to die for. The burger was cooked perfectly, and they also give a choice of cheese and bun style. All around an amazing experience, and the owner of this fine restaurant was extremely polite and friendly. If I could give it 10 stars I would. read more

We live in Emerson and have been meaning to go to The Smoking Bull, finally did and I'm glad we did...! Had the Rib-eye and it was excellent...! Will be back in a couple days for another...! read more

While serving great food, the waitress may over charge when you are in a group. They don't expect you to catch the upcharge.

Hands down, one of the best steaks I've ever eaten. It was cooked to perfection, medium rare, full of flavor. Their rolls that were brought out were delicious, a sweet taste. Also had an order of their fried mushrooms. They were basted in house with their own special seasonings. I was expecting 6 to 8 to be in the order. I was wrong. There were probably 20 in the order. Paired with their in house bill sauce, oh my! Got to try them if your a mushroom fan. The service was spectacular. Our drinks never ran dry, even though they were busy. We were checked on regular. Everyone was very polite. The atmosphere was great as well. You can tell the owners take pride in the appearance and cleanliness of their restaurant. It is a little pricy, however. We had 2 steak dinners, loaded baked potatoes with loaded salads and a order of fried mushrooms. The total was $94. But I will definitely be going back. read more

This was or 2nd trip to The Smokin Bull. This time I tried the rib eye. It was very good. They were very busy so we did have to wait. But we weren't ignored. The bread that came first was super light and fluffy very delicious! My husband got a salad and so did our friends and they all commented on how small the portion was. We each had a rib eye steak. They were very well seasoned and cooked the way we each ordered. The plates were a little hard to manage with the huge size and the raised rim of the plates. This made cutting the steak a little challenging. I ordered steamed veggies. They were very mushy and dull. Truly steamed veggies should be bright and slightly crisp. So I would skip them. They serve beer and wine I think. No liquor because of their city ordinance. It is a casual atmosphere. You may want to wait until about 6:30 pm after the early birds are gone. Definitely worth a try. Especially for the area good steaks are hard to find. read more

Party of 3 at about 5 pm on a Saturday. Service to our table was really good. Reasonable amount of time. Our server filled our drinks without asking, which I prefer. We had onion rings appetizer that arrived less than 10 min after ordered (hot!!). Entrees arrived about 25 min after ordering. Our table had a burger/fries, grilled chicken with potatoes and seasoned grilled veggies, and steak/shrimp with salad and fries. Shrimp was not ready when rest was so thet brought it out hot and shrimp arrived a couple minutes later. I appreciate that. Prices are reasonable for the type of place: this is not fast food. It had been awhile since we had visited and we will ve back again soon. Very friendly staff. read more

The Smokin' Bull - Onion Rings (good value for $8) Handmade in the kitchen. Good sweet onions - Seafood Near Me - Emerson, Arkansas

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Me & my family drive 1 hour, 1 way, to eat at this restaurant. 6 months ago, service & food were both impeccable (5 stars). The last two visits have been terrible experiences. The menu has now changed & when you order an entree, it doesn't even include a side. I don't know of any single steakhouse that doesn't include 1 side & a salad with a steak purchase. With the new menu, you pay $25 for the smallest steak then have to add a sides & salad, each for additional cost. Loaded baked potato is $3.50 & skipped the salad due to price. Steak was overcooked but baked potato was good. In my opinion, this became a popular restaurant based of quality of food & service but now greed has taken over & caused this restaurant to go straight downhill. Don't waste your money here. read more

I was really impressed. For starters I ordered fried mushrooms. I enjoyed my mushrooms so much, along with the rolls, that by the time I got my hamburger/fries, I couldn't eat it all. I was already full with the mushrooms, rolls, & tea. Next time I'll just order an appetizer. Now I know why they stay so busy. read more

Decent food but they take way to long to bring it to you. Friendly staff. Popular place probably because there is nothing else nearby. Would be even better if they served faster read more

I have to say this is a must go place ......great food, reasonable prices...shrimp and grits are the bomb..the sauce is what makes the dish....chicken fried steak was tender and perfectly cooked....get the onion rings....the only down fall is the fries they were just avg. this place has only been open 8 months and has had growing pains as do all new places....the staff is great, friendly and service is good....we only waited 20 mins for a table.....they have a patio so spring should great there....... read more