The Purple Cow Restaurant (Chenal Parkway)
Little Rock, AR • ★ 4.3 (2259 Google reviews)
The Story
Stepping inside The Purple Cow felt like a cheerful skip back in time, all gleaming chrome and vibrant purple hues that instantly brightened the day. The air buzzed with happy chatter, a perfect backdrop for the clinking of glasses and the promise of classic diner delights. With a frosty, swirling shake in hand and a basket of crispy onion rings on the way, it was a little slice of sweet, retro Americana.
From the Counter
Recent Google reviews
brandy Williams
★ 5 • 5 months ago
From the moment we got there we had a great time. The hostess was inviting and gave clear direction. Our waitress was amazing. Can't say enough honestly. She was friendly, asked all the right questions, made us feel comfortable, attentive to refills and clearing, responded to requests positively, fast, all the things. The food was amazing! Everything! We had burgers, fries, salad, mac and cheese, a fruit bowl, cheese sticks, purple ice cream in a waffle cone, and God forgive me that I can not remember the name of that amazing coffee caramel cashew whip with a cherry on top. It was so good. On the way out I I asked if the had t-shirts for sale (I thought I heard they had). She was only short and told to me to ask one of them, pointing towards the bar area. The mood shift was uncomfortable. Otherwise we had a great time.
Brandon Ambrose
★ 4 • 4 months ago
Seemed to be understaffed in the front section. Our waitress was serving three parties of 8+, and four more tables of couples. The other wait staff seemed to be just as oversubscribed. We also didn’t know where to pay, at the table or at the register. The front hostess gave us the wrong answer and we had to wait several minutes to get our waitress. Food was good, nothing special but a solid burger and fries. Ranch was very good.
Tori Ross
★ 5 • 5 months ago
Cute diner that plays 50s music. They have a separate dessert menu that we didnt have given to us when we walked in, so ask for it. Otherwise, this is reasonably priced. We got the purple milkshake. They bring it to you in a glass plus the metal mixing container so you can add the rest to the glass when it runs out. I had the BLT. Daughter had a burger. Fries are thin cut about width of pencil.
William Lindsey
★ 4 • a year ago
Purple Cow is a reliable stop for us when we're out shopping and want a quick sandwich, hamburger, soup, or salad. I wouldn't call the food spectacular. It's not bad, either — just somewhere in-between My choice today was a chicken salad sandwich, which I found on the bland side, lacking the crunch of celery of good, old-fashioned chicken salad. The only really discernible seasoning in my chicken salad today was ground black pepper. My dining companion had a chili dog that he described as tasting stale, though the bite I tasted of it tasted fine. I liked that the chili had recognizable bits of tomato, pepper, and onion with a good strong cumin flavoring -- this in contrast to the dark glop most places serve over hot dogs, ground beef and flavored tomato-based chili sauce cooked together until it's thick and dark. Atmosphere: sort of a cross between a mid-20th-century diner and a hamburger joint. One of my pet peeves with many Arkansas restaurants, which got driven home to me all over again when we went to Purple Cow today: if restaurants have a greeter to welcome you and take you to a table, the greeter should ALWAYS be there when any customers walk through the door. If not, other staff in the place, many of whom always see a customer standing and waiting to be greeted and seated, should come up, welcome the customer, and say that the greeter will be there right away. Welcoming customers is so very important, and it's just not the strong suit of many restaurants in Little Rock, sad to say.
