Popular Italian Restaurant Reopens in Fayetteville

Local proprietor Robert Lee had a good thing going at the 3301 S. Walton Blvd. home of his Spiedini Italian Grill. Business was good, and reader polls ranking Northwest Arkansas’ best Italian restaurants seemed to agree.

The bad news is the Bentonville location (which opened Feb. 14, 2008) closed July 31, 2009. The good news is that despite efforts to relocate elsewhere (including one-time plans to open in Fayetteville’s Underwood Plaza), Lee is busy making preparations to reopen Spiedini in the former home of Soul Restaurant & Lounge, which closed its doors last spring.

Lee came across the Signature Plaza locale at the corner of Joyce Blvd. and Arkansas 265 in early June, and said reaching an agreement with the property owners took all of three hours. Lee is confident his Italian menu will win new fans in Northwest Arkansas.

Lee hopes to have the 3,400 SF space ready for the public on or around Aug. 10.

Spiedini’s new home will soon make space for 125 guests, and include patio seating, and serve beer, wines and mixed drinks.

Catering/carry-out services will also be available.