The Downtown Little Rock Partnership announced that the SoMa Outdoor Dining Room will reopen Friday night after shutting down for the winter. The SoMa Outdoor Dining Room is an entertainment district launched last year to increase business at local restaurants impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. It was approved by the Little Rock Board of Directors for 2021 on March 16. Friday night will kick off the season with live music from Buh Jones from 6:30-9 p.m.
Located at 1301 S. Main St., the SoMa Outdoor Dining Room is essentially a parking lot turned into a patio with tents, tables and chairs providing a space for people to enjoy take out and libations from restaurants in the neighborhood like Mockingbird Bar & Tacos, The Root Cafe, Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom, Community Bakery, Esters, Rock N Roll Sushi and South on Main.
Jack Sundell, owner of The Root Cafe and Mockingbird Bar & Tacos, put the project in motion last summer after hearing about the success of Tent City at Flyway Brewing in Argenta. Sundell said in a text message that the schedule starting out will be 5-9 p.m. Thu.-Sat. nights. The dining room will host trivia on Thursday nights from 7-9 p.m. starting April 8. There will be live music on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30-9 p.m. The dining room will remain open through the fall. It is not BYOB. Alcohol in the dining room must be purchased at participating restaurants, which provide official blue cups.
