Way up in Johnson County where the Ozarks roll out beyond the horizon in every direction, where a clear water creek flows cool and unencumbered through the white oaks and hickories, and very near to where the pavement ends forever, there sits a quaint old store in the quaint little town of Oark.
“Old” is a relative term, but when it comes to Arkansas businesses, the Oark General Store is the baseline for old. It’s been here and open for business ever since 1890, making it the oldest continually-operated store in Arkansas.
You wouldn’t expect to find much to nibble on in such a store, seemingly stuck in another century. Maybe a cold Coke and a Snickers bar. But there’s food aplenty here. And it’s worth the drive.
We planned our trip expecting to nosh on one of the Oark General Store’s famous burgers and follow it up with pie. But due to circumstances beyond our control (the fish weren’t biting on the Mulberry River, which made our hunger pangs unbearable), we couldn’t wait and decided to try breakfast.
It was a good decision.
You can’t go wrong with ham and eggs, and the Oark General Store does them right. Eggs cooked how you like them and a huge pink slab of ham steak accompanied by biscuits big as a cat’s head, white gravy, and delicious coffee. We left the store satisfied, full, and ready for a return trip in the near future to sample the burgers and pie.
Timeless breakfast in a timeless place
