After leaving Devil’s Den State Park, we continued meandering our way back east through the southern Ozark Mountains. I could write a whole post on how beautiful that drive was, because the interstate simply floats on top of the emerald green trees as you cross from ridge to ridge over the gorgeous valleys, but we were hungry and food was calling. We drove for some time before we stumbled upon a promising little restaurant called “Let’s Eat,” in the town of Alma, Arkansas. We were pleasantly surprised because…pie.

Before I get into the food, I have to explain our mindset as we rolled out of the mountains into Alma. Our stay at Devil’s Den State Park was both mentally and physically refreshing, and we needed it after spending days in the rain. But we had still travelled well over 1000 action-packed miles in a week, and the majority of those nights were spent in a tent. A place like “Let’s Eat” that had some good coffee and simple, genuine food was a welcome sight!

Between the five of us, we ordered a variety of the food that “Let’s Eat” offers. Specifically, we dove into their Frito Pie, patty melt, potato casserole, and baked beans, all of which were incredibly tasty despite their humble appearance. We were all starving, and we went the community route where everyone just sort of grabbed a bit of everything. The general consensus was that the potato casserole was overall the best plate on the table, but that Frito Pie was a solid contender. One thing we found rather interesting were the slight nuances that each food had; these were all very common meals but each one was distinct in its own way. The patty melt was wonderful, and I’m not sure if they use a special type of Swiss cheese for their version, but it added a tasty little addition that most patty melts don’t have. The baked beans were just delicious, and the Frito Pie speaks for itself.

Then, a wonderful thing happened. About halfway through the meal our waitress came over and told us that any of their pies came free with each meal. This was a game changer. We didn’t have room for pie, (well, the kids did) but…it was pie! WE’RE GONNA MAKE ROOM! So, after a long and arduous decision-making process, we ended up with something like two Hershey pies, a pecan pie, and three other types of pie on the table in front of us. With a fresh cup of coffee there, too, I was set. The pie was quickly devoured since, y’know, children have unlimited stomach capacity when sweets are involved, and it was just amazing.

“Let’s Eat” was an unexpected, awesome little restaurant in one of the most unassuming towns of our entire road trip. It had just the inviting atmosphere and tasty food you want when you’re looking for a no-frills, all-about-the-food experience, especially when you’ve been living on the road for a week. I’m not sure if life will ever take us back through Alma again, though our experience in Devil’s Den will most certainly bring us close, but if we do then “Let’s Eat” is going to be on the menu. Because pie.