Written by Emma Weber // Photo by Macy Cox
Kyle Dismang and his three partners opened their first location of 501 North Bar in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2017. Following that success, Dismang and his wife opened a new location called North AR Pop-Up, just off Market Avenue in Searcy.
This location had its soft opening Feb. 4 and is continuing to serve food with limited hours. Eventually the full menu will include alcohol and a more robust alternative menu for those with dietary restrictions.
North AR explained in a Feb. 5 Instagram post what a pop-up restaurant was.
“We have signed a lease for a year and may possibly renew next year,” the post said.
North AR has a creative menu that focuses primarily on gourmet burgers, sandwiches and wraps.
“You can’t get a fried pickle burger anywhere other than here,” Dismang said. “We try to feature something different and unique every week.”
This sentiment was also shared by associate professor of Bible Mac Sandlin, who visited the Searcy location of North AR.
“I’ve been a big fan of the North Little Rock location for a long time, and I’m excited to have access to it locally now,” Sandlin said. “Kyle Dismang, the owner, is a friend of mine. We grew up going to school and church together. He opened the NLR location several years ago, and I’ve loved it every time I’ve been. I think I’ve had most everything on the menu and never been disappointed. They know how to make quality food, present it in a fun and aesthetically pleasing fashion and find making something as common as a burger into a new experience without losing what makes burgers so popular in the first place.”
The new location has taken staff some time to get used to. Due to the limited space and seating capacity, Dismang and his team have run into some bumps. However, Dismang is confident these problems will be worked out as they continue to find their rhythm.
“Since it’s not the same capacity, we are focused on wrangling the chaos,” Dismang said. “We really like the small-town feel, and you can tell that everyone appreciates the work we are doing. We have a warm and welcome atmosphere, and we would love to see more of the younger crowd and eventually have Harding students work here.”
One of the advantages of the small space is the ability to focus on freshness. This freshness also allows Dismang to have an inclusive menu, which is a personal desire.
“Everything is cooked at the moment,” Dismang said. “My sister has celiac and she’s just fine with our gluten free buns. That was one of the original things behind North Bar. I have so many family members with different kinds of dietary issues and at one point, we had a four-page menu, a whole vegan page and a whole gluten-free page, but the pandemic kind of killed that. We still try to have something for everybody. Our slogan used to be ‘omnivores, carnivores and vegans, head North.’”
