Shorty Small’s

I can’t say too much about the service since my boyfriend and I were the only ones there (we came in like 20 – 30 minutes before closing). I was kinda bummed I couldn’t get a drink because the bar had closed already but it’s cool. The food was awesome! I had the blackened shrimp pasta and he had the country fried steak. They both were delicious! And it’s ridiculous how big the cheese sticks are!!!

I had to send my burger back twice because the meat was still raw on the inside, then my friend found a roach in her salad. Stay away from here.

Well the main issue with the smalls is that it is severely overpriced. $ 17 for some catfish is highway robbery. The cheaper items like $ 11 burgers and $ 13 sausage are bearable but a family of 4 has little chance of leaving this place not spending $ 60+. Food is fair. Service is fair. Atmosphere is C–

I love this restaurant! Absolutely love it. I have great memories eating here with my dad when I was a kid. I don’t know what happened to the Conway location when it closed which was great for me BC I lived in Conway as an adult but the L. R location is where it all started for me so I hope all is good there with management and all. Okay so putting the past behind let’s talk about the best cheese sticks in the country. If you like cheese sticks, kid or not, I would put up their cheese sticks against any restaurant in the country. Chicken strips, Ribs, and their giant sized chicken fried steak are tip top. If you can’t decide what you want to eat when you come to Shorty’s I promise you either one of those choices will put a clown style Bozo smile on your face. I prefer the cfs. Listen if you like BBQ this place has it. If you like southern style this place also has it. If you have a child that is picky as mine, this place has it. I promise you this place will not leave your gut unhappy. On two, ready set break!

Had a craving for a Monte Cristo this week and tried out Shorty Smalls. One word — YUCK! Greasy, sticky, ugly mess. I did figure out that they used a batter and no bread, but it did NOT work. The batter was not cooked until done, so I just picked out the ham. And it cost $ 12! Not coming back.

Food here is alright. The giant cheese sticks are pretty rad. But the best part of our visit was the service by Sydney. She was very attentive and super sweet. Thank you, Sydney for excellent service and putting up with my crazy family!

This bar service really isn’t that good. I actually went there twice this week. The first experience was pretty good. The draft beer special was great! The guy behind the bar was trying to do a good job. We ordered 2 racks of ribs. Biggest complaint was that one order of ribs was about half the size of the other. Also, the manager was a jerk to the waitstaff (a heavy set guy working the window). Customers can see and hear everything from the bar. Regardless, I was wanting to come back 2 nights later for catfish and the beer special. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good experience. This time there was a girl behind the bar. She actually looked at me several times and never greeted me. She was too busy doing other things. I sat there for about 10 minutes and decided to leave. I was there meeting a buddy for dinner. I felt bad because I suggested this spot. It’s really a shame because I hate to see places go down hill, but there are so many other choices. I’ve noticed that there are only a few locations left of this chain, this location could be next on the list of one’s to close. I probably will never go back.

Excellent ribs. Great draft specials. Only complaint is how rude the manager is to his staff. Several patrons looked on with concern as he culminated a toxic work environment.

This place is a mixed bag. Their potato soup is pretty dang good. The salad, is salad. Their sirloin is not bad if you make sure it’s not overcooked but the higher priced Strip Steak is a waste of time. I’d upvote them more as just a midline neighborhood pub if they had better social skills. They are a chain kitchen with Olive Garden type management. It’s a port in a storm, don’t expect much else.
P. S. Never sit in one of those sticky booths.

While I don’t like to complain on Christmas Eve, this place is half full and we where there for an hour and never got any food. The manager was rude to another patron so we decided not to complain to him. Several people also left without their food.

Whoever decorated Shorty Small’s seems partial to garage sales and flea markets. This place is more along the lines of a TGI Friday’s or a Chili’s rather than a true barbecue joint, but it seemed worth a shot nonetheless. The interior was dimly lit, covered in wood from floor to ceiling, and all in all a little divey. For some unknown reason, their menu is in the form of a newspaper. In terms of ambiance, the only saving grace was a small gameroom with a skill crane and Street Fighter.
There were several barbecue combos on the menu, but nothing beyond a two-​meater. I picked their Ribs and Brisket Combo. According to our waiter, the default «fixin’s» consist of coleslaw, beans, and fries. I politely requested loaded mashed potatoes instead of slaw and also asked for my sauce on the side. Potato salad would have been my first choice for a substitute, but it was nowhere on the menu. Oh well.
My combo ended up being an absolutely huge plate of food, the majority of which was non-​meat. The loaded mashed potatoes were quite good. They tasted like a baked potato for all intents and purposes. The baked beans were pretty basic and bland. The fries were of the standard frozen variety and not worthy of further description.
The brisket came sliced razor thin, with no bark or smoke ring to be found. I could taste only minimal smoke, but at least I could taste it. The brisket was decently tender, so I suppose that’s something. These slices weren’t exceptionally fatty, although they weren’t particularly thin either. I tried it with the sauce, which was way too thick and incredibly artificial, like bottled Sweet Baby Ray’s or KC Masterpiece.
As advertised, the rib meat was somewhat falling off the bone, but I was pleased to find a little remaining bone retention. The crust was decent enough, and there was a nice char as well. The meat was juicy enough, but it could have been a little more tender. Like the brisket, the ribs were only minimally smoky. I did, however, enjoy the slight sugary aftertaste from the glaze.
I’m sure the enormous portions are how they justify making this a $ 17.00 entrée, but I would rather have a smaller portion of better food. Shorty Small’s wasn’t world class barbecue, but it was somewhat better than I anticipated. On Tuesdays they have $ 5.00 off of ribs and $ 1.00 Pabst Blue Ribbon drafts, which I suppose might be worth coming back for.

I have been going to this restaurant for years for the ribs. I went in at lunch time today for the ribs. I ordered a half order with fries, baked beans and coleslaw. It was terrible. Ribs were burnt, very dry, not moist and tender. The waiter was also terrible. Once he got order he never came back to check on me. I kept looking around trying to find him. The waitress taking care of another table saw this and came and asked if I needed anything. I said yes. I needed a refill on my drink. Also waiter came up twice after that to see if he could get me a box to go. The 1^st time I said no; 2^nd time I said I was still eating. I mean once I ate the 4 small ribs, he wanted to rush me out. When I finally got the bill I was flabbergasted cause it was twice the price I was expecting. When I first came in he told me the red circled ones were the best buy, so I was expecting about $ 9 or $ 10. When I got the bill it was $ 19.50. If he had clearly explained I sure wouldn’t have ordered something for lunch for $ 20. I would have ordered something about $ 9 or $ 10.
Needless to say I will never go to this restaurant again, and will tell all my friends not to go there and in detail why.
I rate this one star or less.

Went on a Sunday evening seeking some fried catfish and was not disappointed with what we found. The catfish came out in tasty little strip accompanied with baked beans and cheese biscuits. Everything was very tasty but for the price one could have gone to red lobster. Overall a good place but would probably not return for $ 15 catfish.

Great experience overall. Quite a selection on the menu, and excellent service. Food came very promptly, and drinks were refilled frequently. Was fairly empty at 6, full at 7, then quieting down by 7:30. A little pricey for the size/​quantity, but not bad, and very tasty.
We got 2 pulled pork sandwiches, a pulled pork and rib combo, and the blackened catfish.
Pulled pork sandwiches were fairly small, but very good and tender, and not overly sauced. Sauce was somewhere between Memphis and Texas style, a little sweet with a very slight kick.
Pulled pork and rib combo was huge, with 1/3−½ rack of ribs, about 1.5−2 sandwiches worth of pork, and 4 sides. Ribs were super tender and juicy; meat fell right off the bone. Not a lot of sauce for the mound of pulled pork but can get more.
Blackened catfish was not blackened, but very nicely seasoned and a little spicy. Mostly pretty tender, though only a few parts falling apart really. Delicious and well-​balanced. Not very much fish though, especially for the price. Subbed the sides for veggie skewer, mushrooms, and grilled onions. The mushrooms were fantastic, with a bit of a roasty flavor. Onions were just okay, but tasty. Portions weren’t too big on those either. Veggie skewer was huge though, and the mushrooms on there in particular were phenomenal off the grill. Not cheap but very tasty and fairly healthy, especially for a BBQ place.
Got a piece of carrot cake for dessert, which was quite large, easily shared among 3. Less traditional, as it was covered in nuts, mostly pecans, and some bits of what seemed like walnuts, and then drizzled with caramel.
Would definitely return, and plenty more options on the menu to try.

Delicious delicious delicious!
My server was great. She attended to all my needs promptly! Her accent was cute! Everyone in Arkansas has an accent though so everyone is cute!
I ordered sweet tea and the 10oz sirloin with a salad, loaded mashed potatoes, and a cheese biscuit!
–sweet tea was great. It was sweet, just how it ought to be
–steak was medium, just like I ordered it!
–loaded taters were bomb! They had bacon, cheese, onion, and sour cream!
–My house salad was bomb! It had bacon, cucumber, onions, egg, croutons, and tomatoes
–cheese biscuits were soft and buttery nom nom!
Great place! I would definitely return!

Food is horrible. The guy who said the Chicken Fried Steak here is his benchmark. .is crazy. The steak has some weird seasoning… and the gravy tastes like cheese. The fries and coleslaw are ok… but they are not worth $ 14. The whole menu is over priced for crappy food.

Good food with choices that you can get a couple of meals out of. If you come a lot, consider getting the membership– cuts your prices in half!

My party of nine friends came in about 20 minutes from closing, and they welcomed us anyway. They never rushed us, provided great service, good food, good drinks, and never rushed us.
I had fried catfish, their pre-​prohibition beer, as well as an iced tea, and it was all very good. Our waiter, I can’t remember his name, was charming and on top of his game.
I can’t say how happy I was with the service, and if I’m ever in west Little Rock again, I’ll have no hesitation to revisit Shorty Smalls.

I do enjoy their food, though you have to be in the mood for some a bit less healthy. Service isn’t bad either

After a VERY trying couple of traveling days, this place was much needed and appreciated!
Everyone was super friendly and helpful.
The cheeses stacks are AWESOME! 3 of us had the WONDERFUL, FALL OFF the BONE ribs, 1 had the DELICIOUS baked cheese ziti and last but not least 1 had the WONDERFUL fried chicken and salad.
Everyone left stuffed and satisfied!
Would love to make it back, maybe we will!