The Hive at 21c

The food from the entree (entrance, i.e. appetizers) through the main course culminating with superb desserts provided our party of 4 an outstanding experience. Two of our party live in Switzerland and indicated the several 3 star restaurants in their area are comparable (except for perhaps a better view).

Food was not good at all. Service was great and the art is wonderful. But will never eat there again

Great food and service.

Service by Rhonda was stellar, by any measure. She is knowledgeable, personable and professional in every way.

Good food, ambiance, and wait service. Only disappointment was when I called to make reservation I’d asked if they’d provide a special dessert for my wife’s birthday. Didn’t happen.

Crafty cocktails and fantastic Southern food! Don't be fooled by the online menu. There is a reason this is the number one restaurant in the area. You will be pleasantly surprised by the food. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the squash was to die for!

The catfish at lunch was delighful...beautifully seasoned.

My daughter & I were in town for an exhibit at the museum and wanted to return to eat here again as we SO enjoyed the last time we ate there. The food was as good as remembered. The summer salad was a delightful blend which was a perfect way to start off. My daughter had the vegetarian pasta which was ok. Just lacked a pop of color and flavor. I had the chicken which was flavorful and tender with a blend of delicious flavors.
My complaint is with the lack of service. It took over 5 minutes for the server to come greet us and she did not offer us a cocktail, wine or beer. There were only 5 other couples in the whole place. When I asked to see the beer menu she said "it's right here". But said with a condescending tone and I don't know why. Service was very slow and I don't know why the other servers &/or manager did not pick up on it.
The water glasses were left empty and I was never offered a second beer. We had the chocolate & marshmallow dessert...good but not WOW.
This is a lovely place & it has a great vibe but for what we paid we did not get the service to go with it.

This was my second visit to the Hive. The first was two years ago. I so wanted to love the food based on the reviews...but was disappointed both times. The first time my husband got the burger and found the pimento cheese on top too strange, and I can verify that the burger was beet-red inside. He’s a rather traditional guy so it was very difficult for him to enjoy. This year I took a girlfriend visiting from Japan. I knew she was more adventurous. We started with the hummus which was good. That was followed by the cornbread and sorghum spread...I still don’t get it. The bread is dry and lackluster and the sorghum spread is just bland...honey butter would be so much better. It didn’t help that I had eaten the best cornbread ever made earlier in the day at Eleven at the Crystal Bridges museum.
We ordered two dishes to share- the curry panisse and the pasta with lemon, eggplant, and ricotta. The pasta was fine but I wish the eggplant was less mushy. The panisse was so soft and strange...similar consistency to a warm pudding. I love curry, and I also like vegetarian dishes...but I thought the curry was so subtle it was barely evident. The jell-like consistency of the pansies was very off-putting. The roasted chili peppers that came with it were the highlight. I will not be going back to the Hive...$70 with only one American beer on our tab (I had water) was too much for a meal that wasn’t more flavorful. I know I am taking a gamble by writing this review since everyone else has only raved about the food...but I am hoping I can give one more perspective that may help someone save their money and find somewhere else.

Great! The food was amazing! Hog chop with fried squash was our favorite! Yum!

The food was above average and certainly lived up to the reputation. Unfortunately, the experience was soured by poor service. While the individual server could have done better (don't throw others under the bus, it just makes you look bad) the overall front-of-house management left a great deal to be desired.
While I appreciate having drinks comp'd as an apology I would prefer the right experience at the right price. We ate at a number of venues in town and regrettably this is the only one getting a negative review.
Sad, because I really want to support a business that so clearly supports art.
Certainly not something that cannot be fixed with the right staff and training... but please, get that service up to the quality of the food.

The food is excellent, the service- top notch. They have the best pork chop I have ever experienced. We would make the 2 hour drive again just to go back to The Hive.

Great service from Ben, wonderful breakfast in a beautiful space.

A visit to The Hive is part of any elegant stopover in Bentonville.

Visiting Crystal Bridges, Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit and the Frank Lloyd Wright Bachman-Wilson house. Stayed at the delightful 21c Museum Hotel and wanted to try The Hive because of Chef Matthew McClure. The menu is creative, fresh and delicious. The prices are very reasonable especially in light of Chef McClure’s talent. Try it! You’ll be happy you did.

Loved it all and I was dining alone and didn’t mind at all!
Wait staff pleasant, service fine, food was delicious.
Plus a penguin for a dinner partner😊

Ate there twice on a visit to Bentonville. Both times were the food was spectacular. I wasn’t sure about purple hull peas with watermelon but it works.

Well worth going to see the art in the hotel if your in town to see crystal Bridges

Our waitress was Rhonda and she was amazing. She was the right combination of attentive and available without being overbearing. She recommended a wonderful wine, she knew the menu and was able to give us pointers. She even got her own personal cardigan for me to throw over my shoulders when I was feeling chilly. She obviously takes pride in and loves her job. She made the whole experience perfect.

Service was glacial. Appetizer came quickly, and dinner finally arrived about an hour later. The second drink order came even .after that. Then it took another 30 minutes to get the bill. The place away not crowded enough to justify that.
The other guests enjoyed their entree. My salmon was uninspired. Unseasoned fish on top of a dollop of bearnaise. .

The meal was delicious and our waiter, Jefferson, was delightful and very knowledgeable and concerned with my intolerance of gluten.

Had some issues with our food but service went to great lengths to rectify the situation. Would definitely go again. One thing tho at about 8.30 or so they turned the lights down so low we could barely see the food in the first place!

Prime rib very fatty. Salmon just ok. Okra delicious. Nice pork chops. Overpriced.

This restaurant really impressed me. The feel of this place is very elegant and friendly. The wine selection is phenomenal. The food was perfect. And they give you free cotton candy at the end!

The location is great for those who come to town not knowing anything about Bentonville, and will be visiting primarily or solely the Museum nearby. The local ingredient approach is good. However, the decor is hideous, does not lend dignity to the other art in the hotel's collection and certainly makes one wonder what will be seen at Crystal Bridges given it is a 'museum hotel' as advertised. This review is written based primarily on the evening meal we had there. We tried to have breakfast there the following morning but could not get the attention of the hostess nor a wait staff so we left.

The summer salad, campanelle and pecan pie were equally amazing. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience! We look forward to coming back to the Hive when we return to Bentonville. Thanks!

My mom and I were on a quick weekend trip to see Crystal Bridges and The Hive was recommended for dinner. The ambiance was fun, the food was delicious and our server was very helpful and knowledgeable. We had a great time and would return if/when we visit Bentonville again.

Great atmosphere - staff was extremely nice and friendly. Our dishes were perfect! This was a nice birthday celebration!!!!

Two words: shitake hummus. All of the food was outstanding and the cocktails were amazing too!

Overpriced for the quality of food you get

This place is too expensive to provide such lack luster service. Four of us had brunch. We had to call for a server 10 minutes after being seated and the place was not busy. It was as if the service staff was short handed. We had to hail the wait staff on five separate occasions to refill coffee, and other drinks. The food came out at four separate times such that those that had their food felt that they had to wait for the rest of us to be served before starting. All this without any apology or recognition that any thing was wrong. This is a classy place, but the value falls substantially short. Seems like a big investment for such ignorance or arrogance whichever applies as to how to please customers.

Lovely meal from service to the food presentation & taste.

The food was outstanding and we all enjoyed walking through the museum after dinner! Fantastic ambiance!

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at The Hive once we found it. We envisioned an old hotel, but it is far from that. In fact, it is a sleek contemporary space. Everything we had was delicious. Gazpatcho, pork chop, 25 minute egg.....all excellent. Our server was well informed and timely in his delivery. The penguins were an added attraction and we enjoyed watching a child be surprised by the large penguin which appeared to look over his shoulder. We were too full for dessert but enjoyed a pinch of the cotton candy which arrived with the check. If we lived in the area , we would be regulars here.

Loved the vibe and the cocktail list. The Hive burger was awesome.

Every single bite was delicious. We had excellent service too.

Overall, we had a great meal. The food was creative, seasonal, fresh and delicious. The wine list was good and the restauarant made a fantastic recommendation for a bottle to pair well with our food. The atmosphere is fun!

Nothing wrong with this restaurant, was just a little disappointed in the portion size of the food. I ordered a burger which was good(still pricey at $17) but we also ordered a dinner portion of the pasta that was listed in the appetizer section and I felt like they didn’t make it a dinner portion. We asked about it and they said it was the right dinner size, it took 3 bites...( ok they did mention we could ask for more if we are still hungry, but that besides the point)
Also, if it is a special occasion and I even write down that it is our anniversary, it might be good for a restaurant to at least acknowledge it. I don’t expect anything fancy, but if you want to do it right, then at least mention it, otherwise what is the point of the comment section when making a reservation.
The waiter was good. Just expected a little more.

I've dined at the Hive at 21C dozens of times. I've been a huge fan. Their food is fantastic, innovative, fresh, unique. James Beard award-contending type menu. Bar program might be the best craft cocktail program in the state of Arkansas, certainly in the NWA area. But on my last 3 visits, all have been within the past 3-4 months, the service has been excruciatingly slow. All parts. Waiting to get cocktails, waiting to get the order taking, waiting to get the first course. The last 2 visits we had to ask for cornbread.

They need a serious and immediate front of house training upgrade. They have the hard part down, the food is fantastic. The brand is established. Location is ideal. They just need to get someone expediting orders, and a true front of house operator that notices that cornbreads only hitting half the tables, that wine glasses are empty, etc.

We have always enjoyed eating at The Hive; but felt like we were getting rushed through our meal, and though the food was great, it wasn’t a $100/person experience. We will continue to eat at The Hive, but will choose other restaurants for special occasions at likely less than $100/person and a much better experience.