The Hive
downtown, Bentonville
Bar in Bentonville, United States
Book with PearlWhy go
The Hive is a walkable downtown Bentonville option with easy booking and no reservation pressure. Confirmed pricing and menu details aren't yet in Pearl's database, so verify hours and current offerings before you visit. For cocktail-focused alternatives nearby, Bar Cleeta and Sunny's are the most direct comparisons.
About The Hive
The Hive, Bentonville: Verdict
The Hive sits at 200 NE A St in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas; a city that has grown faster than most people outside the region realize, partly off the back of the Crystal Bridges Museum and a cycling and outdoor culture that draws serious visitors. Because pricing, hours, cuisine type, awards data are not currently in Pearl's database the honest framing here is: The Hive is worth putting on your list, but do your own confirmation on current hours and menu before you show up. What Pearl can tell you is where it fits in the Bentonville landscape and whether the trip is likely to pay off for a first-timer.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
Bentonville's downtown dining scene has evolved quickly over the last few years. The city's walkable core around the square and the streets radiating off it now holds a genuine mix of coffee spots, taco counters, cocktail bars, full-service restaurants; none of which require a car if you're staying centrally. The Hive's address on NE A St puts it in that walkable zone, which matters when you're deciding whether to build an evening around it or treat it as a stop on a longer crawl.
For a first-timer, the practical question is always: what's the commitment? Without confirmed price data in Pearl's system, the safest move is to check the venue's current menu directly before booking. That said, Bentonville's mid-range bar and dining options generally land between $12 and $20 per round for cocktails and a similar band for food plates, The Hive is unlikely to be an outlier in either direction. If price-per-round value is your deciding factor, the comparison section below gives you sharper context.
Booking and Logistics
Booking difficulty for The Hive is rated Easy, which means walk-ins are a realistic option most nights. Bentonville doesn't have the reservation pressure of a major metro, unless you're visiting during a Crystal Bridges event weekend or a large cycling race, you should be able to arrive without a booking and find a seat. If you're visiting on a weekend with a group larger than four, a quick call or check of the venue's current contact details is still worth doing, not because tables are hard to get, but because you'll want to confirm hours haven't shifted.
How The Hive Compares
Bentonville's bar and casual dining scene gives you real choices at different price points and atmospheres. Here's a quick comparison for first-timers deciding where to spend their evening:
| Venue | Leading For | Booking Difficulty | Price Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hive | Downtown convenience, casual visit | Easy | Not confirmed |
| Airship Coffee at the Pumphouse | Daytime coffee, low-key stop | Easy | Café pricing |
| Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. | Affordable plates, casual groups | Easy | Budget-friendly |
| Bar Cleeta | Cocktail-focused evening | Moderate | Mid-range |
| Sunny's | Neighborhood bar feel | Easy | Mid-range |
FAQs: The Hive, Bentonville
- Does The Hive have outdoor seating? Pearl's current database doesn't confirm outdoor seating at The Hive. Given its location at 200 NE A St in downtown Bentonville, a walkable, street-level area, outdoor or patio seating is plausible, but check directly with the venue before making it a deciding factor. Bentonville's spring and fall evenings are good enough that outdoor seating matters, so it's worth a quick confirmation call if that's important to your visit.
- Does The Hive have happy hour deals? Happy hour specifics are not in Pearl's database. In Bentonville's bar scene, happy hour pricing is common across most mid-range spots, typically running between 4 PM and 6 PM on weekdays. Whether The Hive runs a formal program is something to verify on their current menu or social channels before planning your visit around it. If value-per-round during early evening hours is your priority, Sunny's and Bar Cleeta are confirmed alternatives worth checking.
Pearl Picks: More in Bentonville
- Our full Bentonville restaurants guide
- Our full Bentonville bars guide
- Our full Bentonville hotels guide
- Our full Bentonville wineries guide
- Our full Bentonville experiences guide
Looking Beyond Bentonville?
If you're benchmarking Bentonville's bar quality against bars you've visited elsewhere, here are three Pearl-tracked bars that set a useful reference point for cocktail programs in the southern US: Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, Jewel of the South in New Orleans, and Julep in Houston. These give you a sense of what strong regional cocktail bars look like at their leading, useful context when deciding how much to spend per round on a given night in Bentonville.
Planning details
- Location
- 200 NE A St, Bentonville, AR 72712
- Reservations
- Book on OpenTable
- Website
- thehivebentonville.com/menu
- Phone
- +1 479 286 6575
The take
The Take
The Vibe
The Hive presents a measured, locally grounded bar program that sits comfortably inside Bentonville’s more grown-up nightlife. It favors thoughtful, regionally informed cocktails over technical maximalism, and the writing frames the place as an outgrowth of the city’s creative and business community. The tone is sophisticated without being fussy — a modern neighborhood bar that cultivates a relaxed, charming presence rooted in Ozark ingredients and local spirits. Patrons expect polished service and drinks that reflect regional producers, making The Hive feel like a deliberate, community-minded outpost rather than a trend-chasing experiment.
Best For
The Hive works best for after-work drinks and late-night outings for people who care about provenance and craft. It occupies a downtown spot that appeals to creative professionals, collectors, and visiting executives, so it’s a natural stop for post-shift cocktails or a more considered evening in town. The space reads as a place to linger with a well-made drink rather than a loud, late-night club; its strength is in thoughtful, locally sourced cocktails that reward patrons who appreciate regional spirits and foraged ingredients.
Ordering Tips
Order with the local sourcing story in mind: the venue emphasizes Arkansas craft spirits, local grain, and foraged ingredients, so ask the bartender what regional producers are featured that night. The description cautions that this bar isn’t chasing technical maximalism, so favor classics or house riffs that highlight single-origin spirits and seasonal elements. If you’re unsure, ask for a concise, ingredient-forward cocktail that showcases a local distillate or foraged component — you’re likely to get a drink that’s distinct to the region rather than a generic template.
Planning details
Location
200 NE A St, Bentonville, AR 72712 · Directions
Also consider
Also Consider
- Airship Coffee at the Pumphouse; Notable alternative
- Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co.; Notable alternative
- Bar Cleeta; Notable alternative
- Sunny's; Notable alternative
- The Big Lieutenant; Notable alternative
Bar context
For a first-timer deciding where to spend an evening in Bentonville, the choice between The Hive and its downtown peers comes down to what you're optimizing for. If you want a dedicated cocktail experience with a more polished bar program, Bar Cleeta is the more focused option and worth booking ahead on weekends. If you want something lower-commitment and neighbourhood-casual, Sunny's is the easier walk-in call.
For value per round, Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. wins on food spend; plates stay budget-friendly and the format suits groups who want to eat rather than drink their way through an evening. Airship Coffee at the Pumphouse is the right call if you're meeting someone mid-afternoon or want a daytime stop rather than an evening outing. The Hive's downtown address makes it a convenient anchor for an early evening, especially if you're already on foot in the NE A St area, but until Pearl's pricing data is confirmed, it's harder to make a strong cost-per-round case for it over Bar Cleeta or Sunny's on an apples-to-apples basis.
Bottom line: if you're planning one focused cocktail stop, book Bar Cleeta. If you want the most flexible, no-pressure evening with the option to eat affordably, combine Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. with a drink at Sunny's. The Hive works well as part of a wider downtown crawl, but it isn't yet the obvious first choice on Pearl's current data.
Explore Bentonville
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full The Hive guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare The Hive
| Venue | Awards |
|---|---|
| The Hive | No published awards |
| Airship Coffee at the Pumphouse | No published awards |
| Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. | No published awards |
| Bar Cleeta | No published awards |
| Sunny's | No published awards |
| The Big Lieutenant | No published awards |
Comparing your options in Bentonville for this tier.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Hive have happy hour deals?
Happy hour specifics for The Hive aren't confirmed in the venue record. With booking difficulty rated Easy and walk-ins realistic most nights, early-evening visits are low-risk even without a confirmed deal structure. If happy hour pricing is a priority, call ahead; Bentonville bars at this end of the market typically run promotions mid-week.
Where is The Hive located?
The Hive is located in Bentonville, at 200 NE A St, Bentonville, AR 72712.
