Boar’s Nest Sports Bar Is Favorite Hangout

Fresh, mouth-watering food, sports and live entertainment keep customers coming

With many dozens of sports bars available in Northwest Arkansas where you can grab a beer and wings and watch the game with your friends, why make Boar’s Nest in Rogers your favorite sports bar destination?

Well, that’s a no-brainer. Boar’s Nest outscores the others because when owners John and Heather Hudec moved to the area from Texas, they vowed their restaurant would be the best sports bar in town. Besides great food like Kickin’ Chicken Wings, Fried Gator Tail Bites and the newest addition, fresh-fried pork rinds, customer experience is front and center.

As John put it, “We try to make everything comfortable for our guests. We’re family friendly and very interactive. We have a great staff that likes to take care of people. I treat my staff like I treat my family.” Unlike many sports bars that crank out frozen food and zap it in the microwave, John says “90 percent of everything is fresh. We make it ourselves.”

Sixteen flat-screen TVs bring home the games, and customers can change channels as they like. Other ways to play at Boar’s Nest are to enjoy dueling pianos every other Friday night, live bands every Saturday night and a weekly dart tournament on Sundays. “We have three metal-tipped dart boards—we’re the only place north of Springdale that does—and we have a dart league that we’re part of.”

Well over half of the customers are regulars, “and we have a lot that are here six days a week. From about 3 to 7:00, middle-aged groups come in. From 7 to 9:30, a younger crowd comes. And then from 10:30 until 1:30 a.m., the really young crowd is here.”

John said the dining area seats 180 people, and he has 16 full staff to keep everybody happy. That means serving up yummy food from a menu that keeps them coming. John’s vision when he opened two years ago was to be a sports bar, “but we’re gonna have the best sports bar food in town. That’s just the way we’re doing it.” The daily Blue Plate special is not only delicious, but cost-friendly too. For around $7.99 you can get Smoked Meatloaf, Chicken-fried Steak, Pot Roast and Shepherd’s Pie. Scrumptious hand-pattied beef burgers can be topped with Texas-inspired three-bean chili, fresh bacon or an egg. The Rosco Burger is a 1/3-pound patty caramelized in a tangy, homemade barbecue sauce and topped with pulled pork, onion rings and queso. Veggie and turkey burgers are available too. Kids eat for free with a paying adult. “We’re bringing out a new menu the first part of March,” John noted.

The full bar features favorites like Long Island Iced Tea and Bahama Mamas as well as beer on tap. “We have 18 taps total, and half are devoted to local craft beer. I used to own a brewery, so I’m up on that. I like to support local guys.” Happy Hours are Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

At Boar’s Nest, it’s a lifestyle. As John said, “People come in, they get hooked.”