1916 Chop House & Spirits Opens in Former SŌ Restaurant Space on Kavanaugh
1916 Chop House & Spirits has opened in the former SŌ Restaurant & Bar space on Kavanaugh Boulevard, bringing a steakhouse menu anchored by game meats, an upstairs full bar, and a downstairs speakeasy. Owner Michael Shelton named the concept for 1916 — the year Little Rock annexed Pulaski Heights.
SŌ Restaurant closed its Kavanaugh run and the space has been taken over by 1916 Chop House & Spirits. Owner Michael Shelton built the concept around the year 1916, when the city of Little Rock annexed what had been the independent municipality of Pulaski Heights. The restaurant carries that history in its decor — historic photographs of trolleys and early Pulaski Heights streetscapes line the walls — without leaning too hard on the nostalgia angle.
What's on the Menu
The kitchen centers on steaks and a rotating selection of game: wild boar, bison short ribs, venison, duck, and Cornish game hen have been listed among the offerings. The approach is less surf-and-turf and more protein-specialized — closer to a hunt club sensibility than a conventional chophouse. The bar program runs out of two distinct spaces: a full bar on the main floor and a downstairs speakeasy with its own bar and an adjoining outdoor area.
Garden and Sourcing
A small herb garden on the property will supply the kitchen and bar with fresh ingredients. The SŌ space came with a built-out kitchen, which lowered the barrier to entry for the new concept considerably. SŌ itself had a solid reputation over its run, so the incoming tenant didn't have to fight a bad-location perception — just make its own case.
What This Means
The Heights and Hillcrest stretch of Kavanaugh leans toward casual formats and full-service Italian; a game-focused chophouse with a speakeasy is a different direction for the corridor. Whether the price point and menu mix lands with the neighborhood will take a few months to shake out, but the space has good bones and a track record of working.
Source: https://aymag.com/owner-details-1916-chop-house-spirits/
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