Grotto Wood Fired Grill and Wine Cave opened its doors almost 11 years ago, serving perfectly grilled meats and succulent small plates. Today, it’s one of the most popular fine dining restaurants in Eureka Springs.
Owner Rodney Slane had his work cut out for him in 2015. When he took over the space, it was a dive bar called
The Squid and the Whale. Rodney’s wife, Autumn, remembered how it looked back then.
“They had an A-shaped bar, and all the rocks were covered with the stage,” Autumn said. “So the bands would literally scrunch down on top of the rocks to play music.”
The stage had to go. Rodney described the process of renovating the space: removing the stage, adding a staircase, drying the floor when it flooded, bringing in sump pumps to prevent future flooding, and stumbling upon the restaurant’s name.
“That’s where the Grotto’s name came from. It means wet cave,” Rodney said.
Along the way, he found a wood fired grill at an auction. It was the final piece of the puzzle. Rodney had always dreamed of opening a restaurant based around wood fire, and everything was falling into place.
“We wanted to do a chophouse kind of feel with lots of different meats,” Rodney said. “All of a sudden, everything came to light and the idea I had for many, many years came to fruition.”
Another dream came true right before Grotto opened.
Rodney reconnected with Autumn, his high school classmate, and they hit it off. “She came down to visit and never left,” he said. “It’s true,” she said. “I really never left.”
Their reignited relationship made it even more special when the Grotto opened — a restaurant centered around romance and connection. It’s a “very foodie experience,” Rodney said, with meals intended to bring people together.
“Food really connects with people, and once you create something like that, it creates a bonding memory,” Rodney said. “We’ve seen a lot of proposals here. It’s proposal magic, man.”
Everything about the Grotto creates an intimate atmosphere for dining companions. The natural elements like rocks and wood, including Eureka Springs artist
Jim Nelson’s wood art pieces. The dim overhead lighting, allowing guests to eat mostly by candlelight.
“Who’s going to say no to a wine cave?” Rodney asked.
“We keep our wine at the perfect temperature. We’ve really built a legacy on barreled wine, and the menu opens itself up to carnivores, vegetarians and everybody in the middle.”
The most popular item on the menu is the 18-ounce ribeye steak.
“The wood fired grill, it just caramelizes and encrusts it perfectly,” Rodney said. “I’m telling you, everyone talks about it. Everyone keeps coming back for it.”
The cedar plank salmon is also popular. Guests especially love the quail poppers, an item on the small plates menu. Rodney didn’t expect that dish to become as popular as it has.
“It’s a staple. If you look at the reviews, people constantly talk about the quail poppers,” Rodney said.
Vegetarians can enjoy a meal at the Grotto, too. Topped with goat cheese and a balsamic glaze, the grilled portobello is another favorite dish.
“It’s as big as your head, and it picks up a lot of smoke from the grill,” Rodney said. “You don’t miss the steak,” Autumn said.
The Caesar salad is one of the restaurant’s vegan dishes, featuring a full head of romaine lettuce prepared on the grill and topped with egg-less Caesar dressing.
Additionally, Rodney said, Grotto has many in-house sauces that pair with each dish on the menu. “All our sauces go well on everything,” Rodney said.
Over the years, the Grotto has become a venue for weddings and other parties. Rodney said he likes to lean into what’s happening in Eureka Springs.
“We’ve done a lot of different things over the years … black light parties, UFO conferences, anything you can think of,” Rodney said. “We piggyback off the town all the time, because we always have cool things happening here.”
He continued, “We try to emulate what’s happening in town and create an experience here so people will come back.
It’s about coming here and having the camaraderie, sitting in the mouth of a cave.”
Rodney said he’s enjoyed becoming part of the Eureka Springs community. Locals like to say that Eureka Springs is where the misfits fit. That’s certainly true if you ask Rodney and Autumn.
“Eureka does have a certain magic that keeps bringing people back,” Autumn said. Rodney agreed.
“I think Eureka is built on dreams,” he said. “You can come here and build your dream and be successful, and this is my dream.”
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