Founded in 1905, Lassis Inn was a historic restaurant in Little Rock that served delicious soul food for over a hundred years in central Arkansas.
The restaurant was started by Joe and Molassis (the restaurant’s namesake) Watson when the couple began selling sandwiches out of their Little Rock home around 1905. As their business became increasingly popular, the Watsons began selling fried catfish. When the business outgrew their house, the Watsons opened a small stand-alone building to handle the influx of orders. In 1931, the couple moved the building and business to East 27th Street and later moved it a few blocks to its current location at 518 East 27th Street in the early 1960s to accommodate the construction of Interstate 30. The baby blue-colored wooden building still stands just below the I-30 abutment south of downtown Little Rock.
Lassis Inn played an important role in the civil rights movement in Arkansas during the 1950s and 1960s, as the restaurant served as a friendly meeting place for civil rights activists, including Daisy Gatson Bates. It was inside the walls of the small restaurant where the group discussed and planned civil rights efforts for the state, such as the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School in September 1957.
Members of the Watson family operated Lassis Inn for decades until 1989, when Elihue Washington, Jr. and his wife, Maria, purchased the restaurant.
In 2017, Lassis Inn was one of three inductees into the inaugural class of the Department of Arkansas Heritage’s Arkansas Food Hall of Fame alongside Jones Bar-B-Q in Marianna (Lee County) and Rhoda’s Hot Tamales in Lake Village (Chicot County). The restaurant received the prestigious American Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2020. Lassis Inn received another accolade in 2022 when Southern Living magazine named the restaurant to their list of best soul food restaurants in the southern United States.
Lassis Inn specialized in fried catfish and buffalo ribs, which are considered a delicacy in the South. Sides such as hushpuppies and fries were also on the menu. The restaurant was notable for having a jukebox flanked with “No Dancing!” signs. The story goes that after the jukebox was installed, customers danced down the small establishment’s narrow aisles. After owner Washington had to make numerous repairs every week after active rounds of dancing, he decided to place the infamous signs reminding customers not to continue the practice.
In May 2024, it was reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the iconic restaurant had permanently closed, much to the chagrin of loyal customers and foodies from across the state. However, in July 2024, it was announced that Lassis Inn would be opening under new owners, Chris Jones and Kristian Nelson, with Washington assisting in the kitchen. While fried fish would still be the staple of the restaurant’s menu, the new owners revealed new items would be added including smoked brisket, baby-back ribs, hamburgers, and loaded baked potatoes.
The Arkansas Times reported that on July 16, 2024, Elihue Washington filed a lawsuit to get out of the contract to sell the restaurant, citing Nelson’s previous convictions on interstate wire fraud, felony hot-check, and false police report charges, as well as the fact that a check Nelson gave Washington as part of the payment bounced. As such, the fate of Lassis Inn is up in the air.
As of this writing, several reports in the local media state that Lassis Inn is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, August 13, and that its hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Hopes remain high that Lassis Inn will indeed reopen and again be a must-visit destination for soul food lovers. If you never got the opportunity to visit the famed restaurant (thankfully I did) and it does reopen, do your tastebuds a favor and visit this historic eatery for a unique Southern dining experience.
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