If you have ever stood on Kavanaugh at 8 a.m. wondering where to get breakfast in Hillcrest, the answer is a renovated 1942 shotgun house one block off the main drag. Hillcrest Little Bakery, known around the neighborhood simply as HLB, sits at 203 N Van Buren Street and has been the closest thing Hillcrest has to a shared living room since it opened in November 2019.
The Short Answer
Where to get breakfast in Hillcrest: Hillcrest Little Bakery, 203 N Van Buren Street, open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Order the Hot Springs, a biscuit and gravy plate over crispy breakfast potatoes with cheese, scrambled eggs, and hot chicken. The dining room is small, so arrive before 9 a.m. on weekends or order ahead for pickup at (501) 747-4960.
A Family Operation in a Shotgun House
Owner Scott Loye and his daughter Zara Schmidt run HLB together. Both are originally from Hot Springs, and they turned the old house into a bright, compact space with indoor seating and an outdoor patio that is genuinely pleasant most of the spring and fall.
Scott brought the concept after years of travel and a background in food service, drawing on Southern biscuit shops, Nashville hot chicken, and New Orleans classics. Zara moved into day-to-day management and kitchen work and became the creative force behind the menu, the coffee program, and the general feel of the place. She was named one of AY Magazine 2025 Intriguing Women for that work, and AY covered the bakery's unusual formula in this profile of Hillcrest Little Bakery.
It is very much a father-daughter shop. Customers regularly ask whose place it is, and Zara likes answering that it belongs to her and her dad.
The Biscuits Are the Point
HLB is known first for its biscuits: huge, light, and fluffy, the kind that reset your expectations of what a biscuit is supposed to be. Many plates are named after Little Rock neighborhoods and landmarks, so the menu reads like a map of the city.
What to Order
The Hot Springs. The top seller and the owners' own favorite. Biscuit and gravy over crispy breakfast potatoes, finished with cheese, scrambled eggs, and their seasoned hot chicken. Zara is from Hot Springs, so the name is personal. If you order one thing on your first visit, order this.
I had the Hot Chicken Benedict, and it was outstanding. Spicy chicken, rich benedict sauce, and a fluffy biscuit came together in the most satisfying way—every bite felt perfectly balanced. The potatoes were a pleasant surprise, crispy and well-seasoned. Portions are generous, so bring a friend and share. Highly recommend.
Avocado Biscuit. Guacamole, tomato, egg, and HLB sauce on a biscuit. The lightest plate on the board that still eats like a full breakfast.
Bananas Foster Pancakes. A New Orleans plate. Scott learned the technique at Brennan's. Bananas Foster sauce, eggs, and your choice of meat.
Swimming Benedict. Smoked salmon, poached eggs, and hollandaise over biscuit halves instead of an English muffin.
Hot Chicken Biscuit. The simplest expression of the kitchen's Nashville influence.
Fancy Biscuit. Brie, arugula, bacon, and fig jam. Order it if you want something closer to lunch.
Biscuits and gravy, by neighborhood. Downtown, Heights, Uptown, and Capitol View are all variations on the theme, plus rotating seasonal specials.
Beyond biscuits there are wraps, bowls, breakfast nachos, omelets, acai bowls, and house pastries and cheesecakes, including a family almond amaretto recipe. Portions are generous across the board.
Eat Local, Think Global
The stated mission is Eat Local. Think Global. It shows up in the sourcing, with local ingredients used when possible, and in the operations: biodegradable to-go packaging, real plates and utensils for dine-in, and serious recycling practices for a shop this size.
Hours and How to Order
Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Order online for pickup or delivery through Toast at hillcrestlittlebakery.com, or call (501) 747-4960. The building is a converted house, so seating is limited. Weekend mornings between 9:30 and 11:30 are the crunch. Get there right at open or plan on a short wait on the patio.
Parking in Hillcrest
There is limited parking beside the building and street parking along N Van Buren and the surrounding residential blocks. Read the signs on the side streets, respect the driveways, and give yourself an extra five minutes on Saturday. Walking over from Kavanaugh is easy if you are already in the neighborhood.
What the Regulars Say
Ask the weekday crowd, the ones taking work calls over coffee at the small tables, and you hear the same short list: the biscuits, the Hot Springs plate, the consistency, and the fact that the staff learns your order. The bananas foster pancakes and the coffee drinks get the next round of shout-outs.
Whether you live three blocks away or you are visiting Little Rock for a weekend, HLB delivers what the name promises: a little bakery that is big on flavor and community. Order the Hot Springs, take the patio table if the weather cooperates, and settle in.
