Is Sioux Falls Hungry for More Buffet Restaurants? Here Are Some Options.
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Is Sioux Falls Hungry For More Buffet Restaurants? Here Are Some Options.
“Take all you want, but eat all you take.” That’s a rule you had to follow if you were eating the buffet at Walt & Mary’s on East 10th Street next to Eastway Bowl in Sioux Falls. If you didn’t clean your plate, you didn’t get ice cream.
Many will remember the family-owned buffet restaurant as far back as the 1960’s.
They were known for their roast beef, fried chicken, real mashed potatoes and gravy, hot dinner rolls with butter, and maybe even the lemon gelatin dessert.
Walt & Mary’s was one of several restaurants that offered a buffet in Sioux Falls over the years. Today, you can count your options on one hand.
Since the COVID pandemic, many all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants have shuttered.
Royal Fork Buffet was a favorite in Sioux Falls for many years. The restaurant, which was located behind the Empire Mall, closed in August 2020.
Royal Fork offered classic comfort food on their buffet like carved ham and roast beef, fried chicken, incredibly delicious hot cinnamon rolls, make-your-own waffle station with the best syrup I’d ever tasted, homemade tomato soup, and a fully-stocked salad and dessert bar.
Remember these buffet restaurants; Coyote Canyon, Sirloin Stockade, Brenner’s, Pizza Inn, Valentino’s Grand Italian Buffet?
A buffet is a guilty pleasure for many. With so many choices, it's hard to stay focused on your diet. Many restaurants today have salad bars, which sort of satisfies our need for the "all-you-can-eat buffet" in the form of different salads and fixings.
This isn't a local problem. There are just not many all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants in business anymore. Golden Corral is closing stores. Only a handful of Godfather's, KFC's, and Valentino's still have buffets. Bonanza and Ponderosa continue to close stores.
If you want a tasty all-you-can-eat buffet, my suggestion is to travel out of town. Several small town restaurants around South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota offer a buffet. You just have to search them out.
We scoured the Sioux Empire to find restaurants that still serve a buffet, of sorts, although most are not "buffet" restaurants. Here's what we found.
Gallery Credit: Karla Brown / Townsquare Media
Dives Worth a Drive in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota
Almost every small South Dakota town has a watering hole. It’s where the locals go to kick back a few brews and engage in conversation.
Some of these establishments are located in buildings almost as old as the town itself. There might be a fresh coat of paint on the walls or new vinyl on the booth seats, but the ambiance is still reminiscent of a good ol’ dive.
If you think a "dive" is all about the sketchy clientele, the smell of the Devil’s lettuce, and stale Grain Belt, you’d be wrong. Not every dive has a bad reputation.
What makes a dive, a dive?
A dive has character. Neon beer signs and local memorabilia adorn the walls.
You might find a pool table, dart board, and a few video lottery machines.
The bartender knows the regulars by name and they know what you drink.
Some dives don't even serve food except for bags of chips and pickled eggs that sit in a jar of brine on the bar.
Dives aren't fancy. You might see 70's-style wood panels on the walls and wobbly tables leveled with a folded napkin.
Finally, the bathrooms. The bathrooms in dives are in a class by themselves and could be a whole topic on its own.
There are several small-town dives in our area with friendly faces, cheap booze with a burn, and even really good food! We use the term "dive" in the most affectionate way.
Here are some of the best and why you should go there.
Gallery Credit: Karla Brown
Check Out This 1962 Listing of Sioux Falls Bars and Restaurants - Do You Remember Any?
Check out this collection of Sioux Falls bars and restaurants. We have Giovanni's Steak House, The Rainbow Bar, Harry's Hamburgers, Eagle Bar and Lounge, Pancake House, Nickel Plate, and more. Do you remember any of them? Or how long any lasted?
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