Here are the 26 restaurants and bars that opened in Sioux Falls this year
It’s been a a hard year for the restaurant industry across the country, but that didn’t stop a bevy of new dining options coming to Sioux Falls.
From Native American cuisine to Argentinian restaurants to South Dakota’s first Chipotle, diners are acquiring more choices when it comes to grabbing a meal.
More:Sioux Falls area restaurants that we lost in 2020
While 2020 brought its hardships, with several local restaurants closing their doors, nearly twice as many restaurants and bars opened in Sioux Falls. This doesn’t include new chain locations throughout town, like Arby’s or Wendy’s.
Here’s a list of the new eateries and bars to open this year in Sioux Falls:
The Attic Bar and Grill
Eastside bar and grill The Attic added a second location in October in western Sioux Falls, filling the former W. 12th Pourhouse location at 5213 W. 12th St.
The restaurant has a similar menu to its original location, featuring items such as its popular chislic, Indian tacos and more. The new location will also have seasonal menu items including a stacked enchilada, winter salmon salad and more.
Breadico
Popular Sioux Falls bakery, Breadico, opened a retail storefront in October after spending more than a year and a half focusing on wholesale. The bakery opened in the Wedge shopping center at 6219 S. Western Ave. in southwestern Sioux Falls.
The new Breadico focuses solely on baked goods after splitting off its pizza into its own brand, Pizza di Paolo. Breadico closed its former downtown location in early 2019.
The Breaks
Long-time Sioux Falls coffee roaster, The Breaks, opened its first consumer-facing shop in August, offering to-go sales and some limited outdoor seating because of the coronavirus pandemic. The storefront is at 311 E. 12th St. near Total Drag.
“It’s nice now to finally connect with the customer base and spend more time actually talking to them,” said co-owner Corey Gerlach.
Chef Ellen
Chef Ellen Doerr opened a new store-front for her take-home family meals service right as the restaurant industry was shifting to take-out only during the coronavirus pandemic. Doerr opened the location at 2210 W. 69th St. in the spring to meet the growing demand for her pre-made, packaged and delivered meals. She’d been planning the relocation since October 2019.
Chef Lance’s on Phillips
The Midwestern comfort food locale opened in September, replacing the former Luciano’s North restaurant at 431 N. Phillips Ave. Staples at the restaurant include Chef Lance White’s cheese curd burger and beef wellington.
“We know we’re a little crazy for opening a restaurant during these times,” White said.
But that decision came because COVID-19 helped his delivery business outgrow his former cafe. While he had to cancel cooking classes, shut down his cafe near the airport in March and cancel catering gigs, his home delivery business grew by about 500%, he said.
Chipotle
South Dakota’s first Chipotle opened in Sioux Falls in early December, welcoming burrito fans with burrito-shaped balloons and a scheduled mobile-order, drive-thru pick up called a “chipotlane.”
One of the first Sioux Falls residents to eat at the chain restaurant was Elizabeth Schreiner, who took a half day off work so she could be at the grand opening. Online ordering helped reduce crowds so much that it only took her about five minutes to order.
“I love Chipotle,” she said. “Chipotle is my life. I’m obsessed.”
Covert Cellars
After two years in the Sioux Falls craft brewery scene, Covert Artisan Ales finally joined downtown Sioux Falls with its Covert Cellars location at 424 E. Eighth St. in June.
“We are in a great location in terms of the beer community itself,” said co-owner Stacey Berry. “Next to Monk’s, across the street from Remedy.”
DaDa Gastropub
Nestled inside Icon Lounge concert venue is the Newcome-Weiland family’s latest venture in the Sioux Falls dining and entertainment scene. DaDa Gastropub at 402 North Main Ave. is a casual restaurant and bar with a range of food items, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets. The restaurant opened in October.
Items include vegan tostadas and stuffed peppers, but his culinary experience also lends to more adventurous items, such as a beef bulgogi burrito, which is a marinated Korean chislic burrito, and a savory buckwheat kimchi pancake with plum syrup.
EightyOne Arcade Bar
Owner Errol Stewart moved to the old Myer’s Deli location during May in the Carpenter Building at 221 S. Phillips Ave. and joined with the deli’s owner to add a menu of gourmet meals to the arcade bar’s lineup of offerings.
“We’ve always wanted to find a place in Sioux Falls, and it just kind of happened where Dan Myers, he was looking to focus more on his catering business and he was looking for somebody to partner up with,” Stewart said.
Flyboy Donuts and Stensland
Flyboy Donuts and Stensland Family Farms Ice Cream joined forces to bring western Sioux Falls a sweets parlor at Roosevelt Marketplace at 41st Street and Sertoma Avenue in August.
Stensland serves up its selection of ice cream treats on one side of the shop, while Flyboy has the same product line of donuts on the other. A drive-thru is also available at the location.
The Hello Hi
The Hello Hi is a bartender-owned cocktail lounge, located in the old Half-Baked space at 120 S. Phillips Ave., across the street from the Phillips Avenue Diner. The bar opened in November.
Owners Patrick Nelson and Sara Benson describe the Hello Hi as a classic-style bar. The menu has something for everyone but is influenced by tiki-style cocktails, which means there’s plenty of rum on hand.
Old Skool Jersey Rippers & Balls Food Truck
Owners of the Old Skool Jersey Rippers & Balls food truck sell just what they advertise: New Jersey hot dogs and rice balls.
The dogs are fried in peanut oil until they rip, deserving the name “ripper,” and served on pita-like bread, topped with stuffed peppers, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes and other traditional hot dog toppings. Rice balls are the owners’ version of the classic Italian fried dish, “Aracini.”
The food truck’s location is updated on social media and on its website.
The Keg
A fixture of Sioux Falls dining for 40 years, The Keg’s original location was near 10th Street and Bahnson Avenue before closing in 2012 in the wake of the Great Recession. It reopened on West 12th Street in 2015.
The fried chicken restaurant and buffet opened its second location in February in the former Noodles and Company space at 5216 E. Arrowhead Parkway.
Original Pancake House
The Original Pancake House was one of several businesses devastated by tornadoes last fall. The trio of funnels opened up the roof, blew out windows and let in rain at Plaza 41, forcing retailers in the shopping center to close and consider next steps.
The breakfast joint near 41st Street and Kiwanis Avenue re-opened to diners in June.
Pad Thai
Pad Thai: Viet & Thai Restaurant opened in November in a strip mall at 2700 W. 41st St., formerly home to Taco Town Buffet and Cowboy Chicken. The menu includes a selection of pad thai and Vietnamese pho.
Pizza Cheeks
Owners of Bread and Circus in downtown Sioux Falls expanded their business to include a pizza shop called Pizza Cheeks, in the back of The Hello Hi bar. The shop serves pizza by the slice or by a whole pie.
The shop features classic cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizzas, along with six specialty pizzas on the opening menu, including meatball, margarita and taco pizzas. Other sides and salads are available to order as well.
Pizza Ranch
More than a year after Sioux Falls was hit by tornadoes, Pizza Ranch near 41st Street and Kiwanis Avenue reopened on Dec. 1.
Pizza Ranch is located in the Plaza 41 shopping center and sustained significant damage from the September 2019 tornado that ripped across 41st Street and damaged neighboring businesses such as Original Pancake House, The Rush Bar and Grill and Joann Fabrics.
Poke Picks
Poke Picks, a poke and sushi restaurant, opened in the former RedRossa building in December. The restaurant offers a selection of sushi, a build-your-own poke bar, a to-go market and hot pot meals.
The restaurant at 3412 S. Western Ave. is the first of four planned to open in Sioux Falls. Locations in downtown Sioux Falls, eastern Sioux Falls and southwestern Sioux Falls will open in 2021.
The Rush Bar and Grill
The Rush Bar and Grill reopened in June after a renovation following tornado damage from 2019. The bar near 41st Street and Kiwanis expanded to a full lunch and dinner menu with the renovation as well, changing the name to include “bar and grill”.
Some new menu items, like “The Twister” are nods to the 2019 tornadoes that damaged the Plaza 41 businesses, including the Original Pancake House and Pizza Ranch.
Taqueria Sanchez
Long-time Sioux Falls food truck Taqueria Sanzhez took over a brick-and-mortar restaurant in March to sell Mexican food and drinks. The food truck has been running since 2009 and took over the former Jacky’s Tropical Delights and Juice at 10th Street and Cliff Avenue.
With only a food truck before, the eatery would close during the winters. Now, a brick-and-mortar restaurant allowed diners more options.
Tarquin Argentinian Restaurant
Owner of the Argentinian restaurant Gabriel Rivero introduced the Sioux Falls area to his country’s cuisine with a restaurant, bakery and wine shop, according to the restaurant’s website. The restaurant, located at 1301 E. Benson Road, opened in October.
The menu includes empanadas, pastas, salads, pastries and more. Available wines include selections from South America, including Torrontes, the signature white wine of Argentina.
Twisted Sisters Sweetz
Twisted Sisters Sweetz is a family-run bakery balancing the skills of two sisters and their mother. The bakery at 317 S. Phillips Ave. opened in the spring, offering a range of sweets for downtown passersby.
Watecha Bowl Food Truck
The new food truck, which opened in March, is serving traditional Native American cuisine to Sioux Falls streets and neighborhoods. Watecha is a slang word for food in Lakota, and the truck serves popular Lakota foods such as Indian tacos, fry bread, wojapi and bison. He also offers spins to traditional fare with items such as the Big Indian Burger, which is a bison or beef burger set on fry bread.
The Food Truck updates its location on social media.
Windy City Bites Food Truck
Two Chicago natives brought the taste of their hometown to Sioux Falls when they opened the Windy City Bites Food Truck in October. The food truck features Chicago staples, including the Chicago hot dog, taffy grapes and pizza puffs. They also feature authentic Jamaican flavors.
The couple announces their food truck stops on their social media and website.
Yakkity Yak Coffee Shack
The coffee shop located in the All American Gymnastics Academy building at 7321 S. Grasslands Place is the first coffee shop in Sioux Falls run by people with special needs. The Yakkity Yak Coffee Shack employs about 20 baristas with diagnoses such as blindness, autism and Down syndrome. It opened in August.
“This helps to break the stereotype that people with different abilities can’t do anything they want and that they can’t support themselves,” said Yakkity Yak store manager Meredith Molseed. “If you give people a chance to do what they want, anything is possible.”
