12 Bucket List Worthy Restaurants To Try In North Dakota, One For Each Month Of The Year
If there’s one thing just about everyone everywhere can agree on, it’s this: food is pretty awesome. There are entire cultural traditions, rituals, rites, and holidays surrounding food all over the world. It’s a universal language, and here in lil’ ol’ North Dakota, we’ve got no shortage of excellent examples of this. North Dakota might be one of those states where about four people and a dog live, but you know, we sure do know our amazing diners, incredible steakhouses, wonderful pizza places, and just about everything you can think of. So, to celebrate the arrival of the new year, we’ve put together this list of 12 of the best restaurants in North Dakota, each of which you need to add to your culinary bucket list (one for each month of the new year!).
The Dakotan is a delightful, family-owned and operated little hole-in-the-wall that’s become a local staple. It serves up some of the most delectable traditional comfort food and American fare, and we’re pretty sure you won’t find a more down-home, mom-and-pop atmosphere if you tried. Reviewers rave about the friendly service and the to-die-for hash browns. See you there! Check out the official Dakotan Facebook page for menu, hours, and more.
Looking for amazing steaks (quite possibly for the most romantic time of the year)? Look no further than The Naked Moose, in Loraine. Rave reviews talk about how they’ve driven from (insert distant city or town here) and it was worth it. It’s not just a steakhouse. The burger menu kicks in at 4 p.m., and dinner menu begins at 5 p.m. On Thursday nights, there are absolutely delicious Mexican food specials. Weekends vary; you can have steak, seafood, or pasta specials at any given time, so check out the official Naked Moose Facebook page for the most up-to-date hours and info. This isn't just one of the best restaurants in Loraine; it's easily one of the best restaurants in North Dakota.
Nestled inside the historic Rough Riders Hotel is the legendary Theodore’s, a top-notch steak and chophouse that you won’t soon forget. EVERYTHING here is absolutely amazing; it’s another entry on this list in which folks quite literally come in from out of state simply to experience it, and it’s well worth a spot on your culinary bucket list. It’s hard to say which menu item is the fan-favorite; folks rave about the salmon, steaks, and everything else, so we suppose you might just have to stop on in more than just this once.
Fireflour’s name combines the two most important parts of the art of pizza: fire, used to forge each delicious creation, and flour, used to build it. Of course, it’s more than just a contemporary pizzeria; the coffee, gelato, salads, and pretty much everything else here are absolutely perfect. You’ll find some of the most unique pizzas ever within these walls; make sure to also try the coffee. Any of it will do, honestly. Once again, this establishment has folks in the reviews talking about making the drive from Vancouver just for this oven-fired amazingness. We don’t blame ‘em one bit. Check out the official website for the most up-to-date hours, menu, and more.
Frequently crowned as the “best breakfast place” in Bismarck, Butterhorn is so much more than JUST a breakfast joint. It’s an experience, as evidenced by the higher-than-average number of reviews (most of which are absolutely of the “rave” variety). Serving up brunch, dinner, desserts, and more, you’re sure to find at least one or two things on this menu to come back for again and again. Once again, we strongly suspect you’ll be coming back more often. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Make sure to visit the official website for the most up-to-date hours, menus, info, and more.
The Toasted Frog is home to three locations in North Dakota, though we think the best one is the one in Grand Forks. The reviews agree; folks love the friendly ambiance and five-star cuisine served up here on plates that are as visually stunning as they are tasty. This is one of those meals you’re going to want to Instagram first. Make sure to visit the official Toasted Frog website for the most up-to-date hours, menus, info, and more!
Here’s one you’ll want to make reservations for! Oh, Mezzaluna: how do we love thee? Let us count the ways; could it be the shrimp? The steaks? The desserts? The hand-crafted, artisan drinks? We don’t know, but one thing is for sure: the atmosphere at Mezzaluna is as spellbinding as the menu is. It’s a Fargo-based treat for the senses! When it comes to talking about the best restaurants in North Dakota, one simply cannot go without mentioning Mezzaluna. Visit the official Mezzaluna website for hours, menu, reservations information, and more.
This is down-home country cookin’ at its finest, and it’s nestled right in Fargo. If you’re a fan of huge portions, friendly service, and menus filled to the brim with every last one of your favorites, you might want to give The Shack a go earlier than August. We feel like it might even be some kind of criminal injustice to come to this mom-and-pop stop just one time. You’ll find hours, menu, and other pertinent information on its official website.
You know, we were hesitant to include THREE entries in Fargo on this list, but when we realized we hadn’t included GP’s Greek Kitchen Yet (and couldn’t eliminate either of our other two Fargo-area picks), we knew we had to scrap that concern. If you were to check out the reviews for this little joint, you’d see folks who are actually FROM Greece talking about how THIS little hole-in-the-wall is the real deal. We’re pretty sure you are not going to find better Greek food in all of North Dakota. You might just want to make like plenty of people in the reviews and drive here from wherever you are, no matter how far that might be. Check out the official website for the menu, hours, and more information.
If you’re a fan of mom-and-pop, you’re going to love this one. Harvester’s Café is hiding in Pettibone, and it doesn’t get much more at-home feeling than this. Folks repeatedly mention that it “feels like Grandma’s”, and we suspect that’s the point! You’ll find all sorts of wonderful comfort food, like ridiculously delicious prime rib, served up here. This one is especially unique in the sense that the hours of operation vary from day to day based on several factors, so you’ll want to call ahead of time to make sure they’re open. It’s worth it, though – trust us. Visit its official Facebook page for the phone number, menu, and more.
Second-to-last on this list but nowhere NEAR last in our hearts is The Ranch Steakhouse, a local staple in Devils Lake. Diners often accuse The Ranch of having the best steaks they’ve ever had, and you know, they might just be right. If you’re in the market for a thick, juicy, prime cut of beef, you’re in the market for The Ranch. Visit its official Facebook page for the phone number, menu, and more.
Finally comes Wolff’s Grill and Bar, a local favorite in its hometown of Dawson. If you ask people in this area where the best burger they’ve ever had came from, they’ll probably say it came from Wolff’s. If you’re a fan of big, juicy, delicious burgers – you’ll be coming back. Burgers aside, the rest of the menu is pretty stellar, too, and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed regardless of what you order! Visit the official website for hours, menu, and more.
313 ND-3, Dawson, ND 58428, USA
If you had to put together your own list of the best restaurants in North Dakota, which ones would you include? Tell us your picks in the comments! For more of our picks of the best restaurants in North Dakota, check this article out.
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Best Restaurants In North Dakota
December 01, 2022
Katie Feldkamp
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Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
