Restaurants

If you’ve come to Branson and are on a diet, put it on the back burner until you get back home. The selection of places to eat rivals the selection you have to make at the area’s ubiquitous buffets. Because the competition for your food dollar is so fierce, food is relatively inexpensive—and it can be good.

A bit of history—it wasn’t always like that. We can remember when there were only three cafes in town, and not a single stoplight. Now it seems like there are almost 3,000 eating establishments in the area, and we have stoplights now, too. Some of us joke about our eating habits and culinary tastes by saying, “If it ain’t fried, it ain’t food.” And although Branson may be the cholesterol capital of the world, you can eat healthful, sensible, and enjoyable meals, too. We’ll point out places that have health-conscious menus. But, as we’ve said, Branson is the place to backslide on that diet of yours.

Overview

Ozarkers, culinary-wise, could be divided into two types. The first is the basic meat and potatoes type, with a mind closed to outside food influences. The other type follows the philosophy, if it grows and God made it, it can be eaten. This type’s table would be graced with scrambled eggs and squirrels’ brains, barbecued ’coon, woodchuck ragout, venison, pawpaw and persimmon bread, fruit pies and cobblers, and jams and jellies from the cornucopia of local plants such as blackberry, pokeberry, mulberry, raspberry, gooseberry, wild grape, plum, and elderberry. In short, anything that could be picked and prepared. It was this type of Ozark eater who embraced, lovingly, the outside food influences that better transportation and tourism brought. You won’t be fed this local fare in restaurants, but native fruit pies and cobblers are available and even featured in most area eating establishments. An influx of tourists and new residents brings various ethnic culinary possibilities, but the area is still pretty homogeneous when it comes to food. You’ll also find the usual chain gang of fast-food establishments, from Applebee’s and Blimpie’s all the way to the end of the alphabet. We don’t cover them in this book, unless they have a unique local feature or you might not have yet experienced them in your neck of the woods. But don’t allow yourself to be manacled to the sameness and security of fast food. Check out local eateries. If you don’t like one, you can find a dozen others you do like.

This chapter will guide you to what we think are the best of the lot, and that includes some that you may have second thoughts about when you first drive up. One of the things we have learned over the years: never judge a book by its cover, people by their dress, or a restaurant by its facade. Some of the hole-in-the-wall and divey-looking joints serve the best food. You may find that the friendliness, food, or convenience of a particular place bring you back time after time during your stay, but we encourage you to experiment and spread your dollar more broadly. We locals think nothing of driving out to the boondocks toward Blue Eye to sample the fare at the Devil’s Pool Restaurant at Big Cedar Lodge. The better roads and greater restaurant choices have broadened our diets and probably our girths. So follow our advice, and you’ll leave Branson a better (and probably bigger) person for it!

One point to keep in mind: Many restaurants do not serve beer, wine, or mixed drinks. Some serve only beer, some only wine. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the alcohol-serving situation. If drinks are in your dining plans, it might be wise to call and ask what the place serves. What about dress? We Ozarkers believe in being comfortable and making others feel comfortable. Dress in most establishments is country casual and typical tourist garb—just be clothed. A few of the more upscale spots might like you to wear slacks and even a tie and coat, but they aren’t likely to refuse you service if you come in wearing shorts and a tank top. Common sense and the weather will dictate your choice of clothing.

As for when to eat, the rule seems to be: if you’re hungry, they’ll feed you. The schedules of those in the service industries and of the entertainers make for meals that are often on a catch-as-you-can basis. And there is no telling when a tourist will want to have the feed bag put on. Some restaurants are all-nighters; some are early birds and specialize in morning meals, often the bargain meal of the day. Some even serve breakfast at any hour. Your server can answer any questions about the food or the area.

If you have kids in tow, you’ll find most restaurants are very child friendly, and if they don’t have a kids’ menu, they are usually more than willing to bring out something that will please a picky youngster. Let price be your guide. The less expensive the restaurant, the more likely it will cater to kids. Wheelchair accessibility varies greatly, but since many of the restaurants were built during the “boom period,” they are readily wheelchair accessible. Older establishments may have narrow doors, steps, or other obstacles, or bathrooms too tiny to accommodate wheelchairs. If wheelchair facilities are of concern to you, be certain to call the restaurants to see what arrangements might be made to fit your needs.

Most restaurants are open seven days a week during the busy season (April through Christmas), and the season has gotten longer over the years. When things slow down during January and February, many restaurants cut back on their serving hours or close completely. If you’re in town the first three months of the year, it would be a good idea to call ahead, just to make certain where you want to eat is open. That also goes for reservations. Hardly any place requires them, but it’s smart to call the nicer restaurants during the busy season or if you’re trying to catch a show right after dinner.

Most establishments will accept major credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Discover), cash, or traveler’s checks. Some even accept personal checks, though others won’t accept personal checks at all, not even from locals. Unless otherwise noted, your plastic is accepted at the restaurants we list. Note the price code assigned to each restaurant listing. The little dollar signs are a hint at the bottom line for your evening dining—an indicator of the usual amount you can expect to pay for dinner for two, not including appetizers, dessert, drinks, or gratuity. You can expect lunch prices to be a third to half as much.

We’ve grouped restaurants according to major fare offered (American, Asian American, Fine Dining, Italian and Pizza, Seafood, Steak Houses and Barbecue, Tex-Mex, and More than a Meal), though some establishments offer fare from more than one category. We’ve also included a category called Out of the Way, but Worth the Drive for places that you’d have to work to fit into your schedule. And for your sweet tooth, we’ve created a category called Sweets.