The Paddle Trap — Restaurant in Mandan

This is going to be a pretty passionate review, because frankly, I’m obsessed with The Paddle Trap.

Let’s start by stating it’s a scratch kitchen… in the days of convenience and people rushing… a scratch kitchen truly is something to applaud. The chefs, Alex & Matt, put so much heart and soul into every single creation that goes onto the menu. And I feel like you can taste it! It’s made with the utmost care. 🥰

I also believe The Paddle Trap has THE best river views. The patio is so large, but so inviting!! Summer here is my favorite! You can have a full service dining experience on the east side of the patio, or a self serve experience on the south side. The Taco Trap is incredible & so is the swing bar! The patio is also dog friendly and they have a menu just for pups!!!! I love that!!!!

The staff are so bubbly and friendly… you can tell the staff get along well, which isn’t the case for every establishment!

My recommendations? Lunch/dinner menu: Cajun shrimp bowl Brunch menu: Cinnamon brioche French toast with ice cream & a side of bacon OR the spicy fried chicken sandwich with hot honey, fries and a side of homemade ranch. Desert: cheesecake of the day, of course!!!! Drink: I don’t drink alcohol, but the beverage menu is SOOOOOO impressive! Everything made… you guessed it…. From scratch. No bottled mixes! The mocktails are incredible- I go with a huckleberry nojito myself!! The shakes, as you can tell from my photos, are also amazing.

Where else can family’s take their kids out to dinner on the river & truly let their kids be kids? There’s a claw machine for them to win prizes, but there’s also a complimentary treasure chest! My kids love it. They also love the cheese curds, the chicken strips, fries, strawberry lemonade & 1919 root beer on tap!

Thanks Paddle Trap for being a staple in our household and destination for every out of town...

Update google with the freaking accurate hours. Kitchen closed at 8pm on Saturday, August 5 even though website (google) says 9. Taco truck was closed for weather … overcast, rain stopped 4 hours ago. The Taco Tuesday drink card is a joke. Save your time and money. Eat at big boy and drink the broken oar!

Google is inaccurate, not your website, my mistake. Any reason Paddle Trap doesn’t claim their business there and post accurate information? Most of ND has spotty cell service, making it very difficult to access websites with mobile devices. I doubt I’m the only person who relies on google while away from home.

With all the rain Saturday, not one golf course in Bisman was closed. The Dakota Speedway was open. Downtown art fair and the farmers market didn’t close or postpone. We had trace amounts of intermittent rain without lightning and thunder that ended around 3. Weather permitted, Paddle Trap isn’t consistent with the operation.

Tuesdays are a joke because Paddle Trap runs out of or doesn’t stock all items listed on the taco truck menu (cheescake chimis, chicken for tacos/nachos) and the swing bar isn’t open if it rains. For table service on Tuesday one must get the free drink at the swing bar, not from their server or settle for the limited truck options and order standard drinks at the main bar without a server. The drink cards should’ve been advertised as “weather permitting” like the website says and “limited service” also.

The servers are the best part of the Paddle Trap. I support your local business 100% for them. Without them, Paddle Trap does not stand out from the rest. I stopped in at 8:10 to support the one working tonight. I purchased the drink card to support them weekly. Thank you for making it such...

It's easy to overlook a place like this, writing it off as a boater's stop off that probably has the usual bar-grade food and bad prices. I'm happy to admit I was wrong on all counts. My wife and I stopped out Sunday afternoon for lunch. The weather was great, which really enhanced the location, but we had a great meal. We started with the walleye cheeks, which were coated evenly in a nicely spiced batter and served with an excellent Ranch sauce.

I ordered their fried chicken thigh sandwich with the Alabama white sauce on the side (they offer a hot honey sauce which is also tasty). The description describes this as being slow brined. I believe it. In fact, I've deliberately searched out the best chicken or chicken sandwiches around and this is, bar-none, the top of the heap...as in, "best chicken sandwich in town?" Yes. In the state? Quite likely. In the region, yeah, it's definitely possible. Do not sleep on this sandwich, it is extremely tender, flavorful, moist, served on a great bun, the whole works. I will probably return just to have this sandwich again. The fries were very good as well, which never hurts.

My wife had a bowl of clam chowder and their salad. The salad had some very nice baby greens and Peruvian sweety drop peppers, which are absurdly good, and that's high praise from a certified non-salad guy. The clam chowder, was creamy, had what I believe is some potato integrated into it, a little hint of garlic and chive/green onion, not fishy/clammy at all. Excellent. Based on the taste, I'm assuming it's made here, but even if it's not, it's still good.

Service was very pleasant, attentive and polite. Highly...