Parker's Bistro — Restaurant in Sioux Falls Township

Killer dinner tonight at Parker’s Bistro in Sioux Falls. This is hands-down my favorite place to eat in South Dakota. Special little spot in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls, on Main Ave — Parker’s delivers top-tier food, cocktails, and service. It’s family-owned, and the owner is always there — lovely, welcoming, and very passionate about what she does.

They were packed (as they should be), but we snagged a last-minute bar seat. I honestly recommend making reservations if you’re coming on a Friday or Saturday night — or do what we did and enjoy dinner at the bar. There are multiple dining spaces too, each with its own vibe. You can sit in the south side dining room, the brick room, or near the open kitchen for a more traditional fine dining feel — or visit their glitzy cocktail bar next door, Myrtle’s Fur Vault and Bar, which is also gorgeous.

I kicked things off with an Old Fashioned (see photo 1) that was absolutely perfect — like something you expect from a top-tier cocktail bar in New York or London, complete with a crystal-clear diamond ice cube. Then I had a flight of fresh oysters, and yes — I know what you’re thinking, oysters in South Dakota — but these were straight from Menemsha Pond in Massachusetts (see photo 2.) Fresh, clean, and absolutely restaurant-quality for the coast.

Next up: the Young Alumni, a signature Parker’s cocktail with rye whiskey, Cynar, mascarpone, blueberry, and lemon. Creative, artisanal cocktail (see photo 4.) Sorta showcases why Parker’s leads the way in bars in downtown Sioux Falls. Lip-smacking good!

For dinner, I had a classic Caesar salad (see photo 3) (anchovies optional — I opted out) followed by their prime rib dinner special (see photo 5) — a massive cut served with a silky demi-glace au jus. It knocked my socks off. Perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, and plated with broccolini and housemade sauce.

Then came the Blackthorn Sour, and it was absolutely perfect — bold, spiced, and citrusy with just the right bite (see photo 6.) You can tell the bartenders here know exactly what they’re doing. Between the Young Alumni and this, it’s clear Parker’s has one of the best craft cocktail programs in Sioux Falls. Every detail = spot on.

Dessert: I opted for the affogato, with espresso poured over vanilla gelato made at the creamery at SD State in Brookings (see photo 7.) It was the perfect sweet note to end on and a good pick-me-up so that I could enjoy the rest of the evening downtown.

Next time, I’ll plan to pop next door to their sister lounge, Myrtle’s Fur Vault and Bar, for an after-dinner cocktail. It’s the perfect spot to wind down speakeasy-glam style. This time, we decided to stroll out and catch some live music down the block.

I can’t say enough good things. The cocktails are the best downtown, the menu is always seasonal, and the vibe makes it one of the most romantic restaurants in Sioux Falls. Whether you’re in town for a night or you live nearby, put Parker’s Bistro on your...

I had not eaten here in a long time and we decided it would be fun as we hadn't been there for quite some time. It is very dark in there and sometimes people have a hard time reading the menus the way they are printed.

They were out of a number of things but fortunately none of those things were ones that I wanted. It did take a long time for service the whole way around. It took probably 10 minutes before anyone even came to check if we wanted appetizers or drinks. Probably another 10 minutes before we got our drinks. I do have to say the drinks were good. We ordered an appetizer and our main dish. About 20 minutes later the appetizer came out. It was the meat and cheese tray so I'm not sure why that would take so long. It was probably another good half an hour before our main dishes came out. While the filet mignon was very tender it was very lacking in flavor. It was not seasoned at all. After dropping off the main dish the waitress said she'd be back in a few minutes to check on us and it was at least another 10 minutes before she came to do that. I had almost finished my plate except for the meat because I want it salt to season it.

The desert was good. I have no complaints about that. It came out very quickly as I'm sure it was pre-made and was near the end of the night and they were not as busy.

For the price tag I do not feel I got my money's worth. I could have gotten better food and service elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. The service was slow. The main dish was lackluster. I don't mind going out to dinner and enjoying the experience but from beginning until end it was a 2-hour long meal. We probably would have gone and gotten drinks elsewhere afterwards just for variety but as long as this took we weren't really feeling it.

We probably won't be back again unless there happens to be a dish that interests us. Not even the entry into the downtown Burger...

Traveling around the country we get exposure to all sorts of restaurants and it's rare for one to completely surprise us. We picked Parkers at random with no prior knowledge of the food, drinks or location. We learned they expanded recently and both sides of the restaurant have very cool urban industrial vibes. We particularly like this style of interior. The staff were all very friendly and attentive, none of the "that's not my job", we seem to find at restaurants post covid. Everyone seemed to take pride in their work and in the restaurant. We ordered the shrimp appetizer which I rarely do this far away from the gulf coast of Texas. We are certainly glad we broke that rule. The shrimp were large, flavored well with a little spice and cooked perfectly. We then order the Lamb ragu and the Zabuton steak. The lamb ragu had noodles which taste fresh made and the pesto was delicious. A bit tangy and perfectly creamy. The Zabuton Steak, however, was incredible! It was served medium rare with baked potato crowned with a cured egg and dressed with a blueberry reduction. The cured egg and potato was the most creamy, flavorful and savory concoction I have every tasted. I have nothing to compare it to. The blueberry reduction was sweet with a slight pickle flavor and mixed with the perfectly prepared steak it renewed my love of food that I had been losing due to so many "humdrum" restaurants who claim to be fresh and inventive. Parkers is exactly what a restaurant should be, new ideas, quality service, where the food is king and the obvious focus. We look forward to passing back through Sioux falls so we can enjoy another...