Dining Drive: Monarch Steak House

Dining Drive, a new Pigeon605 series, gives you a taste of the deliciousness that awaits within an easy drive of Sioux Falls.

By Luke Geiver, for Pigeon605

Nestled just outside the northern limits of Sioux Falls, the Monarch Steak House is a long-running staple in the community of Renner.

Since 1972, it has operated as a classic steakhouse: That cozy, if not dimly lit, no-frills steak place your parents used to go to, or you went to, or you just heard about before, is everything the Monarch is today. If you had to guess the menu of the place, from the types of steak to the sides, you probably would be right. What used to work years ago still works today. 

People go there for the taste of ribeye grilled with those black lines that are seasoned in a way that just seems impossible to duplicate on a backyard grill.

Every Friday and Saturday night, the made-from-scratch salad bar offers multiple salads and several homemade soups.

Every item, from the hand-pattied sirloin burgers to the breaded shrimp — and always the steaks — comes out made to order with the option of a trip through the salad bar.

Ann Evangelisto, who took over the steakhouse in 1979, makes sure of it.

“We have always just bought quality products. We could have changed over the years but just never did,” she said.

In the modern restaurant business where the newest trends can be short-lived, Evangelisto and her crew offer a blueprint on what quality and consistency can bring. 

“We have a wonderful clientele,” she said. “We have a lot of local people that come in regularly who are just good people.” That clientele ranges in locations from Iowa to northern South Dakota and everywhere else in a 60-mile radius, she said. In the summer months, she also notes that another type of clientele frequents the Monarch: baseball fans. 

Almost five years ago, she added a double deck off the west side of the building. Listening to Evangelisto explain what it is like to sit on the deck at dusk and watch the famous Renner Monarch baseball team play on the vintage-looking baseball field a stone’s throw away from the deck makes the idea of eating a nice 8-ounce filet while the snap of a ball hitting leather or the crack of a bat echoes in the distance as the sun goes down sound like the ultimate meal add-on. 

The vibe: Laid-back, casual eating with great portions, smiling servers and a sense of food-selection pride that has always been a part of the steakhouse experience. 

What’s on the menu: Filet mignon, hand-cut sirloins, New York strips, ribeyes, T-bones, sirloin burgers, seafood — shrimp and occasionally crab legs — and the handmade soup and salad bar that makes you want to come back for seconds. 

Signature dish: Guys like the 12-ounce ribeye. Gals like the 12-ounce ribeye. 

Signature menu items: Anything from the salad bar and the sirloin burgers. They are made with the cuttings from the steaks and, as Evangelisto says, are true sirloin burgers. 

Daily special: 16-ounce ribeye. 

If you’re looking for a special event: Renner Days in late August. Think old-school car show without judges combined with a street fair all with a bunch of specials at the Monarch. Also, baseball. Always baseball. 

How far is the drive: Located at 47409 258th St. in Renner, from the center of Sioux Falls it will take roughly the time it takes to cook a steak to well done: 15 minutes or less. To get there, take North Cliff Avenue, and then head west at the Renner Corner. Or head east from Interstate 29 at the Renner exit. Coming from the interstate, slow down over the Big Sioux River, and take in the gorgeous view.