Restaurant Roundup: Daily specials, Thanksgiving buffets, free meals

Note: This article has been updated since it was first published to include additional featured foods, specials and events happening this week.

Big Poppa’s Pizza introduces new daily specials every month, and the half-price deep-dish pizzas on Sundays in November have been a big hit. The pizzeria sold out of dough on Nov. 16 and ended up being five pizzas shy of breaking a daily record, owner Anthony Axtell said. Here’s a look at this month’s specials:

The Lodge Bar & Grill at Jacobson Plaza has new lunch and dinner features.

Invictus Pizza Kitchen has updated its “Unconquerable Deals” weekday offers.

New breakfast specials have arrived at Crack’d Pot Restaurant & Bakery. While breakfast is served all day, the discounted prices on the specials are available from 8 to 11 a.m. daily.

Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe is offering a special through Nov. 30 on its turkey cranberry sandwich. But one sandwich and two drinks and get an entree for free. If you order online, use code TURKEYCRAN. Other featured items for this month are the chicken bacon ranch wrap and chili chicken with white bean soup. The restaurant also is serving pumpkin and pecan pies now.

Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews has added Kids Night Bonus Days for a limited time. Two kids 12 or younger can eat for free from the kids menu with each adult meal purchased. The offer is good from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

Dairy Queen in Hartford is celebrating the end of roadwork with $3 double cheeseburgers and $3 mini Blizzards through Sunday. “Limit 6 because we know some of you get carried away,” the restaurant joked on social media.

Perch has updated its menu with a new All-American Hash featuring Dakota Craft Links kielbasa, Chilaquiles, Breakfast Bulgogi Bowl and Campfire S’mores French Toast – topped with toasted marshmallows. For lunch, there’s a SoDak Cubano, Perch Torta with guajillo steak, Lamb Burger and Green Goodness Bowl.

Samurai Hibachi & Sushi Express has several new menu items. The Harrisburg restaurant has added the appetizer chicken karaage and the entree Hibachi Tofu, which is teriyaki tofu served with fried rice, seasonal veggies and signature housemade yum yum sauce. New sushi rolls are Vegetable Soy, Flaming Philly and Sioux Sunset.

Check out the new Frosty Features menu at the Phillips Avenue Diner. It will be available until the end of the year.

Sunny’s Pizzeria, which opens daily at 11 a.m., has introduced two specialty breakfast pizzas: The 605 M-egg-azine Morning Edition and The Sunny Side of Life. The pizzeria also created Bruschetta Bites, which are baguette slices coated with garlic butter, topped with tomatoes, onions, feta crumbles, which are then baked, seasoned and drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Correction on the burger of the month at Big Sioux Burger that we reported last week with outdated information. It’s actually the Poppers Burger with two smash patties, pickled jalapeno, jalapeno cream cheese and fried jalapeno with a raspberry compote drizzle.

There’s still time to try the featured items for November at Monks Ale House. The Marty McFly Melt includes roasted beef, queso, onion dip, pub aioli, pickles and fried onions on a Big Marty bun. The Karate Pig pizza features mojo pork, mozzarella, provolone and red onion with a dusting of chili flakes and drizzle of chimichurri aioli.

It’s also not too late to try the feature of the month at Goodcents. Get an 8-inch Cubano with ham, capicola, Swiss cheese, pickles and spicy mustard for $8.

Here’s a curious one-day-only offering on Wednesday. The Breaks Coffee Roasting Co. is bringing back a 2024 “holiday classic.” Awful-Gato is instant mashed potatoes topped with espresso gravy and a cranberry reduction.

Seasonal flavors have arrived in the dipping case and to-go freezers at Stensland Family Farms. Ice cream: White Chocolate Peppermint, Turtle Cheesecake and Old Fashioned Gingerbread. Ice cream pies: Pumpkin Cheesecake and White Chocolate Peppermint Brownie.

The Human Bean is offering a free drink to help stock the St. Francis House. Stop by the coffee kiosk at 2801 E. Jackson St. this month, and pick up a reusable grocery bag. Fill it with at least five items from St. Francis’ 30 Days of Giving List, and get a free 24-ounce drink when you bring it back.

Each year, team members at Yakkity Yak Coffee Shop, the cafe inside All American Gymnastics Academy, get to name the holiday drinks after themselves. Here’s a look at this year’s menu.

Here’s the menu for featured winter drinks at Brioux Falls, which is just off the skywalk in the office building at The Steel District.

Zooks Coffee Bar in Tea is featuring five winter drinks: Winter Wonderland, Turtle Butter Pecan, Maple Cinnamon Toast Chai and Mistletoe Matcha lattes and Holly Jolly Rancher refresher.

Central Dakota Perk in Harrisburg has new seasonal drinks.

The only place you’ll find Starbucks’ new Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate is at the cafes inside Target stores.

The Hello Hi has several new cocktails: Jaguar Love, Smoothed Edges, Pearl Diver, War Fig and Pale Shelter. Read the descriptions here.

Here are a few Friendsgiving gatherings and offers that we noticed:

• Severance Brewing Co.: The fifth annual event will include free pizza from Sunny’s Pizzeria from 5 to 8 tonight, Nov. 24, while supplies last. The pizzas will be pepperoni, cheese and Thanksgiving with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and optional cranberry drizzle.
• Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen:  The restaurant and Kubik’s Carpentery are serving their free third annual Friendsgiving dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the restaurant in the Jones421 Building.
• Chipotle: Get a BOGO entree from 4 p.m. to close Wednesday on orders placed in participating restaurants. Limit of five free menu items per check.
• The Taco Vault: The Worthing restaurant is having a potluck at 1 p.m. Thursday and will provide the turkey. “If you plan on coming, let us know what you’ll bring so we don’t end up with a bunch of the same thing,” the owners said. “We’ll watch some football and play some games and enjoy some food.”
• Club Monick: The event venue Monick Yards at 605 E. Eighth St. is turning into Club Monick on Friday for a Friendsgiving party from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are $15, and DJ Mr. Wobbles will be spinning dance tunes, starting at 10 p.m. The Carpenter Bar Group will be selling drinks.

Looking for a traditional Thanksgiving meal but don’t want to do the cooking? We found four traditional buffets: Cascata Italian Cuisine, Granite City Food & Brewery, Holiday Inn City Centre and the three Fryn’ Pan restaurants. Check out the details in the flyers below.

Cascata will serve its buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pricing is $46 for adults and teens, $27 for age 5-12. The restaurant in the Canopy by Hilton also is open for breakfast and dinner. Reservations are recommended.

Granite City Food & Brewery:

Holiday Inn City Centre recommends making a reservation.

Fryn’ Pan isn’t taking reservations.

 Four businesses are providing free or freewill donation meals on Thanksgiving:

• Alibi Bar & Grill is serving a traditional roast turkey dinner with classic sides and pie from 11 a.m. until the food is gone.
• Boss’ Pizza & Chicken at 2111 S. Minnesota Ave. will serve 125 free meals starting at 10 a.m. Guests will be served inside the restaurant this year. The meal will be three chicken tenders, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy and a bun. After those are gone, 175 meals will be available at a discounted price of $7.50. In addition, the restaurant will be open with its usual hours and menu that day.
• Lucky’s on Louise, with the help of sponsors, is serving a free meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All ages are welcome.
• The Rush is serving a turkey dinner with all the fixings from 11 a.m. until all the food is gone. Freewill donations will be accepted and will go to The Rush for the Causes to help local families in need.

Other restaurants and bars we noticed that are open Thursday, most with special meals

• BB’s Pub: Offering a Thanksgiving dinner option from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Carnival Brazilian Grill: Open from noon to 8 p.m.
• Cracker Barrel: Will serve a limited menu, but there will be a turkey meal.
• The Dive: Open from noon to 8 p.m.
• Red Rock Bar & Grill in Rowena: Turkey dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while supplies last. The regular menu will be available all day.
• Tailgators Grill & Bar in Brandon: Opens at 4 p.m., featuring a turkey dinner in addition to the regular menu. The kitchen will close at 9 p.m., but the bar will stay open until the final football game is over.
• Valley Corner Bar in Valley Springs: Opens at 2 p.m. and serves a turkey dinner at 4 p.m.
• WoodGrain Brewing Co.: The downtown location is hosting a potluck at 3 p.m.
• Woodys Pub and Gill: Will serve Thanksgiving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and pizza until close at 2 a.m.

Events

Rudy M. Navarrete’s Tex-Mexican Catering is hosting events in the coming weeks to raise money for its eighth annual shoe drive. All proceeds and additional donations will be used to buy name-brand tennis shoes that will be given to kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire. Upcoming dates are Nov. 29, Rudy’s Taco Bus menu at JJ’s Billiards & Darts; and Dec. 6, taco bar at the Brandon VFW. Hours each time will be 5 to 8 p.m.

The Only One Bar & Grill in Lennox is hosting its traditional Shoot the Minnow, starting at noon Wednesday. Get a live minnow in your choice of a shot and a T-shirt to commemorate your “bravery” for $20. The Main Street bar started the event in 2007.

Remedy Brewing Co. is collecting nonperishable food items ahead of Wednesday night’s Bingo for a Cause, which will support Stuff the Pantry. Bring in a nonperishable item before then, and get $1 off your first beer. On Wednesday, the bingo party will go from 6 to 8 p.m.

Blarney Stone Pub is opening early on Friday for its traditional Black Friday Brunch. Drink specials with an entree purchase include $5 build-your-own bloody mary or mimosa bars and $15 bottomless mimosas. The downtown pub will open at 10 a.m.

During Friday’s Parade of Lights, the Phillips Avenue Diner will be serving hot cocoa or coffee with a cookie for $6.

A Homestead Brew is having one of its signature beer branding events Saturday. Stop out from 2 to 9 p.m., and have a beer by the fire. Sticking a hot stainless steel rod into a beer caramelizes it and changes the flavor into “something new and spectacular.” Big Dan’s Smokin Meats will serve food from 5 to 8 p.m.

Changes in hours, service

• Winter hours are here at Falls Overlook Cafe: 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
• Nunzio’s Food Hall is closed now while the pizza oven is moved into the new space at Cherapa Place and the build-out is completed.

Here are other food and drink headlines from the past week.

Longtime Minervas server approaches final shift this week