What's New on Bismarck's Restaurant Map Since Summer, and Where Peacock Alley's Lunch Went

The lobby of the old McKenzie Hotel building downtown is quiet this November. North Dakota Hospitality Group is remodeling the space into a steakhouse called The McKenzie. According to KFYR, the work includes rebuilding the kitchen, bathrooms and bar while keeping some of the original glass and fixtures. The restaurant's own site puts the opening in 2027.

Meanwhile, Bismarck's newest places to eat and drink opened between August and October in spots you already pass on errands and on the way to the river. There's a riverfront restaurant on River Road, a food court counter at Gateway Mall, a cafe near Cash Wise on South 12th, and soda and coffee on the Expressway and Burnt Boat Drive. The best-known lunch in town moved too, out to Interchange Avenue.

A downtown room between chapters

The building at the center of this story opened in 1911 as the McKenzie Hotel. Peacock Alley dates to 1933. When it closed its doors at the historic Patterson Place Building on June 13 after losing its lease, the Bismarck Tribune, via InForum covered it. KFYR reported that Peacock Alley had served customers in that spot for 93 years.

The next tenant is borrowing from the building's history. Natalie Eslinger, operations manager with North Dakota Hospitality Group, told KFYR that the team chose the name "The McKenzie" because "that was actually the original name of the hotel that was located in this spot in 1911." The same report described the planned layout. One side will be a higher-end dining room meant for special occasions. The other will be a lounge with a more affordable menu. Diners can expect locally sourced meats and classic drinks, and the restaurant is meant to be family-friendly.

The official site calls it The McKenzie Steakhouse, Lounge & Cellar and says that in 2027, "the former lobby of the original McKenzie Hotel will once again become a place where people gather." So through this holiday season and into the new year, a special-occasion dinner in that lobby is on hold, and the regular Peacock Alley lunch is somewhere else.

Peacock Alley's lunch moved to Interchange Avenue

The menu didn't go far. The owners, Dale and Melodie Zimmerman, moved Peacock Alley's full lunch menu into their sister restaurant, 40 Steak + Seafood at 1401 E. Interchange Ave., and began serving it daily in July. KFYR gave the lunch hours as 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It worked because the two restaurants keep different hours. Dale Zimmerman told the Tribune that 40 Steak + Seafood had been open only about 30 hours a week, so the Peacock Alley pop-up fills the hours before 40's regular 4 p.m. dinner service. The move still required an extensive kitchen remodel to fit Peacock Alley's equipment. He also said every former Peacock Alley staff member was rehired. "Some of us have been together for 10 to 20 years," he told the Tribune.

The owners call it a semi-permanent pop-up, and that's a good way to think about it. When it opened, the plan was to add Peacock Alley's happy hour and its Saturday morning Bloody Mary Breakfast in the following weeks. If you're planning a Saturday around it, check the restaurant's own channels first to see which services are running that week.

Down by the river, a fall addition to the dock

As the Lewis and Clark Riverboat's summer season wound down, the dock picked up a restaurant. KX News reported in late August that The Landing Restaurant and Bar had officially opened in the same building as the Riverboat Gift Shop, right on the Missouri River. The address is 1700 River Road, in the former Huckleberry House. You order at the counter and can sit indoors or outside.

The menu is comfort food built on seasonal ingredients, with several gluten-free dishes. There's also a dog patio. Bismarck Local wrote that guests especially liked the campfire corn ribs and fry bread and that the walleye was selling out most nights. At opening, a managing partner told KX the plan was to be "open seven days a week from 11 to 10," with the kitchen closing at 9. The restaurant's website still says "Now open 7 days a week!" The patio was built for warm evenings, so check hours before driving down in mid-November.

Along the routes you already drive

The other openings since August are on busy roads: State Street, South 12th Street, the Expressway and Burnt Boat Drive. Most of them sit next to a mall, a grocery store or a credit union.

Rose Cafe

Rose Cafe is a family business. Soraya Badwan told KX News that her family came to North Dakota from Jordan in 2014 and started in Williston, where they still run another cafe. She opened the Bismarck location with her husband. Roses decorate the room, a nod to her birth flower. The signature drink is a rose latte with pistachio and real flowers. "You guys should come try our coffee and crepes," she told KX. The cafe is open every day.

A Little Taste of Mexico

A Little Taste of Mexico gives Gateway Mall's food court a new counter. It opened Saturday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m., according to Bismarck Local. It's an easy stop during an indoor shopping trip once the weather turns cold.

7 Brew, Fizzly and Scooter's

7 Brew opened its State Street drive-through in early August, and KX News covered the ribbon cutting. A second Bismarck 7 Brew, along with a Chase Bank, is planned for 401 E. Bismarck Expressway, the former Famous Dave's lot. A few blocks east, Hot 97.5 reported that Fizzly Soda Shop's second location at 1144 E. Bismarck Expressway is open. Scooter's Coffee's second Bismarck location opened inside Capital Credit Union on Burnt Boat Drive, with indoor seating.

A November week using the new map

Since the new places are spread across town, it helps to match each one to a trip you're already making. Here's one week's worth:

1. A weekday lunch with a longtime friend: Peacock Alley's lunch menu at 40 Steak + Seafood, 1401 E. Interchange Ave., before 40's 4 p.m. dinner service.
2. A south-side breakfast after a grocery run: crepes and a pistachio rose latte at Rose Cafe on S. 12th St., near Cash Wise Foods.
3. A cold Saturday at the mall: lunch at A Little Taste of Mexico in the Gateway Mall food court.
4. An errand on the Expressway: a rotating soda flavor and a bag of popcorn at Fizzly.
5. A clear evening by the river: walleye or campfire corn ribs at The Landing on River Road, after checking that day's hours.

Michael grew up in Bismarck, and we both like seeing which corners of the city get new places to eat and gather each season. If you're thinking about how your part of town has changed, or how a new spot down the street might come up when you talk with buyers someday, Lonna and Mike Quast are happy to talk it through over coffee at one of these new cafes. Contact Us.