A genuine American diner in a restored 1950s-style space on the main downtown strip, Phillips Avenue Diner does breakfasts and lunches that draw locals as reliably as visitors. The scratch pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and daily specials are the reason to come. It is the kind of place where regulars have their own booths and the coffee is refilled without being asked.
Sioux Falls has several chain breakfast spots, but this is the real thing. The lunch menu includes solid sandwiches and rotating hot plates. Arrive early on weekends — there is often a wait.