Sanford’s Grub & Pub

The owners son is very rude! Even disrespectful! I cant believe how we were treated. This was the first place we came to get a bite to eat after getting off our flight for our sons graduation from sdsmt. I hope this isnt the norm here!

I loveeeeeee trying new restaurants and I’m so happy I tried sanfords. I stayed near by and thought it looked cool wasn’t expecting much but just thought it’d be a cool different place to eat. The wait was short which is good. But there’s plenty to look at while waiting which is awesome. The food was amazing. So much flavor. And homestyle cooking is what they have! The waiter was super friendly and made sure everything was good. I’d definitely recommend trying this place out!

At first glance it looks like a cute family diner. We were a party of 6 and the restaurant was empty when we got there. Had to wait for our table because the wait staff wasn’t there. After a 30 minute wait, in an empty restaurant, we were seated.
We placed our order and everyone received their meals except for me. The waitress never came by to check on our table, not once! Had to track down a different waitress to ask about my meal. By the time I finally get my meal it was cold and wasn’t prepared how I had requested. I asked for a taco salad with no olives. I get cold ground beef and olives. Sent my meal back and asked for it to go. Everyone else had finished their meals by the time I was brought my first salad. I had also put in a to go order for my husband. I asked for the bacon burger and the waitress asked me if I wanted a burger with bacon on it. Last time I checked, that’s what a bacon burger is.
More time went by as we waited for my new salad. Finally got my to go order and we had to wait even longer for our checks. Again, everyone gets theirs and I have to wait for my check. We were there for 2 hours and most of that time was spent waiting for the waitress to show up.
The menu was huge and the design of the menu was horrible. The kids menu was on the back of the beer menu which was very odd. Who puts a kids menu on an adult beverage menu?! The portions were small and my son’s burger was disgusting. All around this was a poor experience and not worth the price. The only plus side was that they didn’t charge me for my salad or my drink.

Hours do not coordinate with hours posted. We arrived on Sunday for a early dinner to find the doors closed/​locked.

Food was alright but not what I was expecting. Bloody Mary wasn’t all that great. The service was awesome. Justin was my waiter and he was fantastic.
Disappointed in the food and drink.

We took a weekend trip to Mt. Rushmore and decided to stop here for lunch! It was a great decision! He had the Gilligan burger which was delicious! And I had the monster mushroom and bacon burger. It was cheap and a lot of food! I also had a pomegranate beer which was a nice sweet pallet. We are even stopping for lunch again before our drive.

Reviews are subjective, of course. Our desires, appetites and palates are all different, and change daily or even hourly. Do you desire an upscale meal where even a room temperature salad fork can ruin the experience, or do you desire a folksy meal without any pretense of chilled fork, but lots of hot food and cold beer?
As a solo business traveler, I gravitate to the local restaurants. Even PF Chang’s and Outback get old quickly, even with quality products. The benefit to chain restaurants, is that you know what you are getting for a meal and ambiance, but is that always a good thing? The local establishments are the ones that make the memories (both good and bad). In this case, good is a significant understatement.
Saw the mixed reviews on yep, so I wasn’t expecting a Ruth Chris caliber meal. What I did find, was an entirely casual, enjoyable, massive and surprisingly tasty meat feast!
The beer list is extensive, with every classification represented. The burger was cooked perfectly, and was at least a half pound on the plate (probably 10 oz before cooking). The plate itself was outrageous! Each one should have its own zip code and post office, yet it was filled to the point of overflowing with the burger and onion rings/​straws.
I really wish I could sample the desert options, but sadly, I don’t have room in my stomach, and probably won’t for 2 or 3 days.
To any local, or visitor, in search of a casual, robust, yet surprisingly delicious meal, you should give Sanford’s a try.

I really liked this place. The food was surprisingly good. I ordered a burger (big popper) cooked medium and it was perfectly cooked — ask yourself how often that happens. My wife ordered sirloin tips and they were also perfectly tender and medium. They have 70 beers on tap and are happy to bring you a taste if you can’t decided. The kids menu big (along with the «big» regular menu) and the food is good quality. I really like the décor as well. Families will be well taken care of — this is a sure bet for a stop.

Food took forever and then came out cold. Kids meal had cold fries. Wings tasted like they had sat out for an hour. Sandwich was ok onion rings were also cold. Server was apologetic but that didn’t get us decent food. This happened for 2 of our 3 families. What a waste of money and time.

Sanfords is a alright little pub but I can’t say it’s the best there is.
OK first off the prices seem to run on the higher side. I basically think your paying for the nostalgic atmosphere you dine in. I guess they have to pay for all there antiques somehow! When sandwiches and burgers hit the $ 10 – 14 market, you better deliver with a big portion but they fall way short here. The sandwich I did have was good and tasty but not at all worth the prize and I thought it was small!
I did like the beer selection and obviously the old antiques, but the best bang for your buck expectations fell way way way short. I’d only come back on in for a beer.

This place was awful. First of all, there was no one at the hostess desk when we walked in; we waited a few minutes for someone to even seat us, and the restaurant was pretty much empty. Second, our appetizer plates were dirty; the fried beans were good, though. Third, we went to use the bathroom, and they were filthy; trash everywhere, no paper towels, and it was just gross overall. Lastly, we got burgers, and they were nasty; they were slimy, and the cream cheese was literally just a piece of sliced off cream cheese laid on top of the burger. I know there aren’t many places in Rapid City, SD to eat, but avoid this one.

after having had mexican a few days in a row, my boyfriend and i were looking for something a little bit different for dinner tonight. neither of us had ever been to sanford’s, and decided to give it a try. we had a great experience.
first of all– the kitsch and chotchkies in this joint are what chili’s and applebee’s dream of. take a little time off from conversation to look around and take it all in. i will say that, for a place that has so much stuff in it, staff and management do a great job of keeping it all clean (not an easy undertaking). i was immediately impressed by that.
this restaurant has over 70 beers on tap, and we took advantage of that to try offerings not available where we live locally. i had a particularly delicious alaska white ale, and my boyfriend had a porter that he just loved. our bartender was friendly and knowledgeable, without being overbearing.
for food, i opted to try the rocky mountain oyster’s as an appetizer– i just had to, especially since i’d never had them before. these are served (maybe 7 or 8 slices) on top of a bed of fries, along with cocktail sauce and a rich, brown gravy. i added a side of ranch, as well. these, quite honestly, had very little flavor besides the seasoned breading, and the chewy texture of a clam strip. they were yummy, especially when drizzled with some fresh lemon, and dipped in any of the sauces. at $ 10.99, they seemed a bit expensive, but the taste was yummy and i’m glad i finally tried them.
my boyfriend got cooter’s chicken sandwich which was a breaded chicken cutlet with ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato stuffed between two beautifully buttered and crisped pieces of toast. the sandwich was huge and tasted excellent. the seasoning on the chicken was assertive and just a bit spicy. he got the garlic parmesan fries, which were really just the same fries we’d had with the oysters, topped with shredded parm. they were good, but nothing to write home about.
i went with the bayou baby, a po boy of fried shrimp, turkey, ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato. normally this is served on a french baguette which is fried (yes– literally fried– i asked…), but i asked for mine to come on fresh bread… which is probably why it all fell apart. i ended up needing to knife and fork this one, but it was still yummy, especially when i added some of the accompanying remoulade sauce. i opted for cole slaw as my side, and it was classic, creamy goodness. i added some zip with some very coarsely fresh cracked black pepper.
for 3 beers, a hearty appetizer, and two large sandwiches with sides, we paid about $ 60, including tip. not a cheap meal, but a good one. had we not gotten the appetizer, we would still have left very content and happy. portions are large, and the food is tasty. i suspect the crown could get rowdy later at night, but at 8ish on a friday, it was still fairly quiet. overall, we enjoyed ourselves and would be back.

Restaurant was empty, my party of 4 came in. With one party of two ahead of us. We were told we came at the worst time, that’s welcoming… burgers dry and tasteless, you get about 3 fries per order, on a giant plate. Queso appetizer was worse than Velveeta and a can of chili… I’ll never come back.

Four delicious words… Chicken jalapeño popper burger with the most delicious berry sauce!!! Makes my mouth water. I hate that I live two days away now! :(
Giant plates of food. I could never eat it all. Great place for family and great place for big groups. Fun place, good drinks and great staff!

The waitress was good & came to check on us often. The atmosphere was good, like most pubs but more spacious. The food was good. It appeared like small portions but that is because the plates are huge. Food was good but the menu made the food seem more amazing than it was. We had the junkyard nachos they were average & also had the calamari. The calamari was served with fries. The calamari was very tasty & tender. I also ordered the ruben & cajun fries. The ruben was great but there was a little spice to it. The cajun fries were nothing special, just regular fries with some cayenne pepper. Overall this place is pretty good. Oh & I also ordered the bloody mary it was good but again not as fantastic as the menu made it seem.

I LOVE this place! Incredibly FUN atmosphere, LOTS of hidden corners, nooks and crannies for you and your group to hide in. The décor is made up of thousands of antiques, collectibles, and attic treasures. You won’t run out of fun things to look at!
My platter was gigantic! Large portions and great taste. Price quite reasonable. I couldn’t come close to eating it all.
Check it out, it’s a great place to take friends or lounge alone. Relaxing and friendly.
I enjoyed a 12 oz New York grilled to perfection. Fresh corn, garlic mashed potatoes and fresh, light homemade bread with cinnamon butter– $ 22. An outstanding deal!

The food and service was just okay.
We went on a Sunday evening (July 6, 6pm) and the place was less than busy. We were seated by a hostess who had just started that day, and we were the first table she ever seated. We were with two elementary age kids, and while we were given a couple of kids items (hat, coloring page) we didn’t see a kids menu anywhere. We ended up ordering off the regular menu for the kids, during which the waitress never once mentioned that a) there is a kids menu on the back of the alcoholic beverage menu on the table and that b) Sunday and Monday they apparently run a special where kids can eat free off the kids menu with the order of an adult entrée.
When we eventually accidentally found the kids menu, and the flyer for the special in the bathroom of all places (???) we mentioned this to both the waitress and the hostess. We were informed that the manager would not comp any of our meal for the lack of information provided because they would just lose too much money. (Really? Does this happen a lot?) Ultimately, would not visit again just because of the general lack of consideration. I grew up in this area and have visited Sanfords many times before, and visit every year that I come back to South Dakota from Maryland. This will be the last time for that.

We were staying overnight in Rapid City while on a road trip. This place was a bit hard to find. It’s on a side street and kind of tucked behind another building. If you can find Sanford’s, then you’re in luck.
Decent beer selection and an insanely large menu. We started with the spinach artichoke dip that came with oddly double-​fried tortilla chips (even though the menu said it came with garlic bread medallions, celery, and carrots). It was very tasty. I ordered the sirloin skillet: chopped sirloin and mushrooms over mashed potatoes and two slices of garlic bread, all covered in gravy. Talk about comfort food!
I would seek out Sanford’s if I’m ever in this area of South Dakota again.

Ok, funny I had no idea this was part of a chain. A couple of days earlier I had gone to Gillette, WY and had been to a sister place called, Humphrey’s. They don’t hide this fact, it’s right on the menu. The two places do however have different themes and a few different dishes.
This place is all decked out like a garage and also has some sports and beer stuff all over. It was very clean and inviting, we were seated immediately. Seeing as how we knew the size of the apps was quite huge (They are very large here, enough for 3 – 4 in some instances) we decided to go straight to entrees.
I went with the 10oz sirloin with field peas, red beans and the fried sourdough bread. The bread was a bit much. I felt a little icky eating it, too much butter. The veggies were great though, as was the steak. Tender, juicy and not too huge. My meal really hit the spot.
My buddy got the Cobb Salad. I have an idea how good it was, as he really liked it. The size was crazy though. It was the size of at least 3 salads.
Really good place, to at least try, but show up hungry. Portions are huge.

This place is huge. Garage theme bar restaurant with hundreds maybe thousands of items you’ll find in a garage and sports memorabilia. If you go into the restrooms their more. I love it. I was surprised to not find a lot of bikers here. A relief cause they were irritating the hell out of me on the road everywhere I went they were there. A hands full is cool but thousands of them shoot me now. Services me right for going in the middle of a biker rally.
It was a challenge at first just to get seated. I did enter through some back door cause I must of walked around for 10 mins looking around at the cool decorations before asking hey I’m hungry where can I sit to the girls in front. One of the girls said to sit by her bar then another pulled me away to sit by her bar then another pulled be away to sit by the tables. Can I just eat LOL. I really wasn’t physically pulled.
They have a giant menu with the prices written in words like instead of $ 9.99 it said nine dollars and ninety nine cents, so of course it throw me off and I had to ask where the prices were. All the items sounded delicious but I went with the Pants on Fire burger and asked if they could throw a fried egg on it, which they did for 50 cents extra. For sides I had some sliced fried potatoes I forgot what they called them but seemed different so I had to try um. It was delicious not amazing but pretty good I’d recommend and eat again, maybe no fried egg next time bad habit.
Nice girls ;) I mean very friendly, patient, and good to converse with. It’s a good place to go with friends and family. I wonder how it gets at night when its packed with drunk people. They also have $ 1 beers but I think you have to buy food to get that price.