What's New in Sioux Falls: Smoe's Bar Returns and New Places to Eat

Here is what is new in the Sioux Falls food and drink scene this week: a historic downtown bar has reopened in the same building it called home for 65 years, an alcohol-free cafe just launched its full food program, a new Chinese kitchen is serving in the mall, and two national brands are teaming up on a familiar corner. I'm Jennifer Krosch, a Realtor with eXp Realty, and I track this local beat because the places opening around the metro tell you a lot about where a neighborhood is headed.

Smoe's Bar is back on East Eighth Street

The biggest downtown comeback this month is Smoe's Bar. The original operated at 921 E. Eighth St. from 1946 to 2011, a neighborhood institution on the near-east side, and it closed 15 years ago. On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, it reopened in that same building under new owners Pat Nelson and Brandon De Jong, the partners behind The Hello Hi. The Argus Leader, SiouxFalls.Business, Dakota News Now, and SF Simplified all covered the return, and locals have been stopping in to see the restored space.

A few details worth knowing if you plan to visit: the owners had been working on the revival for years, and the reopening brought the bar's nostalgic name and a familiar corner back to life. For anyone who remembers the original or is discovering it for the first time, it is another sign that downtown's older buildings keep finding new chapters.

There is a nice local connection in that same building, too. Good NAtured, the alcohol-free cafe we covered below, opened at 921 E. Eighth St. in 2024 before moving across town this spring, and now Smoe's has taken over the space. Two very different concepts, one busy downtown address.

Good NAtured starts serving a full menu on West 10th

Good NAtured, the alcohol-free coffee shop and community space owned by Shannon Ward, launched its food program the week of October 20, 2026, at its new home at 2501 W. 10th St., on the corner of West 10th and South Williams Avenue in the former Detour Bar. The cafe, which Ward describes as a "third place" that is not home and not work, had been open at the new location since spring, and the kitchen is what was missing.

The new menu adds wood-fired pizzas, paninis, and a rotating daily entree to the grab-and-go sandwiches and baked goods that were already on the counter. Non-alcoholic drinks stay the focus, including South Dakota-made bottles like Covert Ale and Songbird Kombucha, so there is plenty to sip whether or not you are eating. SiouxFalls.Business reported on the launch on October 20, 2026. For the neighborhoods around West 10th, a sit-down, family-friendly cafe with an actual kitchen is a real upgrade in walkable dining options.

Asian Wok Express joins The Empire Mall food court

The Empire Mall brought back a familiar name this month: Toys R Us returned to the mall ahead of the holiday season, filling a large space not far from the food court, and the reopening came with new additions to the food court itself. One of them is Asian Wok Express, a new American-Chinese kitchen now serving classics like General Tso's chicken, beef with broccoli, orange chicken, fried rice, and lo mein in a formerly vacant food-court spot.

The mall sits off I-29 at the intersection of Louise Avenue and 41st Street, so the new kitchen is an easy stop for shoppers and for anyone who lives on the west or southwest side. SiouxFalls.Business reported the opening on October 22, 2026, alongside the Toys R Us return. And if you missed it, Scooter's Coffee also opened at the mall in mid-October in the former Caribou Coffee spot near the Athleta and Sephora entrance, which I rounded up last week.

Baskin-Robbins and Jimmy John's are pairing up on Minnesota Avenue

The former Caribou Coffee at 2300 S. Minnesota Ave. is being converted into a combined Jimmy John's and Baskin-Robbins store. Jimmy John's will move from its current location at 1904 S. Minnesota Ave. into the bigger space, and the co-branded store will sell the sandwich shop's menu plus Baskin-Robbins ice cream under one roof. KELOLAND reported the plan on October 20, 2026, and noted the conversion was still early in the process. No opening date has been announced yet.

For anyone who lives in the central or southern part of the city, this is a corner worth watching. The Minnesota Avenue corridor has been picking up new tenants steadily, and a combined sandwich and ice cream shop does particularly well with families and commuters. When construction completes is the open question, and I will share the opening date as soon as it is announced.

What this means for buyers and sellers

Here is the realtor's take. When a historic bar returns to downtown, a cafe adds a kitchen, a food court fills a vacant slot, and a national brand picks a new corner, it all adds up to the same thing: commercial momentum. Restaurants and bars are usually among the first tenants to commit to an area, and they bring foot traffic, jobs, and everyday convenience with them.

For buyers, the practical takeaway is neighborhood health. Walkable dining, a lively downtown block, or a cafe that families use every week makes a home more valuable to live in, and those amenities are worth factoring into any comparison. For sellers, new local businesses give you concrete talking points when you market your home, especially if buyers are coming from out of town. If you are thinking about buying or selling in any of these pockets of the metro, I would love to show you what the momentum looks like in person. Give me a call anytime.

More openings from the last month

This month has been busy for new places to eat. If you missed it, Raising Cane's set its opening date for South Dakota's first location on November 17 at 4004 W. 41st St., the Downtown Pork Showdown runs through Halloween, Modern Meze and Mi Ranchito No. 1 opened on the east and southwest sides, Tropical Smoothie Cafe is on the way, and Scooter's Coffee opened inside the mall. Here are the roundups:

• Raising Cane's and the Pork Showdown
• Modern Meze, Mi Ranchito No. 1, and Polar Bites
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Santo Tequila, and Ocean Buffet
• Scooter's Coffee at the mall and more

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