I've walked past Crawford's downtown location on Phillips Avenue more times than I can count — usually on my way to somewhere else, sometimes stopping to read the menu posted outside. It sits in that stretch between 9th and 10th where the buildings feel solidly Sioux Falls, brick and windows that have watched decades of this city reshape itself.
The space inside feels like it knows what it is — a bar and grill that doesn't apologize for being exactly that. Wood booths, plenty of TVs, the kind of lighting that makes a Tuesday feel like it could turn into something. I've met friends here after work, sliding into a booth while the evening crowd filters in, most of them clearly regulars who know which server to wave at.
The menu does that thing where it's bigger than you expect — burgers and wraps, sure, but also walleye and ribeye and a whole section of things you'd order if you showed up actually hungry. I always go back to their burgers because they're the kind that require both hands and a stack of napkins. The fries come hot, which sounds like a low bar until you've had too many places fail it.
What isn't perfect: the service pace can drift depending on the night. I've had meals that moved like clockwork and others where I wondered if they forgot we existed between appetizer and entree. It's the variability that keeps me from calling it flawless.
But there's something about Crawford's that works for this city — it's not trying to be anything other than a reliable spot downtown where you can eat well, drink something cold, and not think too hard about it. On a Friday night when Phillips Avenue is humming and you just want a booth and a burger, that's enough.
— Grace
I always go back to their burgers because they're the kind that require both hands and a stack of napkins.