The Oldest Restaurant In North Dakota Has A Truly Incredible History

The oldest restaurant in the entire state of North Dakota sits right in the downtown area of the capital city, Bismarck. It is known as Peacock Alley and is part of a historical hotel from the early 1900s known as the Patterson Hotel. The entire history of both the hotel and the restaurant is completely fascinating.

Boston Public Library/Wikimedia

In the earlier days of Bismarck and in the heart of downtown, shown here in a postcard dated around 1930, one of the most luxurious and prominent hotels was the Patterson Hotel. It was originally known as the McKenzie but its name was changed when it changed ownership in 1927. It had been notorious at the time for taking 20 years to build. In 1933, the Peacock Alley restaurant opened following the end of Prohibition.

That's not to say the hotel didn't have its secrets during Prohibition. There was illegal serving of alcohol during that time that even prompted an elaborate alarm system and a rumored secret underground tunnel from the hotel to the nearby train depot.

Dale Z/Yelp

The hotel and restaurant saw many famous faces over its lifetime, including people from boxing legend Jack Dempsey to several presidents like Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Today, the hotel portion is no longer in operation, however Peacock Alley is still open.

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Akm R/Tripadvisor

The restaurant serves food in an upscale atmosphere and includes delicious dishes like the ones shown. It has been accredited with many titles and awards for both its drinks and its food, and all of them are well deserved.

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With both the local history as well as the national history that Peacock Alley played a role in, you can see why this place is so interesting and makes for a great stop for anyone in Bismarck. It is an important part of the city and of North Dakota.

Peacock Alley is one of the top rated restaurants in North Dakota. Click here to see the top 10 highest rated in the entire state to compare the best of the best.