Broken Drum Bar & Grill

Marilyn Hagerty, of Viral Olive Garden Restaurant Review Fame, Reviews the Broken Drum in North Dakota | Bon Appétit

"Once essentially just a neighborhood drinking spot on the northern outskirts of Grand Forks along Highway 2, this bar was transformed after Mike and Jamie Spicer bought it 13 years ago and brought in chef Debbie Johnson, adding a full-scale kitchen and expanding into catering. The menu features affordable weekday specials—sloppy Joes on Wednesdays, burritos on Thursdays, and steak and shrimp on Fridays—and a midday special that used to list three medium-size meatballs with mashed potatoes and brown gravy, a soft white bun and a bowl of chicken wild rice for about $8.50; a steak sandwich is offered at the same price. Meals draw crowds at noon, often filling the dining room and overflowing the muddy parking lot with trucks and cars (locals often park in nearby merchants’ lots), and popular items can sell out by early afternoon. The vibe blends a working bar scene—ketchup and mustard kept in a Miller Lite case, silverware wrapped in paper napkins—with a friendlier, trendier restaurant atmosphere, and the staff works smoothly with the chef to support both regular service and offsite catering for events like graduations." - ByMarilyn Hagerty