Restaurant Reviews: Dining in Branson, MO
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When you’re in the Vegas-like area of Branson – it’s hard to even fathom there’s anything else to the town – but there is. Just up the road – there’s a mall with a bunch of stores, restaurants and activities. And one of the dining items in this mall area is Dino’s 24Karrot Cake Co.
It’s very close to the center of the open-air mall. Dino is a showman in Branson and had made his carrot cake for friends & celebrities and then his wife convinced him to open a retail location. Thank you Mrs. Dino!!!
This was by far the best carrot cake I have EVER had in my life. They sell it in different sizes as well (mason jar, loaf, piece, full cake). If you’re in Branson – this is your first stop!
Our first stop in the city was Mel’s Hard Luck Diner. It’s home of the singing waiters – which is their main selling point. The servers take mini-breaks from serving to sing you songs from a variety of eras. The singing is about as good as the food – but it’s kitschy and fun.
The food was okay – I got the Sea of Love ($14.99) with shrimp, Texas toast, fries and slaw. The shrimp and fries were fine – the toast was a bit dry and the slaw was a vinegar style and didn’t have much flavor.
Larry got the Hawaiian Burger ($9.99) with sweet potato tots that came with a marshmallow cinnamon sauce. The burger was good (better than my selection) and the tots were awesome. The marshmallow sauce was really unique and tasty.
Another dining stop was the Showboat Branson Belle – it’s a riverboat dinner cruise. The typical dinner menu consists of a salad, corn biscuit (yum!), honey dijon chicken, simmered beef roast, garlic mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas and a lemon torte. My favorite part of the meal was by far the roast – it was delicious! Such a rich flavor and it fell apart even looking at it. Yum! All in all for a large scale meal served to a few hundred people at once – it’s pretty good.
Most of the food I had was fine – but the clear stand out was Dino’s 24Karrot Cake Company – do not miss it!
Disclosure: Some meals were provided by Visit Branson but all opinions are my own.
