Southern Idaho may be one of the most important food manufacturing locations in the country, but it’s also home to more than a few local haunts where residents have been feasting for years. Here’s your inside guide:
A Plate Can’t Contain This Chicken Fried Steak
The Eagle’s Nest in Dietrich may seem like an unassuming wooden building, but inside you’ll find meals that have been testing even the largest of appetites for decades. Try a Navajo Taco (a homemade scone topped with chili and garnished with onions, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce), a classic rib eye steak, or go for this restaurant’s most famous creation: the chicken fried steak. Served in sizes ranging from “smaller than small” to a plate-busting “large,” if you walk away hungry, it’s your own fault. Wash it all down with a drink from the Eagle’s Nest’s full bar.
What’s a Buffalo Chip?
One of the most beloved restaurants in Twin Falls serves up one of the town’s most iconic dishes: the Buffalo Chip at the Buffalo Café. This longtime establishment is known for its homemade jam, savory fried potatoes, fantastic pancakes, and some of the friendliest wait staff in the region. But the Buffalo Chip is a thing of beauty: fried potatoes smothered with tomatoes, green chiles, green onions, bacon, sour cream, cheese, and two eggs. You can place a half order if you feel like you might want to be hungry again sometime in the next two days.
The Best Ice Cream Ever
We don’t make this claim lightly. But don’t take our word for it — ask anyone who has ever savored a cone from Buhl’s Cloverleaf Creamery. Cloverleaf pampers its dairy cows (each of them is named), and that extra effort really comes through in its ice cream. You’ll find traditional flavors along with rotating specialty creations, and if you’re lucky you might be able to take a peek into Cloverleaf’s bottling plant in the back of the creamery. They still use an old-fashioned process to bottle their fresh milk in glass bottles that are delivered throughout the state.
You’ll Want More Than Just a Piece
Connor’s Café in Heyburn has been serving travelers at its current location since 1965. You can find great made-from-scratch fare, including their famous homemade dinner rolls, but the pies really can’t be beat. There are no baking shortcuts here: Flaky crusts, fresh-fruit fillings, and pure sugar combine in creations that you’ll definitely want to take home with you (don’t worry: Connor’s Café keeps more than a few whole pies in stock for take-home orders). Choose from classics like apple, blueberry, and coconut, or try sour cream raisin or peanut butter or oatmeal pie. Arrive early to get your hands on seasonal pies like peach, gooseberry, and strawberry.