Hollister

Hollister sits immediately south of Branson across Lake Taneycomo, and it is the closest thing the area has to a quiet alternative to the strip. Twenty restaurants are listed here, and staying in Hollister while eating in Hollister is a genuinely different trip from doing both on 76 Country Boulevard.

The distinctive ones are worth the short drive on their own. Ye Olde English Inn leans into the Tudor-revival architecture that gives downtown Hollister its character. Downing Street Pour House and Tall Tales Bar & Grill are the sit-down-and-stay options, Mountain Top Grill and the Airport Diner the local-institution end. Coffee on the Rocks and Steamy Joe Cafe cover coffee and breakfast, Hook & Ladder Pizza and Pizza by the Chef the pizza, and Little Hacienda, El Poblano and El Patio give Hollister a denser cluster of Mexican restaurants than its size suggests. Japanese Kitchen and My Cooking Nook fill out the rest, alongside the usual chains.