Ridgedale

Ridgedale is a small community south of Branson, and its restaurant list is unlike anywhere else in the area for one reason: it is essentially the dining side of Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock.

That makes this the most upscale eleven-restaurant list in the region. The Worman House Bistro occupies a 1920s stone mansion. Osage Restaurant at Top of the Rock is the view – a glass-walled room over Table Rock Lake that draws people who are not staying on the property. Devil’s Pool Restaurant is the lodge’s rustic-formal room, Arnie’s Barn a relocated Pennsylvania barn now serving Mexican food beside the golf course, and Buffalo Bar and Buzzard Bar the more relaxed options. Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill is the family end, built into a bowling alley with an aquarium theme. Truman Cafe & Custard, Canteen at Long Creek, Log Cabin Cafe and Ozark Coffee Company round it out.

Practical note: several of these take reservations and some fill well ahead, particularly for sunset seatings at Osage. Book before you arrive rather than on the day.