With road trips increasing in popularity, some of those previously fly-over states are getting a closer look. Great Bend, centrally located in Kansas, is a family-friendly economic destination. If you only have time to see a single thing in Great Bend, I recommend the Kansas Wetlands Education Center and Cheyenne Bottoms. Birdwatchers and photographers could spend the whole day there if they visit during the spring or fall migration seasons. With about 41,000 acres, Cheyenne Bottoms offers the most extensive wetlands located in the US interior. Don’t miss the guided-van tours of Cheyenne Bottoms. While admission is free, they do have a small charge for the tours.
So, while you’re out exploring Great Bend and having a great time, you’ll need something to fuel your adventures. Here are seven restaurants providing the nourishment you need to keep on exploring.
Note: Great Bend hosted my visit.
Visiting other destinations in Kansas? Check out our foodie guides to the following cities:
- 6 Must-Try Lenexa Restaurants
- 5 Best Things To Do In Kansas City, Kansas
- 8 Best Restaurants On The KCK Taco Trail
Where To Eat In Great Bend Kansas
The Page An American Bistro
2920 10th Street // 620-792-8700
The vibe at The Page is casual elegance. The restaurant’s décor features exposed brick walls adorned with framed photographs. You’ll feel at home in a good pair of jeans or something even dressier. While they offer everything you’d expect to find in a steakhouse, they also have menu items that are more casual, like sandwiches and wraps.
Try their signature house-made potato soup, served as you might find a loaded baked potato. They garnish the dish with green onions for a mild onion flavor, a bit of melted cheddar cheese, and some bacon bits.

Pro Tip: If you want an opportunity to pair the local Rosewood wines with dinner, you can do that at The Page, where they offer Rosewood wines on their wine list.
Delgado’s Mexican Restaurant
2210 10th Street // 620-793-3786
When you tell a local that you ate at Delgado’s, the first thing they ask is, “Did you get the half and half?” They’re referring to Delgado’s basket of chips, which you can order as half flour and half corn chips. They make the chips to order, and they’re warm when they reach the table. The flour chips are an exciting change, as they puff up considerably more than the corn chips, making for a nice contrast. Enjoy them with the house-made salsa for a traditional start to your Mexican meal.
Then, be sure to try Delgado’s famous pork chili that has tender chunks of pork, tomatoes, and mild spices. While I had it in a bowl, as a soup appetizer, they offer the pork chili, burrito-style wrapped in a tortilla with beans and hamburger or spooned on top enchilada-style. Another version is potatoes, topped with cheese and pork chili. No matter how you have it, this mildly spiced fork-tender dish is a must-try.
Your dinner choices include a variety of traditional Mexican specialties, like enchiladas, tacos, and tostadas, served with beans and a choice of sopa or rice. Then, they offer four dishes with somewhat unusual names, the Beaver, Dutchman, Texican, and Apache; but each dish is a combination of a 10-inch flour tortilla stuffed with a filling and topped with something. In all cases, the chef integrates the pork chili into the dish.
I always enjoy ice cream after a Mexican meal, and at Delgado’s, the fried ice cream served in a deep-fried bowl-shaped flour tortilla sundae-style completed my meal.
Deep purple and turquoise add vibrant colors to this relatively small 84-seat Mexican restaurant. The colors and décor gave the restaurant a fiesta feel. While it may not always be necessary, they do take reservations.
Pro Tip: Delgado’s doesn’t take credit cards, so be sure to bring cash.
Flavored Celebrations at Lizzie’s Cottage
1315 Stone Street // 620-793-0664
Flavored Celebrations at Lizzie’s Cottage is the best-kept secret in Great Bend. It’s a private restaurant that opens when the owner, Kat King, has reservations. While there isn’t a set restaurant menu, you call ahead, chat about what your group would enjoy eating, and Kat does the rest. Then, with exceptions for dietary restrictions, the entire group eats the same meal. While dining at Lizzie’s Cottage requires some planning, you won’t regret the effort.
Our salad began with mixed greens, then English peas, diced cucumber, zucchini, and avocado, all adding to the green theme. Next, purple onions added a pop of color and a grating of asiago cheese with more color variety. Then Kat topped the salad with toasted croissant croutons and a blush wine vinaigrette. Rosemary bread accompanied the salads.
For the entrée, we had Kat’s number one seller, the Parmesan-crusted garlic New York strip steak, accompanied by Hasselback potatoes and roasted asparagus.
Our dessert was a rich and decadent Nutella-flavored torte featuring hazelnuts and chocolate. For the chocolate lovers in your party, I suggest adding this to your menu when you order.
Pro Tip: You must make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance.
RePerks Coffee Shop
1216 Main Street // 620-786-2334
Logically, when you see RePerks Coffee Shop, you immediately think this is a place to grab a cup of coffee and a pastry. And you can. But, in reality, RePerks is a restaurant for full meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They’re so much more than a coffee shop that the name seems to be a bit of a misnomer. I mean, how many coffee shops do you know that you can get a Saturday night prime rib dinner? Well, you can at RePerks Coffee Shop. The dinner is all-inclusive with a salad, potato, vegetable, dessert, drink, and of course the prime rib.
While RePerks is a traditional restaurant, they offer family dinners to go. So, if you order your dinner before 3:00 p.m., you can pick it up after 5:00 p.m. On Saturdays, one option is the prime rib dinner, but other nights you can order meatloaf, fried chicken, or fish, to name a few, each with traditional sides.
As far as the coffee aspect of this coffee shop, I enjoyed the caramel mocha, which is just one example of their coffee and tea drinks.
RePerks, located in downtown Great Bend, is convenient when you want to do a little shopping while you’re there. The area has dedicated a significant effort to create a unique shopping area. The shopping district features a variety of sculptures that add interest to the streets. One of my favorite shops is the Rosewood Wine Cellar, where you can pick up award-winning wine to pair with a picnic or unwind in your hotel after a long day of sightseeing. In addition, the Heart of Kansas Mercantile Store and Miss Pretty Pickles features Kansas-made gifts if you need something for those you left at home.
Pro Tip: RePerks Coffee Shop isn’t open on Sunday.
Great Bend Coffee
2015 Lakin Avenue // 620-603-6465
While Great Bend Coffee is an excellent place to kick off your day and wake up with a cuppa Joe, it’s a lot more than coffee. They offer a wide variety of items for breakfast and lunch. Also, check out their Facebook page, where they post their daily specials for breakfast and lunch, along with pictures to entice you to come.
Their lunch items have decidedly Italian flair with pizza names like Firenze, Roma, and Milano. Their signature Pasta Fagioli soup continues the Italian theme. If you prefer a non-Italian dish, try one of the daily soups, where you’ll find offerings like clam chowder and broccoli cheddar. Pair it with a cold wrap or salad to complete your meal.
They offer a wide selection of brick-oven, baked hot sandwiches with kettle chips and a pickle. If you prefer some fruit, you can swap out the chips for a crisp Fuji apple.
Pro Tip: Great Bend Coffee is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is closed all day Sunday.
HandleBar & Grill
807 10th Street // 620-603-6676
The wall décor features neon beer signs, liquor posters, and motorcycle photos. While the atmosphere is a bit like a fun biker bar, you’ll find an eclectic group of patrons. For example, on a Saturday night, you might find a group of bikers at the bar, a local girls’ softball team celebrating a win, and a family having dinner.
While the menu offers burgers and hot dogs, salads, and sandwiches, the HandleBar is locally known for its hot beef sandwiches. Traveling with my parents as a kid, I vividly remember them ordering hot beef sandwiches, so the hot beef sandwich at the HandleBar & Grill had those memories flooding back. With generous portions of meat, it’s arguably the best hot beef sandwich in town.
If you’re in the mood for more than a sandwich or salad, the steaks, chicken-fried steak, or burnt ends are good bets. They serve these entrees with two sides and grilled Texas toast.
Pro Tip: HandleBar and Grill is closed on Mondays.
Sarocha Thai Restaurant
30 South Patton Road // (620) 792-3100
Sarocha Thai Restaurant, located just off Highway 56, feels a bit secluded, making it a pleasant, calming environment to enjoy your meal. We started with the Thai hot and sour chicken soup known as Tom Yum. The foundation is Thai hot and sour chicken broth mixed with tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, and lemongrass. Then they top it with cilantro.
Our entrée was a yellow curry that they created from yellow curry paste combined with coconut milk. Then they added potatoes and carrots.
Top off your meal with the fried banana dessert. It came with five pieces; if you’re inclined to share, you can, but you’ll want to keep it all for yourself. These are house-made spring rolls filled with banana, coconut, and cream cheese, accompanied by a honey dipping sauce.
Pro Tip: They do take reservations and are closed on Sundays.
Which of these Great Bend KS restaurants do you want to try first? Let us know in the comments section below!
Amy Piper is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and blogger. A native of Michigan USA, she has traveled to 41 countries and 42 states, most recently adding New Mexico to the list. She aspires to go to Antarctica and finally visit all seven continents. She specializes in food and multi-generational travel, frequently traveling with her husband, daughter, and two granddaughters. Amy has had six-month-long expat assignments in South Korea and Argentina. She has been chased by bomb-sniffing dogs in the middle of the night in Bogotá (working late), refused boarding for a plane from Buenos Aires to Paraguay (wrong visa), and Federal Marshals once announced her seat number on a flight while looking for a murder suspect (traded seats.) It is always an adventure! She is a member of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), Travel Massive, TravMedia, and the International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance (ITWPA). Follow her on Twitter @amythepiper
Greg Schenk
Wednesday 17th of November 2021
You really should have included Mazumi Sushi and Steak. Located in the downtown district it is a hidden jem in plain view. It offers hibachi dinners, yaki soba, yaki udon, and a large selection of entre'es dinners. Their selection of sushi and sashimi are unmatched for a large surrounding area. Our favorites are hibachi steak and shrimp, and hibachi chicken and shrimp. The beef is always tender and delicious. The best part is that the price to portion ratio favors the portion. Spring rolls are always added to any order, because of their light, crispy shell and delicate filling. It is one of the very few restaurants that also offer an app to place orders at home to pick up or order ahead. We've never had an issue with being to crowded to get a meal in a reasonable amount of time. You didn't miss the mark on other mentioned restaurants, but I believe this should have been added in the list as an additional "8th" wonder of outstanding restaurants in Great Bend Kansas.