Best Restaurants in Springfield 

Today, from casual eats to elegant fare, there's something in Springfield to inspire every road warrior’s palate and personality.

Contemporary Classic

Metropolitan Grill is a mix of flavors and styles—steakhouse, seafood and creative New American cuisine. Check out appetizers built for sharing like flash-fried baby spinach and entrees like Italian-bread-crusted Chilean sea bass with roasted tomato, capers, sweet onion coulis and shaved Manchego cheese. To boost yourself over the midweek hump, visit the covered patio on a Wednesday evening, where live Ozark jazz and gypsy swing are accompanied by various wine and cocktail specials. You can also visit for lunch or dinner during the week, but head elsewhere on Sundays—the restaurant is closed.

Marvelous Meat

The Full Ride, a double patty burger with all the trimmings, is the most popular item at the Grad School diner. Order it with fries and soak up the eclectic dive bar vibe. Prefer your meaty meals a little more elevated? Restaurants like Jimm's Steakhouse & Pub and Flame Steakhouse and Wine Bar offer a more upscale setting. Fire & Ice serves up a one-of-a-kind experience with steak, seafood and more prepared in open kitchen—and it's home to the city's only ice bar. If BBQ is more your style, City Butcher and Barbecue has racked up national acclaim for its Texas-style fare, starring an irresistible brisket.

International Fare

You might not think there’d be a Cajun trail running through the Ozarks, but Springfield delivers at the Big Easy Grill. Classic jambalaya, crawfish étouffée and seafood gumbo share the menu with house specialties such as Cajun-style po' boys and sausage boudin. This Midwestern city has a cosmopolitan lineup of global favorites including Peruvian-inspired food at Café Cusco, Indian at Taj Mahal, hibachi at Fuji Japanese Seafood & Steakhouse, Italian at Gilardi's Ristorante and classic English at London Calling Gourmet Pasty Company. You’ll feel like you just flew across the pond while eating London Calling’s traditional meat pies in a repurposed red double-decker bus.

Mouthwatering Mexican

La Paloma Mexican Grill embraces culinary authenticity with a tableside preparation that has earned them some enthusiastic reviews. Try Pescado Al Mojo de Ajo, a Yucatán recipe for white fish filet sautéed in sweet roasted garlic with onions, avocados and tomatoes. The house margaritas earn top marks. Maria's Mexican Restaurant is locally owned, serving up family recipes from the kitchen, like chorizo and chile relleños, and pouring 200 tequila brands from behind the bar.

Pizza Paradise

Springfield's best pizza place is only 500 miles from Chicago, but a world away from the Windy City's thick-crusted style. Pizza House delivers extra crispy, extra thin crust with Instagram-worthy appeal. Your pizza arrives already cut into bite-size squares, so you can spend less time negotiating portions and more time enjoying this delectable dish with friends. A locally-owned Springfield stalwart, Pizza House is the city’s top recommendation if you love thin crust. Ask anyone to point the way, as local institution has been in the same building since 1958.

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