Beloved Sioux Falls Casa Del Rey Restaurant Reopens Today

A well-known Sioux Falls restaurant is back after closing operations in late July of this year.

Casa Del Rey has been a Sioux Falls staple since it opened in 1980 at 901 West Russell Street near the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Now the tradition will continue under new ownership.

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In a previous story, Casa Del Rey was known to serve great Mexican food in the Sioux Empire for 44 years. The original owner Don Smith and his college friend opened the very first Casa Del Rey in Rapid City in 1974, then Sioux City, Iowa in 1976. Don Smith described the cuisine as “foods of New Mexico.” Corey O’Brien then bought Casa Del Rey from Don Smith in October of 2016.

Christine Manika (TSM)

So why did Casa Del Rey close on July 31st, 2024 in Sioux Falls? Corey says it was getting tough to own a restaurant.

It was becoming more and more difficult to find and keep employees and he wants to spend more time with his family.

The community rallied together on Casa Del Rey last day, and eventually, someone stepped up to keep the iconic Sioux Falls eatery in town.

Our news partners at Dakota News Now are reporting that local restaurant owner Janet Eining and her family bought Casa Del Rey and plan to reopen it on Monday, November 25th (today)!

The new owners of Casa Del Rey have been working hard to install new lights and artwork while updating the menu and keeping the Casa Del Rey history alive.

New Casa Del Rey hours will be 11 AM to 9 PM Sunday through Thursday and 11 AM to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. More details about the reopening of Casa Del Rey can be found here.

Sioux Falls has been waiting for this day! Welcome back, Casa Del Rey!

Top 14 Restaurants That Should Come Back to Sioux Falls

Some friends and I were getting together for dinner and we were trying to decide where to go. That’s when we started reminiscing about our favorite Sioux Falls restaurants that have come and gone. Here's a list of 14 restaurants I want to come back to Sioux Falls. What restaurants were your favorites that are no longer in Sioux Falls?

Gallery Credit: Karla Brown