Attended this fried (you got that right!) steak cookout style restaurant as part of the adjoining Medora Musical show. Although the steaks are basically all cooked the same and you get those hot-n-fresh off the grill, the remaining items are served buffet style and nothing is overly fresh or exceptionally tasty. They have baked potatoes, baked beans, mixed veggies, coleslaw, mixed fruit and Texas toast as accompanying sides. To drink are water, lemonade and tea. Everything was fine, but given the nature of a buffet and all outdoors, things got cold pretty quickly and the bees were out in full force. read more

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Hard to rate since it's a bit remote, and this is a fairly unique experience and area! Line up cafeteria style and load up on below average food. Not a large variety of sides, and the steaks are TOUGH. Staff is very nice! The view? Unbeatable! If coming for the show, it's a must to check off your list, but the food truly is lacking. I'd load up on calories elsewhere and just hang out here to enjoy the sweeping views. read more

Food was really good, live music was great, service was good. They do a great job of moving people through. I highly recommend you check this out, along with the musical read more

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Beautiful views, fun atmosphere, great food and friendly service. A truly unique experience! read more

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The food was average. They didn't offer cheese for the baked potatoes. The staff were impersonal they didn't really ask questions about why you chose that place. They mostly just answered questions with short responses. The garlic bread was not very soft. When walking back to the parking lot it smells like raw steak. And not just a single steak. This was overwhelming. The view was great. But just drive or walk to a high place. Not worth it. read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - Buffet food. - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

Medora provided us with a fun & unique dinner experience: Pitchfork Steak Fondue. It was fun to watch them with the pitchforks loaded with skewered meat being dipped into the oil and hearing the sizzle of the steaks cooking. The amount of meat was impressive and the smell of the steaks was heavenly! While they cooked we walked around enjoying the views from the giant patio overlooking Medora's valley, we had a good breeze to cool us and live music for entertainment. Dinner included all-you-can-eat baked potatoes, beans, coleslaw, fruit, raw veggies, garlic toast & brownies. We were happily surprised at how tender and flavorful the steaks were (we assumed it would be tough). Yum! We highly recommend. read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

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Mary and I ate here before attending the Medora Musical; part of experiencing the whole event. In general they cook the steaks to medium, but I asked for one rare, and the accommodated; crispy on the outside, rare in the center, nicely done and tasty. Mary's steak was medium as advertised, and tasty. The sides were all standard, the desserts were lacking. read more

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Simply the BEST steak dinner I've ever had...period. Absolutely happy that we decided to try it out while on vacation! Outstanding read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - Pitchfork Steak - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

This was a fun experience. The arrival line keeps moving and doesn't take long. Food was good. Entertainment good. Overlooking views awesome. read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

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This is a must if anywhere near Madora North Dakota. It is up on top a mountain were you have 360 views. We went up there after purchasing our tickets in town. Tickets cost: Adult tickets for a 12 oz New York strip and the buffet was $45.10 that's with tax and fees. Just the buffet with taxes and fees was $25.75 and you got a very large hot dog.This was the price when we were there. Just down the road from Madora not far we rode up the winding roads when we reach the top a huge parking lot the restaurant was on the left and on the right was a large restroom and a gift shop they sold tickets also. You could look over the side down in the valley and there an old town setting where they have the musical. Tickets for the musical were $45 extra so we didn't go to that. There is an escalator that will take you down or an elevator so you don't have to walk it is handicap assessable. With lots of seating next time we'll have to do that. It includes the story Theodore Roosevelt they say he may even make an appearance. Singing and dancing even horses on the stage and fireworks at the end. When we went back, our time was to be there at 5:30 we were a little early and it was hot so they let you go on in and sit down in the shade and wait till it was time. It was cool watching them cook all the steaks in these large pots of oil on pitch forks about 10 steaks at a time. They started the lines a little early because they were ready then everyone started getting in line and there was a lot of people. You went up and got your tray and what else you wanted from the Buffet and then went over and got your steak. They offered water lemonade or coffee to drink you could purchase sodas-beer and wine. For dessert brownies and donuts. What an amazing place the food was awesome the steak was even better I wished I would've got one but I couldn't eat that much. I just stuck with my vegetables. The only reason I got the hotdog was because I was afraid my husband wouldn't like the steak and he could've ate the hotdog. The steaks are not cooked to order they are all cooked the same way about medium well but it was really good so tender just melted in your mouth. This was a great experience that we would do again, can't wait to go back. The people were so friendly and nice dealing with all those people trying to get their food they say they serve normally over 1000 steaks a night just can't imagine that. I think the musical starts around 7:30. read more

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Not one thing wrong, they know how to fry a steak. (Yes fried) food was spit on for a Picnic style bbq. If ever in Medora,, ND please check out the dinner and show. read more

Best steak I've had in Medora. The steaks are pitchfork'd and the fondue is the oil they are deep fried in. If you haven't had it, you gotta try deep fried steak. They cook about 1000 per night. We lined up cafeteria style and loaded our sides - garlic bread, baked potato, beans, cole slaw and broccoli. Then grab your steak and a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. Tables are open seating and it fills up fast. Listen to live music while you eat. After dinner enjoy the views of the badlands before the Medora musical begins. Must see if you're visiting Medora. read more

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I enjoyed my time here, but it was definitely a one time experience. Not a huge fan of fondue fried steak. They try to cook all steaks to medium temp, but my group had steaks ranging from rare to well done. This is a buffet style experience, so portions are what you make it. If you are not a big eater, there are options to share the steak and just get the sides. It gets very crowded but they seem to have a pretty good system in place to get people through. There is a show next door that draws in a lot of people too. Military friendly and appreciative of Veterans and Active duty. Free beer if you served! (Not sure if it's every day or the day we went) Customer service is great! They really want you to have a great experience and asked for any and all feedback to make things better. read more

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6/29/24 Worst food ever! Steak cold barely cooked and tough. Was supposed to be cooked medium. Coleslaw tasteless. Fresh fruit (muskmelon, watermelon) hard-not ripe. Baked potato good but gritty from dirt. Baked beans ok. Dessert store bought miniature donuts and brownies. 49.30 for the steak dinner 28.30 for buffet only which includes a hot dog I would suggest eat in town anything has to be better than what they serve. I forgot raw carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes and ranch dressing. Lettuce would have been nice to have with steak and a baked potato. At least could have cut everything up and made my own salad. The MUSICAL WAS WELL WORTH THE MONEY. Ohio visitor read more

It is more about the experience than the food. And be sure to do it on the same evening you do the Medora Musical. It is at the same place and a bit out of town. The Musical was awesome and well worth the visit. We are not big meat eaters so the dinner was ok. The steak was huge and well cooked. I would have loved some BBQ sauce for it, but.... Anyway, the fixings of baked beans, coleslaw, potato, carrots etc were nothing to write home about. Again it is more about the experience than the food so I would still recommend it. If you love steak, this might be something you love. read more

What a cool experience! Visiting from Canada! They deep fried the steak right in front of you and serve it to you, along with a buffet styled serving of sides like coleslaw bean and fruit. With some live music and views for days! Who knew this even existed! Would definitely recommend not only for some good food but for a great experience! read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - The steak being cooked! - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

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Cold food, chewy steak, hey you have to eat somewhere before you go to the show. My advice is get the $20 hotdog meal and split the steak with them read more

It was a fun start to a wonderful evening. The parking lot was spacious for our big truck. The Ambiance was great. The Wait staff was excellent. Overall the whole experience was a night to remember. And I almost forgot to mention the view. read more

We had a gorgeous day for this. The view while stuffing yourself with an amazing meal is worth half the price alone. The steak was perfect! It was a seasoned crispy outside with a tender juicy interior. Nice assortment of sides and you can help yourself to as much as your tray will hold. Those were the best baked beans I have ever had in my life. For after the meal there was a table with donuts, brownies, and coffee. Go with an empty stomach! read more

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I am sitting at a picnic table at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue as I write this. The views are beautiful. That is the only thing this place has going for it. I scheduled for a 6pm reservation. By 6:30, the drinks and desserts were all put away. To think we almost scheduled for 6:15. There is nothing about this experience that is worth the $49 (with tax) per person we paid to come. The steaks were about as good as a $15 steak from Applebee's. The sides (and I tried them all) were mediocre. The beans and potato were cold about the time I sat down. (Did I mention we were outside enjoying the breeze as we ate?) At least the coleslaw stayed cold... So baked potato, beans, fruit salad, garlic bread, and coleslaw are the sides you get. All plain and not any better than what you get at a grocery store. The way they fry the steak means that they are completely inconsistent in their doneness. Mine was close to well done. Not very appetizing. Then about the time I went to go get desserts were gone (about 6:30). The were nice enough to pull them out. Plain brownie sheet cakes... Fine but not what I would expect from a $49 meal. I would expect this level of quality at a $25-$30 price point (even with the scenery). Needless to say, unless there are dramatic changes, I will not be back and will encourage others not to come. This was a huge disappointment and doesn't measure up to the hype. read more

Okay steak, decent sides. No drinks besides water & lemonade without additional charge and really rushed. "Get in and get OUT." is their mantra. The cleanup team basically stares you down to finish up quick. The dinner itself is not a "Must Do" if you're in Medora which should say a lot. I might be mistaken, but I believe they're owned by the same company that owns the Medora Musical. We did NOT take part in that portion of the evening, but I hope it's of higher quality than this. read more

Food: The food is subpar. The sign next to the steaks said they aim for perfection when cooking the steaks, but my steak was well done. That's right, a well done steak that I payed $40 for. The rest of the meal is a buffet bar that you serve yourself. The coleslaw is flavorless and the potatoes are just average. The coffee was full of grounds and tasted terrible. The best part of the meal was the lemonade which was Tropicana Lemonade by the way. Service: Most of the people working are volunteers so I was glad to see that they were smiling and at least seemed to be enjoying themselves while also helping serve food and clean our tables. Atmosphere: It's a large patio with rows and rows of benches with a country singer in the middle singing a variety of songs from Uncle Kracker, to Johnny Cash, to Ed Sheeran. He wasn't terrible at singing, but tried to sound like the original singer of whatever song he was singing which didn't work. The view was amazing, but I couldn't enjoy it over the amount of chewing done on my overcooked steak. Summary: The view was a 10/10 The Food was a 1.5/10 The atmosphere was a solid 7/10 I paid $39 for the view and $1 for the lemonade. read more

Are you in Medora, ND and looking for something to eat at dinner? Well you could always check out the Pitchfork Steak Fondue. The steak here is deep fried while having been pierced by a pitchfork. That's a first for us on both the pitchfork and deep fried steak parts. This is an outdoor event which opens at 5:30 and ends at 6:30. It is cafeteria style. You stand in line and pick what you want to eat which is perfect when your with children. After 6:30 you can still be here, they simply stop serving meals and the band stops playing music. While your eating you get to look at the Badlands which is pretty good from here. read more

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We read all the bad reviews before going and were a little nervous..... but we completely enjoyed ourselves. The food was tasty and plentiful. The lemonade was good. Honestly, we were so full we took our brownies to-go. It is true, if you enjoy your steak rare to medium rare, this will not be your favorite steak, but when cooking so much meat for so many people it seems to be the safest way to do it. There was live music throughout. The line to get in, while long, moved quickly. We arrived at 5:15 and were done eating by 6, so we ended up having to kill some time in town before the 7:30 show. I think you would be fine arriving for the dinner at 6 (as there was still a line at that time) so you wouldn't have so much time to kill before the show. read more

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I have visited the Pitchfork Steak Fondue many times over the years. At one time, it was a fun novelty meal with good food for a decent price. It has changed. Today's visit was my first time this year and by far the worst. Diners used to be able to select the type of steak they preferred: ribeye, strip, or sirloin. Now there is only one choice - "steak." The steak is a cheaper cut of meat. It does appear to be the advertised 12 oz. It was definitely not cooked to the advertised medium. It was very well done. Think boot leather. I never use steak sauce, but needed a generous amount of Heinz 57 to get this destroyed meat down. The baked beans, baked potato, garlic bread, coleslaw. and fruit melon blend was ok. Not great but ok. There was coffee, lemonade and water to drink. Dessert was a choice of the prepackaged gas station brownies or gas station mini doughnuts. The steak dinner with the above sides is advertised at $36.95 but do not be fooled. After fees, this meal costs $45, which is about $40 too much. If you only want the sides without steak, the cost is $17.95 plus fees which comes out to about $25. Thats a lot for baked beans and coleslaw! They will throw in a hot dog at no additional charge if you ask. I will not be going back here again. As I mentioned, I have gone every year for many years, but it has gotten so bad and so expensive, it has reached the point of no return. If you want steak in Medora, there are restaurants that will sell you a good quality steak appropriately cooked the way you order, for less money. read more

The steak fondue and brisket from the cowboy meal were phenomenal. I would definitely come back for that. I went with hubby and two kids. For the best bang for the buck i wish I had gotten one child's cowboy instead of one and a Hot Dog meal because my older child ate only side dishes. It's definitely worth the money and a good time. Steak was PERFECTLY cooked, coleslaw wasn't too sweet, the Hot Dog was decently sized when I expected a regular small bun length Hot Dog. Plus the seasoning on the chicken was delicious and the ribs had a surprising amount of meat on them. If you can, go! Not to mention they offered multiple drinks included and for purchase, plus desserts. read more

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The fabulous view and proximity to the Medora Musical is why you come here. The steak... not so good. Horribly overcooked, but the sides were good so no one went hungry. read more

Cafeteria style service. Good piece of meat that was over cooked, if you like your steaks rare or med rare do not eat here, they only serve medium, well done, and burnt. Don't bother asking for rare, they refused to serve me one. read more

Super expensive for really cheap, basic, name brand food. Steaks were inconsistently cooked and sides were bland and basic. Desserts were small and tasted like they came out of a package. Lemonade was Tropicana, coffee had grounds floating in it, but at least the water was okay. Anything else you had to pay extra for. Overall just felt like a cafeteria. Workers went and cleaned up the tables without you asking which was nice. Overall the staff and atmosphere were pleasant and there was live music, but that was about the only thing going for it. read more

the view is great, but the food is a joke. If you're looking for a good steak, this isn't the place.

Beautiful setting, well organized operation. The food was very good, good selection of items. The steak was excellent! If you're seeing the Medora Musical would highly recommend that you add this dinner to your evening! read more

Awesome views above Medora, and a really good steak. This is well worth the money. Just get tickets ahead of time and the line is a breeze to deal with. Go at about 5:30 if you can. Then you have the chance to relax afterwards if you're going to the musical. read more

Pitchfork Steak Fondue - Overlook from the Pitchfork Fondue Dinner Spot - Steakhouses Near Me - Medora, North Dakota

Food was good, but this is cattle call. We (my wife and I)waited in a line for 15-20 min and were ushered through different lines because we ordered different buffets unbeknownst to us. This a bit like being in a high school cafeteria food line. You get what you get, you're lucky to find a spot to sit and there isn't a lot of choice.Next time I'm in Medora, I'll try one of the restaurants in town rather than the steak fondue. The view of the badlands was nice, but it was incredibly windy. The Medora Musical was great! read more

Just go. Nothing like this. Steak was fantastic and sides were also quite good. Great atmosphere. Would love to go back.

Would had been a great experience but the weather was awful had to sit on the patio with heavy wind and rain. No inside seating. The play was nice. read more

Food was good, line not so good. Beautiful location and right next door to Medora Musical. Would have been a lot easier if there were an address on the tickets or website. Took about 45 minutes to get food and seated and the buffet line closed promptly at 6:30 leaving 15 minutes to go back for seconds. Cost high for what you get. read more

Honestly, you can't beat the view for this out door supper. It was breezy and scenic. My husband ordered the steak and I ordered the cowboy dinner which consisted of BBQ chicken, ribs and bison. The sides were baked beans, cole slaw, raw veggies, baked potato and garlic bread. The ribs were my favorite but everything else was also very tasty. The dessert was either a brownie or cinnamon donut. After that huge meal, dessert was the right size. You can buy a soda (pop) or limited alcohol but lemonade is included with the meal. I liked my food and would do this again if I ever passed through this area in the future. read more

My wife and I are here as part of the Medora Musical event. Great setting. Friendly people. Well run venue, they need to learn how to Koop steaks. They were both burnt and overcooked. read more

We came here for a pre-musical dinner. The musical starts at 7:30 so it's an early dinner! You choose from steak, chicken, ribs or buffalo roast when you buy the tickets. Beautiful scenery on the mountain location. They start letting patrons enter at 5:30. We were in line at 5:15 and the line was fairly long. There was a bluegrass/country band playing instrumental and they did a great job. There was a cart selling drinks at the entrance--beer, wine and soft drinks. We didn't purchase yet because we wanted them to be cold. We entered, tickets were taken and we were hand-stamped and directed into a line depending on our choice of entree. We stepped into a buffet line, got napkins, silverware and a large metal tray. The buffet had baked beans, garlic toast, slaw, baked potatoes, butter, sour cream, raw carrots and broccoli with a dressing and a mix of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. Next we went to the steaks. All were medium NY strip. We found a seat and got the lemonade or water that is included in the meal price. There were also desserts (donuts or brownies). I would recommend getting those before you finish your meal if you want any! The food was mediocre at best. Beans were good, slaw ok, steak NOT good (dry with an odd tasting marinade). I will it it this way: for me it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! read more

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A great view, that is for sure, nothing else like it. This is the perfect pairing with the Medora Musical, you really ought to be doing both together. Let me answer some questions I had. The is an all outdoor eating area. You get your sides from a buffet with about 5 choices, potatoes, etc, as much as you want. Then you get into line and they fondue your steak on a pitchfork. The steak fondue is them taking a North Dakota Ribeye steak and deep frying it in a giant vat of hot oil on a pitchfork. I am sure this is done as much to be touristy as it is for them to cook these steaks fast as there are a lot of people to serve. Everything is self service, you sit down where you want outside on their benches and tables and eat. The steak is not breaded and I never had a steak cooked this way. That being said, the steak was wonderful and flavorful. Then again, anything cooked in grease is. This starts at 6:15, and we were told they serve until 7:15. Since we were seeing the musical at 8:30, I did not want to be standing around for an hour or more after dinner waiting for the musical. So, we showed up at 7:10. We were the absolute last people served. Things were being put away as we ate and they had run out of a couple of things. The staff however fussed over us, several people we met in town work at night here. They recognized us and scurried about serving us drinks and making sure we got some of everything. And this is the beauty of North Dakota. As I stated in other Medora reviews, we did a 9 state road trip and I threw in a stop in North Dakota just because. It ended up being our favorite stop on the whole trip. A combination of fun small town events like this and the musical, along with the nice folks made this a great place. You will enjoy the fondue and musical. Prices are a bit steep for this, but you are paying for the view and the profits go to a non-profit foundation, the Teddy Roosevelt Medora Foundation. read more