An old lunch habit is coming back to River Inn in Hanover, Minnesota. The family-owned restaurant announced October 5 that its lunch buffet will return Monday, October 12, giving the happily indecisive a reason to make another lap at 11220 River Road NE.
The restaurant’s announcement gives the return date, and its Facebook announcement image sets service for Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The announcement does not list buffet dishes or a price.
A comfort-food kitchen
The earlier weekday lunch buffet had a salad bar, according to a diner review posted April 13, 2020.
On its regular menu, River Inn leans into American comfort food: homemade meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, hand-breaded walleye fingers, burgers and a Reuben pizza loaded with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss, mozzarella and Thousand Island sauce. A sandwich taking over a pizza crust? That tracks.
A lunch comeback in an old saloon
The buffet has some catching up to do with the building’s history. According to River Inn’s own account, the brick building dates to 1894, and its restaurant story began in 1909 as Strunk’s Saloon & Pool Parlor. A former butcher-shop area eventually became part of the kitchen.
The original bar, tin ceiling and walls remain, giving the returning lunch service a setting with more than a century of stories already behind it. Some restaurant comebacks require a whole new look. This one has a rather good room waiting.
