Out to eat in Sioux Falls: Drink varieties, tasty meals at JL Beers

I’ve been 21 for almost a year now. I have gone out on weekends with friends, ordered the occasional drink at family dinners and had simple, unmeasured mixed drinks to watch a movie after a long day. 

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of beer, as I prefer my drinks fruity and sweet; however, JL Beers in downtown Sioux Falls pleasantly surprised me with its variety of drinks and delicious food. 

Located on Phillips Avenue, JL Beers conveniently fits into part of the downtown shopping and entertainment area. Although downtown has metered parking on weekdays until 5 p.m., I enjoyed a pleasant walk to the restaurant with the ability to window shop and look for other potential restaurants to dine at in the future.

JL Beers presented a warm atmosphere, as the bartenders immediately welcomed me inside and let me know I could sit wherever I liked. There were multiple tables lined up and a few booths sat in the back of the restaurant. With several TVs scattered around the walls, one screen behind the bar kept me entertained as I sat at the nearly empty bar during lunch hour. 

As nervous as I was going to lunch by myself in a public place, the staff at JL Beers was friendly, able to keep up conversations and help me find what I was looking for. 

Like I said, I’m not a huge fan of beers. JL Beers had a variety of taps, bottles, cans and nonalcoholic drinks, so I ordered a $12 beer flight to taste a variety of the restaurant’s offerings. The beer flights included 4-5 sample-size drinks of various themes, such as Best of the Midwest, Ales from the Dark Side, Funky Fresh Fruity and Tastes of the Season.

I ordered Funky Fresh Fruity alongside a cheeseburger with fries. This flight offered four drinks of sweetness, coming in an array of colors. My least favorite was the Sour Gummy Göse, as the sample was just a bit too sour to my liking. The taste of the lemon was more dominant than the other ingredients of the drink, creating a tartness that needed to be removed by a big sip of water. 

The Berry Smoothie was up next. Presented in a rich red color, it was close to being my favorite, but it lived up to its name as a smoothie and didn’t give any other flavor or excitement. The final drink was called Crimson Bliss and was another cider that was both sweet and smooth. 

My personal favorite drink was a Tropical Cosmic Crisp made from purple passion fruit, hibiscus and cosmic apples. This drink offered the sweet taste of cider with an equal mix of passion fruit and apple, leaving nothing overpowering.

The food at JL Beers is also delicious. The restaurant features a variety of hamburgers, cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches. I just got a simple cheeseburger with sea salt french fries. There are other options for toppings on the fries such as Cajun spice, jalapeño peppers, cheddar cheese, dill pickle seasoning and more. In general, the cheeseburger had just the right amount of grease so that it didn’t cause a mess but still had enough flavor. The fries were also delicious with a good amount of salt that made for a lasting lunch. 

I had a bill of around $20, which is a decent price for a person of one in Sioux Falls. Although it would have been fun to go out and review even more with friends, our schedules weren’t aligning, and I needed some peace from my busy schedule to take a moment for myself.

Ultimately, I enjoyed my experience at JL Beers. It is a comfortable restaurant to eat by yourself at and relax, and I look forward to when I can experience the social atmosphere.