East Idaho Eats: Fine dining on the waterfront at the Sandpiper

IDAHO FALLS — One local riverside restaurant is bringing the taste of the ocean right to eastern Idaho.

The Sandpiper Restaurant in Idaho Falls has a casual atmosphere, but offers fine dining for steak and seafood lovers.

“Our owner Ron Obendorf has incorporated a lot of meals from the coast into our land-locked Idaho territory,” manager Kirk Rehfield said.

Rehfield said customers come for a variety of specials The Sandpiper offers. Fresh seafood dishes are among Sandpiper’s best sellers.

“There’s not a lot of places in town you can get really good seafood — fresh seafood that is flown in daily,” Rehfield said.

The restaurant also cooks up flavorful meats like its rack of lamb, top sirloin and its Alaskan King Crab legs.

“Our salmon is amazing, the shrimp is amazing. Of course we have some of the best crab in town,” Rehfield said.

Among all of the Sandpiper classics to try, among the best is the Hawaiian Crunch Halibut.

“One of our staples is the Hawaiian Crunch Halibut. It’s a macadamia nut crusted halibut, it’s topped with a lime chive butter sauce,” Rehfield said.

At this seafood stop workers try their best to give customers the Sandpiper experience.

“We’re kind of in that entertainment industry… people come in, not to eat, but for something to do. We want that experience to be a fun one, a memorable one,” Rehfield said.

Customers said part of that experience is dining by the waterfront.

“I love sitting by the river, looking over it,” customer Ryan Nieslen said.

Rehfield said during the summer there’s no better place to be than on the restaurant’s deck.

“We provide really good food, and a really good view,” Rehfield said.

Find the Sandpiper Restaurant online here.