March 2, 2023

The owners of Alibi Bar & Grill and other Sioux Falls-area bars and restaurants are planning their largest one yet on the east side.

The new restaurant doesn’t have a name yet but is under construction and on track to open in the spring.

It’s east of The Willows apartments along Highway 42 near Six Mile Road.

One end of the building will be a family-friendly restaurant and allow kids, “which is something I’ve always shied away from because I’ve never been a fan of kids-in-the-bar atmosphere,” co-owner Chrissy Johnson said. “It’s by far the biggest we’ve ever done, but with the whole Arbor’s Edge area, there’s so much housing and so many rooftops I think there’s room for a lot out there.”

Renderings by Bob Natz

The focus of the menu will be pizza, though there also will be salads and some entrees.

“I’m talking with a rancher I really like out west to see if we can do some kind of partnership and feature their beef,” Johnson said.

While the restaurant will be on one end, there will be a bar next to it and a casino on the other end of the building. They will have separate entrances; staff, however, will be able to go between the bar and restaurant to serve food. A name is being finalized for the bar too.

An extensive patio will take advantage of views of a creek that runs along the back of the property, Johnson said.

For now, the Alibi “is going to stay open, at least for a while,” she said. “Nothing is set in stone.”

The bar and grill was impacted last summer by road construction that reduced parking and access.

The Johnsons also own Tommy Jack’s Pub, The Upper Cut and Woody’s Pub and Grill.