Single worst steak I've ever had. Cooked to preference but with zero taste, how do you screw that up? Waitress had the personality of a rock, didn't even greet us. Thank god the filet mignon was only $21 wasn't too painful given the fact that we didn't eat more than 3 bites of it. My mothers salmon was cooked in coconut oil, which was terrible. If your going to cook something in coconut oil you should state so. I cannot for the life of me figure out why people think this a great steakhouse. Save your money and pass on this one, you want a little  history stay for a drink and go else where for dinner. And waitress, when you remove your customers plates and their full, maybe you should inquire why and then apologize for the crappy food.
Review Source:Well, four of us came in for dinner and really enjoyed the food and service. Â The wine list was fairly extensive and had excellent choices plus the prices were reasonable - too many restaurants gouge their customers with wine price. Â
The meats were quite good and cooked as ordered. Â The salads were also good with very good dressings. Â The bread as well as the dessert was great. Â The included rice was good, but very ordinary. Â
A great dinner spot.
Love the prime rib (med rare) and Jim spud (loaded baked potato) bring a friend and split a meal. Huge portions and very tasty!!!!! Â A meat and potato lovers dream come true!
The trout and Brie cheese is among on of my favorites.
This is the place to be on Friday nights after skiing
Arrive early as the wait list gets long and they do not take reservations!!!!! Â Street Parking is the only option unless you take the bus.
I have been coming here since 1980. Â Its hard to stay in this town as a classic place to eat, but this is it. Â Like that one place where people will ask you...when you went to Sun Valley, did you eat at the Pio? Â Well, expect a long wait, a great meal, and loads of history when you eat here. Â
The bus leaves at 20 minutes after and 10 minutes to the hour right outside the front door. Â Thats great to know. Â We blew it and missed it. Â After 9, its every hour. Â Doesnt help me at 8:55...my bad.
So we chatted with the owner (I think) and talked old Sun Valley restaurants. Â What a nice man. Â
Go to the Pio.
Wow! It was amazing!
First of all the rumors are true it gets extremely crowded and the wait is long. They don't have reservations so you have to hang around the narrow bar until you get seated, but the energy is amazing. Time flies by.
Once we got seated we had shrimp, steak, the Idaho potato, veggies, brie and trout, and the artichoke.
We started with the brie and trout. It came with crackers and the trout I believe was marinated. You would never think putting those together works, but it did. The artichoke on the other hand was the only thing I wouldn't order again. It was tasteless and came with a heavy sauce that didn't help it one bit.
The shrimp was to die for. It was soft and buttery. I got a half a portion which was only three, but I wish I got more! I also ordered the potato with chives and sour cream. I'm not a big fan of sour cream, but the potato hit the spot.
Everyone else had the steak and the filet, which they said was one of the best pieces of meat they have had in a long time.
I have also tried the trout and veggies which would have been my next pick.
Can't wait to come again! mmmmmm
This is a steak house. If you have a steak special, at a steak house, and you cant get it cooked properly after two tries, it's probably not  a great steak house.
For food our group had three baked potatoes and a 25oz prime rib special. The potatoes were good but nothing mind blowing, they are baked potatoes. As for the prime rib it seems it was not allowed to rest, as well as it was significantly undercooked. When I mean undercooked, when asked for medium rare the steak was raw to uneatable in the middle. The server offered to fix the steak by putting it back on the grill jokingly stating that 'its a big steak, its hard to cook'. After returning with the steak the most raw side was now seared but still extremely raw 1/4" in.
I will keep looking for a good steak in Sun Valley.
It's hard to find somebody that doesn't like the Pioneer, or the "Pio" as the locals call it. Â Every trip I make to Sun Valley is not complete unless I spend "several" evenings at the Pio.
Sure I can come up with something to whine about,.. like :
  1)  It gets crowded on the weekends so you have to wait...and wait..
  2)  It's a little noisy so you need to yell at times
  3)  If you wonna sit in the regular restaurant instead of the bar area,
      you might get stuck in the "dungeon" (basement) or some other
      room packed like sardines...but it's a ski town what'ya expect ?
Let's talk about food :
   1)  Prime rib: best I've had, and HUGE ! You can also get the prime
      rib sandwich, a little smaller but just as good and much cheaper   Â
   2)  The Jim spud : a huge Idaho potato with steak chunks and all
      the other goodies, a meal in itself and as big as a football......
   3)  Buffalo burger: tasty ! Can't get enough !
   4)  Rainbow trout:  how fresh ? Probably from some stream near by
   5)  Bartender: nicest guy in the world, remembers my name ( I can
       never remember names )
Always fun , never boring, great atmosphere and lots of eye candy....
I'll be going back to Sun Valley in about a month for a ski trip with the
"gang"....and where do you think we're going as soon as we unpack ?..
AT Â THE Â PIO Â BABY Â !
Prime rib! Â Need I say more?
The Pioneer Saloon is a Ketchum classic. Â Nothing too fancy, lots of rustic charm, and good, hearty portions abound. Â The look, feel, and beef quality make it the type of place you wouldn't be surprised to see on a Travel Channel show like Ultimate Steakhouses.
You really only need to make one decision: what cut of meat you want, and they'll take care of the rest. Â Oh, and don't forget to add a side potato to make sure you get some carbs on top of that protein - after all you've probably been skiing or hiking all day.
The side salad and bread is nice, and what it boils down to is a classic American meal with some tasty meat cooked the way you want it. Â The servers are always friendly and so are most of the other patrons sipping away in the bar waiting to be seated.
Great place for parties of all sizes looking for some delicious beef!
Man I love the Pioneer. I lived in Ketchum in the mid 80's and the Pioneer was the place you wanted to go after pay day. I saw one newspaper review list this as the cheap eats place in Sun Valley. While it isn't expensive, to a ski bum in the 80's dining here was a luxury. Normally I could have been seen walking around Atkinson's with a whole chicken in my basket waiting for 7:00 pm to roll around. That's when chickens became 50% off. But I digress....
Slavey's has long ago disappeared and the building now has a place that has white table cloths, serves foie gras...and has no customers..... what a shame. But a few doors up, my Pioneer Saloon is still there and has only gotten better with age. Thank God.
I was on a fishing trip spending 3 nights in town and gravitated to the "Pio" my first night. I was greeted like a long lost friend by what I believe was the owner and the hostess could have not been more pleasant. I swear to God they both made me genuinely feel like they were glad that *I* was there.
My waitress was just awesome. Again, treating me like a long lost friend. I ordered a Moscow mule and she came right back and said that they didn't have Ginger Beer and couldn't make one. Kudos to the bartender, how many of them try to make it with Ginger Ale when they don't have Ginger Beer. She really acted like she cared that I got what I wanted and I eventually told her to surprise me. She brought some concoction from the bartender that I "should like if I like Moscow Mules". She said that I could get something else if I didn't like it. She waited, I confirmed I like it, then she went on her way. Throughout the meal she was ALWAYS there anticipating what I needed. Note to the waitress training schools out there (I know there is no such thing, but go with me), the way she treated me and took care of my order was AWESOME!!. The owner also empowered her to make whatever I needed right with my drinks and meal. THAT is how you make people love a restaurant, leave big tips and come back again and again.
I had to go with the prime rib. Fantastic. Awesome. Fabulous. I had an end cut that was crusted which is my favorite. I can't tell you how awesome it was. I'd write more but I'd just be using a thesaurus to find more words like Fantastic, Awesome and Fabulous.
The next night in town, my last, I walked the streets looking at the menus in the windows. Walked around for maybe half an hour..... I ended up back at the Pioneer Saloon, and had, you guessed it, another end cut of prime rib. Something so perfect, I knew I would be kicking myself later if I didn't have it again while I had the chance. I ate at the bar this time and the service from the bartender was just as good as the waitress the night before. Kudos to the owner for making sure excellent service is consistent.
Go to the Pioneer Saloon when you go to Sun Valley....then go again...then...
husband loved this place. Â he wanted to come back again but i cant take much more than one night of lots of red meat.
this place is super busy and bustling. Â we had to wait 15-20 minutes for our table for 2 on a friday night. Â i couldnt cross my legs at the table since the chair was too high/the table too short. but i guess this isnt a leg crossing kind of place. Â it was so lively and bustling that i didnt have time to fixateon all the taxidermy hanging from the walls.
started with some warm bread. Â then we shared the prime rib with idaho baked potatoe and grilled shrimp and scallops with grilled veggies. Â the entrees came with salads.the grilled shrimp was delicious just as the man who walked us to our table said! Â he was super friendly and as we passed by the kitchen he pointed out things they had on the menu. Â the scallops were just ok but i loved the shrimp. the prime rib was also delicious. Â they grill it/sear it on one side so at first we thought they brought us the wrong thing. Â the meat was perfectly cooked and fatty and flavorful
service was friendly. Â i kept wondering how they walk around outside in the cold in those mini denim skirts. Â they must change ...
Oops.  Awkward!!  Our party of 4 was seated quickly as we arrived shortly after opening.  Since it was Saturday night of "Trailing of the Sheep" weekend, and a sign on the front door advertised  LAMB KABOBS, that's just what we ordered. Â
What we received was BEEF. Â The server argued with us, saying we got lamb. Â We stood our ground and she walked away. Â A few minutes later she returned and notified us that we were correct, and the entrees would be subtracted from the bill. Â Not the greatest customer service.
They are wildly popular for good reason. Â Noisy and crowded. Â But you get free chips & salsa while you wait. Â We had the baby back ribs and prime rib - both perfectly prepared and very tasty. Â The brie & smoked trout appetizer was also great - large portions on everything.
Our waitress was attentive and responsive, in spite of being busy. Â When she dropped one of our leftover containers, she insisted on replacing a partial leftover steak that was destined for our dogs with a whole new steak that will now be my lunch tomorrow. Â Gotta love that kind of service!
Great service, great atmosphere and old west decor, and the food was very good. Big portions, we split the smallest prime rib cut, which was more than enough paired with a giant baked potato and salad. We also enjoyed an artichoke appetizer, and learned from our server the proper way to dissect and enjoy it!
Review Source:This place has a great atmosphere and awesome staff. Â I come here regularly and devour a bowl or two of their chips and salsa with some friendly conversation at the bar area.
The dinner is good, but the wait tends to be long and it can get crowded during ski season. Â "Rock the Pio!" mid week if possible.
One word: YUM!
1/2 Hour wait....well worth it. We ate with kids, so we hung outside while waiting, but had they not been with us, the bar was lively and fun!
Food was so darn good! Sure it is the simple stuff of old time steakhouses...not a Mortons type, but the Filet...OMG. YUM! Blue cheese butter on top was an awesome plus. ( You are offered, peppercorn sauce, blue cheese butter or something equally as good) My kids split a full rack of babyback ribs, and my hubby got the Ketchum cut Prime rib. (The smallest size, which was pretty darn huge) All orders came with baked potatoes, and they were by far the best baked potatoes we have had. ***Sure sure I realize we are in Idaho, but still...a potato is a potato right?***
Drinks were strong, food was excellent, service was awesome! No complaints, overall a great great dining experience. 4 of us ate full meals, My filet had 3 shrimp on the side as well, for 130.00 out the door including strong cocktails. Great buy!
No trip to Sun Valley should go by without a visit to the "Pio"
This is the place for every trip to SunValley, Great grilled salmon, their filet mignon is the best baked potatoes and do start with a classic martini...you will only need one after a day of skiing.
We also like to go early as they take no resi's. Go early have a drink in the large bar area and get in on the first seating.
Affectionately called "The Pio" by locals and Sun Valley regulars alike, apparently this really is the place to be. Â My in-laws, from Eugene, OR, were with us and while we were at the restaurant we bumped in to 2 different groups of people they knew. Â I guess it's bound to happen in the TINY town of Ketchum :-)
The service was good, the decor pretty dark and "saloony" with red lamps everywhere. Â It was a little difficult to see but the smells that came from the open grill that you walk past to get to the back room made up for it. Â We got there very early at 5:15 and were lucky enough to be seated right away, within a half hour, the restaurant was filled, the bar full, and the line for a table, crazy long!
The half cut prime rib was good, a whopping 16oz thick cut lean piece. Â The filet mignon was 10oz and really tender. Â The roast chicken was amazingly juicy and the Jim spud was HUGE. Â This place is know for giant baked potatoes and for some reason, they were really really good! Also, each entree comes with a dinner salad so the price is pretty good.
Despite everyone have something left on their plates, we decided to share a slice of mud pie and the fudge on top made all the difference. Yum.
I was concered about the hype - everyone we spoke to in Sun Valley said "Go to the Pioneer". Â We thought, ok, let's check it out. Â Well, they were right. We tried stopping by on a Saturday night (duh) and there was a two hour wait so we decided to go back on Monday after the crowds left and only waited 20 minutes for a table. Â The service was friendly and quick, and the food was perfect. I had a filet and of course a baked Idaho potato. Â The meat was cooked precisely and flavorful. It was one of those meals where you wish you could eat more after you're full. Â I also signed up for their recommended margaritas which packed a punch! :)
I think it's worth the hype but plan accordingly if you don't like to wait in line. Go early.
Not too often will you go to a restaurant with seven guys who travel extensively and eat in a ton of restaurants and uniformly hear such rave reviews of all parts of the menu. Ribs? Awesome. Â Filet Mignons? Generous cut and perfect medium rare. Fresh local trout special? Our group was tempted to get one to share as dessert. Â Prime rib? Savory, juicy and perfect.
Service was great. Â The place was packed yet they were always there when we needed something. Â No hovering...yet magically appeared to help us whenever we needed something.
The bar? Â Relatively tight quarters in here with seating for maybe 40 people around small tables and another 20-30 standing up. Â Filled to the gills with women from age 30-50. Â Yes, the elusive high-end trustafarian cougars. Â Zak would have been in heaven. We sure were.
The Pio is the place I always take visitors.
Dependable food and service, and what a scene.
You have your shoulder to shoulder real estate agents,
local stars and wanna be starlets at the bar while stuffed animal heads stare down at you from the walls above.
You will wait for a table, but you will have a good time doing it.
Relax and enjoy a well mixed drink, appetizers and a jovial crowd.
The artichokes can be ordered while you wait for your table..
The meat dishes are excellent, the potato legendary. The trout is loved by many.
If you want privacy, quiet and space around your table, this might not be your place. Jump in and enjoy yourself. Have another drink!
I wish they would stop calling chopped scallions "chives". They are not chives.
This is the place to go in the Sun Valley area for outstanding grilled meats. Â I had the ribeye on my last visit, and it was as good as I've had north of Argentina. Â Cooked perfectly at medium rare, it was just warm inside with a tremendous crust. Â Sourdough, a decent dinner salad, and a great big Idaho baker were served with the steak.
We also tried the smoked Idaho trout and brie appetizer. Â This is also highly recommended, but is a big enough serving for four.
Be sure to go early, and expect a wait. Â We got right in with a party of two at 6pm on a winter Saturday, and it seemed that only larger groups were experiencing long waits. Â You'll wait at the bar, and drinks and appetizers are served there if you're interested.
We dared to visit 'the Pio' on New Years Eve. Â After initially gagging at the 2-3 hour proposed wait time (we arrived around 6) we decided to give it go since we had plans for later in the evening and had heard so many good things about the place.
We found a small area near the bar that allowed us to get a few drinks and we also ordered their brie and smoked salmon plate to help get us through the time we spent waiting.
The staff was friendly and very helpful. Â We just needed a table of two and as had happened at another restaurant in town we got bumped up the list because other couples had just left instead of waiting--win for us.
I had the Pioneer cut prime rib and she had the sirloin burger. Â Each came with rice and aspargus. Â Neither one of us got the baked potato as big as your head but I can attest to seeing them and they were enormous. Â The food was very good but I completely forgot how ridiculously fatty prime rib can be and probably spent more time cutting the fat away than eating my food.
It was definitely a great experience and good food but probably a bit overrated and if I could give it 3.5 stars I would.
Man, how much do i miss this place? So. Very. Much.
When I lived in Ketchum I would go to the Pio at least twice, maybe 3 times a week. Probably didn't to wonders for my cholesterol level but hey, it's worth it. Best prime rib ever, best margaritas, baked potato, and the nicest owners & staff. Since I moved to San Francisco almost 15 years ago, nothing has come close to the feeling of "home" that I felt whenever I went to the Pio.
And my advice for you prime rib lovers on a budget and a (slightly) smaller appetite than usual is to order the following. Just say: "I'll have the prime rib sandwich, no set, no bun, one slice!"
Heaven.
I am driving to Sun Valley tonight, and seriously all I can think about is pio, pio, pio. Â
It's a 12 hr. drive, Â there are forest fires, and it'll probably be smokey all around Ketchum. Â All I can think about is pio, pio, pio. Â Am I seriously driving this long route through Nevada for prime rib? Â Yes, I am.
I am a New Englander and so my first trip to Idaho I finally understood the term "Old West" and the Pio is the epitome of Old West! What I didn't understand was the term Idaho potato.
ohmygod, these things are huge. Â Even if you're watching your carbs, Â order one, and you best get all the fixins! Â It's an experience you will not soon forget.
And the steak, the prices!, Â martinis, and old west vibe just make this place top-notch for this CT girl. Â
If you are ever visiting Sun Valley, get to Ketchum to eat here! Â Your trip won't be complete without it. Â
You will soon find yourself humming pio, pio, pio. Â
Hint: Get there as soon as it opens because the wait can be excruciating, and they don't take reservations. This is the Old West after all!
The Poineer! Yeeee-Haw!!!
 This place is a great spot in town to go if you need to get your beef fix. Vegetarians need not apply.
 The ribs are great. The prime rib is great. Teh filet is great. The chicken is great. And there's also a short brunette server who works the bar who is - you guessed it - GREAT!
 The Poineer has a wide selection of flesh to choose from, and it's all cooked to order and tasted fabulous. With wine or beer, it's the place to go.
 Waiting for a table can take a while - especially in the winter. So be prepared. But the bar is fun, and there's a lot to look at (get it?)
 Try it out. You'll like it.
------------------S
I was advised to go to the "Pio" as the locals call it for a true Sun Valley experience. Â I was hoping to drop by to take a look at the menu to find out if it would work for my friends' dietary preferences/constraints. Â Unfortunately, this place doesn't open until 4 p.m., and dinner isn't served until 5 p.m. Â They don't take reservations, but there were 14 of us planning on having dinner which is a pretty large group to walk in without a reservation. Â We called in advance to see what the wait would be like, and they advised us to arrive at around 8 and we could probably get in. Â
A sub-group of us arrived at 7:15 p.m. or so just to check out the scene, and it was PACKED. Â The entire bar was packed and people were just pouring out on to the sidewalk - does not bode well for our large party. Â We put our name down, and they told us it would be an hour wait. Â One of my friends is pregnant and needed to eat immediately, and since we couldn't find a place to sit in the bar area, we went over to Rico's for a snack. Â I ran over occasionally to just check on our reservation, and they were pretty on target with the estimated wait. Â They wouldn't seat us until our entire party arrived, so we had a few drinks at the bar. Â The bar is a cool place and very rustic - lots of hunting and Idaho-related memorabilia on the walls, and cozy places to sit (assuming you can find a place to sit).
My friend told us we should ordered the prime rib sandwich without a bun because it's about half the price of the prime rib for the same amount of meat; this advice was so important that it made it into the materials distributed to guests. Â One of our other guests didn't seem to trust this advice and tried to order the prime rib, but the waitress told gave him the same advice about the prime rib sandwich! Â The lesson learned is that the prime rib sandwich (no bun) is the way to go! Â If you're going to have prime rib....
I decided to get the petite filet; I can't explain this decision except that I had already started to talk about the House of Prime Rib to people, and I couldn't bear to betray HOPR by having prime rib at another place. Â I had the petite filet which was very petite but the perfect amount of food; the filet was cooked perfectly - pink, juicy and moist. Â I chose to have a baked potato on the side (Idaho potatoes!), and the potato was huge! Â It was delicious with sour cream and butter (I prefer no chives) - it's not quite like the HOPR baked potato with bacon but it's pretty darn good. Â For dessert, my friends ordered the mud pie, and they went to town on it. Â I barely had a bite, but the little bit that I had was good.
Definitely a place to check out if you are in Ketchum and like meat! Â It's on the pricier side, but it's definitely not expensive compared to some of the other restaurants in town. Â The food is good and the ambiance and service are great.
MEAT N POTATOES
Top touristy saloon/restaurant where the locals eat at too! Â The prime rib MEAT is their specialty. Â The massive floury potaotoes are on steroids and are as big as my head (and I'm no pinhead) and served with the works. Â Salads are humongous and ok if you like generic green salad with carrots and cabbage sprinkled on top. Â The ribs are superlative but in short demand, since they only serve ribs that came with the prime (if you see what I mean). Â I'm always too stuffed for dessert, so I can't say. Â Fully stocked bar which gets crowded inversely proportional to the ski slopes.
This is a must when you visit Ketchum.
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