What To Eat At The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, Ree Drummond's Destination Restaurant

Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman, has gone from food blogger to Food Network star to restauranteur, and has all but taken over the town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with three stellar restaurants that fans travel far and wide to enjoy. The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, a combination restaurant, bakery, and general store, can best be described as an upscale Cracker Barrel, with its diner-style menu and country kitsch gift shop where you can browse Drummond's cookbooks, cookware, and keepsakes while you wait for your table inside The Deli, Drummond's flagship restaurant.

The Deli menu at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile is loaded with dishes inspired by — and, in some cases, nearly identical to — recipes from Drummond's wildly popular blog and Food Network show. Many are delightfully familiar, like the Cowboy Breakfast Burrito and Edna Mae's Pancakes, while others turn classic café and diner staples into surprisingly sophisticated plates, like the breathtaking avocado toast. If you're planning a visit to The Merc, here are the must-have dishes you've got to try.

Chicken fried steak is the dish that started it all as the headliner for the very first episode of The Pioneer Woman's Food Network show. Ree Drummond says it's one of her husband's all-time favorite dishes, and the love that she puts into it is as evident on your plate as it is in the show. The Mercantile's chicken fried steak starts with a massive top sirloin steak, breaded and fried until it's perfectly golden-brown and crispy, which is drenched in a pool of creamy sausage gravy.

It's available all day, from breakfast 'til brinner, and you can order it one of two ways, depending on what vibe you're going for. If you're hungry for a hearty supper, order it "For Dinner" with a heaping helping of rich mashed potatoes. "For Breakfast," you'll get a side of Crispy Bits potatoes and a fresh tomato and basil salad — a handy hack Drummond uses at home to add some color and freshness to the plate while still pleasing her hubby's meat-and-potatoes palate, which appears alongside nearly every dish on The Mercantile menu.

One of The Mercantile's most notable abilities is turning traditional diner favorites into delightful gourmet experiences, and Edna Mae's Pancakes are a perfect example. The standalone dish features two generously sized buttermilk pancakes that are deliciously thick and fluffy, just like you would expect from your favorite all-night pancake joint.

But that's where The Mercantile takes things up a notch. In place of the usual dollop of butter, Edna Mae's Pancakes come with whipped butter in three mouth-watering flavors — original, honey cinnamon, and raspberry — plus three kinds of syrup — cinnamon vanilla, sea salt caramel, and classic maple. You're free to mix and match as you wish, or pick your favorite and stick with it through the whole plate.

The pancakes alone are probably enough to satisfy all but the most ravenous guests. But for those who need (or want) something a little more balanced, you can also order Edna Mae's Panckaes as part of a full breakfast with Crispy Bits potatoes, two eggs, and choice of bacon, ham, or sausage — or a slice of each, if you're feeling indecisive.

The Mercantile serves Edna Mae's Pancakes all day from 8 a.m. to close at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile. Guests of The Pioneer Woman Boarding House, Ree Drummond's hotel, can also have it delivered to their room as part of the limited menu of dishes from The Merc available through room service.

The Deli at The Mercantile manages to make even a classic club sandwich into something novel and exciting. This diner staple has all the essential ingredients that make it recognizable — roast turkey, Swiss cheese, crisp lettuce, and tangy tomatoes — but a few Pioneer Woman-esque twists add lots of foodie finesse.

In place of the sliced bread that you would get at your favorite hole-in-the-wall, The Merc's turkey bacon club is built on honey potato bread that gives the whole sandwich a sweet and savory twist. The bread is smeared with colorful, fragrant house-made basil mayo, and the whole sandwich is held together by a spear garnished with a crunchy baby pickle, reminiscent of a trendy artisan sandwich shop.

Of course, no club sandwich would be complete without a pile of crispy potato chips, which The Mercantile makes in-house. If you're looking for something a little heartier, you can also upgrade your chips to golden, thick-cut steak fries for a couple dollars more. Either way, you're sure to go home feeling pleasantly stuffed — and if you have some left over, it's just as good when enjoyed as a midnight snack.

It's hard to go wrong with grilled cheese — it's one of those dishes that still tastes great, even at its most basic. But of course, The Mercantile doesn't do basic, even with this ultimate comfort food. It still has its familiar form, with gooey cheese in the middle of buttered slices of bread, but The Merc adds even more texture and flavor by crusting the sandwich with a sprinkle of cheese on the outside, just like Ree Drummond does at home. Then it's sliced into narrow strips that are perfect for dunking.

And that's where the real star of the show comes in. As delicious as the grilled cheese sandwich is, the headliner of this dish is the soup. Tomato soup is, of course, traditional, but as with everything on The Mercantile's menu, it's jazzed up with a special ingredient — sherry — and topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh microgreens.

For something a little less familiar, you can also get your grilled cheese with chicken tortilla soup. The roast chicken, warm broth, tomatoes, and beans complement the sandwich nicely, turning this classic sandwich pairing into something unexpected, but still just as comforting.

This house-favorite menu item is named after Ree Drummond's "Marlboro Man" — her husband, Ladd, who likes his food simple. And simplicity is exactly what you get with Ladd's Favorite Chicken Sandwich. There aren't a ton of toppings here, but that's part of what makes it such a satisfying sandwich. It starts with a perfectly cooked split chicken breast topped with slices of bacon and melty cheddar cheese.

All this goes on a toasted, buttered bun slathered with honey mustard, creating a hefty chicken sandwich — in fact, it's almost (but not quite) too much meat — with no frilly distractions. If you'd like a little more greenery on it, though, The Mercantile has got you covered there, too. Ladd's Favorite Chicken Sandwich comes with fresh lettuce leaves, colorful tomatoes, and a heap of tangy house-made bread and butter pickles to round out the meal, plus a side of freshly-fried chips or thick-cut fries.

Cheese bread has a knack for making people stuff themselves before the entrée even arrives at the table, and if ever there was an appetizer to make an entire meal out of, this one's it. The olive cheese bread starts with a split loaf of bread, toasted and topped with a mixture of finely minced black and green olives and a blend of creamy cheeses. Then it's toasted again until the cheeses brown and served to your table hot and bubbly.

Yes, the portions are huge and shareable, and if you're feeling generous, you could totally split an order with your whole table. It has a uniquely savory flavor that's sure to please all but the most devout olive haters in your party, but let's be honest — if anyone turns their nose up at it, that just leaves more for you. Besides, fans of the dish say it's one of the best things on the menu, so we certainly wouldn't judge you if you wanted to keep it to yourself. Either way, you're probably going to have a hard time saving room for dessert.

While browsing through The Mercantile menu, you might be tempted to skip over the avocado toast — that is, until you spot this absolute eye candy of a dish as it arrives at someone else's table and instantly regret passing it up. This takes the trendy avocado toast you've seen online to a whole new level, so give it some thought before you skip it. 

It starts, as you would expect, with a mountain of mashed avocado on a slice of crisply toasted, buttered sourdough bread, and if you're craving even more protein, you can add two eggs cooked to order. But that's where the expected ends and the surprises begin. This tasty toast is then topped with bright cherry tomatoes, peppery watermelon radishes, crunchy bacon, and a tangle of microgreens, and garnished with gorgeous edible flowers. The entire dish is almost too beautiful to eat — but snap a picture and dive in because it tastes just as good as it looks.

The Mediterranean salmon salad is one of just two salads on The Mercantile's menu, but this protein-packed plate is truthfully more of a fish entrée with salad — and that's a beautiful thing. The salmon, a notoriously finicky protein to prepare, is perfectly cooked and flavorful, perched on top of a platform of whole romaine lettuce leaves tossed in a creamy, house-made lemon, garlic, and caper dressing that beautifully complements the fish.

This salad is then surrounded with a selection of colorful sides, like the ubiquitous tomato salad, which is enhanced by minced Kalamata olives for this particular dish, blanched green beans, hard-boiled egg wedges, and a vinaigrette on the side. The presentation is stunning, the flavors are fantastic, and the dish as a whole is a hearty showstopper that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. It's definitely a bit of a departure from the more diner-themed dishes on The Mercantile menu, and yet it doesn't feel out of place at all. If you're looking to gnosh on something light and fresh but still filling, the Mediterranean salmon salad is right up your alley.

The breakfast burrito is a family-friendly favorite for a reason. It packs everything you want for breakfast into a warm flour tortilla, making it perfectly portable for busy mornings. But you're going to want to sit down to savor The Mercantile's Cowboy Breakfast Burrito because it might just be the best you've ever had.

It's got all the basics — bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese — but The Mercantile goes above and beyond the usual diner burrito, stuffing as many as 10 scrambled eggs into its tidy tortilla package. It's hearty enough to fuel a cowboy like Ladd Drummond for a busy morning on the ranch — or you, for an afternoon exploring the nearby Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Even the tortilla is a little bit extra, warmed and lightly toasted to a gorgeous golden color, but if you're avoiding gluten, you can order it as a bowl and get it sans-tortilla. And as if the Cowboy Breakfast Burrito wasn't filling enough on its own, it's served with a side of Crispy Bits potatoes and salsa for dipping.

Admittedly, there's no "chips and dip" menu item at The Mercantile, but rather two separate menu items to choose from. But when both appetizers are so familiar and comforting, it's too hard to pick a favorite, so you'll have to make the call.

Behind door number one, you'll find queso with chorizo, topped with smoky crumbled bacon and bright pico de gallo. It's thick, gooey, with just a hint of spice to keep things interesting. And behind door number two, there's deliciously rich spinach and artichoke dip, made from a secret blend of cheeses that includes feta, Parmesan, and mascarpone, then topped with a haystack of microgreens. Both come with a heap of freshly fried tortilla chips, but you can also get the spinach and artichoke dip with a side of pita crisps.

Either way, you're going to have a hard time resisting the urge to fill up on your appetizer before your entrée reaches your table. Maybe just get both. We won't judge.

When you arrive at your table at The Mercantile, you'll get a plate of complimentary biscuits to nibble on while you wait, alongside fresh blueberry lemon jam and whipped butter. But if you find yourself craving more after that tantalizing sample, then feast your eyes (and your mouth) on the biscuits and gravy breakfast.

The biscuits are fluffy, and you get a giant plate full of them, but the sausage gravy is the real star of the show. It's good enough to eat straight out of a bowl. Round out your breakfast with two eggs cooked to order, Crispy Bits potatoes, and your choice of meat — bacon, sausage, or ham, or one of each.

But be forewarned — this meal is ginormous. If you'd prefer a slightly smaller serving, you can get two biscuits and gravy as a premium side. That way, you can still sample the other outstanding items on The Mercantile menu — or just save extra room for dessert.

If someone were to ask you for advice on what to bread their chicken strips in, Cap'n Crunch would probably be one of the furthest things from your mind. This favorite childhood cereal may seem like an odd choice for chicken, but believe us when we say — it just works. The chicken strips are brined, then coated with crushed Cap'n Crunch and cornflakes, creating a crust with a killer crunch, without going overkill on the breading. Plus, the cereal gives the dish a subtle sweetness reminiscent of a drizzle of honey over a steaming plate of fried chicken.

There are three dipping sauces for you to choose from — barbecue, ranch, and honey mustard — and you get to pick two to enjoy with your order. The portions are large and filling, so this is definitely an appetizer that you could share with the table, but nobody would fault you for enjoying it as an entrée with one of the many side dishes The Mercantile offers à la carte.

One of the most magical things about breakfast is the number of ways a restaurant can combine a few humble ingredients — eggs, meats, and cheeses — to make something phenomenal. At The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, the country scramble is a perfect example. It boasts three scrambled eggs, melty cheddar cheese, crumbled sausage with bacon and glazed ham, served in a skillet to keep everything nice and hot to the very last bite, plus Crispy Bits potatoes and tangy tomato salad.

For fans of lighter, brighter fare, The Mercantile also offers a veggie scramble with spinach, asparagus, and red onion in place of the meats and cheddar, topped with microgreens and feta cheese. The famously accommodating staff have even been known to make custom scrambles for diners with specific dietary restrictions, such as an egg-free scramble for vegan diners. But no matter how you scramble it, this hearty dish is sure to satisfy even the hungriest guests.

With all the outstanding appetizers and entrées (and plentiful portions) on The Mercantile's menu, it's hard to imagine having room for even a nibble of dessert, but the stunning strawberry cake will certainly beg you to try. This bright pink slice of sheet cake capped with strawberry cream cheese frosting is like summertime on a plate. It's sprinkled with crunchy strawberry crumbles and garnished with a glossy whole strawberry on top, giving it a texture as fresh and fascinating as its flavors.

This Instagram-worthy dish is plated beautifully, surrounded by heaps of white chocolate curls and a lattice of strawberry sauce that soaks into the cake and may just tempt you to lick the plate when you're finished. You can split it with your dining buddy or order it to go, but the strawberry cake is one dessert that's definitely worth stretching your appetite for — no matter how full you feel.