Sommerset Hall Cafe - Topeka, Kansas in 2023 Sommerset Hall Cafe in Dover, Kansas has an interesting history. The building began as the Sage General Store in the late 1800s. The owner, Alfred Sage, named it Sommerset Hall after his birthplace in Somersetshire, Bristol, England. The Odd Fellows Lodge began meeting in the upstairs in 1902 and purchased the building in 1905. The Dover Lodge (I.O.O.F #490) still meets in Sommerset Hall today. The Cafe which occupies the lower floor of the building became nationally famous in November 2008 when Good Morning America Weekend announced that the Coconut Cream Pie baked by Sommerset Hall Cafe's Norma Grubb was the winner of their Best Slice Challenge. The notoriety increased demand for the pies to the point that whole pies could no longer be purchased and the slices of pie must be eaten in the Cafe. Norma only baked about 8 pies a day, and the manager wanted her customers to be able to have a slice of pie with their meals. Norma passed away in 2009, but the pies are still baked from the same recipes and they may have the best coconut cream pie which I have had. Pie is $4.75/slice or $32/whole (with 24 hour notice.) Servers can take the pie orders first thing, and sometimes the pie comes before the rest of the meal. Unfortunately one time we ate there, the server didn't ask about the pie when we ordered and they were out of pies by the end of our meal. Update July 26, 2024: Will be closing at 2 PM everyday going forward for the forseeable future. Friday is the only day of the week that the Cafe is open for supper. Roast beef dinners are served every Friday and all dinners come with mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans & ham, dinner roll and a salad bar. They also serve fried chicken the first Friday of the month, chicken fried steak on the second & fourth Friday, and fried chicken breast on the third Friday. My favorite dish has been the fried chicken available
some Friday nights. The mashed potatoes are very good, as is the patty
melt.
copyright 2009-2024 by Keith Stokes |
