Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States South Dakota Sioux Falls Watecha Bowl
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Watecha Bowl

Chef Lawrence West serves up Indian tacos, wojapi, and other Lakota dishes at the brick-and-mortar incarnation of his popular food truck.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Added By
Diana Hubbell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
An Indian taco on frybread.   Totallyclarafied
The line outside Watecha Bowl.   Lauretta.blakely
An Indian taco to go.   Lauretta.blakely
A fully loaded frybread taco.   Courtesy of Watecha Bowl
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Diners were lining up to try Lawrence West’s Indian tacos for more than a year before the chef opened up his restaurant on West Madison Street in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Watecha Bowl started out as a roving food truck serving the kind of comfort food that West grew up eating as a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Watecha means "leftovers," but is often used colloquially to simply refer to food. In an interview with SiouxFalls Business, West attributed all of his cooking skills to his “mom’s kitchen.” Made with a mountain of seasoned ground beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, salsa, and sour cream cradled in a round of frybread, West’s Indian tacos quickly earned him a reputation and the funds to set up a brick-and-mortar.

Since settling into more permanent digs, West has expanded the menu to include specials such as a nine-hour smoked buffalo roast. The main draw here, however, is still the frybread, which West pairs with everything from buffalo burgers to wojapi, a warm, jammy berry compote. 

Frybread has a complicated history for members of the Native Nations. Although its origins are debated, one commonly held theory is that it was created as a means of subsisting on meager U.S. government rations during the forced Navajo migration from Arizona to New Mexico. With little more than flour and lard, resourceful cooks found a way to create a filling, if not exactly nutritional, foodstuff in order to survive. For some Native Americans, it represents oppression, while others, including author Sherman Alexie, have called it part of “our story of survival.” At Watecha bowl, the frybread is unambiguously celebrated. Even when working within the narrow confines of his food-truck kitchen, West insisted on frying his dough to order so that it retained its airy, weightless texture. 

Despite its somewhat fraught roots, frybread in all of its many forms has become a staple at Native American gatherings across the American Southwest. When fried at just the right temperature, it develops a blistered, satisfyingly chewy crust encasing pockets of steam. It’s a delicious embodiment of both the cultural history and celebratory vibe that West wanted to bring to his restaurant. Watecha Bowl, by West’s description, channels a “carnival flair,” complete with Powwow Lemonade and stunt-worthy dishes like The Challenge Taco, which comes loaded with a full five pounds of toppings.

Related Tags

Restaurants Unique Restaurants & Bars Food Native Americans Native American Cuisine Indigenous

Know Before You Go

Be sure to check the restaurant's Facebook page for daily specials and off-menu special additions before you go. Also, since West's food truck is still in operation, fans can also sample his frybread at various events and locations around town.

Community Contributors

Added By

Diana Hubbell

Published

November 4, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/frybread-79191/
  • https://muse.jhu.edu/article/641379/pdf
  • https://tribalbusinessnews.com/component/tags/tag/watecha-bowl
  • https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/business-journal/2021/03/17/watecha-bowl-food-truck-lakota-restaurant-open-western-sioux-falls/4720912001/
Watecha Bowl
2305 W Madison St
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104
United States
43.55812, -96.757826
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Minnehaha County Courthouse Original Courtroom

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

Falls Park

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

'Arc of Dreams'

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

South Dakota

Places 6
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Minnehaha County Courthouse Original Courtroom

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

Falls Park

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

'Arc of Dreams'

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

South Dakota

Places 6
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

19 Places to Savor Indigenous Cuisine in North America

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • The entrance to Owamni.

    Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Owamni

    The dishes at this restaurant by The Sioux Chef celebrate indigenous heritage.

  • Calgary, Alberta

    Little Chief

    What happens when a chef with indigenous roots takes over a hotel-restaurant?

  • Louis Trevino (left) and Vincent Medina (right) plate traditional food at Cafe Ohlone.

    Berkeley, California

    Cafe Ohlone

    This restaurant offers the original California cuisine.

  • Elk and bison are regularly featured on the menu.

    Fort Langley, British Columbia

    Tradish's The Ancestor Cafe

    First Nations’ foodways are front and center at this food truck-turned-brick-and-mortar.

  • The tortillas come in a rainbow of colors.

    Tlacolula de Matamoros, Mexico

    Criollito

    This Oaxacan restaurant serves native corn and Indigenous recipes.

  • Melbourne, Australia

    Mabu Mabu Big Esso

    Featuring Torres Strait Islander cuisine and Australia's first indigenous bar.

  • Maniwara ants are used in several Biatüwi dishes.

    Manaus, Brazil

    Biatüwi

    The only restaurant serving indigenous foods from the Amazon.

  • The entrance to the museum.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Thirty Nine

    Named for the 39 tribes that live in Oklahoma, this restaurant's menu deliciously highlights local flavors.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.