Maribella Wins 2026 Downtown Sioux Falls Pork Showdown
Maribella took first place with its pan seared pork pluma in the sixth annual competition among 26 downtown restaurants.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Food and Drink
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Maribella won the 2026 Downtown Sioux Falls Pork Showdown with a score of 9.77, according to the Downtown Sioux Falls Partnership, which announced the winner on Thursday morning. The competition saw 5,171 pork dishes sold across 26 participating restaurants.
Why it matters
The showdown generated an economic impact of $498,019 for the downtown district, with $109,720 spent on competition dishes. The event continues to draw diners and restaurants to downtown Sioux Falls each year.
Judges scored the entries, with Maribella Ristorante leading at 9.77 ahead of Crawford's at 9.51 and Rivage Oak Kitchen at 9.48. Bread & Circus sold 630 dishes, the most of any entrant, while the Partnership reports a $498,019 economic impact; the methodology behind that impact figure was not detailed.
The players
Downtown Sioux Falls Partnership
The Downtown Sioux Falls Partnership is the organization that runs the downtown district's promotional events and announced the 2026 winner. It publishes the competition's economic impact figures.
South Dakota Pork Producer's Council
The South Dakota Pork Producer's Council is the statewide trade group representing the state's pork producers. It sponsors this year's showdown.
The details
Restaurants competed by serving pork dishes during the showdown, with winners ranked by score. Maribella's winning entry, the PLUMA, is a pan seared pork pluma served with spaghetti tossed in an apple brie cream sauce with asparagus tips, blistered tomatoes and panchetta.
Timeline
2025: Crawford's won the previous year's showdown.
Thursday morning (week of November 5, 2026): Downtown Sioux Falls Partnership announced Maribella as the 2026 winner.
Competition History
This is the sixth year of the Downtown Sioux Falls Pork Showdown, and the 2026 winner, Maribella, replaces Crawford's, the 2025 champion. Seven new restaurants joined the lineup this year, so the field turned over substantially while the sixth-year format held.
Diners can visit the 26 participating downtown restaurants to sample the competition dishes, including Maribella's PLUMA. The showdown's pork dishes were available for the duration of the competition at the restaurants that served them.
The takeaway
Sioux Falls diners who want to try the competition's top dishes can start with the winning PLUMA at Maribella and compare it with the runners-up at Crawford's, Rivage Oak Kitchen and Ironwood Steakhouse. Tasting the top-scoring entries side by side shows how the judges' scores tracked across the downtown field.
Further reading
For more local dining coverage, see Food and Drink in Sioux Falls.
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