Sommerset Hall Café

Don’t bother calling to reserve a table – the only thing the Sommerset Hall Café takes reservations for are slices of Norma Grubb’s pie. In November 2008, 88-year-old Grubb’s coconut cream pie claimed the top spot in the “Good Morning America Weekend’s Best Slice Challenge.” Of course there’s more than pie to draw customers to this restaurant in downtown Dover, which sits southwest of Topeka in Shawnee County. The restaurant itself makes its home in a building constructed in 1885, which previously was used as a feed store and later as a grocery and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sommerset Hall Café fills bellies with its daily lunch buffet and its Friday night buffet, in which specials rotate, including catfish and fried chicken. Or, order off the menu, which includes hamburgers and salads. (Updated 2/26/09)