This review is for the Sunday brunch buffet. Overall, it's good. Wait..The bacon was thin and cooked crispy making it like eating a thin bacon cloud that melts in your mouth. Ok, the bacon was simply great. :-) The service was top notch, attentive, friendly, and we never had an empty drink or a stack of plates on the table. The decor was amazing, with lots of references to Earnest Hemingway. One could spend time just checking it all out :-) The buffet had a great salad bar, omelet bar, carved meats, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, waffles, pork, chicken, veges, etc. it was kept filled and was pretty good. The dessert bar was not as exciting in flavor as it appeared. The cakes tasted like freezer, sadly. The lemon bars were tasty. In all, left full a ready for a nap :-) read more

Stopped by the store after my sales trip at Base Camp. Hemingway's Cafe is super convenient to Bass Pro Shoppers - right in the store!! I enjoyed the lunch buffet - nice selection of entrees and salads - good value for the money. Waitstaff was very pleasant and efficient, no complaints. I will came back to enjoy another meal the next sales trip. read more

What a shame! I had very fond memories of here. Hadn't been here for many years. Came for Sunday brunch. The buffet was horribly over priced at $24.99. No carving station, no eggs to order, no omelet station. I could go on and on. Very few selections. You would be better off at a breakfast cafe. What topped it off was a to go coffee was serves in a paper Come cup. The server had to carry it out with napkins. read more

Food was great. The French fries are awesome. The bar service and table service was the best.

Well where should I start. I was very disappointed for an evening just before Christmas. I was here when I was a little boy and they first opened. The food I remembered was not even close to what I had. It barely was better than any other buffet. I do not recommend the buffet. Order from the menu. I expected it to have the quality of a Landry's this was not even close. Landry's is 10 star compared to this. I was very saddened as I remember as a kid how good it was when I was 12. I took my wife and daughter here and felt embarrassed as the food was so sad. I hope this letter changes the food. Very over priced you are better off eating local than here. I will surely let all my friends in Texas know do not eat here not worth it. I wanted to post this on Yelp too as if they are wanting to have food to the quality of Hemingway I am sure he is rolling over at the sight of the food here. read more

I was looking forward to a really nice brunch at Hemingway's Blue Water Cafe. I assumed because of the price that it would at least have a carving station or an omelette station. It had neither. While our waitress was very attentive, I did voice my dislike for everything on the buffet. They had three meats, catfish, pork loin from a bag, and link sausage and that was it. Sides were breakfast potatoes from a bag, green beans from a can, Mac and cheese (might have been homemade) and a minimal salad bar. Water gravy and frozen biscuits. It was horrible. When I asked if anything was made from scratch, her reply was "oh yes, we make our salad". Hmmm... it was a free breakfast at a Drury hotel at best and the cost was, well...you know, it's Bass Pro, for that reason alone, I expected better. I will not be back unless they change EVERYTHING! $65.00 for 2 people is a little ridiculous, especially if you can't eat it! read more

No where near what I remembered it being 16 years ago. Now just a tourist spot with a less than impressive buffet. Went for nostalgia reasons and wishing that we wouldn't have wasted the time. Server was very friendly. read more

This might be the best experience I've ever had at a restaurant. The host was super nice and our waitress was amazing! Our drinks never ran out and the food came out hot and super fast. Everything tasted fresh and so good! Definitely recommend going here! read more

We went in about 7 pm on a Wednesday. We sat at the bar for a drink and the "View". Bartender was less than inviting, bothered by questions about drink options. We then asked to be seated at table. Food was less than average, buffet was not well serviced. Salad items were scarce, lettuce turning brown, and crumbles of what was left of the croutons. Main course items were dry and covered with gravy/sauces, roasted veggies were nothing more than steamed vegetables. Minimal bread options. Best thing was bread pudding. Disappointing read more

I'm not usually one to complain, and have always had a pleasant experience here in the past. But this most recent visit was by far the worst ever. We arrived at 3:30 and was greeted by what I would describe as a rude and annoyed hostess. No welcoming, but instead a response of "the buffet is closed and you'll have to order off the menu." Then, and abrubt exit. No problem, we got it. Sat down to order but noticed other people walking in right after us heading straight to the buffet. Again, no big deal. Continued to order off the menu (since the buffet was supposedly over) and had catfish, steak and seafood alfredo. My ten year old son asked for medium well steak and got rare. We politely asked to send it back and after waiting ten minutes, still got medium rare. My catfish was slimy and my wife's scallops in her alfredo were cold in the middle. Also, while I was eating some fruit off the salad bar, the waitress didn't even bother to ask me if I was done but instead assumed I was and snatched my plate before I could say a word. Meanwhile, the bartender was complaing with another waitress about something loud enough that everyone could hear it. Very unprofessional! All I can say is that I was less then impressed and after spending $80 for this meal, I will not go back and will take my business elsewhere. Show less Date of visit: February 2020 1  Thank John S This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. verseman66uk Reviewed 1 week ago GREAT CRAB LEG BUFFET THURS 01/30/20. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT CRAB LEG BUFFET was great. Good selection, good service, clean. Would go back. Show less Date of visit: January 2020 Value Service Food Thank verseman66uk This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. HemingwaysBWC, Owner at Hemingways Blue Water Cafe, responded to this reviewResponded 1 week ago We are so glad that you enjoyed your recent dining experience during our crab leg buffet! We are so pleased you enjoyed our delicious crab legs , variety of foods on the buffet, and our attentive and friendly service. We look forward to seeing you again on your next visit. Thank you, verseman66uk. Show less Report response as inappropriate This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Johnny D Farmington, Missouri Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile Excellent food! Tanner was perfect. First rate service There's a buffet but we ordered from the menu. The buffet is crowded and $18 - definitely a good value. We had shrimp bonetti and seafood alfredo. An 10 out of 10. Worth the trip. This was Sunday at 5pm. Right size portions for a change. Too many restaurants over size portions today. Wouldn't you agree? Show less Date of visit: January 2020 Thank Johnny D This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. HemingwaysBWC, Owner at Hemingways Blue Water Cafe, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago Thanks, Johnny! There's nothing that makes our day more than seeing a 5-star rating from a satisfied guest. We are delighted that your shrimp bonetti and seafood alfredo from our menu were fantastic. We will let Tanner know how much you appreciated his service. We hope you will come back and see us again soon! Show less Report response as inappropriate This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. View more reviews Best Moderately Priced Restaurants See all PaPPo's Pizzeria & Pub Springfield Battlefield 273 Reviews $$ - $$$, American, Bar, Pizza Pappo's Pizzeria 270 Reviews $$ - $$$, Pizza, Italian Fire & Ice Restaurant & Bar 366 Reviews $$ - $$$, American Cafe Cusco 352 Reviews $$ - $$$, Peruvian, Latin, Fusion Jimm's Steakhouse & Pub 925 Reviews $$ - $$$, American, Steakhouse Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen 790 Reviews $$ - $$$, American Black Sheep Burgers &Shakes 408 Reviews $$ - $$$, American, Bar FD's Grillhouse 614 Reviews $$ - $$$, American, Bar, Pub Nearby See all 57 nearby hotelsSee all 833 nearby restaurantsSee all 192 nearby attractions See all Questions & Answers Ask a question Ann C What is price of buffet and what meats are on the buffet November 26, 2018| AnswerShow all 3 answers Response from darrelltloz | Reviewed this property | The buffet usually has cut for you ham or beef plus a selection of hot chicken, pork, fish, and seafood items. They have good clam chowder and a large selection of veggies and lettuce for salad. Deserts are usually very... More 0 Votes Is This Your Listing? Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more. Claim Your Free Listing read more

Years ago this place used to be known for it's delightful Sunday brunch, I've had it back in the day and it was very good. The optimum word here is "was", this place has really fallen off the mark. The atmosphere is nice and spacious with a very cool fish tank behind the bar area. The food has suffered in quality, especially for the price, this is not worth 18$ for the Sunday brunch. Unfortunately its just standard tourist fare now, I would not recommend this place to anyone really but it's mainly tourist that dine here. If you are a local you probably have figured this out and dine else where. It's a shame really because once upon a time they really did have good food. Today's buffet serves a plethora of very bland tasteless food as many other reviewers have commented on. Last time I was here for a function, not my choice, skipped the buffet and ordered off the menu thinking it would at least be fresh. Eh, my sandwich was just so-so, this place is just a tourist stop now. Save your money and go just about any where else to eat. read more

Had the buffet on 12/26 around 11:30am. I was really looking forward to the fried catfish but I was disappointed. Way overdone. None of the other items at the buffet were very appetizing. For the price they charge for the buffet, there should be more items. Wasn't worth the money. 3 out of 4 of us who ate the buffet also experienced stomach issues an hour to two hours after the meal. So yeah, no thanks. read more

Food is good but way pricey! Had the Bison burger. $3.00 extra just to substitute a salad for the fries. And the salad was small! Geese's! read more

This place is fantastic, wonderful buffet, incredible bar area with a Saltwater tank, amazing food ordered from the menu and a staff that rocks it everyday! Plus afterwards you can shop inside Bass Pro Shops and your the Wonders of Wildlife!!! read more

Don't get the buffet. Some things looked like they had been sitting there for a long time and were not fresh. We didn't really like anything we had and service was poor. read more

If you're from Springfield, you already know that this is the restaurant upstairs at Bass Pro. I've gone there for Sunday brunch and it's consistently pretty good. Haven't ever had a bad experience; the staff is always very friendly and professional, especially when you're a family with young kids. We typically get the buffet which has almost always got a couple types of fish cooked all different ways, shrimp, a colorful salad bar and lots of tempting desserts (especially the bread pudding with rum sauce!) Friday and Saturday nights are 'all you can eat crab legs' which I've indulged in quite a few times over the last 15 years I've lived in Springfield. I haven't ordered off of the menu many times (think I got salmon once; it was fine), but I've seen people order the pastas and the sandwiches which all looked really delicious and good portions, etc. Of course it's all too conveniently located after you've been meanering around Bass Pro all day! read more

Food and service was good! Are here after touring the aquarium. The fried chicken entree was delicious, crispy and moist. Fish and chips were fresh and plentiful. Two others had the pecan and chicken salad. Both enjoyed it! Buffet was crowded, so we took the advice of other reviews and ordered from the menu! Good advice! read more

Pros: the buffet is decent and the crab legs are good quality. If you have a big appetite and enjoy seafood, in the past it was definitely worth the money to pay for the buffet. Cons: the quality of service has gone down dramatically the last couple times that we have gone, to a point that it almost ruins our meal, which is not cheap! Our last waitress, Mikaela (sp?) gave very poor service--she seldom checked on our table, never offered to refill our drinks or removed dirty plates from the table, etc. And if we asked for something as simple as a straw (which she should have provided to begin with), she had a major attitude. And apparently, it's too much to ask for refills on crab....at a crab leg BUFFET because she gave an attitude everytime we asked for another bucket of crab. It's very disappointing when you pay almost $80 to take your wife out for a nice dinner and get such poor service. And the workers at the front desk couldn't even bother to acknowledge you as you left the restaurant to say 'Thank You.' Pls step up your game Hemingway's... read more

Let me just start by saying what a letdown. We moved to the area from Kansas City and we eat at the bass pro shops in Independence all the time. That bass pro shop has a wonderful restaurant with great food. On the other hand this restaurant down here which has better decorations fall short in every other category. It seemed to me that the food was much cheaper quality here. The breading on the cobbler was extremely thin and tasted pretty much just like peaches. It was obvious that the filling was also canned and not from scratch. The bread pudding which is usually my favorite dessert was actually pretty bad. And it was mushy and tasted like they had put way too much cinnamon in it. The buffet left a lot to be desired. Not only was the buffet itself hard to navigate due to it being small, confined and in dark with small signs you can barely read but the food itself was of poor quality. We have the alligator tail to start with which we have had 100 times before and it is usually our favorite. However this location it seem to be a different recipe and it was horrible. It was basically very small pieces of meat breaded three or four times. Where alligators my favorite thing to eat in Independence it was not even appetizing here. Something else we noticed was that all the meats were extremely dry which I suppose has to do with lack of food knowledge by the chefs. I guess at the end of the day I was just let down because we enjoy eating at the bass pro shop in Kansas City three or four times a month and here we are in Springfield at the largest bass pro shop that they make and we will not be back to the restaurant. read more

We did the Sunday brunch and it was amazing. Everything was fresh and clean. Our wait staff was on point and helpful. The hostess let me put the items I had picked up along the way to the restaurant in a little cubby while we ate which was convenient. read more

My family and I were so disappointed with your Thanksgiving meal.. I would say that if people like food hot, This is not the place on Thanksgiving. I'm so embarrassed for Johnny Morris. He does a lot ofgood things for our commity,and you put out a meal under his name like this. Not only was the meal poor, but it was very expensive. It cost me a $100 including tip for 3 people to eat that terrible meal, and I got sick. Let me give you a piece of advice, Don't go for Thanksgiving....... read more

Went here with the little lady because we were looking for something different. The hostess at the door was very friendly and got us to our seat promptly. This however is when things went wrong.... Our server was there and gone. After that just gone. Didn't seem very interested in our experience. We ordered out meals and in about 30 minutes they arrived. Both were actually pretty good. I have the Seafood Alfredo and she had the Parmigiana Mahi Mahi. The atmosphere really let the place down. The furniture is beat up, the plants looked dingy/dusty, and servers were not being very professional. While we waited for our food two bar tenders were loudly bashing other co-workers. It just went on and on. There is a time and place for everything, in front of costumers is not one of them. So two stars for the food and the nice hostess, but loses 3 for everything else. What a shame. read more

Ivy was our waitress. She was attentive but not intrusive. The decor is subdued, except for the massive fish tank behind the bar. 4 of us shared the calamari appetizer. It was very good and tender, without the rubbery consistency that calamari usually has. I had the Shrimp Bonnetti, shrimp dipped or tossed in a little bit of red sauce served on pasta with a large amount of delicious white sauce. It was very good and perfectly seasoned. Initially I thought that the amount of food on the plate was not enough, but part way through I changed my mind because it is very filling! read more

Truly disappointing considering the quality of the museum and store. Not what I would expect from a conservation enthusiast. Would have like to see a more fresh menu even if it meant paying a little more. For those of us who have eaten fresh fish and wild game, this is truly lacking creativity and flavor. read more

Scrumptious! I am not a Bass Pro fan, but I have been here to eat twice and have enjoyed the dinner buffet both times. It is phenomenal for only $14.95. Atmosphere: It is quite cool that the restaurant overlooks that main business so that you can people watch. The carpet is a bit grungy which is the only problem I had with the area. The aquarium above the bar is spectacular and wonderful to watch. Food: We were able to get our food immediately. I started with the salad bar, and then moved to sampling the roast beef (was a bit dry), and then main course of pork tenderloin that was steeping in a special gravy. The red potatoes were delicious and nicely pan fried to perfection and slightly crispy. So wonderful! Dessert was simply okay. It was spectacular, and something I think they could do better. Service: The waitress and the buffet staff were kind and not at all rude. Cleaned up quickly and made room for more people. For a buffet it was spectacular. read more

Spectacular furnishings and decor. The lunch buffet is a very good value. Service is always personable with many servers having worked here for many years. read more

Hemingway's Blue Water Cafe - Rib day on the buffet! - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Went to Hemmingway's for the first time because so many people told us we shouldn't miss it. $65 dollars later we have a really average meal. My wife and daughter both had the fried chicken and mashed potatoes, which were good by not spectacular. I have the shrimp and alligator basket with was pretty tasty but sparse for the price. read more

My favorite buffet in town. I recommend the brunch buffet bc you can get both breakfast and lunch. The food is so much better than any other buffet in town. The price is more than worth it. Atmosphere good. Service usually very good. read more

The people are wonderful, friendly and pleasant - unfortunately the food is not as excellent. I had the lunch buffet (right when it opened) and the hot food was not that hot, I question as to whether the chicken was completely cooked, the seafood was over-breaded, the crust on the cobbler was not even browned and the soup obviously was from a can - not made fresh. The best part about it was the Moose Drool Ale I had with lunch. The people, however, are great and the restaurant is very clean. I would not try the buffet. I have no experience ordering from the menu but my disappointment with the buffet does not make me want to try the over-priced menu. read more

Beautiful setting. Very mediocre food. We had the $17 Sunday brunch and it was very tasteless. The atmosphere and restaurant was lovely and the waitress very attentive. The buffet server was surly and not very friendly. It doesn't take much to slap on a fake smile for a few hrs. She was only serving meat and making omelettes after all. You can do better Mr. Morris! read more

The atmosphere, service, and food was exceptional! Will definitely come here again and suggest it to friends!

Went here to celebrate a personal accomplishment. When I initially entered, the environment was loud without being crowded. I sat at the bar in front of the aquarium and it took 5 minutes to get any attention from the bartender. Once I did get service and looked at the menu, I ordered a medium rare ribeye and asked to add grilled shrimp. The ribeye tasted good but was overly fatty and yet thin. The shrimp came out fried and oily, again I asked for grilled shrimp. I finished what I could but still wanted dessert to celebrate so I asked for a cheesecake. I waited 10 minutes for the bartender to come out and tell me the cheesecake was all frozen still.... sooooo not homemade I assume?? Maybe my expectations were too high, but what I expected to be served, versus was I was served by Hemingway's came far below my level of exceptional. read more

My wife and I were walking around the store getting hungrier and hungrier. We were planning on leaving early and just coming back for the aquarium later, but we saw signs for this joint. This place is exactly as good as you should expect it to be. The food isn't the best I've ever eaten, but it's very good. The ambience is the real selling point for this place. Yes - it is gimmicky - but that's what travelers expect! I had the buffalo chopped steak and it was delicious. My wife had coconut shrimp and alligator. Everything tasted fresh and wonderful. To top it off, the service was great, even during a busy Sunday brunch. Definitely worth trying if you're touring the museum or doing some shopping. Next time we'll have to give the brunch buffet a try. It looked phenomenal. read more

The Hemingway Blue Water Restaurant at Bass Pro will be a destination on our trips through Missouri. My husband had mahi mahi with crab and a Chardonnay wine sauce with a hint of lemon. He said it was the best seafood fish that he has ever eaten in a restaurant. I had the blackened redfish with Cajun sauce, which was very good, but his dish was my favorite. The jalapeno cornbread was tender and tasty with just the right amount of heat. The vegetable of green beans with red peppers and red onions were delicious and cooked perfectly. I have never eaten better mashed potatoes anywhere. The service was excellent. The ambience of an aquarium, animal memorabilia, and Hemingway photos rounded out the perfect meal. read more

The food here is consistently good. It isn't they best food I have ever had, but it is always "A-OK". I have only ever dined here for their breakfast/brunch buffet, so I do not have an opinion on their lunch or dinner menu. The reason I choose Hemingway's over other brunch restaurants is the atmosphere. They have the most beautiful tropical fish aquarium over the bar area. It is biggest and most wonderful aquarium I have ever seen in a restaurant! The service here is always great, I had a rude server once but I have never seen him there again. The breakfast buffet has a wide variety of standard breakfast food; bacon, potatoes, pancakes etc. They also have a huge yogurt and fresh fruit parfait section. My absolute favorite part of their buffet is the french toast casserole, it is always something a little different and I have never had one i didn't love. If you are into drinks with your breakfast, they have a mean tequila sunrise! read more

Abel served us and we got the buffet. He did a wonderful job and he's was such a nice young man. He even left us with "have a great day and god bless read more

We popped in for a good lunch after getting lost in Springfield looking for the biggest BP ever. Surprisingly the lunch buffet was really good, with the only exception being the fried catfish and fried popcorn shrimp (they didn't fare too well in the steam chambers - getting dried out). The staff and scenery were top notch though. I would like to point out that the ingredients on the salad bar were some of the freshest I've ever come across on a salad bar. read more

Food - blah. Especially the clam chowder soup. Ugh. Tastes likes mealy flour paste. However I will say that the sea scallops with the basil cream sauce saved this whole experience. Not too much pasta served and about 8 pieces of blackened scallops. That's very good considering most places rip you off with tons of pasta and a few scallops. That dish I would give a 5 alone. Service - nice but slooooooooooooooow! And it's not even busy. Ambience - nice. The restaurant is above the BassPro shop which is huge! That part was cool and I'm not even into any of that type of stuff. Overall experience - average. Nothing to write home about. read more

Great buffet bar! Love Thursday nights and aye crab legs! The bar seats are the bomb because of the fantastic waitresses and magnificent view of the aquarium. read more

Fantastic view of a floor to ceiling fish tank as we ate a wonderful meal of bacon wrapped duck poppers, alligator, shrimp and fried chicken. The sides of grilled zucchini and squash were so tasty. Great restaurant with attentive staff. read more