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Like neighboring Wyoming, the Black Hills are not known for culinary diversity, and no matter where you go in this part of the world, beef is king. Nevertheless, thanks to a growing population and increasing numbers of visitors, the area is beginning to see more dining options. Rapid City and Spearfish have an abundance of national chain restaurants, and both communities have local eateries that specialize in Continental, contemporary, Native American, and traditional American cooking. Although dining in Deadwood's casinos usually involves an all-you-can-eat buffet, the tiny town also claims some of the best-ranked restaurants in South Dakota. Don't be afraid to try wild game dishes: buffalo, pheasant, and elk are relatively common ingredients in the Black Hills.
Brass fixtures and firefighting equipment ornament the state's first brewpub, located in a 1915 firehouse. The house-brewed beers are the highlight here, and the menu includes such hearty pub dishes as pastas, salads, gumbo, and buffalo burgers. There's an associated winery next door.
With its pastoral paintings, lacy tablecloths, and beer steins, the rustic Alpine Inn brings a version of old-world charm to the Old West. The lunchtime menu changes daily but always has selections of healthful sandwiches and salads—and no fried food. The dinner menu has just two dishes: filet mignon, which is one of the best steaks around, and a vegetarian pasta primavera option. Weather permitting, lunch is served on the veranda overlooking Main Street. Hard liquor is not served. Arrive early, because this spot fills up fast, and they don't take reservations (or credit cards, for that matter).
Feast on fresh walleye or buffalo, which you can have as a steak or a stew, in this rustic log-cabin structure with a stone fireplace. There's also a good selection of salads as well as kid-friendly burgers, sandwiches, and wraps. While the restaurant is most convenient for those staying in the Blue Bell Lodge or its associated cabins, the location on the western edge of the park also makes it a good lunch spot for anyone emerging from the western terminus of the Wildlife Loop Road or making a jaunt to the Mount Coolidge Fire Tower.
The only restaurant at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, operated by concessionaire Xanterra, affords commanding views of the memorial and the surrounding ponderosa pine forest. It serves good food at reasonable prices. The menu includes pot roast, bison burgers, and ice cream made from Thomas Jefferson's original recipe. You can dine with the presidents for breakfast or lunch.
Great food, low prices, and relaxed, friendly, and quick service make this one of Rapid City's most popular Chinese restaurants. The friendly chef-owner seasons traditional dishes from all over China with spices from his native Taiwan. Try the Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, or Hunan shrimp. Local businesspeople crowd in for the daily lunch specials.
With windows facing the mountain sculpture, this airy pinewood restaurant is noted for its buffalo burgers. There's a soup-and-salad bar, but you'd do well to stick to the Native American offerings. Try the taco made with traditional fry bread or the Tatanka stew featuring prime cuts of buffalo meat. A short kids' menu is available.
Minervas is a regional chain of elegant restaurants that began in South Dakota, where multiple locations are known and loved by local diners for high-quality food and service. Minervas focuses on Midwest steaks, fresh-made pizza and pasta, signature salads, and house-made desserts. The spacious Rapid City restaurant includes a bar and is located next to I-90, near several hotels and the city's major shopping mall.
