-
$$ | |
With its pastoral paintings, lacy tablecloths, and beer steins, the rustic Alpine Inn brings a version of old-world charm to the Old West. The lunchtime menu changes daily but always has selections of healthful sandwiches and salads—and no fried food. The dinner menu has just two dishes: filet mignon, which is one of the best steaks around, and a vegetarian pasta primavera option. Weather permitting, lunch is served on the veranda overlooking Main Street. Hard liquor is not served. Arrive early, because this spot fills up fast, and they don't take reservations (or credit cards, for that matter).
133 Main St., Hill City, South Dakota, 57745, USA
Known For
- Family-friendly
- Local atmosphere
- Really good beef
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations not accepted
-
$ | |
The focus on simple, fresh, and delicious food at affordable prices has made this very small establishment into a phenomenon with one of the best reputations of any restaurant in the Black Hills. It's located in a renovated, downtown building with exposed brick walls and stained-glass accents. The only problem here is the difficulty getting a seat in the small dining area: hours are limited, the place fills up fast, and because the reputation is so stellar, people are willing to endure long waits outside on the bench or even just standing on the sidewalk.
441 Mt. Rushmore Rd., Custer, South Dakota, 57730, USA
Known For
- Delicious, juicy burgers made from fresh-ground meat
- Black-bean vegetarian burger options
- Rotating selection of mouthwatering desserts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.--Tues.
-
$$$ | |
On the second floor of historic Saloon No. 10, this warm restaurant surrounds you with wood and old-time photographs of Deadwood. Light jazz and blues play over the sound system. The decor is Western, but the food is northern Italian, a juxtaposition that keeps patrons coming back. Try the wild boar bundles as an appetizer, paired with one of numerous martinis or a bottle from one of the largest wine cellars in the state. The menu stretches from pheasant to walleye, as well as creamy pasta dishes, buffalo, and melt-in-your-mouth rib-eye steaks. Reservations are recommended.
657 Main St., Deadwood, South Dakota, 57732, USA
Known For
- Eclectic Italian menu
- Great martinis
- Historic setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
$$ | |
Whether sitting by the fireplace in the small, indoor seating area or by the fire pit on the outdoor patio, you'll get some of the best pizza in the Black Hills at this beloved Spearfish eatery, located in a remodeled former Tastee Freeze. The gourmet pizza is cooked in a stone oven and served with fresh toppings generously applied.
543 W. Jackson Blvd., Spearfish, South Dakota, 57783, USA
Known For
- Crust made from 1880s sourdough starter
- Fun signature pizza names like "Dances with Goats" and "Naked in the Garden"
- Associated bakery sells sourdough treats
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
-
$ | |
Leones' is the kind of quiet, locally beloved, hole-in-the-wall place you could easily miss but definitely shouldn't---its handcrafted and ever-evolving ice cream flavors are the best in the Black Hills. The owners pour their passion into creative creations that often incorporate locally produced beers, produce, and other novel ingredients. Leones' is the ideal place to treat yourself after a day of exploring the Black Hills.
722½ Main St., Spearfish, South Dakota, 57783, USA
Known For
- Transforming surprising ingredients (like rhubarb) into amazing ice cream
- Small outdoor seating area
- Rotating specialties including popsicles, floats, and ice-cream sandwiches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.--Thurs.
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$$$$ | |
The small town of Custer is one of the last places a visitor might expect to find gourmet cuisine, but it's available at Skogen Kitchen, where a chef with national experience has settled into a small, modest-looking establishment and built a widespread following. The restaurant takes its name from a Norwegian word for "the forest," which reflects the owners' heritage and influences the restaurant's menu and simple, clean decor. Hours are limited and the place fills up fast, so you'll need a reservation well in advance of your visit.
29 N. Fifth St., Custer, South Dakota, 57730, USA
Known For
- A quality of heightened cuisine found nowhere else in the Black Hills
- Inventive menu
- Carefully curated wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
-
$$$ | |
Western chic is the style of this restaurant, where a buffalo head and cowboy art adorn the walls of a historic, 1893 stone building with wood floors. Steaks, smoked meats, and burgers are the focus, but the menu also includes a large salad section, and the prices range widely from $12 sandwiches to $40 choice steaks. The bar serves an extensive selection of beer, wine, whiskey, cocktails, and mixed drinks. In a city with some great restaurants, this one stands out.
701 Fifth St., Spearfish, South Dakota, 57783, USA
Known For
- Hand-cut certified Angus beef
- Steaks grilled over hickory wood
- Large, decadent dessert menu
-
$$$ | |
Going for the feel of a Spanish or South American café, this small restaurant is one of the few in the Black Hills attempting to elevate Hispanic food into high cuisine. Although the elaborate dinner entrees are quite expensive, the menu also includes more affordable, all-day choices such as enchiladas, quesadillas, and tacos.
117 E. Illinois St., Spearfish, South Dakota, 57783, USA
Known For
- Succulent meat dishes including buffalo rib eye and Wagyu steak
- International wine selection
- Spanish and Latin background music
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
-
$$ | |
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.
25453 S.D. 87, Custer, South Dakota, 57730, USA
605-255–4531-reservations recommended
Known For
- Park setting
- Outdoor patio overlooking French Creek
- Family-friendly
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed late Oct.--late Apr., Credit cards accepted
-
$ | |
This seasonal bakery serves homemade pies and ice cream, as well as lunchtime fare like salads and paninis. Believe us when we say, the peach pie is divine, but if you're looking for something more exotic, there's rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, cherry, blueberry, bumbleberry (that's everything together), raspberry rhubarb jalapeño, peanut butter, and a daily cream pie. Yes, there is apple, too.
19 Mt Rushmore Rd., Custer, South Dakota, 57708, USA
Known For
- Its purple exterior
- Pie by the slice or whole
- Ice cream sundaes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed winter and spring
-
-
$$$ | |
Much of the Belle Fourche--area economy is built on cattle, and when local ranchers and other residents want a good steak, they go to the Branding Iron. This is a no-nonsense, saloon-style facility with wood paneling on the walls, a bar, pool tables, lots of seating, and big food portions.
19079 S. U.S. 85, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 57717, USA
Known For
- Steak tips
- Slow-roasted prime rib
- Boisterous local atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$$$ | |
Co-located with Moccasin Springs Natural Mineral Spa, this restaurant is run by a local chef who trained in New York and is now attempting to bring high cuisine to the High Plains. The evolving menu promises food prepared "with love and deep intention," including dishes incorporating duck, salmon, grass-fed beef, and locally grown farm vegetables.
1829 Minnekahta Ave., Hot Springs, South Dakota, 57747, USA
Known For
- Sophisticated food presentation
- Elaborate desserts
- Organic ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
-
$$ | |
Tasty and hearty made-to-order pizzas, calzones, subs, and pasta make this pizzeria overlooking Keystone's boardwalk a favorite stop for visitors who are hungry from a day of exploring Mount Rushmore and other attractions.
110 B. Winter St., Keystone, South Dakota, 57751, USA
Known For
- Focus on service
- Indoor and outdoor balcony seating
- Pizza that's filling with generous toppings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Oct.--Apr.
-
$ | |
For a change of pace from Deadwood's upscale dining options, try this affordable, comfort-food café with a small-town, unassuming atmosphere and a menu full of traditional options like eggs, hash browns, burgers, and chicken salad sandwiches.
801 Main St., Deadwood, South Dakota, 57732, USA
Known For
- Friendly, hard-working waitstaff
- Raspberry French toast on the breakfast menu
- One of the most affordable dining options in Deadwood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
-
$ | |
Start your day with some caffeine, get a late-morning pick-me-up, or grab a glass of wine and tasty treat at this quick-stop coffee shop and wine bar along the main road through Keystone, which features indoor seating and an outdoor patio.
609 Hwy. 16A, Keystone, South Dakota, 57751, USA
Known For
- Life-size chessboard and pieces on the outdoor patio
- Gelato in a variety of flavors
- Coffee from local roaster Dark Canyon
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Oct.--mid-May
-
-
$ | |
One of the most interesting examples of early architecture in the city, the 1881 First National Bank building, hosts this old-fashioned ice cream parlor where local owners make small batches of ice cream and customers enjoy it outside on warm summer days. Inspiration for the name comes from Horatio Nelson Ross, who discovered gold in Custer in 1874.
548 Mt. Rushmore Rd., Custer, South Dakota, 57730, USA
Known For
- Waffle cones
- Homemade ice-cream sandwiches
- Daily specials and changing flavors
-
$ | |
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.
12151 Ave. of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota, 57730, USA
Known For
- Monumental views
- Generous portions
- Native American tacos
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
$$$ | |
The atmosphere is historic elegance in this intimate, fine-dining establishment where steak, seafood, and dessert are served up with pride and style in the basement of the 1903 Franklin Hotel. With its stone walls, dark wood finishes, and large wine list, Legends Steakhouse is a great place to step out and spend a little extra on a relaxing evening meal.
709 Main St., Deadwood, South Dakota, 57732, USA
Known For
- Surprising choices such as escargot and elk meat
- Thick, juicy steaks, both beef and bison
- Lobster, salmon, and other unexpected seafood options
-
$$$ | |
In a place where legends aren't taken lightly, this establishment in the lower level of the historic Franklin Hotel has quickly made a name for itself, beckoning back locals who like its aged beef, moderate prices, and flair. You'll find all the usual suspects on the menu—buffalo, beef, and chicken—but each with a flavorful twist. Arrive early and have a cocktail in the lounge, because they don't take reservations.
709 Main St., Deadwood, South Dakota, 57732, USA
Known For
- Local hangout
- Meat-eater's dream
- Festive ambience
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations not accepted
-
$ | |
In a building that looks like a ski lodge, this multilevel coffeehouse has lots of private nooks and comfy chairs to settle in with a hot cup of coffee or tea. It's also in a great location with windows looking out to the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center and the Open Cut.
95 E. Main St., Lead, South Dakota, 57754, USA
Known For
- Outdoor deck seating available
- Quick breakfast and lunch items
- Italian sodas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
