35 Best Restaurants in Rapid City and the Central Black Hills, South Dakota

Alpine Inn

$$ Fodor's choice

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).

Black Hills Burger & Bun

$ Fodor's choice

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.

Deadwood Social Club

$$$ Fodor's choice

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.

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Dough Trader Pizza

$$ Fodor's choice

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.

Leones' Creamery

$ Fodor's choice

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.

Skogen Kitchen

$$$$ Fodor's choice

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.

Steerfish Steak & Smoke

$$$ Fodor's choice

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.

Antunez

$$$

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.

Blue Bell Lodge Dining Room and Lounge

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.

Bobkat's Old Fashion Purple Pie Place

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.

Branding Iron Steakhouse & Saloon

$$$

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.

Buffalo Dreamer

$$$$

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.

Cruizzers

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.

Gold Country Inn Cafe

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.

Grapes & Grinds

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.

Horatio's Homemade Ice Cream

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.

Laughing Water

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.

Legends Steakhouse

$$$

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.

Legends Steakhouse

$$$

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.

Lotus Up Espresso & Deli

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.

Mavericks Steaks and Cocktails

Recycled barn wood decorates this casual bar-and-grill establishment in the heart of downtown, where steaks are the star of the menu and big-screen TVs are tuned to ballgames.

Miner's Cup

Stop into this little drive-through joint for a coffee or smoothie to go, or sit down and enjoy it at one of the picnic tables on the lawn. There's also a surprisingly good selection of fresh-made breakfast and lunch sandwiches, wraps, salads, and pastries.

Mornin' Sunshine Coffee House

Coffee, tea, smoothies, and quick choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in a small, historical, and architecturally interesting structure with exposed-stone interior walls. This friendly, locally owned establishment is a great place to stop on your way through Hot Springs, before or after your adventures in the area.

Nonna's Kitchen

Finding a good Italian restaurant can be challenging in some cities, but not in Spearfish. Nonna’s (Italian for grandmother) Kitchen opened in 2020 in an 1895 building that’s full of character and good, authentic Italian food. The owner wanted to share family recipes that have been passed down for generations, so everything is made fresh. There’s also a great wine selection. Outdoor seating along Main Street allows you to take in the crisp Black Hills air when the weather allows for it.

Powder House Restaurant

This rustic steak house at the Powder House Lodge is made for quiet mountain evenings with its indoor, log-cabin-style dining area and expansive, covered, outdoor patio. The menu focuses on quality meats (but with vegetarian options) and relaxing drinks. This is a place to unwind and enjoy a quality meal.

Pump House at Mind Blown Studio

This eclectic, locally owned establishment is a combination coffee shop, deli, and glassblowing studio all housed in a retro Texaco station that looks like something straight out of the 1950s, complete with old gas pumps and period signage.

Snitches

$$$$

Upscale, chef-inspired cuisine is on the short menu at this small, art deco--style restaurant with a clean, elegant, 1920s vibe inside the Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort. The restaurant bills itself as a "gastronomic experience" featuring "exotic ingredients" that dress up steak, chicken, and seafood.

Stage Stop Cafe at Cheyenne Crossing

Located at a crossing that can take you west to Wyoming, north into Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, or east to Lead, this country café with simple decor serves up hearty, home-cooked food without pretension. It's 8 miles southwest of Lead on a site that also includes a small lodge and gift store.

Stampmill Restaurant & Saloon

Pub food is served up in a relaxed setting in this downtown Lead establishment, located in a lovingly preserved 1897 building with exposed-brick walls, wood floors, high ceilings, and a fireplace. There are two Victorian-style rooms for rent on the upper floors.

The 1891 Steakhouse and Bistro

$$$

In a shared location with the Red Rock River Resort, this steak house in a historic building sources produce from local farmers' markets and beef from locally grown cattle. The spacious dining room has wood floors and high ceilings with intimate, cloth-covered table settings.

Rapid City and the Central Black Hills

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