10 Best Restaurants in The Southern Black Hills, South Dakota

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.

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.

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.

The restaurant at Legion Lake Lodge is an affordable, faster-food option. You can sit down by the floor-to-ceiling windows inside and enjoy an appetizer, salad, sandwich, or burger, or you can order from the picnic menu and take your food to go. There are numerous places to sit outside at the lodge and alongside Legion Lake.

For a convenient place to eat while you're checking out the local museum or the Mickelson Trail in Edgemont, try the Hat Creek Grill, which is right next door to both. This is a bar and grill, serving a basic selection of pub-style food at affordable prices for lunch and dinner.

Located in the historic Game Lodge where President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge lived for nearly three months on a 1927 vacation, the Game Lodge restaurant has the biggest dining capacity of any restaurant in the park. There are multiple seating areas ranging from basic to elegant to outdoors (be sure to inquire about the options). Breakfast and lunch buffets are available, and the menu includes a wide range of salads, burgers, and entrees, with a focus on local ingredients, including bison meat.

There's no better setting for dining in Custer State Park than the Sylvan Lake Lodge, which is perched on a hillside above beautiful Sylvan Lake. The dining area has vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, large windows, and a stone veranda. Like other restaurants in the park, the menu includes a selection of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and locally inspired entrees featuring bison meat and other specialties.

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.

This bar and grill is in a renovated brick building with wood floors and a long, wooden bar, where the food is elevated a bit beyond standard pub fare. It's a great spot for a casual, affordable meal during a day of exploring the southern Black Hills.