4 Best Restaurants in The Southern Black Hills, South Dakota

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.

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.