Family Dining

Bully’s Restaurant (633 Main St., 605/578-1745, daily 7 a.m.–1 a.m., $7–9) is located in the historic Bullock Hotel and is one of the nicest spots in town for an early and tasty breakfast. The menu is limited but the restaurant, tucked away in the small bar at the hotel, is away from the hustle and noise of the casino. Breakfast offerings include a six-ounce sirloin; bacon or sausage with two eggs, hash browns, and toast; and the daily special. Lunch is a steak sandwich, cheeseburger, or grilled cheese. Don’t look for a meal after lunch, however, as Bully’s turns into a bar in the evening.

Located in Cadillac Jack’s Casino, the Brown Rock Sports Café (360 Main St., 605/578-1500, www.cadillacjacksgaming.com, daily 7 a.m.–midnight, breakfast buffet $8.50, entrées $10–18) has fairly typical sports bar decor with memorabilia and televisions scattered throughout. Go there for the great designer pizzas. Hoagies, salads, and burgers are also on the menu.

Family dining away from a bar atmosphere can be found at the Hickok House (137 Charles St., 605/578-1611, daily 6:30 a.m.–9 p.m., $9–15), located at the Best Western Hotel. Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Deadwood, the Hickok House features large windows on three sides of the restaurant. It’s an all-American restaurant, and an especially great choice for breakfast. Omelets, ham steak, chicken-fried steak, corned beef hash, pancakes, and breakfast burritos are served all day. Lunch features salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Dinner offerings include fried chicken, liver and onions, fried fish, and marinated steak tips. It’s a casual and comfortable environment, perfect for families.

Finally, for the best buffet in Deadwood, check out the Silverado Grand Buffet (709 Main, 605/578-3670 or 800/584-7005, www.silveradofranklin.com, Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Sun.–Thurs. 4:30–9 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 4:30–10 p.m., lunch $7.95, dinner $15.95), located inside the Silverado-Franklin Hotel and Gaming Complex. The buffet includes chef-carved prime rib, a 12-foot-long soup and salad bar, and, at dinnertime, all-you-can-eat cracked crab.

Fine Dining

The Deadwood Thymes Café & Bistro (87 Sherman St., 605/578-7566, lunch Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–1 p.m., dinner Thurs.–Sat. from 5 p.m., brunch Sun. 9 a.m.–1 p.m., lunch $9, dinner $18–30, Sun. brunch $9.25) serves a wide variety of delicious, homemade food, including vegetarian entrées. Dinner specialties include lamb, crab-stuffed walleye, steaks, chicken, and pasta. This Three Diamond restaurant is also famous for its fine desserts, including peanut butter pie and berry cheesecake. The environment is simple and unassuming and is worlds away from the high-intensity atmosphere of the casinos just down the street.

On the second floor of Saloon No. 10, you’ll find the Deadwood Social Club (657 Main St., 605/578-3346 or 800/952-9398, www.saloon10.com, daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m., $13–24), which features Northern Italian cuisine in a cozy, brick-lined atmosphere. If there is such a thing as Western elegance, the Social Club has mastered it. The restaurant has an extensive wine list and a menu that is a refreshing change from the standard fare in the hills.

Cozy, elegant, and intimate, Jake’s (677 Main St., 605/578-3656, www.themidnightstar.com, daily 5–10 p.m., $24–38), atop the Midnight Star, is famous for fine food and impeccable service. Cajun seafood tortellini is the restaurant’s signature dish, and creative presentations of local fare are on the menu as well. Buffalo filet mignon, honey almond salmon, marinated pheasant, and crab-stuffed walleye are some of the regular menu items. The restaurant has an award-winning wine list and won the Wine Spectator award of excellence consecutively from 2000 to 2004. In the Black Hills, two restaurants are mentioned as the finest in the state: Jake’s and the Corn Exchange in Rapid City.

© Laural A. Bidwell from Moon Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills, 1st Edition