4 Best Restaurants in Lead, Rapid City and the Central Black Hills

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.

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.

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.

This restaurant with a simple menu focusing on buffalo meat, beef, fish, soup, and salads is built in a log-cabin style with a stone fireplace and animal heads on the walls. It's in an unbeatable setting 14 miles from Lead, next to Spearfish Canyon Lodge in Spearfish Canyon. If the weather is good, no diner should miss walking the short trail behind the restaurant to Spearfish Falls, a 50-foot waterfall.