Sip & Savor

The saying “eat, drink, and be merry” is especially appropriate when on vacation. Part of the travel experience is sampling regional cuisine, and the Black Hills has a lot to offer. From unique dishes featuring ingredients you won’t find anywhere else to a burgeoning wine and craft beer scene, the area offers plenty of options to satisfy your hunger and thirst.

Eats

Buffalo

Local chefs prize buffalo for its taste and nutrition; the lean meat is higher in protein, lower in cholesterol, and has half the calories as beef, making it a healthy red meat alternative. Buffalo isn’t gamey; it’s got a slightly sweet, rich flavor similar to a high grade of lean beef. Order yours medium-rare to rare; with so little fat, the meat can dry out quickly when cooked. Buffalo burgers are the most popular preparation, but you’ll also find buffalo steak, meatloaf, stew, chili, jerky, and soup.

Walleye

South Dakota’s state fish has a sweet, succulent, mild taste that absorbs other flavors well. It’s widely considered the best-tasting freshwater fish. This versatile, flaky white fish has very few bones. Walleye can be baked, broiled, pan-fried, grilled, poached, and sauteed. Around the Black Hills, you’ll commonly find it batter-fried, a process that seals in the juiciness and leaves it crispy on the outside. Try ordering walleye fish tacos or fish ‘n chips. Another popular local dish is walleye “fingers” with fresh tartar sauce for dipping.

Chislic

Few people outside of South Dakota are familiar with chislic, the official state “nosh." Derived from Turkish and Arabic words for “skewered meat,” chislic has been a staple in eastern parts of the state for over 100 years and is gaining popularity in the Black Hills. This cubed meat dish is deep-fried or sauteed and seasoned with garlic salt. It was traditionally prepared with lamb or mutton, but most West River eateries use beef. It is often served on a skewer or with toothpicks and served with crackers and a dipping sauce.

Indian Tacos

Indian tacos are similar to traditional tacos but use fry bread instead of tortillas. When Native Americans were relocated to reservations, they were supplied with rations of flour, lard, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and powdered milk. They used these meager ingredients to create fry bread, a perfect vessel for Indian tacos. They are topped with ground beef and other traditional taco ingredients, including lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, refried beans, sour cream, diced onions, black olives, and salsa.

Indian Tacos: These often-gargantuan plates are tasty and filling, the perfect way to wrap up a day spent exploring the Black Hills.

Wojapi

A traditional Native American berry sauce made with chokecherries. It’s similar to a jam or pudding, but usually made without sugar—purists let the fruit do the talking! Great Plains tribes took wild berries, ground them up with corn flour and a little honey, and boiled them until thickened. The sauce was often used as a dip for fry bread. Many chefs substitute seasonal berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries. You’ll find authentic wojapi in a handful of eateries around the Black Hills.

Kuchen

South Dakota’s official state dessert is sort of a cross between a cake and a pie; it’s made with a sweet dough and contains either a fruit or custard filling. Peach and prune are classic flavors, but local chefs use a wide variety of seasonal fruits when concocting these desserts. You might find kuchen made with strawberries, rhubarb, apples, blueberries, apricots, raspberries, raisins, pumpkin, and more.

Kuchen, South Dakota's official state dessert means "cake" in German. This delicacy is made with a sweet dough and tasty fillings.

Pasties

These savory meat pies (pronounced PASS-tees) were popular with Cornish immigrant miners in the 1870s. A simple dish consisting of meat and potatoes wrapped in a flaky crust—forerunners to the modern-day Hot Pocket—pasties were a portable, nourishing meal for hardworking laborers. The crimped crust served as a makeshift handle that could be discarded if the miners’ hands were dirty. Pasties remain a delicious staple in certain areas of the Black Hills.

Regional specialties like pheasant, kolache, and bierock are worth the drive if you crave a foodie-themed road trip!

Fun Fact: South Dakota is the third largest honey producer in the U.S.—no surprise given the honeybee’s designation as the state insect.

Drinks

The President

South Dakota doesn't have an official cocktail, but if it did, The President would fit the bill. This combination of light rum, orange juice, and grenadine is smooth and citrusy, perfect for sipping after a visit to Mount Rushmore. Ask your bartender to whip one up!

Mocktails

Love the flavor of cocktails but looking to cut back on calories? Order your favorite drink as a mocktail instead. Most bartenders are happy to make nonalcoholic versions of classic drinks, substituting ingredients like club soda and apple cider. Some are so flavorful you might never go back to your old-fashioned Old- Fashioned!

Breweries and taprooms can be found all over the Black Hills. Patrons can enjoy delicious craft beers in styles including ales, lagers, stouts, sours, and more.

Photo Miner Brewery Co.

It’s in the Water

Brewmasters in the Black Hills swear the local water gives their beer a unique flavor. These craft brews truly are one-of-a-kind drinks you won’t want to miss.

No trip to the Black Hills is complete without sampling the area's craft beers.

Wine

The wineries located in and around the Hills provide the perfect excuse for you to explore something other than the typical. Whether you are a “grape novice” or an experienced wine connoisseur, you will love tasting the different flavors available here.

The Black Hills Wine Trail along Highway 385 connects the charming tasting rooms in Hill City and Custer to the tasting rooms in Deadwood.

1,062 wine competition awards won by Prairie Berry Winery since 2001

Beer

Each year, new breweries pop up in the Hills, offering a variety of craft beer and guided tours of their facilities. Many local breweries offer exclusive choices for beer tasting.

As the season begins to change, enjoy heavier tastes of porters and stouts in addition to classic IPAs, lagers, wheat beers, and more.

Flights are a popular way to sample a variety of craft beers brewed in the Black Hills, especially if you're having trouble deciding between the dozens of different styles available. Sip your way through a variety of lighter ales and lagers to heavier stouts and porters, and don't be afraid to try something new, such as a sour or lambic.

Photo Miner Brewery Co.

Cocktails

Enjoy a martini, margarita, or whatever you can imagine at local spots throughout the Black Hills. From high-class night clubs to laid back patios and bars, the mixologists at each venue in the communities around the area have prepared unique concoctions you’re sure to enjoy.

10 specialty cocktails will bring the beach to the Black Hills when you visit Sliders Bar & Grill

Distilleries

During the roaring 20s, the Wartime Prohibition Act put a ban on the sale of all alcoholic beverages—launching the culture of speakeasy lounges and distilleries. From whiskey and bourbon to vodka and rum, tasting the local flavors of moonshine the area has to offer is an experience all on its own.

Visitors can experience live music, stand-up comedy shows— complete with complimentary tastings—and themed food-anddrink pairing dinners.

More things to TASTE & TRY at BlackHillsVisitor.com