When planning our recent trip to South Dakota, we saw the only food to be had inside Badlands National Park was the Cedar Pass lodge We read about their "Famous Indian Tacos" and we enjoyed them more than once, while we visited. It's similar to some other "South of the border" inspired dishes with one big exception - the large fluffy fry bread. They make that daily right in the lodge and it was delicious. They top the Fry Bread with seasoned beef and buffalo meat, refried beans, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, black olives and a dollop of sour cream. We also enjoyed breakfast at the Lodge one morning - pancakes with an accompaniment of bacon and eggs. An enjoyable breakfast. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

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Food was grossly overpriced. The Cobb salad was a pre-packaged clam shell and the bison burger was middle school lunch quality. All for the bargain price of $40+. Your choices at this end of the park are extremely limited. Plan your trip route to end up in Wall on the north side. read more

18 years ago, we stayed in a cabin here. It wasn't Wi-Fi or television. It was rustic and charming. Every cabin was booked this year so it didn't work for us. I understand they've been all redone and Wi-Fi is available now with televisions in every cabin. I love the late night sky and listening to the after dark park range programs. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

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Went here for lunch the day we arrived and my husband and I both got the Indian Tacos. It was delicious and very flavorful. Definitely more bread though than Chili. The Chili was 90% beans, 10% meat. Decided to come back for breakfast and had a terrible experience. My breakfast burrito was okay, but my husband's bacon was cold along with his biscuits & gravy. The bacon was definitely from Oscar Meyer and the gravy had congealed. Luckily, we were able to get a refund. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Bacon and Biscuits & Gravy - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

I'm not expecting a fancy, gourmet meal in the middle of a remote NPS park, but lots of people recommend it for their Indian tacos. We decided to stop by for them, especially since this is the only place within probably several hours drive that actually serves this dish. The restaurant is located to the side of the gift shop in the Cedar Pass Lodge. The vibe is utilitarian, with counter service at the register near the entrance and self-serve drinks. After you order, they give you a number and you seat yourself. Buffalo Chili ($13) - The chili is served piping hot in a bowl, with tender beans as a good chili should have. The base is savory and salty, with plenty of ground meat. Per the menu, it's a beef/bison mixture and due to this, the meat has just the slightest gaminess. Also included are diced tomatoes and peppers, stewed down until soft and tender. Shredded cheese and a drizzle of sour cream adorns the top of the chili, bringing additional life to the bowl. The chili comes with two packets of saltines to add as you please. Chili is a dish that's difficult to mess up in my opinion, and this one tasted pretty good overall. (4/5) Famous Indian Taco ($15) - While the chili was good, the "famous" Indian Taco left a lot to be desired. The frybread, the most important part of this dish, was clearly not fresh. It felt like it had been sitting in a basket for several hours prior, making it droopy and stale, a sad base for the rest of the ingredients. The toppings on the taco are fine - I believe it includes a generous amount of the buffalo chili, but drained of most of the liquid. I'm not 100% certain it's the same, since it tasted a little less gamey than the actual chili. There's also shredded lettuce, pico, cheese, and sour cream to complete the dish. Unfortunately the part we were looking forward to the most, the frybread, was not good. (2/5) Of note, it seems like everything, from the utensils to the plates and bowls are compostable, but we were unable to locate a composting bin, only trash and recycling. It's a shame that they probably shelled out for more "eco friendly" options, but it's not actually better for the environment if it's just thrown in the trash. It would have been better to provide reusable dishware, especially as we were dining in. Then again, the NPS partnered with Aramark for Badlands, and they have an awful track record so I guess it's to be expected. If you didn't pack your own food, Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe is your only option until you hit Wall. The food is good enough to fill your stomach, but not much more. read more

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We bought 4 meals. 2 bowls of chili and 2 bison burgers. The burgers came with a bag of chips. Worst food ever. The chili was cold! The burgers were tepid and the cheese wasn't melted. It tasted like they pulled the burgers out of the freezer and threw them in the.microwave but didn't bother to check if they were warm. The best part of the meal was the bag of chips. The service was a cash register where you ordered and paid. "Waitstaff" brought the food 5 minutes later. All this fine cuisine for the low price of $80!!! I have eaten bison. It's good. This was not. Should really be ashamed to serve this. I know I'm ashamed I paid for it. read more

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Nice location in the Badlands Park, awful food. You order first and pay upfront. You're responsible for your drinks. We ordered 2 bowls of chili--$14 each--and both were cold. Tasted good, but were cold. Also ordered 2 bison burgers--came lukewarm, $20 each--cheese wasn't melted. So for nearly $70, food was cold. Would not recommend--consider driving further down I-90 to hold out for a real restaurant. read more

The menu selection was limited, but the food was good. And when staying in the Badlands, your options are limited. Id eat there again. The servers were friendly and welcoming. read more

Two people, two burgers and a cookie and spent $40. Wouldn't have been so bad if the burgers weren't ice cold and no bigger than the palm of our hand. The service outside the restaurant was great. Everyone was friendly until we ordered at the counter. Once we paid there wasn't a soul around to ask where to get napkins, ketchup or even order a sod The ambience was typical fast food. Order at the counter and find a table read more

- Limited menu, very limited options for vegetarians. - Ambiance is high school cafeteria. Fast casual. Order at the counter, food will be brought out. read more

Food was not very good and you had to pay extra for French fries. We paid $84 for our family of 4. We ordered the Indian taco, bison burger, 2 orders of the chicken tenders, and drinks. The chicken tenders were not great quality. It was too expensive for what we got . Quality and taste of food was not great. You are better off buying a cooler and packing sandwiches. It's the only cafe in the park. read more

Remember, you're kind of out in the middle of nowhere. It's the only place to get food within about 50 miles or more. That said, it's perfectly fine for what it is. We ate three meals here while staying in the park. Our first meal was dinner in the cafe itself after we arrived. I had the Indian taco and my wife had the buffalo burger. There were no fries so they gave her chips instead. The burger was OK and the Indian taco was pretty good. Our second meal was breakfast the next morning. We got 2 breakfast burritos to go with browns. These were fine and better than we expected. Our third meal was dinner that we took to go. I got the Indian taco again and she got the Buffalo chicken sandwich (with chips again). We also got a dessert fry bread. Everything was fine but be careful with the fry bread, which is also in the Indian tacos. It's oilier than you might realize and can cause some stomach upset. You can't ask for much more from a cafe in a remote national park. read more

Didnt stay here. Stopped by for lunch. Good food options to dine in. Plenty of seating space. No network coverage or wifi available in this area. Had a long line to order food before we can seat. They give you table number and bring food to your table. Very busy but not very friendly. My food was fine but saw alot of people throwing away food. Dont know what was the reason. read more

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I ordered the Indian taco, and although it looks small in photos, it's actually big enough to be shared between two people. If you're thinking it's not enough, try ordering a shareable appetizer and Indian taco. The restaurant gets quite busy during the dinner rush; I went around 7pm and was able to get a seat immediately. I suggest doing one of the trails and then stop in here for dinner around 7pm. Tip: They close in between lunch and dinner service. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Indian taco - looks small, but can feed two people - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

Don't know why there are many complaints about service, for me it was great. Very attentive since I didn't know what I am ordering, they were patient and helpful. Indian taco was highlight of the breakfast, recommend it. Kuchen was tasty and smooth, but a bit too sweet. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

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There is nothing else for a hour plus so when in a pinch the food is ok here. I had the buffalo chicken salad which was not bad. The veggies were fresh and chicken was cooked adequately. read more

Don't eat there. We had breakfast. Biscuits and gravy for me. Breakfast burrito for my husband. It was cold, almost room temperature. We asked for it to be heated up. It came back about 5° warmer. The coffee tasted like hot water. Don't be tempted to eat there. It's not worth it. read more

Eat here if you are desperate. I ordered the pull pork sandwich with coleslaw. The pork was dry and the coleslaw was swimming in mayonnaise. Not good! read more

The badlands are an amazing place and this restaurant was pretty close by and we were hungry so we ended up here. By the pics below, pretty good. Nothings really special about this place, like my sisters skills on the bass clarinet, but other wise, pretty good. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Buffalo Burger and Sioux Indian taco - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

There isn't anything else around for a long way. We had the buffalo burger and the Sioux Indian Taco. Not sure if I'm a fan of a taco on the Indian bread. I found it to be to doughy for me eating a taco. The buffalo burger was dry. So how do I rate this place? It's in the middle of no where so you either eat here or drive out of the park and eat in Interior. Or better yet, pack a lunch. But if you can't do that, you're kind of stuck eating here. read more

Just visited today. We googled their website for a menu real quick before we went - they need to update it. The food options are very limited. Only one teenager was taking orders at the host stand (wearing a mask that didn't cover his nose) and ringing up orders, one girl running food. No hand sanitizer in sight, not even at the communal water stand, where you could get free water in a little Dixie cup, and paper menus that you reuse kind of defeat the purpose of having disposable ones. I am far from a food critic, especially while camping, but the prepackaged tuna sandwich was terrible. Only giving two stars bc my husband and daughter each got a club sandwich and they liked them, and the jr hot dog my other daughter got was a good size. read more

We stopped here after visiting Badlands. The food and service were so good. We were on vacation and tried food at other attractions like Mount Rushmore and this was the best by far. The young ladies working there were great and were so kind to my family. The cheeseburgers were so good and my mom tried an "Indian taco" which was a taco on fry bread and it was excellent. We also got the fry bread dessert and it was fantastic. A really great experience overall. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - "Indian taco" - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

Lunch and dinner was not the best but... The breakfast was good, I like the yogurt perfay the best with the green bean ssmoothie. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Green smoothie - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

Your choices of places to eat in the area are severely limited. In my opinion that's the only reason this restaurant exists. We showed up and it was to go only. No problem. They swapped our order with another couple's order. We noticed before driving off so this was also no problem, we just swapped meals with them. What is a problem is getting a cold burger and cold Indian taco. We were staying just a few minutes down the road, so there's no way it cooled off this much in such a short time. I wouldn't go back. I suggest you pack a lunch. read more

We had the Indian taco for dinner. They are a lot of food. My wife and I should have split one. The fry bread was very flavorful however the edges were dry. The salsa had a little kick. It was fun to try them. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Indian taco - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

We saw the terrible ratings and reviews when we came here for breakfast, so we knew to go simple with our order. So I got two eggs: sunnyside up. Some toast. And the Indian fry bread because everyone was saying that was legitimately good. And it was! Really good! Certainly heavy-- it is (spoiler alert) fried, but it is basically like having a jelly donut for breakfast. And what could possibly be wrong with that. The restaurant also has big windows all around so when the sun is up you are dining with a view. The people-watching is also unbeatable. My only real complaint (besides our self-imposed decision not to order anything fancy) is their dinner hours! They close at 8:30 pm in the summer time, even when sunset isn't until 8:45! And the Badlands is such a beautiful place to be out watching the sunset. Their summer hours should really include serving even just a limited menu until 10:00 pm, particularly because there is absolutely nowhere else to get dinner within driving distance. And who wouldn't want fry bread at 10:00 pm after sharing a sunset with a family of bighorns? read more

Great place to dine in in Badlands National park . It's not mentioned in the National park map, so we were snacking during day hence not very hungy. just stopped to get a magnet and realized that there is a full service restaurant. The staff is super friendly. They had couple vegetarian dishes ( something not so common in national park restaurants) . We tried the native Indian taco, was different from the usual corn tacos we get but did not disappoint! It was a full meal. The servers also gave us some tips on where to spot wildlife offered to go coffee while we leave. Another server offered to fill our water bottle saying we would need it on drive which was really nice.Overall on menu, service and food I would give full marks, given the location. It was not very fancy but my experience was much better than many fancy restaurant I have been in big cities. read more

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No frills, simple menu, fast service. We were starving after hiking in Badlands and were lucky to find this place as vegan options for my friend were scarce in this area. Luckily this place had a veggie taco option for her. I got the club sandwich, which was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Club Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

Food is worse than Dennys quality. It's basically a cafeteria with overpriced menu items. Better off going to Wall, or Wagon Wheel in interior. I'd avoid this spot, it's just a tourist trap in the lodge because it's the only restaurant in the park. read more

It was close to badlands and food was okay. Diner food. Views of the bad lands were beautiful. read more

Stopped here for lunch while we were visiting the Badlands National Park. You order at the counter and pay and then seat yourself and they bring out the food to your table when complete. I had the Sioux Indian Taco and my wife had the Badlands Burger with fries. The taco was really good but a little small for the price. The burger had a good old fashioned burger taste and the fries were outstanding. A little pricey overall but chalk that up to having a "captive audience" in the park. Worth the stop if you need a meal while sightseeing. read more

Rating this on a curb because there just aren't many great options in this area and this, in our opinion, was the best one. They were also one of the only restaurants in a two hour radius that served Coca-Cola. o.O We were really uncertain about this place, it being a cafe attached to a park/campground, but we saw a sign promoting an Indian Taco and figured we should try 'cause "When in Rome," right? And we were pleasantly surprised. First-- the Indian Taco is HUGE. My husband and I split one regular size one and our son got a kids size and I'm pretty sure the one regular size could have fed all three of us with leftovers. And no, we do not eat like birds. We can put it away, y'all. The fry bread was nice and thick to hold the bounty of toppings, and oh, what a bounty it was-- lettuce, tomatoes, ground buffalo, beans, sour cream, cheese, olives, onions. o.O We ordered a side of french fries and my son's kids meal came with a side; he chose onion rings. Whoa, y'all. We barely put a dent in either, but both sides were tasty and cooked well and nice to have to change things up or dip into sour cream. Not sure how it fares compared to other Indian Tacos as it was our first, but it was a nice, bright, and refreshing change from some of the heavy, veggie lacking South Dakotan meals we'd been eating up to that point. We tried the Strawberry Rhubarb Kuchen for dessert because it seemed unique to the area. Think of a custardy pie with bits of strawberry and rhubarb and a flaky pastry crust. I don't know if we just hadn't had enough good food in South Dakota but it was GOOD. My husband who doesn't usually like desserts even enjoyed this. This place is worth a shot if you're staying in the Badlands or driving through. One of the better places we wouldn't hesitate to eat at again when we return. read more

What is with the food out here in the Midwest? Perhaps I have refined taste buds or that I am a food snob, but this place was just plain awful. But, I am also part to blame. For one, who in the world orders salmon in the Midwest. So, I am an idiot for doing that. But how can you screw up salmon is my other question? The salad is pathetic here. A salad in the Midwest consists of iceberg lettuce and dressing. I mean what the H? My salmon was severely overcooked and dry. I had two bites and it was over. The sad thing is that because it is pretty much the only restaurant inside Badlands National Park, they get a lot of traffic. Interesting tidbit: They have students from all over the world working in the restaurant and the gift shop. So the clerk who rung up my sunscreen was Russian and our server was Indian. Nice that out in the Midwest, you can at least find some diversity. I though the only diversity I would see out here was the wildlife...life surprises me all the time! read more

Not much competition in the Bad Lands so I was very surprised by the quality of the food. I noticed that most of the low reviews were over 2 years and were about the service. I thought it was a bit slow for the amount of people that were here at 1 pm but what a view! The Indian Taco was delicious too. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Nice view - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

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Great place to refuel after a long days drive. The food was quite good and satisfying. I fully enjoyed my hamburger with roasted red pepper and portobello mushroom bun (GF substitution). I was skeptical when ordering, but I enjoyed every last bite. They were mindful of our gluten and dairy allergies-- thank you thank you . I will definitely make this a food destination should I drive to the Badlands again some day. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Hamburger with roasted red pepper and substituted the bun with GF portobello mushroom. - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

Really enjoyed eating at this restaurant while staying in the Badlands. The restaurant is within Cedar Pass Lodge along with the gift shop. It is the only dining option within the park. They take pride in the service and food. We didn't want to try to piece together meals in our cabin since they only have a mini fridge and microwave, so we had lunch, then dinner, then breakfast here. Lunch was a good burger with delicious fries. For dinner we split the Indian taco which was like the best taco salad ever. We got our taco for carry out and ate at our picnic table at our cabin overlooking the amazing landscape. I really enjoyed breakfast of veggie omelet, large portion of potatoes, toast, and bacon (was starving from the previous day's hiking. Lol) Super friendly folks, good food, and it's in the Badlands. Couldn't ask for more. read more

Cedar Pass Lodge Cafe - Basic burger and fries- hits the spot after hiking. - Cafes Near Me - Interior, South Dakota

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Stay here. The cabins are comfortable and you can't beat the location. Eat here. For a cafe, dinner was good. Breakfast was good. And wait staff is friendly. read more

This was a better experience than I expected to have at a small Cafe. The food was amazing and it came in a matter of minutes. The staff was a little out of it but were still nice. This is a high quality and convenient cafe for all who are staying in the Badlands. read more

Food was okay but wine is atrocious. Don't bother. And there is no service. You get your own plastic utensils and water. What are we tipping? Nothing. read more

So after a while you know what you are going to get when you go to a restaurant in a national park. However, get the Indian taco! Fry bread was puffy and delicious! So good! read more