This place does not care one little whit about service or the welfare of customers. The manager himself prevented proper service. The bar in the past has been good but this year it was impossible. Terrible service for both the restaurant and bar. Not even worth the wait which is substantial. Terrible!!!!!! read more

Stop in for lunch after you do the wildlife Loop and have an excellent meal wonderful people and then take a glass of whiskey or a bottle beer and sit out on the front patio and just watch the world go by great place to relax read more

Willing to pay for atmosphere and history, so I was very pleased. Even though the room was basically a motel room, the main lodge, the front lawn, and the great food made it just great in my opinion. The air is amazing...its this purity of smell coupled with an every so faint aroma of buffalo that is truly unique. Loved it. read more

This is the high-end restaurant in Custer State Park. The atmosphere is very nice. The staff is awesome. The food was excellent. The price point is a bit high in my opinion. But if you want to have a great meal in a historic setting, this is the place. read more

We ate at Blue Bell lodge and decided to try State Game lodge the following night for dinner. The dining venue is lovely. The service was lackluster to downright rude. The buffalo stew was uninspired, the NY strip was small and over cooked, and the bread pudding was delicious. Too expensive for the poor quality and inexperienced service. Lovely restaurant, but we went back to Blue Bell Lodge for a rustic dining experience with good food & service & more moderate prices. read more

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave this as a combined review. We stayed at the hotel two nights and ate at the restaurant one night. Hotel: the room was fairly small but well furnished and the beds were extremely comfortable. The bathroom had a bit of a fishy smell but that was gone after the first day. We loved the location and saw several bison while staying there. Overall, the hotel was about a 3.8/5 Restaurant: We were the sole diners at the restaurant and were extremely impressed with the service (as expected) as well as the food. We had the bison short ribs appetizer, a bison burger, and vegetable roulade. The vegetable roulade and bison short ribs were excellent. Unfortunately, my girlfriend ordered her burger well done so I can't comment on its tastiness but she loved it. 4.5/5 read more

We dined here twice for dinner and once for lunch. We enjoyed salmon, trout, buffalo stew, and buffalo burgers. Everything was delicious and the wait staff was efficient. read more

We stopped in here last night after a day of exploring and the food did not disappoint. I had the Southwestern Quinoa Salad which was a HUGE portion of fresh heirloom spinach with quinoa, black beans, corn, and peppers. It was really good. My boyfriend has the buffalo tenderloin and said it was good but after tasting someone else's buffalo sirloin, he said the sirloin was much better. We went with a group of 8 and the service was great, the staff all very attentive and friendly. I recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

Six of us from San Diego expected more. We had been told it was a "famous" hunting lodge enjoyed by presidents. It did not even have a hint of a "lodge" atmosphere - it is a typical commercial tourist restaurant with OK food and very slow service. If you happen to be driving by and need something to eat it will suffice, but do not drive there just for the purpose of dining - you will be disappointed. read more

I had a lot of buffalo meals on my South Dakota trip (because you know when you see these beautiful creatures up close there is something built in our DNA that the next step is we have to eat them) but nothing was nearly as good as the buffalo stew we had at the State Lodge. It was part of the lunch buffet we were happy enough to come across, gamey but not too gamey, peppery but not too peppery. Really really good stuff. I also enjoyed the petit fours on the dessert table but I will always remember going back for thirds of that buffalo stew. read more

We had a Saturday afternoon lunch at the State Game Lodge Dining Room. The waitress suggests the buffet and we decide to give it a try. It's okay with salads, pot roast, pork loin, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. They also have a huge table covered with all sorts of pastry desserts including pumpkin pie. It's a nice dining area and we enjoyed our lunch, but it was really nothing special or out of the ordinary. read more

I wanted to provide constructive feedback on the dinning experience I received on the evening of May 18, 2018. I had reservations for four that evening at 6:30pm and was sat in a booth with three other citizens of Custer and a friend from California who wanted a unique dinning experience and to see the history of Lodge. The waitress took a rather longer time to greet us and take our drink order. After she did it took about fifteen minutes to receive the drinks. She then took our order for appetizers and diner. The ladies decided to get your salad to split and when it did come out she only brought three plates and they were warm for a cold salad and only one small order of dressing. Also, ordered the rabbit and rattlesnake sausage and that came ten minutes after the other appetizer. Then the bread was delivered after requesting it. We waiting over forty minutes for the main course which was the elk, steak, walleye and the salmon pasta. The only dish that was hot was the pasta, the other were cold and extremely overcooked. When the waitress came back to check on us we informed her that the food was cold and overcook and she did absolutely nothing about it and there was not a manager on sight that evening. As you can assess I'm extremely disappointed in the dinner we received and the lack of customer service that we received that evening. We asked to see the desert menu and asked her which one she would recommend and she stated she could not as none of them were good. When the check was brought she asked where we were traveling from and when we told her the three of the four are from Custer and have dinned at The Lodge many times and would not be recommending it to anyone, she was rather put off as she though were just tourist and would not be seeing us again. Unacceptable service and food was not the evening we had planned to experience for the price of what we paid for.. Our reservation and was sat at 6:30pm and on the check we checkout at 8:26pm, it should not take almost two hours to received our dinner. There are too many fantastic restaurants to choose from just in Custer to have this type of negative experience. Myself and my friend ate at Dockside Grill on May 17,2018 and has fantastic food and customer service was outstanding even though the staff was new the manager took his time to show and explained how things needed to be done and presented. I myself am a travel (I'm followed by the motorcoach and camping community) and food blogger and this will not be a positive representation of The Lodge. I hope this provides you with some feedback and will be able to use it for a training opportunity. read more

Really neat place to check out, lots of history and ambiance.

The service was absolutely horrifying. My family and I felt disgusting just sitting in the restaurant. We booked our reservation three weeks ago. We were seated after speaking to the manager at 7:30. After seated we didn't see a waiter till about 8 when we ordered. We had to ask another team mate to bring us more water and didn't see our waiter again. Someone else had to serve our drinks as well as bread and water. We saw our server again to serve our appetizers and salads at 8:35. After talking to the manager again after seeing the restaurant empty and more tables around us complaining about not seeing a waiter we finally received our food at 8:53. I work in a restaurant I understand the Stress and that the kitchen falls behind. But with only seeing a server only two to three times with empty tables in the restaurant it's insane to take that long. I felt disgusting as the staff walked by us and ignored us with only 10 tables sat in the restaurant out of the about 40 tables. I am appalled by this restaurant. read more

I'll give the State Game Lodge a bit of a pass with this review. The main lodge area is the best of all the lodges in Custer State Park. The food is also good, but not nearly as good as Sylvan Lake Lodge. The State Game Lodge's tendency to overcook food doesn't work with fish and game. We were also expecting to stay in one of the cool cabins detailed on the State Game Lodge's site. They failed to mention our accommodations, affectionately called the Ranch House, was so far from the lodge it wasn't even located in the park. Instructions to said abode were even worse: drive down the road 3-5 miles and turn left at the red barn. Huh? Does this place have an address? Nope. After 30 minutes of ineffectual searching for our cabin, we had to go back to the lodge and have an employee drive out so we could follow him (it was actually 6.5 miles down the road...you'd think someone would have given us real directions). The Ranch House was far from the cute cabin we were expecting. It was a weird 1970s house in major need of an overhaul. While we were very disappointed in our accommodations, the lodge's location and ambiance mitigate it to 3 stars. read more

Great menu - fry bread, portabella sandwich, sit in the bar area if there are crowds ahead of you. Fascinating history, great staff.

A friend and I stayed at State Game Lodge in June. Buffalo came right up to the grassy area by the lodge. Saw lots of animals on the loop roads. We stayed in one of the small sleeping cabins and was pleasantly surprised. The cabin was great! Just enough to feel like we were in the country, but with all the comforts of home! Had breakfast in the lodge and it was fantastic! The only complaint I have is during check-in. We had to wait in line for about 45 minutes. TERRIBLE check in system. WAY too slow. Good thing I was in vacation mode or I would have been much more disappointed than I was. Have to say it was worth the wait though. read more

Wow! Found this place completely by accident. Had the lunch buffet. Absolutely the best pot roast I have had. Amazing chicken, loved the buffalo stew, and my husband loved the peppery ribs. Best meal we've had on a very long trip across the country. read more

We didn't stay at the lodge but we ate lunch at the restaurant. I had the Bison Burger and my husband had the Reuben. Both were excellent! The fries were awesome too. I like to dip my fries in bleu cheese dressing instead of ketchup and the chef sent out a large dish full. I loved it so much he packaged some up for me to take home. If you're visiting Custer State Park, plan to stop and have lunch here! read more

Great lodge. The room was nice and clean. The restaurant was great and the staff was very friendly. We loved staying there

In my book, this is a 5-star restaurant! The service merits 5-stars. We had a lovely South African woman as our server, and she was friendly, polite, informative, and prompt. The food merits 5-stars. OMG, the walleye is to die for. The rabbit/snake sausage appetizer was tremendous. The buffalo empanada was scrumptious. I wish I could order up an order of that from my San Francisco office! This restaurant has great service, food, history, and is located in a very bucolic section of Custer State Park. read more

An August 'end of our vacation' celebration dinner turned south when we dined at the State Game Lodge. Despite having made a reservation in advance, it took a very long time for our waiter to get to us at all. By then we were all looking around, cranking our necks trying to figure out why were were being ignored. (We were a table of 11, so it was hard to miss us!) At last we were able to place our orders, but then we waited another 45 min. before the food was served. Everyone was appalled at the slow service and surly attitude of the waiter. One member of our party NEVER got her dinner at all!! When we told the waiter that, he actually said--'well, I walked around with a salad and no one said it was theirs!' He should have known where to serve it! He took the orders! When it was time to deliver the bills, he had to ask each person what they had ordered, go back into the kitchen and 'figure them out' and then return--again, more waiting. Someone spoke to the waiter about the slow service and he said it only took forty one minutes from the time of the order to the food being served. FORTY ONE MINUTES is a long wait!! And that's not counting the long wait before being waited on and the long wait after the meal to get our food! Someone in our group finally was annoyed enough to ask for the manager but was told there was no manager. Persisting, I asked again for a manager and this time (surprise surprise) there was one after all. Despite hearing all the many complaints about our evening experience the manager offered no reduction in the high prices nor did he offer to comp a drink or a dessert to compensate for the incredibly unsatisfactory evening. The average meal was $30 to $40 and we would NOT eat there again--slow and terrible service, high prices and the food?--nothing special. read more

Patty at the front desk was so rude it ruined my stay. Mousetrap in the bathroom. Black hairs everywhere in the bath. Pilled linens. Never again. read more

While their website says nothing about reservations being suggested, We arrived and were greeted by a less than friendly hostess asking if we had reservations. After much sighing and flipping through papers she finally found us a table. Our food was very good, our waiter was very busy. As we were leaving a second hostess was busing tables and dropped a stack of dishes which threw the first hostess into a tizzy. Hand rails on the outside of the building would be very helpful as the steps are steep. We have been coming here for many years so it has many happy memories. read more

July 2015: Ordered the Elk Osso Buco expecting a phenomenal meal in Beautiful Custer State Park of South Dakota....the Buco came out COLD like it was from a refridgerator! Yes, Cold Elk Osso Buco! I asked for the chef and manager came out and told me they brought out the wrong one. 1.) how do you bring out a "wrong one" in any kitchen that is COLD? 2.) how can you trust a kitchen that made this MISTAKE? 3.) As the manager (who accused me, the customer, of being argumentative) informed me he would comp my wife's meal ACTUALLY TOOK my wife's Quarter eaten plate away from her. However, after he took two steps away, he did turn and ask if she wanted any more. My wife simply said, "No, we are done here." I couldn't believe the meal cam out extremely cold like it was just from the fridge and they forgot to put even in the microwave BUT it was extremely RUDE and UNBELIEVABLE that the manager TOOK my wife's meal away from her after he said he would comp her meal - i was not going to trust that kitchen again! Oh yes, the manager did also charge us $15 for our two drinks and and of course all the experience. AVOID THIS RESTAURANT as there are numerous other options throughout Custer State Park in South Dakota you can trust and enjoy anything on the menus! Unless, of course, you would like to be highly disappointed and then actually almost kicked out for any complaint of this high dollar restaurant AND charged for your drinks when told the meal would be comped! Never mind the potential health problems that could arise from uncooked meat on the bone. Again, AVOID THIS RESTAURANT! There are too many other great choices in the area! read more

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful weekend, the staff was amazing: from the front desk employee who decided to return to mark her 20th anniversary from the summer she first spent there and had amazing facts to share with us about the lodge, to the fantastic servers for the meals we ate there, and to the bartender that made us wonderful cocktails. The room we stayed in was neat and clean just as it should be and the a/c was ice cold on the 100 degree day we spent hiking and touring the park that was much welcomed. The food??? AMAZING! The Waleye and Buffalo for dinner were perfect, the next day the breakfast was filling - our eggs and bacon came just as ordered, and for lunch we had the lodge platter with wonderfully smoked salmon and candied cashews and a Buffalo burger and a club sandwich... once we got home that evening we decided that we didn't need any dinner. If you are a local, or a visitor touring our beautiful Black Hills, have at least one meal here. After one chances are you'll want another. The only regret I have is not ordering the "Elk Osso Bucco" ... but that's okay I'll be back soon, so I won't regret it for long. read more

The room is small but nice and cozy. The wifi does not reach any of the rooms or the restaurant. The people at the front desk aren't helpful at all. We went for breakfast and got chocolate chip pancakes. Our waitress said she would ask if we could get chocolate chips but made it sound like she was going out of her way to do it. The pancakes were very dry and not that good. She didn't ever come to wait on us but came to deliver our food. We also got omelets and specifically asked for them to not be runny. They came runny and when they fixed it, it's was practically burned. The lodge is great but the restaurant wasn't that good. read more

Terrible service! We waited 30 minutes to get a seat. We asked 3 different waitresses if we could get drinks. Finally our waitress, Kerr came over( we were almost done eating at this point), took 4 of our 7 drink orders and walked away. My husband went to her and said "Ma'am, you only took half of our order." She was extremely rude and said something about being busy and us not being decisive. She was at our table not even 20 seconds before cutting us off and walking away not even giving us a chance. I would not recommend this place based on Kerr alone and the possibility of getting her as your server. read more

We happened upon this historic lodge while driving around the area. Decided to stop in for a late afternoon cocktail and to check out the lodge. The bartender was great. The lodge had just opened on April 24. We were there May 4. We were told we could go upstairs and check out any of the rooms that had open doors. All the rooms were beautiful. Unfortunately, we had made online reservations at some cabins near Hill City so we didn't stay overnight. We enjoyed our visit so much that we came back for dinner the next evening to celebrate my husband's birthday. The meal was excellent! We had the buffalo empanadas for appetizer - delish! I had the walleye. My husband had the bison sirloin. Delicious dinner and excellent service. Because the lodge had only been open about 10 days, there were only a few diners but I'm sure in peak season this place is packed. We plan to stay in the lodge on our next visit. read more

Enjoyed lunch after 2 o'clock (after buffet) but ordered off menu ( Buffalo stew and other lovely menu items). Excellent service and food. The atmosphere was perfect for the park as it was a real lodge. read more

best restaurant in the Badlands area. I could eat there every day. We loved the buffet. very clean.

We stopped at the Game state lodge for lunch. The buffet was excellent. It had soup, salad, 3 entrees, sides of boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice and dessert. Reasonably priced. They also offer an option of a la carte. The lodge is located about 0.5 mile off the Wildlife loop road. read more