Top restuarants in Rapid City? Ethnic food? (bill, kitchen)

[BusySocialWorker]

I think LaCosta has the closest to real mexican food in the area - we enjoy it there

The Fireside out RimRock Road is very good and the view is great (it is one of my new favorite places).

The corn exchange is also a good place to visit in Rapid.

Neither of those options are very "ethnic" but feature good selections and yummy food

The journal has a dining guide with some feedback and ratings you may want to check out...

Flavor of the Black Hills

[pikie]

I guess my Filipino wife will be out of luck when we move out there--no Filipino restaurants. Maybe we can open up the first one! We've tried everything from Basque-Brazilian-Cuban-Ethiopian-Jamaican-Vietnamese, but everything else about Rapid City and the Black Hills ..."shines". Besides, with the bigger, more cosmopolitan cities like NYC and San Francisco -- comes more crime,outrageous prices, and more social ills.You guys (Dakotans) aren't missing anything!

[ashnat]

MY restaurant opinions. Oh boy.

Every time I've been to the Firehouse the food has been greasy or the service has been crap. It's a great bar food/alcoholic drinks hangout.

Every time I've been to Sanfords the foods been ok but the service is HORRIBLE!!!! Neat decorations tho.

My dh banned TGIFridays for 4 years, but I recently talked him into giving it another try. The food is good and the service is 10 times better.

Bostons Pizza is a good place. Good food, good service.

Olive Garden, great food, hit or miss on the service.

Outback, my dad got a previous manager fired from there when he was visiting in August 2007. After waiting for our food for 45 minutes, the waitress admitted that the cook never saw the ticket so the food had just been started. (On a Sunday at 3pm.) The manager printed out a ticket for the full price and a ticket with a discount of $25. He gave us the full price ticket, my dad complained, he pulled the already printed out discounted ticket out of his pocket. He was basically waiting to see if we'd pay the full price. When my dad contacted HQ, they said the meal should have been completely free, they sent my dad and I each a gift card for $100, and fired the manager for not following policy. I have been back to the Outback a couple times and have had no problems.

JD's Pizza, outstanding

We went to Ruby Tuesday 3 weeks ago, food and service was horrible, we didn't leave a tip.

Shooters, hit or miss on the food. I've enjoyed the dishes I've gotten, my dh has been dissatisfied every time we've been there.

Moving here from a large metro area, you will be in a temporary shock at the restaurant service in this community. Those that have lived here all their lives don't notice anything wrong with it, they sure don't know what they're missing. It is severely lacking professionalism.

To the others: Please don't be offended by my opinion. I am not dissatisfied with you, I am dissatisfied with the general service atmosphere here. I am entitled to an opinion, even if it's in the minority.

[DannyBanany]

Curry Masala -Indian food and curry. I think it's pretty good but Ive had better in Denver and Las Vegas.

Ichiban- Japanese and sushi restaurant. I think it's the best sushi I've ever had and I've eaten sushi in Las Vegas and NYC before. I recommend the Tiger Roll.

Khoury's Mediterranean Grill -Arabic food. I really like the shwarma combo in pita bread.

Coco Palace -sushi bar and Korean food. I hear good things from other people but I went there once and got sick so I'm a little weary of it now. They have a pretty big menu too.

Kasa -Korean cuisine just down the street from Khoury's. I went once and it was pretty good.

Saigon -best pad thai in Rapid City!

There's also a great panini cafe in Piedmont that I go to whenever I get the chance. Rapid City has all the "chain" restaurants but the real good ones are downtown. There are also some breakfast restaurants and bagel shops that I love to go to.

Oh and I almost forgot... The Alpine!!! It's in Hill City. Best lunch and dinner in the Black Hills!!!

[pikie]

Thanks Danny and Ashnat for your expert opinions. It seems like you two have tasted the entire city. Cool!


There is a lot more (Korean, Thai, Japanese) than I thought. Not bad, considering the remote location with a small population.

[ashnat]

ooh yah, the bagel place downtown has the BEST bagel sandwiches. I love a BLT on their bagels!

[blackhillsdreams]

I agree with Ashnat, the typical food service in the Black Hills isn't what it is supposed to be. It's as if the wait staff doesn't realize they are supposed to make you feel welcome and hopefully enhance your dinning experience with a pleasant attitude. Apparently they don't realize part of their tip depends on that. It's not difficult to greet someone with a friendly smile, make eye contact, suggest something good from the menu, etc., but there is an art to it. There is more to being a waiter/waitress than simply taking an order and delivering some food.

[ashnat]

holy crap we agree!

[rjl78]

German food. Alpine Inn in Hill City has a really great lunch menu.

I need to try Siagan and Ichiban.

Anyone try the tea shop on 5th Street? between Omaha and Main?

Aso its been a while since eating at the Rockin R down Hermosa way. The Gaslight in Rockerville was excellent the last time I was there, 3 years ago for my mom's 70th Birthday party.

[jeremyf-rcj]

I don't mean to go too far off-topic, but I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about service in Rapid City. It makes quite a difference in the quality of your dining experience. Why is the service more-or-less bad here?

btw, pikie, I second the recommendation of Coco Palace. great selection of Thai and Chinese for the area, and comparatively excellent service.