1885 Steakhouse & Saloon — Restaurant in Hill City

First off, I want to say that this place is not authentic at all.

And that is a good thing.

Authentic is nothing but e colli, right angles and pain.

I used to eat here in the 80s and early 90s with my family and the place was extremely dilapidated. Downright frightening.

I am also fairly sure that it was the first place where I learned about “food poisoning” and “food regret”.

It got better.

Now ,this place is almost impossibly clean.

Hell, even the faucets in the bathroom have UV disinfecting lights.

Class.

Who the hell does that?

In South Dakota?

Who exactly are they trying to impress?

To fix this place up must have required the nativity and enthusiasm of Bob the Builder.

But ended in broken marriages and Spud descending into alcoholism.

We don’t even talk about Dizzy.

The shrimp was solid.

So much so, my daughter kept the sauce for her chicken sandwich and I was worried she would snort it before the sandwich came out.

The burgers are made with brioche buns.

When this happens it is just proof the kitchen loves you.

The place is way super family friendly. Lots of kids running around and screaming. And screaming kids don’t bother me at all. As long as they are not my kids we are cool.

Holy hell, that makes me sound like a psycho.

Back the the reason I am here.

My Caesar Salad was very good. It is just proof that you don’t have to get fancy to do a good job.

The lettuce was crisp. The sauce was not home made but well chosen.

But the chicken. Wow. I got the choice of crispy or grilled. I chose grilled because I do not pretend that deep fried chicken on a salad is somehow healthy.

Nope. Not that dumb. Not today Satan.

But the grilled chicken was seasoned and grilled to perfection.

And here is the problem. It was good.

And that sucks.

See, writing a review for something good is way harder than writing a review for a food service inspection dumpster fire waiting to happen.

I get super excited when something is so bad that I need to share it to affirm that it existed.

We can spin in conversation endlessly on the bad things in life but don’t give two passing thoughts for the good things. Like this place and their solid Caesar Salad.

Keep...

Let me tell you, folks — I’ve had a lot of steaks in my life. The best steaks. World-class. But what I experienced at 1885 Steakhouse? Total disaster. A complete and total embarrassment. Look at the reviews of this place they are failing quickly. People are talking about it — they can’t believe it. We walk in — seated right away. Tremendous start. I’ve been there before, many times. Always decent. I even recommended it to guests at my vacation rentals — big mistake. Huge. Because this time? It was like they forgot how to cook. Sad! I order a New York strip — medium well. Not a crazy request. Very reasonable. But the waitress — nice girl, Samantha — tells me, “We don’t do that.” Excuse me? You’re a steakhouse and you don’t cook steak the way people want it? That’s not how you run a business. That’s how you lose customers. The steak comes out — raw. Bloody. Like it just walked off the ranch. I send it back. Comes back ten minutes later — now it’s covered in pepper, tastes like liquid smoke, like someone grilled it at a gas station. First few bites? Maybe okay. But the rest? Still raw. Still red. Total mess. Fries? Boring. Cold. Nobody’s impressed. And the service? Disappeared. Vanished — nowhere to be found. She comes back when I’m basically done and says, “Want me to send it back again?” What is she going to do — glue the steak back together and try again? No thanks. Then — and this is the best part — she gives me 10% off. Ten percent! That’s like giving someone a free lemonade and saying, “We’re even.” No manager. No apology. No class. Any real restaurant would’ve comped the steak, offered dessert, maybe even invited me back. But not here. No leadership. No accountability. So guess what? 1885 is out. Off the list. I won’t be back, and neither will any of my guests. We’re done. Finished. You had one job — cook a steak — and you blew it. Worst steakhouse experience. Ever. Believe me Applebees cooks a...

My husband and I vacationed in South Dakota this year, stopping at all the tourist spots. :) We were feeling unsatisfied with the food we ate during our travels as most restaurants did not feel like a home cooked meal, which it what we were searching for after our long hikes. We remembered the 1885 Steakhouse & Saloon we went to a few years back and were happy we did! The environment was clean, the staff was very friendly, and the food was exactly what we were looking for! Satisfied...finally!

We started with some drinks from the bar, bread with cinnamon butter (so good) was served while we waited for our appetizer. We ordered the loaded hash browns (delicious), side salads (fresh), and then our meals! My husband ordered the Ribeye with Sauteed Mushrooms and the Mac N Cheese, which he said was mouthwatering. I ordered the 1885 Bison/Elk Burger and Mashed Potatoes. The burger was thick and delicious. I had asked for them to cook it even more than it was as I like my meat more on the dry side (thanks to a health issue), and Jason took it back to make sure it was made perfectly to meet my needs. I was so grateful Jason and all the staff to make me feel so important. Jason also offered some suggestions of what we can do in the area as we were looking for something fun and relaxing to do after our amazing meal! I felt like family when we left and can't wait to return. I highly recommend eating here! Many thanks to Jason and...