City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 341-1768

Address: 624 St. Joseph St.

Description: This tiny bar might be in the middle of Rapid City’s bustling downtown, but it’s fairly quiet, very down to earth, and the sort of place where—if you showed up often enough—everyone would indeed know your name. It’s so casual, in fact, that it may close before 2 a.m. if business is slow. The jukebox has a good selection of tunes, and electronic dartboards stand along one wall. You won’t find a pool table, live music, or meals (just sandwiches, pizzas, and snacks). Instead, you will find interesting Rapid City residents and friendly bartenders. The sign over the bar that reads Saloon No. 8 refers to the fact that the Brass Rail holds the eighth liquor license issued in South Dakota after Prohibition, making it one of the oldest bars in Rapid City.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 342-2273, (800) 2RAMADA

Address: 1721 North Lacrosse St.

Description: This hotel bar is popular with locals, businesspeople, hotel guests, and travelers. It’s a relaxed place to hang out, whether you’re staying at the hotel or elsewhere. Snack foods are always served at happy hour. Karaoke Mon through Sat starting at 9 p.m. The bar serves wines a good selection of wines as well as liquor and a dozen beers on tap. In the winter Cheers may close earlier than 2 a.m.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 348-8300

Address: 445 Mount Rushmore Rd.

Description: Nearly 70 martinis are on the menu at this fashionable downtown venue that caters to the generation that values what they do after work as much as during work. A great hang-out lounge. You’ll relax on ultra-modern sofas while you watch the HD TVs, and from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays, the happy hour attracts a good show of downtown businesspeople. Live bands provide entertainment on weekends, one of the lone bars in town to do so. The loud and boisterous patrons of the bar often mix with the quiet and dressy diners headed for the hotel’s restaurant, Enigma, in the lobby, which separates the two very different venues. Read more about Enigma in the Restaurants chapter.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 348-1915

Address: 610 Main St.

Description: The Firehouse—which occupies the historic 1915 Rapid City firehouse building—has something for everyone. The restaurant welcomes families with its cuisine (see the Restaurants chapter). Both the rectangular bar and the second-floor mezzanine are comfortable places to relax and watch the crowd. In the summer the big, partially covered patio is a perfect place to eat and listen to the bands that play on its stage. It even has overhead radiant heaters for chilly nights.The Firehouse brews its own terrific beer on the premises. Several recipes are rotated, and you’ll find five to six on tap at any time, ranging from Wilderness Wheat (a light beer served with lemon) to Smokejumper Stout (a dark, coffeelike, and heavy-bodied brew).

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 342-1210, (800) 888-2539

Address: 523 6th St.

Description: This classy pub is part of the Alex Johnson Hotel and is named for the hotel’s first guest, who registered on July 1, 1928. Paddy’s clientele includes businesspeople and hotel guests, but the live music by local bands—presented on Wednesday through Saturday nights—draws a younger, enthusiastic crowd. The pub is small and the music tends to be a bit loud, so don’t count on intimate conversation or dancing on live-music nights. Paddy’s patrons can enjoy snacks and dinners (from the adjacent Landmark Restaurant’s menu); yards and half yards of any tap beer; Guinness Stout on tap and one of the largest selections of imported beers in the area; and smallbatch bourbons. You’ll find the Alex Johnson Hotel in the Accommodations chapter.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 388-3232

Address: 321 7th St.

Description: If you go into Sports Rock when it opens at 11 a.m., the place doesn’t seem different from any other bar. There are spots to sit and enjoy your drink, pool tables, foosball, video lottery, and some arcade games. Hang around until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, though, and everything will change. That’s when the DJ starts to play upstairs at Budd Uglys and the dance floor fills up with a crowd ranging in age from 21 to 55. Budd Uglys plays a wide range of dance music, including classic rock and ’80s and ’90s music. To make dancing even more fun, the bar offers different drink specials every night. When you’re hungry, you can just go downstairs to Sports Rock for some excellent oven-cooked pizza.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 342-7271

Address: 803 East St. Patrick St.

Description: Robbinsdale Lounge promotes itself as Rapid City’s music showcase. Live bands perform here Thurs, Fri, and Sat nights. The music begins at 8:30 p.m., but the lounge’s 300 seats start filling up much earlier as patrons settle in with a cocktail or a beer. Two pool tables also help pass the time until the band starts playing. On Wed and Fri the bar treats its customers to snacks during happy hour. Other nights, snacks are served. A more substantial meal of burgers, hot dogs, and the like is available from the cafe in the attached bowling alley, and you can order right at the bar. Customers get to show case their own vocal cords when karaoke opens at 8:30 p.m. on Sun, Tues, and Wed. The lounge opens at 10 a.m. Mon through Fri, 9 a.m. on Sat, and 1 p.m. on Sun.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 343-1931

Address: 826 Main St.

Description: Teddy’s is all about high-energy dancing and a great sports bar, and the staff pulls out all the stops to get the crowd moving. The bar is young and so is its crowd—ages range from 22 to 40. It’s open every day, 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mon through Fri, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sat and Sun. The sound system matches the energy level of the crowd, and a light show and fog amplify the whole experience. You’ll hear mostly Top 40 rock and dance music. When the dancing wears you down, you can make your way through the crowd to the full bar, grab a drink, and enjoy everything else Teddy’s has to offer, including a casino, pool tables, dartboards, mechanical golf, and other arcade games. Teddy’s offers some munchies as well as a full menu. Check out the burgers and nachos.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 348-1213

Address: 825 Jackson Blvd.

Description: Satellite-style viewing of sports is the main event here—TVs are everywhere. You’ll also find five pool tables, electronic darts, and other arcade games. The most popular game at Kelly’s is Golden Tee, a multiplayer golf video game that’s sprung up at many sports bars in the past few years. There’s a full bar, and the kitchen cooks up burgers, steaks, prime rib (Wednesday only), wings, and chicken strips for a diverse crowd that ranges in age from 21 to 101.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Address: 2424 West Main St.

City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (605) 343-2528

Address: 1865 South Valley Dr.

Description: Sixteen televisions, pool tables, and darts, and a separate room for video lottery players make this establishment a favorite of sports bar enthusiasts. Sit at the big, dark-wood bar and have a brew or munch one of the popular half-pound burgers. A full menu is served seven days a week, and on Wednesday you can order sirloin steak tips, either grilled or breaded. Music is often Fri and Sat nights.