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It's difficult to pare down to a few key points the amount of goodness The Firehouse offers its clientele.
I grew up in Rapid City & have many fond memories of having lunch or dinner there with my family, feasting upon the unrivaled artichoke dip (seriously, while it's amazing by itself, the soft, homemade beer bread TOTALLY makes this appetizer!), the fish & chips that somehow manage to be more authentic than those posers offered in London, & washing it all down with one of their many delicious varieties of beer brewed on site (my personal favorite being the Smokejumpers Stout). Well, I didn't get to indulge in that last bit until I turned 21 of course. But that's ok. Before then beer was icky.
The decor is authentic turn of the century Rapid City, SD firehouse (oft imitated, rarely perfected), lots of old wood paneling, two floors, & a giant brass pole in the middle of the space ending on the bar top. No, you can't use it. For anything. Just enjoy the beer.
The staff is always friendly, helpful, & fast. The food is amazing. The prices are very reasonable (definitely worth what they get you!), & the entire experience will make you want to turn around & come right back. Oh, plus they have a kickbutt outdoor patio open during the fairer months, with live music the norm rather than the exception. Do yourself a favor - if you're in Rapid City, spend an evening at The Firehouse Brewing Company. If you're not in Rapid City, well ... try to locate a similar establishment. Let me know if you ever find one.
I had high hopes for Firehouse Brewing Company when I read the near universally positive reviews here on Yelp. I knew I was going to be spending a night in Rapid City and figured this would be the place for dinner. In honesty, the Corn Exchange sounded better and just received a write-up in Gourmet but I digress.
It's impossible to miss Firehouse - it's right on the main drag in the center of town and a popular stop with locals and tourists. I assumed it would be a bit nicer and polished than it actually was. I walked in and my first reaction was it looked more like a college town bar than highly regarded local burger/beer pub. They were busy and I first thought I might not be able to get a spot at the bar for dinner but after a few minutes a space opened up and I got seated. The servers were friendly enough - though they seemed under-staffed on this busy end-of-summer Saturday night. I asked for a pint of the house wheat and a look at the menu. Sure enough, it was everything you'd expect it would be - full of usual hamburgers, ribs and other comfort food items that inflict every menu from TGI Fridays to the neighborhood pub.
I settled on a burger - hard to screw up and basically something I had high hopes for in this burger-oriented joint with a cup of the soup of the day [potato and bacon] and a side of fries. The soup came almost immediately and was surprisingly good. I assume it was made from scratch and I wished I had ordered a bowl but after spending the day doing little more than driving; I didn't need the extra calories. The burger and fries arrived shortly after and to be frank, this is where my disappointment with Firehouse struck a chord: it was completely average. It was absolutely unremarkable in every facet from presentation to taste. This was your basic bar burger in a place that could/should have been so much more.
It was at this point that I realized I had picked the wrong restaurant and even if I had to dine solo at the Corn Exchange it would have been worth the 'Lonely Guy' moments of awkwardness to savor a memorable meal in a fairly forgettable city. The Firehouse Brewing Company does well because it's middle-brow in middle-America at a price point almost everyone can afford.
Went, despite rachel ray's recommendation. We hate her.
Ate: Buffalo Burger, Veggie Burger, Nachos
All were pretty damn good. Friendly service, nice atmosphere. Good stop on the way to Mount Rushmore.
The good: nice location in beautiful downtown Rapid City, the house favorites food selection featured dishes cooked with their beer a big plus and different. The Bangor ladder( sausages with garlic mashed potatoes and sauerkraut) was good and the beef stew stout in a sourdough breadbowl also looked very good). The bad: I dont know if it was all the tourist but they were serving more wine, mixed drinks, and bottled beers than any taps. While there was about 1 server for every 2 tables there was only 1 bartender, service at bar was slooooow. Their own beer was pretty average but about the only place in the Dakotas that makes their own, which I like.
Note: If I had known Rachel Ray had been here I would of bypassed this place.
Honestly this place really deserves 3 1/2 stars, but given that there's a dearth of good similar food and beer in South Dakota, and the beer really is quite tasty, I'm bumping it up to four.
This place ensured my sanity during 5 summers working in South Dakota. The food isn't spectacular, but it's usually tasty and well-priced. During our recent visit, my fiance liked his buffalo burger, but was put off by it being completely rare (he'd ordered it medium rare) and by the color and taste of the bleu cheese on top which he thought seemed chemicaly. I had nachos and soup, and both were loaded with delicious, heart-stopping cheese.
The real pleasure to this place is sitting on the patio, drinking a good beer, and listening to a band on a warm summer evening. It makes up for atmosphere what is otherwise lacking.
We were really looking forward to having lunch here along with a locally made brew. Imagine our surprise after we sat down and placed our drink order only to be told all they had was Coors, Bud and the usual assortment of bottled beers.
When we asked what happened to the house made brews we were given a very vague answer about the boiler breaking and not being fixed. This had apparantly occured several weeks ago and there was not time line for it to be repaired. WHAT????? You run a "brewing company" and aren't able to serve any of your brew and you have no idea when you will be able to again? Makes no sense to us - it would lead one to believe something else is going on here...
Well, lunch was just average. Nothing to rave about and we won't be returning for a meal anytime soon. If we visiti again we will be sure to ask about the 'brew situation' prior to being seated.
This is a place to go and have a beer and be seen at. It's usually very crowded, the tables are close together, etc. I went with my disabled friend and it is very hard to walk through the front door, as it is not handicapped accessible and very small entryway that turns. I wouldn't recommend eating there, but if you want a cold one downtown this is an okay place to go.
my wife got a Brown Cow Ale and a Wilderness Wheat and I chose the Golden Ale (a light beer). We'll give the beers a B- - just not much to them. As for the food, my wife had a burrito and I had the buffalo brisket special. Mine was huge - lots of food, so for the price, you get a lot. Both were as we expected: just fine, but nothing special really.
Note (maybe this is common, but I've never heard it before): after handing us our check, the waitress said "I'll be your cashier when you're ready." Is this a common thing out West?
We were passing through Rapid City and decided to stop into Firehouse based on the reviews here. Man are we glad we did!
We decided to try every singe Firehouse beer they had available and pair them with the brisket plate. Grilled onions, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn for the sides completed the great meal. Our waitress knew her stuff and was extremely nice. The interior seemed to put the crowd in a great vibe.
Try the Chukkar Ale ("Chucker")
Worth every penny.
One word "dissappointing".
We were suckered in by the signs along the highway. We had high hopes for this place and it looked good from the outside, but inside it was another matter. The building itself was good, but it had the atmosphere of a place that had been taken over and gone downhill. The furniture looked like it was from a run-down diner - real wood rugged furniture that matches the interior would help - maybe even some bar height tables.
The beer was awful. First, there were about ten beers listed on the menu but they only had two of them and one that wasn't on the menu. I am admittedly a beer snob, I really appreciate good beer and can't stand the standard miller, bud, etc. We picked one (some kind of a wheat) but I can't remember the name. It was PATHETIC. It tasted like bathwater - a dog's bathwater. Plus it was a bit flat and not very cold. I asked if there was any bottled beers and was told only coors lite, miller lite, and bud lite. This place calls itself a brewing company?! Not a place for a beer lover.
The food was not all that great either but at least we didn't get sick. I just had a burger that didn't come as advertised on the menu and the bun was pretty dry. My wife wasn't thrilled by her food either - she was more adventurous.
I don't know where all these good reviews are coming from. Maybe we hit a horrible night, maybe the staff writes the reviews, or maybe it's a good pickup bar. In any case we would not recommend this place to anyone passing through Rapid City. It was the absolute worst beer I have tasted anywhere in the world and the food was a step below McDonalds.
(My husband wrote most of this review because he felt so strongly about this place - he was really looking forward to going here.)
Went on a Saturday night and Little Britches was our server. Excellent service, great beer and the food was just right. The building is beautiful and they have a great patio area. Ordered a Chinese chicken salad which was excellent, as was the soup. Drank some of the best root beer I have had, their Birch Beer, it was so well done. My husband enjoyed all of the beers he tried, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone going through Rapid City. Very cute downtown area with fun statues of Presidents. Rapid City was kind of weird and creepy with all of the bikers, so we were happy we found some sanity at the Firehouse.
I agree with Sarah that this is a 3.5 kinda place--and since she went 4, I'll go 3. I'd have given another star had the waiter written my order down and gotten it right instead of trying to impress everyone with his memory on multiple orders. The microbrewed "golden" beer was very good. The corned beef sandwich with onions and a cheesy horseradish sauce melted in my mouth (I ordered a half sandwich and the Italian wedding soup, so can't tell ya how the soup was.) The salad was average with a good raspberry vinaigrette. It was an enjoyable day for sitting outside. I was concerned about the homeless-types loitering out front and found the inside bar waaay too noisy for a nice dinner. It's one of the most popular places downtown and the food was good enuf to deserve a second try.
Ok, so, I no longer live in Rapid City anymore, but still feel compelled to say something about my most favorite firehouse in RC. The atmosphere is kick-ass, the service staff is pretty awesome and the overall experience that is The Firehouse Brewery cannot be matched anywhere else in Rapid City.
I miss this place terribly! More accurately, I miss Chukkar Ale. Even if you don't like beer, if you go, please, please, please at least try this ale. It is so delicious. If you ask nicely, your server will kindly bring you a small 5 oz. glass so you can taste the awesomeness that is Chukkar Ale. Oh, and should you fall in love with the Chukkar, you can alway purchase your very own gallon jug to take home with you for a rather cheap price. And if for some reason you don't fall in love with the Chukkar, the other beers are good as well.
If you feel the need for actual food, I highly recommend starting with the Artichoke Dip served with toasted beer bread. Holy Hell, it is so good. I used to come here for a beer, or 3, and just eat the dip. So good. And should you have room for anything else, I suggest the Spontaneous Heating. It's a gumbo-ish dish of sorts. I can't explain it, except that it is super good and you'll need a beverage to help cool your mouth off.
If you can, I would sit outside on the patio. It's so much more chill and you can hang out and bs as long as you want.
This is my most favorite place to eat in Rapid. I am now back in California after 5 years in South Dakota and I still reminisce about this place.
The Firehouse is ALWAYS busy. I have never been here when it wasn't, but I've never had to wait long for a table. The atmosphere is nice and the decor is cool. The wait staff has always been nothing but friendly.
For starters, I highly recommend the cheesy artichoke dip and the firecaps. I've been here with differing groups of people and we're there is never anything left when we order those for appetizers. They also bring you some damn good bread which is like a dark beer bread and really awesomely delicious.
My fave dish here is the rancher's pie. It's REALLY good and very filling. The bangor ladder is another fave of mine as are the fish tacos. I came here for lunch one day though and ordered the cajun burger and it was HORRIBLE. Way too salty and nothing like it should taste but when I told the waitress, she offered to replace it.
The beer here is excellent. I've enjoyed every one that I've tried with my faves being the chukkar ale, firehouse red and the IPA.
They also have a really good strawberry lemonade.
If you're visiting Rapid City, I suggest booking a room at the Alex Johnson right down the street. They give you coupons for the firehouse which includes a free appetizer.
this is the third brewery on our road trip. the food and the ambiance were as expected lively, fun and good. the service was excellent! the waitress was really nice and efficient. the food came within 15 mins. the old fire house looks cute. we sat outside where they had live music. i had a huge salmon steak that was delicious and still pretty good the next day (i love the portion sizes in the us, especially the mid west.). my boyfriend enjoyed the beer here.
if you are doing a road trip near rapid city, make an effort to come here and you will love it.
This was a good restaurant find in Rapid City. Lots of variety on the menu and reasonably priced. Outdoor seating and they seem to have live music, too. I had the beef fajitas which weren't the best (overly sauced), but they were good. The Beer/Cheese soup was DELICIOUS. Highly recommend the soup. And, the beer bread they give you is amazingly delicious.
I've been in Rapid City for several days now on business. I would not give this place a 4 star in Los Angeles, but it's definitely a 4 star for rapid city... Let me explain...
The redone firehouse thing far surpasses some crappy plane stucco walled place. I sat at the bar to avoid the lines for a table when you don't have an RSVP and expect to eat dinner at 7:30. The people at the bar were nice. Mark, the bartender, carded me... something that doesn't always happen these days... and made me a yummy Grey hound (my drink of choice). The food is actually decent!!! I ordered the Slovachi (I'm sure I am not spelling that correctly, but it was skewered slow roasted pork with onions, mushrooms, red bell peppers, served on fluffy brown rice with a cucumber yogurt sauce. It was very tender, moist, and delicious. it was $15.99
The people sitting with me all liked their meals as well: blue cheese buffalo burger, scallops and linguine, tortellini with red sauce, and french dip sandwich.
I even came back later after a night on the town and ordered the Blackout Brownie... a brownie with a layer of cream cheese baked in it, topped with ice cream and whip cream. This was DELIGHTFUL!!! (Only about $5).
Mark was my server and even though he was busy as hell, he was friendly, attentive, and very cute!!! Who knew that men in South Dakota did not constantly wear flannel tops and want to arm wrestle me rather than flirt with me? The men here were actually quite attractive and yet polite (a definite prize in LA).
So, 4 stars for Rapid City.
This restaurant has the best Cajun boil I have ever had. Out waitress put a piece of paper on our table and dumped the cajun boil on our table. There were two of us and we could barely finish the clams, mussells, shrimp, crawfish, king crab legs, sausage, potatoes, and corn. This restaurant has a nice local crowd. They also brew their own beer and rootbeer, need I saw more?
Stopped in Rapid CIty for the first (of many) business trips and had dinner at the Firehouse. Solid food (the Bangor was good and very tender) and decent beer. The beer was very non-commital and easy-drinking, but was nothing to write home about for an experienced hoppophile. Quick and friendly service and reasonable prices. Crowded, but not too crowded, on a Saturday night.
Very good beer ale and gorganzola cheese soup. The brisket was also excellent even though they don't use bbq sauce but instead smother it with sauted' onions. The garlic and cheese mashers were amazing. The wheat beer we tried was also very good. The service was fast and it was reasonably priced. We were there on a Wednesday night and it was pretty full but also a large place so there was no wait.
we waited for what seemed like forever to get a table when we saw a bunch of opened ones. oh well. at least the food was good. i ordered the buffalo burger because i had to try it at least once in my life and being in south dakota the occasion called for it.
my buddies ordered the all you can eat ribs special that just melted in your mouth. the bbq sauce was amazing and i hope to find something that good here in chicago.
all in all, i gave it 4 stars because the food was great and they had cheap drink specials (mixed drink for $2.50!!). not a spot i would have usually gone but i'm glad i went.
I gave this 4 stars because the food was above average, but mainly because the service was excellent. The wings where okay but I've had much better. My white bean soup was very good as was my entree which was a NY strip. The furniture was run down and could use some updating as a previous person wrote. I would say the service is by all means a 5 STAR and the other parts of this place would be a 3 STAR.
Okay, okay. So, I didn't get to try the food here. Nor did I have their real beer. But I did throw back some birch beer. And I sat on the torch-lit patio and listened to a band. It was a lot of fun. The only real happening place I found in Rapid City. Not that I looked very hard. There were a lot of biker looking people here. Not the wild crowd you would expect. A real good time!
Atmosphere is interesting for the firehouse decor. My medium buffalo sirloin was a bit overcooked but not enough to keep me from going back. It was a georgeous spring evening and I wanted to sit outside but they "weren't serving" outside. If I just wanted to drink, no problem. Eat dinner, I had to stay inside. -2 stars for that.
I went here while driving across country. Not only was it about the only place we ate that didn't make me want to puke, but it actually made me wish I lived in South Dakota...kinda. The atmosphere is friendly, as is the staff, and the food was such a nice surprise! Try the gumbo and the brownie sundae. We probably overdid it on trying the beers, but I recommend that as well!
Try the mega-calorie Beer-Gorganzola Cheese soup... It is rediculously tasty.. I tried to make it at home once and came pretty close too...
Ew. It was like a a crappy chain restaurant without a chain, TGIF with a firehouse theme. My mom and I were on a road trip and thought Rapid City would be a good place to stay. It was all around bad news dude. Don't do it. The Firehouse was one of the few restaurants open the 2 days we were there and it was Sat and Sun! It was dirty and our waitress was a big dummy. Yucky.
This Rapid City restaurant has a fire station feel. Mostly grub food with a micro brewery. Solid and cheap enough.
This is where my love affair with artichoke dip began. This is the first artichoke dip I have ever had and recommend it. They also brew a birch beer for a non-alcoholic libation.
The outdoor patio is a great place to be in the summer. Great live music and good micro-brews. Try the artichoke dip and beer bread. Mmmmmmmmm
Rapid City, SD
Category: Specialty Food
Rapid City, SD
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Rapid City, SD
Category: Pizza
Rapid City, SD
Category: American (Traditional)
Rapid City, SD
Category: Restaurants
