Our Roots
Chute Rooster is the Black Hills Original Honky Tonk & Restaurant, serving American Country/Southwest cuisine with a side of authentic Western American history.
Eat, drink, and get western at our newly updated 125-year-old iconic property, which features two bars, three dining rooms, two patios, a dance hall, and five event rental spaces.
Open year-round, seven days a week, Chute Rooster hosts live music events and is Hill City’s only bar/restaurant with billiards and gambling.
The Chute Rooster is a Registered National Historic site of South Dakota. It was established in 1896 as a lodge for Harney Peak Tin Mining Company personnel and converted to a barn after the last of Hill City’s mining days.
​
In 1971, Betty Matkins purchased the property and transformed the structure into The Chute Rooster Restaurant and Lounge, which was “dedicated to the cowboy” and became the gathering locale for all people visiting and living in the Black Hills.
​
The term “Chute Rooster” is a comical cowboy term referencing the rodeo wise guy who sits on the chutes and lets everyone know how it should be done.