The 1881 Bank Coffee House

I had this place bookmarked long before my visit to this area because the building looked so cool. Sure enough, the historic bank building was impressive in person. Overall, a fine place and I’m always fond of supporting small locally owned businesses. I enjoyed my coffee and the historic ambiance. The green tea could have been fresher. There are few worthwhile options for coffee in Custer and the surrounding small towns, so give this place a try when you’re visiting the area.

Coffee=tremendous. Baristas/service=fair/poor. Good coffee and food are only part of what makes any establishment enjoyable. To me, positive service is as much or more important as the drinks and food. If you don’t consider the service important, go here! Like I said, the coffee is fantastic. It was good enough that we came back each morning for five days while we were in the Black Hills.

«Coffee» tasted like warm milk… Luckily I had instant coffee in the car so I could actually make it taste like COFFEE. Definitely over priced. I could buy a gallon of milk for the price of a medium latte. They also don’t have reliable internet or AC.

My hubby wouldn’t give this place even 1 star. Everything we tried to order — which was listed on their board — they were «out of» or «couldn’t make». After three No’s, hubby walked out. I did end up getting a triple mocha and a plain bagel with brown sugar cinnamon cream cheese. None of which is what I originally ordered and had to keep Changing to find something available.
1 star is for the building. It’s old and cool.
1 star is graciously for the very good bagel
For 16oz mocha and 1 bagel it was $ 9 before tip. Daaaaaaaaamn, Daniel. We won’t be back. Ever.

Good coffee, which is great to find while traveling. They offer soy and almond milk alternatives. Atmosphere has a historic feel and the baristas are attentive and friendly.

Very average latte and more expensive than a chain like Starbucks! But the building itself was cool. We found another local place that was more to our taste.

How fun! We stopped here on our way to Denver and loved the atmosphere. The service was very quick and the staff was super friendly. Their breakfast items were very good as well. We’ll be sure to come back soon. Yay for awesomeness!

Such a cool place! Friendly nice staff. Good drinks and scones. The atmosphere really made this breakfast special. The buffalo nickel tables and use of bank building are one of a kind and worth visiting!

We popped in for a quick coffee before heading to the Bedrock City Flintstones Park. Cool café in an old bank. We just got a regular coffee but it was good and the setting was cool.

Great coffee and bagels, refills on coffee are a good buy at $ 1. The cookies looked yummy and were a reasonable price. They also have specialty coffees. Clean bathrooms too. Will return!

A good stop for lattes and such but not for a full breakfast. The only GF option was a snack bar, so we ended up eating elsewhere, but the latte with almond milk was tasty.

Nice place for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. The building was originally a bank and looks just the way it did a 100+ years ago.

Found this place while walking through Downtown Custer trying to find breakfast (which was obtained across the street). It was a very expensive cup of iced coffee ($ 4 for 16 oz — wonder if I may have been overcharged, as the espresso drinks were around that price?), but it was satisfactory and helped keep me awake and alert on the windy roads of Custer State Park. The decorations are fun, if I wasn’t on a tight schedule it would have been nice to sit and read for awhile. Baristas were friendly, especially for it being 7am.

Cold coffee, mediocre pastries. Ok service. Hope there is a better coffee shop in Custer. $ 11 for two pastries a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. Won’t be returning

Great coffee, great bagels try the white chocolate bagel with butter and the old bank is neat.

I was super excited about visiting this place when I read the reviews online. Pretty cool looking concept but unfortunately that’s as far as it went. Running a coffee shop myself, I always look for independent coffee shops while on vacation. The coffee I received was old and flavorless. The frappé I ordered was awful, it was all ice with no flavor, i mean no flavor since it was nothing but blended ice. I really want to like this place but sadly it was a let down.

Great coffee and even better staff. Fresh coffee in the afternoon, which is rare in small towns.

First off, I’m 1100 miles from the 1881 Bank Coffee House. But don’t cry for me, because at least I was able to visit them at least three times over our brief stay in Custer, SD. And even from across five states, I would like to tell anyone in the sound of my voice that this spot is a gem.
First off, it’s an opportunity to support a local business in a historic setting. They’ve done a wonderful job of dressing up the place and you feel (just a little bit) that you’ve stepped back into time.
Each time I was there, I was made to feel at home, which is sometimes a bit of a challenge at coffee shops, especially if they can tell if you are not from their «neighborhood.» (more on that later).
The coffee was wonderful (I had a wide variety on the trip, so I can’t remember exactly where it originated, but it must have been — I came back twice!)
I don’t know if I’ll find myself back in SD soon, but if you are heading out to the Black Hills or on the way to Devil’s Tower, it’s worth stopping in Custer, SD for some coffee (or donuts or beer) to help break up the miles!

Finding a good coffee place when you’re on the road is like panning for gold but we struck it in Custer, South Dakota at the 1881 Bank Coffee House! Just as the name implies, it’s in an old bank that was built in 1881 and still has the original wood floors and antique deco which is way cool! You pay at the old-​fashioned teller station marked «Deposits» on the hanging wooden sign and pick up your coffee where it says «Withdrawals.» It even has the original bank vault which they use for storage! The coffee is outstanding and the baristas were nice and friendly. This has got to be one of the coolest coffee places we have ever encountered! If you are passing through Custer, you must stop at the bank for a cup of pure gold! You can take that to the bank!

This was my favorite coffee shop in Custer. I think they are closed now.
I remember going there every day on my honey moon. The staff was superb, the coffee was great, and they had a talking parrot — a real one. This was an original western bank and you can look inside the old vault. Very cool and a place I hope reopens.