One block off Mount Rushmore Road in the small town of Custer, South Dakota, sits a pizza shop that has quietly become the heartbeat of the community. 🍕
Pizza Mill didn’t start with a business plan built around pizza; it started with a tree-trimming crew and a father who fell in love with the restaurant business almost by accident.
Discover how one Black Hills family built a mom-and-pop pizzeria that locals now consider a beloved local pizza institution.
How Pizza Mill’s won Custer’s hearts
Pizza Mill’s origin traces back to Custer native Steve Witt, who once ran a tree service business called TreeCo.
While helping out at what is now the Hubcap Diner in nearby Hill City, Steve discovered a genuine love for pizza, one strong enough that he and his wife, Michele, decided to leave the trades behind entirely.
In June 2012, the couple opened Pizza Mill in Custer, making family involvement a priority from day one. Their son Greg, mentored by his father through years of shared shifts, eventually took over the business alongside his wife, Aleah, officially becoming owners in 2014. 🍂
That family-first approach never changed, even as the second generation took the reins.
The name stayed the same, the commitment to quality stayed the same, and Greg and Aleah have continued building the business with the same integrity their parents started with.
Locals do not just come for a quick slice; they come because walking through the door feels like stepping into a friend’s house, an atmosphere the Witt family has cultivated for over a decade.
The restaurant’s signature creativity, pizzas built around a cheeseburger, a gyro, or even a pickle, keeps regulars curious about what unconventional topping combination they will try next.
Now raising three young sons of their own, Greg and Aleah hope to pass the Custer institution down to a third generation eventually. 🌲
Food Highlights
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Towering Timber: The most popular pizza on the menu, loaded with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, bacon, and Italian sausage alongside onion, mushroom, black olive, and green and red pepper over a marinara base.
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Gyro Pizza: Thin-sliced gyro meat over a tzatziki sauce base, topped with fresh greens and tomatoes.
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The Pickle Pizza: Pickles, bacon, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes over a garlic white sauce base.
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Hearty Logger (All Meat): An all-meat favorite piling pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, beef, and Canadian bacon onto a marinara base.
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The Sawmill (Cheeseburger Pizza): Ground beef, bacon, onion, and pickle over a Thousand Island sauce base.
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Ultimate Reuben Pizza: Corned beef, sauerkraut, onion, green pepper, green olive, and jalapeno layered over garlic white sauce and Thousand Island sauce.
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Hills Cheesesteak Pizza: Roast beef, onion, and green pepper over a house-prepared garlic white sauce.
- Roasted Ponderosa: Beef or roasted chicken breast paired with onion, green pepper, tomato, and jalapeno over a marinara base, a zesty pick named after the ponderosa pines surrounding Custer.
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Chicken Alfredo Pizza: Chicken, onion, tomato, artichoke hearts, and spinach over a creamy alfredo sauce base.
Atmosphere
Pizza Mill keeps things simple and unpretentious, the kind of counter-service spot where you order at the register, grab a number, and fill your own fountain drink while you wait. 🌟
The dining room has a lived-in, small-town feel that matches its Black Hills surroundings, with plenty of regulars who treat the staff like extended family.
It is casual enough for a quick lunch after a day at Custer State Park, yet comfortable enough to settle in for a whole pie.
The vibe leans friendly and unhurried, exactly what you would expect from a restaurant still run by the family that built it.
Bottom Line
Visit for creative, one-of-a-kind pizza combinations you will not find anywhere else in the Black Hills, from the Gyro Pizza to the Pickle Pizza.
Add a genuinely family-run atmosphere, a gluten-free crust locals rave about, and over a decade of small-town trust, and Pizza Mill earns its reputation as a true Custer favorite. 🍕✨
Address:
904 Mt Rushmore Rd, Custer, SD 57730
📞 (605) 673-3306
🕔 Open Mon–Sat, 11 AM–8 PM (closed Sunday)