Yellowstone National Park is not just a place for nature lovers or adventure seekers but also an incredible place for gustatory delights. The United States’ first national park is the Home to hundreds of restaurants and eateries, all welcoming you with unique characters, cuisine, flavors, and views; from wildlife to panoramic mountain views. We have put together a list of ten stopover-worthy restaurants that will have your taste buds tingling and the ambience will make you comfortable to relax in your seat. We have got you covered with amazing food, bakery delights, and both aperitif & digestifs to sip on.
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Dining Room
The historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is nestled near Yellowstone Park’s northern entrance. The Mammoth Dining Room is Xanterra’s first certified green restaurant, and with a 4-Star rating (out of a possible 4-Stars), is the FIRST 4-Star certified restaurant in Wyoming. The wandering wildlife is just in front of you while dining at Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s one of the usual things to have seen grazing elk and bison from the windows of the Mammoth Hotel Dining Room, the food is also something to look forward to. The full-service dining room displays a Modern-style ambiance where you can relish delightful regional specialties like bison sirloin steaks, smoked trout, and elk sliders with porter-caramelized onions and tarragon aioli. Your gastronomical experience will get double up as you watch wildlife while savoring the delectable dishes.
Calico Restaurant And Bar
This American-Italian gem was established in 1966, it comes among some of the initial restaurants in Jackson Hole. Calico is surrounded by one-and-a-half acre yard gardens with flowers that border the walkways to the deck, guests usually like to sit at the deck as it keeps their kids within their sight. The views are just magnificent, you see kids frolic in the beautiful lush garden and Teton Mountains gracefully looking at you from a distance. They serve delicious entrees with an emphasis on fresh house-made items, wood oven pizzas, classic entrees, homemade desserts, and seasonal produce. The Italian designs adorn the spacious dining room from where you can have a clear view of the open kitchen. The northern section of the restaurant is the bar. Visit this restaurant on your first day in the park as you may like to come here every day. Every item on their menu is just amazingly delicious and perfect.
Beartooth Barbecue
Beartooth Barbecue was established in 1999, the bustling restaurant has earned popularity among locals and visitors equally. The busy joint is real southern barbecue-adorned bric-a-brac for saucy BBQ ribs & hardwood smoked chopped or sliced beef brisket, a wide variety of sandwiches, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, homemade sides, and much more. The informal barbecue setting is complemented by a saloon-like facade and a dining room full of antlers. Beartooth Barbecue features appetizers and daily specials along with 12 cold local beers on tap and a wide variety of bottled beers, also including Zac Brown Band Wines. Here are our suggestions to make your selection easy – the Mad Dog, a smoked hot link smothered with chopped brisket on a hoagie; sliced turkey served with pickles, onions, and wheat bread; and unusual barbecue sides like green chili creamed corn, baked cheese grits, tabouli, and cowboy caviar. This is a quintessential mountain town restaurant with incredibly fast service and friendly smiling staff.
Madison Crossing Lounge
Madison Crossing Lounge is a relaxed place located in the heart of town inside the first school in West Yellowstone. The family-owned restaurant serves steak, pasta, House-made Desserts & burgers plus custom cocktails & microbrews at the full bar. Madison Crossing Lounge offers some unique and creative items such as Trout Cakes as an appetizer, an Entree of Bison Tenderloin, a Huckleberry Burger, and Chocolate Napoleons. Madison Crossing also houses a unique gift and home accessories store aptly named Homeroom, which is located in the former Gymnasium, as well as the Fitness Center, and Treetop Toys. For dinner, you can choose from their top-notch nightly entrees. The amazingly attentive staff of Madison Crossing Lounge takes wonderful care of each guest and is accommodating to all their needs.
Firehole Bar-B-Que Company
Mammoth Terrace Grill
Firehole Bar-B-Que Company is among the most loved food options just outside the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, this wonderful place got famous less than a week after it opened. It’s easy to locate the restaurant, if you are around the area just follow the strong aroma of their famous smoked brisket and buffalo sausage. The menu features an array of smoked meats & classic American comfort sides in a rustic setting. The food had been approved by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, just four days after its opening; he decided to feature it on his show ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.’ This charming place offers picnic tables placed inside and outside; the homey counter-service joint has a farmhouse feel. Try their smoked brisket platters with marshmallow-soft white bread, pickles, and onions; pulled pork sandwiches; plump pork ribs; white cheddar mac and cheese; and snappy buffalo sausage links, goes well with creamy chilled corn salad.
Madison Crossing Lounge is a relaxed place located in the heart of town inside the first school in West Yellowstone. The family-owned restaurant serves steak, pasta, House-made Desserts & burgers plus custom cocktails & microbrews at the full bar. Madison Crossing Lounge offers some unique and creative items such as Trout Cakes as an appetizer, an Entree of Bison Tenderloin, a Huckleberry Burger, and Chocolate Napoleons. Madison Crossing also houses a unique gift and home accessories store aptly named Homeroom, which is located in the former Gymnasium, as well as the Fitness Center, and Treetop Toys. For dinner, you can choose from their top-notch nightly entrees. The amazingly attentive staff of Madison Crossing Lounge takes wonderful care of each guest and is accommodating to all their needs.
Wild West Pizzeria & Saloon
Wild West Pizzeria was opened in 1999 by Aaron Hecht with the belief of crafting the best pizza in West Yellowstone. The owner and the team have succeeded to achieve the top rank in the town. It is a laid-back saloon & family-friendly pizzeria known for live music & DJs in a chill setting. It started as a small pizza place inside Strozzi’s Bar. Nearly two decades later, it’s grown into the Bar and Restaurant and owns 120 seats with a small-town sports bar atmosphere. The restaurant has a rustic décor with wood and paintings from all over the USA. Wild West offers fire-grilled pizza, you may feel lost in the taste of your first bite, and the chance is high that you might haven’t experienced such delicious pizza before. Slow cooking on a wood fire takes time, and that incorporates the taste with quality ingredients, like Montana flour dough and sauce made from a family recipe.
Mountain Mama’s Coffee House & Bakery
This laid-back Coffee House & Bakery in a stone-clad outpost offering baked goods, sandwiches, sweets & caffeinated drinks. You can drop in to grab a wonderful hot cup of coffee before you enter Yellowstone Park. Mountain Mama’s Coffee House & Bakery opened its doors in 2017 and since then it has been creating fresh, natural foods for its customers. From homemade baked goods and grab-and-go meals to Starbucks coffee bar. You can enjoy freshly prepared homemade pastries, homemade pot pies from locally sourced elk bison pheasant trail beef, chicken, homemade gravy, and fresh-cut vegetables. They also have deli sandwiches made to order on our fresh homemade bread as well as soups and unforgettable pastries baked fresh every morning. It is the perfect place to visit in the first half of the day, but you can go any time of the day.
The Buffalo Bar
The Buffalo Bar is a homey tavern with brawny taxidermy, rustic, western décor that fills the gap if you haven’t seen enough wildlife in the park. The bar Serves breakfast, lunch & dinner, 12 Beers on Tap, Montana Spirits and Micro brews, huge burgers, tacos, and bar fare. The Buffalo Bar offers a gaming zone with live poker, and video slot casino machines. Indoor and Outdoor eating options are available. The centrally placed bar has a broad selection of local beers and a whiskey-centric drink list, including the finest wines from nearby distilleries. This place offers a relaxing atmosphere for both locals and tourists. As the moniker suggests, the bar has a huge menu incorporated with the buffalo itself, you find it in the tacos, burgers, burritos, chili, meatballs, quesadillas, and marinated & slow-roasted moist meatloaf. The Buffalo Bar is one of the best places to chill and relax in West Yellowstone. If you visit the place on weekend nights, you will fall in love with the live music.
Bullwinkle’s Saloon & Eatery
Under the roof of Bullwinkles, you find a liquor shop, casino/sports bar, and a family-friendly restaurant. Bullwinkles features a seasonally changing menu, all the entries on their menu are just beautifully incorporated with seasonal ingredients but their baby back ribs and elk ravioli are not to be missed. Whatever you see on your plate, all is prepared in their kitchens from tortilla chips to steaks and from meatballs to delicious sauces and dressings. You can sit at the sports bar where they serve the same menu while you watch any of your favorite sports on huge flat-screen TVs. Handmade desserts are a must try such as fluffy huckleberry bread pudding. The Bullwinkle’s bar features a wide variety of fine beer, and selected wines, and the handcrafted cocktails are delicious. They also offer light meals for small pangs of hunger like sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and also vegetarian and gluten-free meals.
