Nothing stokes a hearty appetite like an adventure-filled day in the great outdoors. Whether riding horseback along the Continental Divide or rafting the Snake River, Wyoming visitors often find they get hungrier here than they do at home.
What makes food taste so good in Wyoming? Crisp mountain air and invigorating sights certainly help, but the recipe also includes fresh ingredients prepared by talented cooks who are happy to live and work in this high-plains paradise.
Near the Cody city limits, Cassie’s Supper Club started out as a bordello in 1922. These days, it’s better known for its cut-to-order steaks and live country-western music on the weekends. The Proud Cut Saloon in downtown Cody is another great spot to fill up before the rodeo.
The big tourist towns don’t have a monopoly on great beef, though. The Old Corral Hotel & Steak House in Centennial has been pleasing travelers since 1872. It makes a perfect stop after a day driving the Snowy Range Byway. For some of the best babyback pork ribs in the West, stop at Wyoming’s Rib & Chop House in Sheridan. Other notable small-town restaurants worth a stop include the Paisley Shawl in the Hotel Higgins in Glenrock and Svilar’s in Hudson.
If you’d like to combine your meal with an Old West experience, try a cowboy cookout. In Yellowstone National Park, you can ride horseback or in a wagon from the Roosevelt Lodge Corral to nearby Pleasant Valley, where open-air feasts feature steak with all the fixins’. Other popular cookouts take place at the Pitchfork Fondue in Pinedale, Bar-T-Five Ranch in Jackson and the Terry Bison Ranch near Cheyenne. Of course, Wyoming’s many dude ranches and guest lodges are famous for fueling guests’ trail-riding and fly-fishing adventures with hearty meals and ample snacks.