Wyoming Food Trip (Bison Burgers, Rocky Mountain Oysters, & More)
December 5, 2023 by Laura
Wyoming is mostly known for its beautiful landscapes, but we did get to eat some good food while we were there too! We had juicy bison burgers, huge burritos smothered in green chili, Rocky Mountain oysters, huckleberry jam, and more.
Our Food Trip to Wyoming
One of our favorite things about traveling is trying all the new foods! Wyoming isn't known much for their food, but we were still able to find some gems. Of course, Wyoming has lots of bison and elk. Something else we noticed when looking at all the menus- almost all of the restaurants offer something that can be smothered in either red or green chili. We also noticed that a lot of them served prime rib and French dip sandwiches. I'm not sure if this is a Wyoming thing, but it was something different than the Texas menus we are used to!
Our goal when visiting a new state is to eat food that is local to the area. We do lots of research to make sure we are eating some of the best food the state has to offer. In this blog post, you will read about all the food we ate during our 10-day trip to Wyoming.
If you are looking for more Wyoming content check out our 3 Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary, Grand Teton National Park, 10-Day Wyoming Itinerary, Hot Springs State Park, Wyoming Trip Budget, and Cheyenne Itinerary.
1. One Eyed Buffalo Brewing
528 Broadway Street
Thermopolis, WY 82443
With every state we visit, we seek out the food the state is most known for. We use a list that we found on Reddit where everybody voted their state's most popular food. One Eyed Buffalo Brewing had both of Wyoming's- Rocky Mountain Oysters and Bison Burgers!
This was my first time eating Rocky Mountain oysters so I was just a bit hesitant. For those that do not know, Rocky Mountain oysters are bull testicles that have been breaded and deep-fried. They are served as an appetizer with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.
Honestly, they were quite good. Though I've never met a fried food that I didn't like especially when it is dipped in cocktail sauce. I say give them in try. When in Wyoming do as the Wyomingites do! I don't have anything to compare One Eyed Buffalo's Rocky Mountain Oysters to, but Brian said that they were good ones!
Also, we ordered up some bison burgers, and boy were they good! We ordered them cooked to medium, and they came out a perfect medium. They have many different varieties of burgers which all can come as a buffalo burger. Each of the burgers come with a side of seasoned crinkle fries which were also delicious.
One Eyed Buffalo Brewing was a great place to stop for lunch while visiting Thermopolis or Hot Springs State Park.
2. R&B Breakfast Club
2101 East Lincolnway
Cheyenne, WY 82001
R&B Breakfast Club is a must-go if you find yourself in Cheyenne. First, this small restaurant is so cute and filled with more Elvis memorabilia than you can imagine. So many Elvis pictures cover the walls, tables, and menus.
I love Elvis, but, even better than that, is R&B Breakfast Club's food. They are known as 'Home of the Breakfast Burrito' and for good reason. We ordered the sausage breakfast burrito which is full of eggs and hash browns smothered in chili and cheese. This burrito is huge, stuffed full, and so good.
We also ordered the Famous Amos which is a stack of hash browns with sausage, eggs, cheese, and chili. It was also really tasty. We smothered our breakfasts with green chili which was very flavorful.
We would both go back to R&B in a heartbeat. The coffee was flowing, the food was incredible, and the atmosphere was just plain fun!
3. Trailhead Restaurant
1326 Beck Avenue
Cody, WY 82414
For one of our Wyoming nights, we wanted to get a little bit fancier. Trailhead Restaurant in Cody is the perfect date night spot with a fun laid-back atmosphere. The menu includes pretty craft cocktails and food options that pack lots of great flavor.
We first ordered an elk medallion which was served with juniper sage cream sauce, chevre and herb polenta, and broccolini. The elk was tender and juicy. We really enjoyed the elk paired with the cheesy polenta.
We also ordered the fungi pizza. When there's pizza on a menu, I just gotta get it especially when mushrooms are added. This pizza has it all- roasted garlic and onion oil, mozzarella, provolone, roasted forest mushrooms, fresh prosciutto, arugula, truffle oil, and pecorino. All the ingredients come together to create a flavor bomb. The wood fired pizza was cooked perfectly with crispy edges. Yum!
4. J's Prairie Rose Cafe
410 South 2nd Street
Laramie, WY 82070
J's Prairie Rose Cafe is the typical diner with retro bar seating, checkered floors, and a window that looks into the kitchen. The first thing we did was ordered a pot of coffee because you just gotta have coffee when eating at a diner.
First thing we noticed was Guy Fieri's face on the wall. We then knew that we were about to eat something delicious.
We ordered J's Philly Dip House Specialty which is thinly sliced sirloin, grilled onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese on a hoagie roll served with au jus. I'm not being dramatic when I say that this may be one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. It's so flavorful, a bit greasy, and cheesy. When dipped in the au jus, it became over-the-top delicious.
We also got a bowl of green chili that was topped with so much cheese. The green chili had lots of flavor and was very good!
J's Prairie Rose Cafe serves breakfast all day long which is good because you are going to want to order the J's 7220 Burrito. This enormous burrito is full of eggs, pork, peppers, onions, black beans, and hash browns then smothered in their homemade green chili and cheese. This burrito was so delicious. I can only imagine how good of a hangover cure it must be!
If driving through Laramie, make sure to stop at J's for a extremely tasty breakfast or lunch.
5. 2 Doors Down
118 East 17th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82001
When we were planning our trip, I looked up 'where to eat in Cheyenne' on Reddit, and almost everybody said to go to 2 Doors Down. We weren't that hungry when we went, but we just had to try it!
2 Doors Down is known for their burgers, but we actually ordered the philly cheese steak sandwich. It was excellent! The meat was flavorful and perfectly cut, and it was all covered in canned cheese. Just like we like our philly cheesesteaks!
We also ordered a side of cheese fries covered in red chili. And of course, these were absolutely delicious.
2 Doors Down is a casual place where you order at the front and find your own table. The serve here is fantastic, and they will come around asking if you need a refill. They also offer bottomless fries!
6. Racca's Pizzeria Napoletana
430 South Ash Street
Casper, WY 82601
We were not in Casper for very long. We needed a place to eat that was near our hotel since it was kind of late when we arrived to town. We were lucky that our hotel was near Racca's.
Racca's is a pizzeria serving up incredible wood fired pizzas. The atmosphere is fun, and the staff is helpful and kind.
For a starter, we ordered the focaccia bread which is served with oil and balsamic vinegar. This bread was soft, savory, and so delicious. We weren't planning on eating all of it, but it just happened. We couldn't stop eating!
We then shared a Sicilia pizza which is a pizza topped with ricotta, fresh mozzarella, genoa salami, prosciutto cotto, artichokes, mushrooms, tomato sauce, fresh basil, and olive oil. The crust was crunchy but still soft, and the pizza toppings were incredible. I love pizza, and this pizza had me wishing we lived closer so I could eat it again. There are also many other specialty pizzas to choose from, and you can even build your own!
Since this was our first time dining here, they gave us free cannolis. It was the perfect way to end our day in Wyoming!
7. Chugwater Soda Fountain
314 1st Street
Chugwater, WY 82210
When planning our trip, we ran across Chugwater, a small town about 45 minutes north of Cheyenne. They are home to Wyoming's oldest operating soda fountain and the famous Chugwater chili. I just knew that we had to go!
On our last morning in Wyoming, we got in the car and drove to Chugwater for some breakfast. And by breakfast, I mean soda, chili, and ice cream. Breakfast of champions, right?
Chugwater Soda Fountain is such a cute place! Walking into the building makes you feel like you went back in time 70 years. They have the small round tables, the high bar stools and the old-timey ice cream machines.
First, their homemade sodas are so good. I got the root beer. There's just something about a fresh homemade soda. You can't beat it.
We then ordered a bowl of chili and some biscuits and gravy. It's hard to say whether that was the best bowl of chili I ever had because I've eaten some really good chilis.. This Chugwater chili wasn't fancy or over-the-top, it was just a really good bowl of chili, and sometimes that's all you need.
To end our meal, we had a coffee-flavored malt. It was so creamy and good. We left the small town of Chugwater happy and full. We definitely think it is worth the drive from Cheyenne if you have the time.
8. The Albany
1506 Capitol Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82001
If you are looking for a downtown Cheyenne restaurant that has history then look no further! The Albany is located right next to the depot plaza. It is inside of an old hotel building that was built in 1905, and the walls are covered in old pictures showing Cheyenne's past. They also have a full bar where you can get beer on tap and mixed drinks.
We visited on a Friday evening, and there was about a 10 minute wait for a table. All the staff we interacted with were extremely friendly and welcoming. We started our dinner off with a couple of drinks and a bowl of clam chowder. The chowder was really good.
For dinner, we ordered the French Dip and the Prime Rib. The Albany has tons of reviews raving about the prime rib. However, ours was just okay. It wasn't bad, we just have eaten better. Perhaps, we got them on an off night. With that said, I would definitely give The Albany another try. It was a fun date night!
9. Choo Choo Moo
1506 Capitol Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Choo Choo Moo is an ice cream shop that is located right beside The Albany. Their ice cream is made from the milk of Wyoming cows and is all locally made. This is a seasonal truck that is only open from May to September.
They had many delicious sounding flavors, but we finally decided on the huckleberry. Later, on our trolley tour, our guide said that huckleberry was his favorite flavor. And now we know why it is a local favorite, it is so good! I loved the whole huckleberries throughout the ice cream.
10. Agave Family Mexican Restaurant
470 Washington Street
Afton, WY 83110
We drove into Afton pretty late, and there wasn't many places to eat open. Agave is a small Mexican food restaurant in the middle of Afton. It is really cute inside, everybody was friendly, and the service was quick. As soon as we were seated, we got free chips and salsa.
We both ordered enchiladas for dinner. They weren't the best enchiladas that we had ever eaten, but they were still pretty good! I think they could have used a little more salt/flavor. However, we ate all of them as it was very much appreciated after a long day of travels.
11. Ranch House Restaurant
100 Colter Bay Village Road
Moran, WY 83013
If you are planning on going to Grand Teton National Park, you may want to check out John Colter's Ranch House. The restaurant is located in Colter Bay Village inside of the park. We stayed at the cabins in Colter Bay so this restaurant was only a short walk over for us.
When visiting in mid-September, the restaurant was pretty empty around 5:30PM when we arrived. We were seated immediately and the table was given bread and butter. It was really good bread!
Now, the national parks aren't really known for their food. I was expecting the worst, but it was actually not that bad. We ordered the rainbow trout and shrimp penne pasta. For dessert, we had the huckleberry cheesecake. I will say that it is pretty pricey for what you get, but you are eating inside of a national park after all!
12. Picnic Lunches
Okay, so this isn't an actual restaurant, but I had to mention it. Wyoming consists of so much beauty. A lot of our meals while visiting Wyoming were picnic lunches, and they were the best. You just can't beat those views. Find a picnic table at a park, and enjoy all your favorite picnic foods. Our favorite picnic item for Wyoming was huckleberry jam! You can find it at the smaller grocery stores throughout the state.
13. Taco John's
Lastly, I had to add Taco John's to this list. Taco John's is a fast food restaurant that started in Cheyenne. We ordered the tacos and the famous potato olés. Honestly, it just tasted like fast food tacos and tator tots.. which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Not sure I get all the hype, but I would still eat Taco John's again.
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50 States by 50
Wyoming was our third state for our 50 states by 50 challenge. My husband, Brian, and I are planning to visit all the states in the United States by the time we turn 50 years old. To choose which state we travel to next, we will draw it randomly!
For each state, we will plan at least a 4 day trip that consists of visiting the state capitol and state museum, exploring a state park, and eating whatever food that state is most known for. I will be documenting all of our travels here on my blog and making vlogs as well which will be posted on YouTube. Read more about our 50 States by 50 Bucket List.
We ate a lot while we were visiting Wyoming, but we didn't get to try it all. I wish we could have! If you feel like we missed out on some famous Wyoming foods or a famous restaurant, please let me know! If you have any questions or just want to share your Wyoming food, please leave a comment down below.
Category: Wyoming, Food & Restaurants
Keywords: best food in Wyoming, what to eat in Wyoming, where to eat in Wyoming, best restaurants in Wyoming
Discover More:
☼ Hot Springs State Park (soaking in the hot springs, seeing the bison herd, walking on the swinging bridge, & more)
☼ 10-Day Wyoming Itinerary (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Cheyenne, & more)
☼ Cheyenne Itinerary (state capitol, state museum, botanic gardens, & more)
Bon Voyage!
December 5, 2023 by Laura Ehlers
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