Jack

WOuld like to know your recommendations for dining at Teton, Yellowstone and W.Yellowstone. 3 days each place.

Mike Miller

In the Tetons, the Signal Mountain Lodge restaurant was "very good" for a dinner. Recommend reservations. We also had a couple of meals in the Coulter Bay Chuckwagon Cafeteria and they rated as "good". Also ate at Jackson Lake Lodge Pioneer Grill which is a diner type and good for lunch. In Yellowstone, we ate at the Yellowstone Lake Lodge cafeteria which I also rate as "good". The only meal we did not especially like in Yellowstone was at the Canyon Lodge We bought a styrofoam cooler and ate our lunches before a hike or on the road. Make sure you go to the top of Signal Mountain for a wonderful view.

Mary Lou

We just got back from the Tetons and Yellowstone. It was great. Food was not really the highlight though. I would also recommend the Yellowstone Lake lodge cafeteria as "good". Great view. Also, while up in the Mammoth section we ate at the Roosevelt lodge. It has a really rustic atmosphere. We brought a collasible cooler and packed breakfast and lunch. The food store at Colter Bay was good also. Check out Bubbas in Jackson. It is inexpensive and the food is good. Have fun.

Laura

Jack-
I lived in Jackson Hole for 3 years. Eat in Jackson if possible. The park food is only average. In Jackson, I would go to Snake River Grill (high end) excellent!! The Yellowstone Garage-Italian food is owned by a amazing couple. The food and service are perfect. The Mangy Moose in Teton Village near Jackson Hole Ski Resort has good food and excellent view and atmosphere. Closed to the Grand Teton Park is DORNAN'S in Moose. Very casual..you order at a counter, great pizza. Would be a great choice if the weather is clear. You can sit on upstairs outdoor patio and view the tetons while you eat pizza and drink cold beer. West Yellowstone (the town has little) dosen't have much to offer. North of the park, in Montana, at the Chico Hot Springs lodge/resort has a highly acclaimed restaurant.

Howard

The food in Yellowstone is average at best. If you want a real treat in the Tetons, go to the Jenny Lake Lodge for lunch. (I assume jackets are still required for men at dinner, but not at lunch. And, the prices are also lower!)
I agree with the comments about Signal Mountain Lodge. Their breakfasts are wonderful! Also agree with Laura's suggestion about eating in Jackson Hole versus in the park.

anna

Agree with Bubba's in JH. Good food and reasonable. Buy sandwiches and fruit at the general stores in Yellowstone and head for a picnic area (there's one every few miles all around the park and they're all marked on the map.) We tried eating at one of the places that was listed as "inexpensive" our first day in the park and lunch ran us over $40 for a family of five. Have agood time.

Howard

Just have to ask: Anna, you found a $40 lunch for five expensive? Where are you from?

anna

We're from a medium-sized town in Illinois and when we go to dinner at McDonald's here it runs us just over $20, but then again, and at the risk of starting another thread on overweight people like the one in the Europe forum, I will say that we are all five either thin or normal weight for our height and we don't eat ridiculous amounts of food when we eat out. The sandwiches, chips, and fruit that we bought at the store for lunch every day at Yellowstone also ran just over $20 and for us that was a big improvement over $40+. Part of the reason we were able to take a family of five to Europe last summer is that we watch our budget when we eat out and when we travel, whether it's in the US or anywhere else. (We will on rare occasions eat at a "sit down" restaurant and then it does run us about $40.)

Howard

Anna, thanks for explaining that to this New Yorker! (Ah, that's why he asked, you say!) However, we also often get sandwiches-to-go for lunch, or stop in the local supermarket while traveling. It's an especially good alternative in the Tetons and Yellowstone!

Jack

Jackets for dinner, I thought this was a casual town. Where do we have to get dressed up for dinner????? Or do you mean denim jacket?

Dayle

Jack, the Jenny Lake Lodge is "old style resort casual" and very expensive. You will actually see older men in their navy blazers and white leather loafers. Not exactly the climbing or packing crowd. It's about the only place in Jackson that I know of like that.

Sandy

Hi
We ate at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone for a nice meal. Like most of the other posters, we used a cooler to pack sandwiches, fruit...it is both handy and easier on the budget.
In Jackson Hole, we ate at Bubbas, it was fun and the food was good. There is another good place, I think it is called Jedidiah's or Jedidiah Johnson's. Just ask around and they will know what you are talking about. It was recommended to us for breakfast; it was very good, it seemed to be very popular.
Agree on the previous comment on Signal mountain, also go across Jenny Lake and hike up Inspiration Point. Lots to do in Jackson/Tetons. Have fun.

Britney

Anna, i read your replies, and i just have to say, what teh heck? are you poor? cuz most normal families i know eat out at a "sit down" restaurant at least once a week, and that's minimal for our town. our town is pretty average too. i'm sorry, i'm just appalled that you could be so scrimpy and cheap. lighten up. eating out is great. you should let your kids in on it too. that's the whole fun of it. well, have fun.

anna

In a country where most of the people I know are in hock up to their ears and the personal savings rate is at an all-time low, I resent being criticized for how I choose to spend my money in a TRAVEL forum. I was simply trying to pass along tips to fellow travellers on how to save a few bucks and still have a great vacation, which IS one of the purposes of this forum. I have a paid-up house, two paid-up cars, no debts, and three happy kids who spent three weeks in Europe last summer (eating sandwiches for lunch every day) and will someday soon have three paid-up college educations. Please refer to the Europe forum for several excellent discussions of how people prioritize their spending.

howard

Good for you, Anna. Britney's comments were certainly uncalled for!

Britney

anna, i meant what I said and said what I meant, and i don't think i was being that offensive either. just you're missing out on a great part of life, you need to lighten up. --Britney

Kate

Jack, we definitely recommend Jenny Lake Lodge & Yellowstone Lodge. Not inexpensive, but very good IF you are looking for fine dining. Jenny has a beautiful view - beaver dam & Tetons from the dining rm and bar. At least go to the bar and enjoy the sunset. Stayed in Coulter Bay. Chuckwagon is a good value. Enjoy that beautiful country.

bill

Some interesting comments on this topic. It is interesting to see how a simple question at the start of a thread can lead to an all out brawl between some of the responders.

I do though have this to say. This country has some of the finest national parks in the world, and Yellowstone is no exception. It is a park like none other. But unfortunately, many tourists get to only see it through their car's window. Get out folks and enjoy the outdoors. And part of the enjoyment is camping and being one with nature. If I want to go on a vacation to enjoy dining, I might pick New York, Vegas or Paris. But if you are picking Yellowstone, then try camping out.

So to answer the original question - recommendations for dining at Yellowstone - try cooking over an open fire - then sit back and enjoy the great outdoors.

Tony

The best restaurants in Yellowstone are at the dining room at Old Faithful Inn and even better the dining room at Lake Hotel. Go early to Lake Hotel and have a drink while listening to chamber music on the veranda. We also like the Roosevelt lodge dining room. Pick up lunch items for the Tetons at the store at Moose Junction just before you enter the park. You'll be surprised at the quality cold cuts and other items. The store at Colter bay is also good. Jedediahs in Jackson Hole is especially good at breakfast, but there is a line if you don't get there early. There is also an Italian place, can't remember the name, that is very good, not Anthony's.

Flo

We were in the Tetons and Yellowstone in the summewr of '98. We stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge. The dining there was great, but expensive...and after awhile boring, if we didn't feel like driving to Jackson Hole. The Signal Lake Lodge down the road was a great alternative. All the restaurants we ate in at Yellowstone were awful, compared to the Tetons,we were told that the two parks had two separate catering companies which explained the difference in the quality of the food. We had a wonderful time though and would like to go back in the winter.