6 Best Restaurants in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Theodore's offers the best fine dining in Medora and, perhaps, in western North Dakota. The lunch menu features salads, prime-rib sandwiches, and buffalo burgers, while dinner fare includes shrimp with lemon risotto, a hickory-seasoned rib eye, and tenderloin with Gorgonzola cream sauce. The stained glass and wood paneling make this restaurant inside the Rough Riders Hotel feel like a little hideaway for a quiet lunch or dinner. The fireplace was built from bricks taken from the North Dakota Capitol that burned in 1930. T.R.'s Tavern has a full-service bar.

This watering hole has Medora's largest tavern, an upstairs dining room, and breezy patios, as well as live music, dancing, and microbrews. Diners feast primarily on pizzas, burgers, and steak, and it's kid-friendly until 10 pm.

This locally owned-and-operated café specializes in homemade soups, caramel rolls, and delicious roast beef sandwiches and chicken-fried steak. Be prepared for a (short) wait, since the cozy dining room is popular with both locals and visitors.

With a local reputation for fair prices and good service, Dakota Farms serves breakfast all day and all-you-can-eat fish on Friday. It has a kids' menu, and no alcohol is served.

For great omelets and other breakfast fare, try Gramma's. Locals go for the biscuits and gravy, as well as the burgers. There is a kids' menu, and no alcohol is served.

Steaks are prepared on the tines of pitchforks in classic Western style. A full buffet accompanies the meat, all of it served with a view of the badlands and live musical entertainment. The "Just the Fixin's" option is good for vegetarians. Dinner here, which begins at 5:30, is the perfect prelude to the Medora Musical.