I have not found a spectacular restaurant outside the park but I really haven't looked. There is a very good Pizza and Italian restaurant in West Yellowstone, but I can't remember its name. I'll write it down the next time I'm in West. I have heard of some very good restaurants in Jackson but I've never tried them so I can't speak about them. If your in Jackson, ask around and you should be pointed to some good restaurants.

In Yellowstone, all of the Large hotel dining rooms serve good food. These dining rooms are the up-scale eating establishments in the park. The prices are at the high end, at least for the Montana/Wyoming area but are not outrageous. Compared to California or New York, they are cheap. Each dining room has a different menu so there is some variety as you cross the park. The Old Faithful Inn Dining Room and the Lake Hotel Dining Room are my favorites.

The Old Faithful Inn dining room has no view to speak of but the ambiance is great. The dining room at the Lake Hotel has a fairly nice view of Yellowstone Lake. The atmosphere is a little more posh at the Lake Hotel than at the Old Faithful Inn but Old Faithful is more relaxing. It depends on my mood as to which I enjoy the most. Either way, after a long tiring day or as is more often the case, to celebrate the conclusion of successful trip, I enjoy a relaxed dinner in one of these dining rooms.

I have also enjoyed the dining room at the Mammoth Hotel (little view or ambiance). The dining room at Grant Village has a better view of Yellowstone Lake than the Lake Hotel dining room but it lacks the charm of the Lake Hotel. There is also a dining room at Canyon Lodge. I have found the food at each of these dining rooms to be uniformly good.

All of the above listed dining rooms, except the Canyon Lodge dining room, require reservations for dinner. Reservations can be made in person at the dining room or any park hotel desk, or by contacting AmFac Parks and Resorts. You rarely need to make dinner reservations more than a few days in advance and if you are willing to eat late, you can often get same day reservations.

I have found breakfast in these dining rooms to be quite good and reasonably priced.

The Old Faithful Snow Lodge restaurant offers sit down family dining at a fairly reasonable price and does not require reservations. Of course, at times, it can be hard to get into.

The Lakehouse at Grant Village has an excellent view of the lake but serves mainly uninspired fish dishes. You stand in line to order your food and the food is brought to your table. Prices are reasonable.

There is a family style dining room at Roosevelt *. It does not require reservations but there may be a 30-60 minute wait during the peak season of July and August. The prices here are reasonable. The food is more "American" (ribs, fried-chicken, trout) than at the Hotel dining rooms. The entrees come with corn & mashed potatoes (homemade of course) and each table gets a big bowl of the famous "Roosevelt baked beans," homemade coleslaw, and homemade cornbread served up family-style.

Of course, there is also the family cookout at Roosevelt. The cookout is a real crowd pleaser. You either take horses or ride a wagon to the outdoor cookout. Phone AmFac Parks and Resorts for more information.

For cheaper food safe bets are the Hamilton Stores lunch counters. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even though they may not always serve the most healthy food (the Lower Hamilton store at Old Faithful, next to the Inn, serves great milkshakes that I can't seem to ignore) I find that this is where I eat most often when I'm in the park and not fixing my own food.

The cafeterias in the lodges are ok but I find them to be expensive for what you get. If you are not careful, you can easily spend as much at one of the cafeterias as at one of the main hotel dining rooms.

The only place you can eat and watch Old Faithful erupt is the Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria and this fact alone makes me recommend it for lunch. If you do go there, wait at least 20-30 minutes after Old Faithful erupts to have a better chance of seeing the next eruption while you are eating and to avoid the post eruption crowds.

The fast food places, these are not chain operations but serve similar food, only worse, are expensive for what you get.

Comments and Questions are Welcome.

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