2 Best Restaurants in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Opened in 1891, this double-colonnaded dining room off the lobby of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel is the park's most elegant dining spot, and with a menu that focuses on regional ingredients. Arrive early and enjoy a beverage and the view in the airy Reamer Lounge, which debuted as a sunroom in 1928. The dinner menu includes such enticing starters as a charcuterie sampler with Montana cheeses. Favorites among the main courses include steelhead trout with spring pea puree, and bone-in maple-glazed pork chops with an apple-cider vinaigrette. The wine list focuses on California and the Pacific Northwest. Reservations aren't needed for breakfast or lunch, but they're highly recommended for dinner, as far in advance (up to a year) as possible.

The Old Faithful Inn's original dining room—designed by Robert Reamer in 1903 and expanded by him in 1927—has lodgepole-pine walls and ceiling beams and a giant volcanic rock fireplace. Note the whimsical etched-glass panels that separate the dining room from the Bear Pit Lounge; the images of partying animals were commissioned by Reamer in 1933 to celebrate the end of Prohibition. The dinner buffet favors quantity over quality, so it's wiser to order from the à la carte menu, which features dishes like wild sockeye salmon, New York strip steak, and pork osso buco, and at least a couple of vegetarian options.