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.

From the wood-and-leather chairs etched with animal figures to the intricate lighting fixtures that resemble snowcapped trees, there's ample Western atmosphere at this relatively intimate dining room inside the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The huge windows give you a view of the Old Faithful area, and you can sometimes see the famous geyser as it erupts. The French onion soup will warm you up on a chilly afternoon; among the main courses, standouts include pasta with house-made elk and bison bolognese sauce, and pecan-cornmeal-crusted Montana trout. It's one of the only full-service park dining options open in winter.