Restaurants and Food

Though more limited than your choices in nearby Jackson [1], Grand Teton National Park has a good variety of dining options, from the all-you-can-eat outdoor affairs at Dornan’s to memorable Jenny Lake Lodge meals. Most places do not require reservations, though you may need to wait for a table on a busy summer evening.

Restaurants and Lounges

Moose [2]

An old favorite with an egalitarian setting—look for the tepees—is Dornan’s Chuck Wagon (307/733-2415 ext. 203, www.dornans.com [3], mid-June-mid-Sept.), offering reasonable meals every summer since 1948. Breakfasts (daily 7-11 a.m., $10) include pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and French toast. Sandwiches are the main lunch attraction (daily noon-3 p.m., $10), and dinners (daily 5-9 p.m., $17) include beef stew, mashed potatoes, beans, short ribs, bread, cobbler, and a big outdoor salad bar; add a few bucks for trout, steak, or BBQ chicken. Friday and Saturday dinners ($25) star prime rib or New York steak.

Across the street—and open all year—is Dornan’s
Dornan’s Pizza and Pasta Co. (307/733-2415 ext. 204, daily 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. mid-June-mid-Sept., reduced winter hours, closed Apr. and Nov.), offering a wide range of homemade pizzas ($16), sandwiches (including a tasty chicken salad croissant for $9), calzones, salads, and pastas. Try the Teewinot pizza with Canadian bacon, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese. Dining is available on the side patio or—more dramatically—on the big upstairs deck, where you can watch the rafts float past topped by can’t-beat-the-view Teton vistas. (Because of its height, the deck is for adults only.) Spur Bar serves beer on draught and mixed drinks, along with monthly wine tastings ($10 for 10 wines) the first Sunday of each month. Monday-evening Hootenannies are a fun addition in winter; these move outside to the adjacent Chuck Wagon Restaurant when summer arrives. Musicians perform once or twice a month, and there’s free Wi-Fi. Check out the plank on the wall next to the entrance. In 1944, local resident Farney Cole used the board to defend himself from a bear attack. He survived, as did the bear.

Jenny Lake [4]

Marvelous old Jenny Lake Lodge (307/543-3300 or 800/628-9988, www.gtlc.com [5], daily 7:30-9 a.m., noon-1:15 p.m., and 6-8:45 p.m. late May-mid-Oct.) has impeccable service, windows that face the Tetons, and a cozy setting. Five-course dinners are the featured attractions, and the wine list is extensive. Lunch is à la carte ($10-13), but breakfast and dinner are fixed price (and pricey: $72 for a five-course dinner, $22 for breakfast). This is a dress-up place, so a jacket and slacks are recommended for dinner. Reservations should be made a day or more in advance, since lodge guests have priority.

Jackson Lake [6]

Several good dining options exist at Jackson Lake Lodge (307/543-3100 or 800/628-9988, www.gtlc.com [5], mid-May-Oct.), including the famed
Mural Room (daily 7-9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and 5:30-9 p.m., $18-38 dinner entrées) with its 60-foot windows fronting the Tetons. It’s hard to imagine a more extraordinary setting for dinner! The restaurant serves three meals a day, including an impressive buffet breakfast with fresh waffles ($15 adults, $9 kids). Dinner reservations are advised for the Mural Room (call 307/543-3463 ext. 3463).

Across the lobby from the Mural Room is Blue Heron Lounge (daily 11 a.m.-midnight), offering equally impressive views. Musicians provide evening accompaniment for your cocktails.

Find casual meals and soda fountain specials at Pioneer Grill (daily 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m.) and Pool Snack Bar, next to the large outdoor swimming pool. A better bet is the Pool BBQ (daily 6-8 p.m. June-Aug., $24 adults, $12 kids), serving all-you-can-eat dinner buffets featuring hamburgers, brisket, carnitas, barbecue chicken, fruit cobbler, watermelon, cornbread, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and other Western grub. Live music nightly; reservations are recommended (call 307/543-3463 ext. 3463).

Signal Mountain Lodge (307/543-2831 or 800/672-6012, www.signalmountainlodge.com [7]) houses Trapper Grill (daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m. early May-mid-Sept., till 9 p.m. late Sept.-Oct., $8-15), with casual fare and a popular deck for alfresco dining. Burgers, salads, sandwiches, soup, elk meatloaf, and more are on the menu—but lots of folks just opt for a gigantic plate of their famous nachos ($15). Step into Deadman’s Bar for legendary blackberry margaritas. Also here is the Peaks Dining Room (daily 5:30-10 p.m. early May-mid-Sept., till 9 p.m. late Sept.-Oct., $20-32), with an upscale menu and spectacular vistas of the Tetons. Reservations are not accepted. Deadman’s Bar also serves a late-night pub menu.

Leek’s Pizzeria (307/543-2494, www.signalmountainlodge.com [7], daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m., $9-23) is a very popular pizzeria that also serves calzones, sandwiches, salads, and beer on tap. Kids love the specialty-flavor ice creams. Open early May-mid-October.

Colter Bay [8]

Colter Bay Village has two dining choices. The Ranch House (daily 6:30-10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and 5:30-9 p.m. May-Sept., $16-22) offers breakfast buffets, lunch sandwiches, and steaks, trout, chicken, and pasta for dinner. Find lighter fare at John Colter Café Court (daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. June-Sept., $5-19), including chicken, burritos, sandwiches, salads, and snacks.

Rockefeller Memorial Parkway [9]

The main lodge at Flagg Ranch Resort (307/543-2861 or 800/443-2311, www.flaggranch.com [10]) houses Bear’s Den Restaurant, serving three meals a day. Also here are a saloon and grocery store.

Buffalo Valley and Gros Ventre [11]

Buffalo Valley Café (307/543-2062 or 888/543-2477, www.buffalovalleyranch.com [12], daily 7 a.m.-9 p.m. mid-May-Labor Day) is outside the park in this quaint valley three miles east of Moran Junction [13]. The seasonal café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is popular with campers, folks staying in nearby cabins, and locals who drive up from Jackson. Steaks are on the menu, but the buffalo burgers ($10) are the real attraction. Sit on the screened deck for Teton backdrops with your meal.

Kelly on the Gros Ventre (307/732-9837, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in summer, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tues.-Sat. in winter, $5-10) serves sandwiches, box lunches, and espresso. There’s also free Wi-Fi.

Groceries and Supplies

The best in-the-park store is Dornan’s Trading Post (307/733-2415, www.dornans.com [3], open year-round), near park headquarters in Moose. The store is stocked with groceries, tasty deli sandwiches ($7), fresh baked goods, and camping supplies. The cart out front has espresso, and next door is Dornan’s Wine Shoppe, with one of the biggest selections of fine wine and beer in Jackson Hole, including more than 1,700 different wines. Wine tastings take place here on the first Sunday of the month, October-June. Other nearby Dornan’s operations include Moose Pizza and Pasta Co., the Chuck Wagon, and a gift shop. In winter, the gift shop rents cross-country skis, snowshoes, and pull-behind sleds.

Colter Bay General Store (307/543-3100) has a good choice of groceries and supplies, while convenience stores operate at Signal Mountain [6], Flagg Ranch Resort [9], and Jenny Lake [4]. The store at Flagg Ranch Resort is open in both summer and winter seasons (mid-May-mid-Oct. and mid-Dec.-mid-Mar.). All of the others are open only in summer.