Wyoming does not need chain restaurants to create memorable dining.
In fact, it is one of only six states without a Cracker Barrel. Instead, diners can eat surrounded by horror-movie monsters, taxidermy, bison herds and more Old West history than most museums contain.
Here are five of Wyoming’s weirdest restaurants.
Little Shop of Burgers in Casper
Little Shop of Burgers is a horror-themed restaurant inspired partly by “Little Shop of Horrors” and broadly by the entire scary-movie universe.
The walls are covered with classic horror posters, collectible figures, monster artwork and macabre decorations. An Audrey II-style plant, alien pieces and images of vintage movie creatures turn a burger lunch into a miniature horror convention.
There is even a theater room where guests can eat while watching movies.
The burgers are cooked from locally sourced beef, but the atmosphere is what makes this little shop genuinely unusual.
Gun Barrel Steak & Game House in Jackson
Gun Barrel occupies a building that once housed the Wyoming Wildlife Museum and Taxidermy.
The restaurant did not erase that history.
Wildlife mounts and Western décor surround diners as they order elk, bison, venison and other game meats. The combination creates an experience that is either perfectly themed or slightly unsettling, depending on how closely one studies the walls while eating.
Few restaurants connect décor and menu quite so directly.
The Irma Hotel Dining Room in Cody
Buffalo Bill Cody built the Irma Hotel in 1902 and named it for his daughter.
Today, guests can eat prime rib and buffalo dishes surrounded by photographs, game mounts, historic architecture and the hotel’s crown jewel: an enormous cherrywood back bar that Queen Victoria herself gave to Buffalo Bill as a gift, shipped from England. It has stood in the same spot since the hotel opened.
During the summer, diners may sit on the porch while performers stage an Old West gunfight outside.
That means an ordinary dinner can include Buffalo Bill history, a Victorian royal artifact, a Western buffet and actors arguing with firearms in the street.
Senator’s Steakhouse at Terry Bison Ranch
Senator’s Steakhouse sits on Terry Bison Ranch near the Wyoming-Colorado state line.
The ranch is home to a large bison herd, and the restaurant serves bison burgers, bison short ribs and other ranch-oriented dishes. Visitors can combine the meal with ranch activities and tours that bring them close to the animals.
There is something undeniably strange about meeting a bison herd and then ordering bison for dinner.
It is also a distinctly Wyoming version of farm-to-table dining.
Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse in Jackson
The Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse sits below the iconic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in downtown Jackson.
The upstairs bar is famous for Western memorabilia and saddle-shaped barstools. Downstairs, the steakhouse carries the cowboy history into a more polished dining room filled with photographs and design pieces connected to the legendary watering hole.
Guests essentially descend beneath one tourist attraction to eat inside another.
It feels part steakhouse, part Western museum and part underground cowboy club.
Wyoming’s weird restaurants fit the state. They are rugged, historic, theatrical and just unusual enough to make the meal part of the road trip.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment