The Best Food And Drink In Wyoming For 2019

Wyoming is home to wide-open expanses, stunning natural beauty, world-class ski resorts, and plenty of big sky. When we think of Wyoming, however, we tend not to think of it as a great culinary destination. It's certainly home to some great restaurants and bars, though, and we've rounded up the Cowboy State's claims to culinary fame as part of our second annual guide to the best food and drink in every state.

The cuisine of Wyoming tends to be simple and relatively rugged, true to its cowboy roots. Pan-fried steaks, biscuits, chili, and beef jerky — foods that feel right at home on the range — are the de facto state cuisine, but head to cities like Cheyenne and Jackson and you'll find a wide variety of restaurants of every stripe, running the gamut from solid pizza, Chinese, and Mexican fare to top-notch Italian and great doughnuts and cupcakes. And, needless to say, there's also no shortage of great steaks and legendary saloons.

Over the course of the past year we've honored everything from its best hot dogs and fried chicken to its best bar and craft beer in our comprehensive and wide-ranging lists and rankings, compiled through extensive research and with input from a wide network of site contributors, bloggers, journalists, and chefs. We've compiled these into individual slideshows celebrating the best food and drink in every state, and you can find our Wyoming gallery ahead.

You knew that the best all-you-can-eat deal in Wyoming was going to involve a chuckwagon one way or another, right? Because of course it does. Located at the 41-year-old Bar J Ranch in Jackson Hole, this nightly dinner begins at 7 p.m. on the dot (when the dinner bell rings, of course), and guests can treat themselves to an all-you-can-eat meal of a choice of barbecue shredded beef, boneless chicken breast, a beef and chicken combo, barbecue pork ribs, or a grilled 12-ounce ribeye along with endless baked potatoes, biscuits, beans, applesauce, spice cake, coffee, and lemonade. The price ranges from $25 to $35, but a visit to Bar J isn't just a meal, it's an experience.

The Best All-You-Can-Eat Deal in Every State

With a "stupid amount of hops," Melvin Brewing's 2x4 DIPA is danker than dank, and that's a good thing. Clean and crisp yet intensely floral and citrusy, this 9.9 percent ABV beer has everything you could ever want from its style.

The Best Beer in Every State

One of Jackson Hole's most popular restaurants, Local is primarily a steakhouse, which is always a good sign on a hunt for a great burger. And the burger here, made from a blend of different locally-ranched, house-ground beef, lives up to all great steakhouse burger expectations. Drop by at dinner and you'll find one burger on the menu — topped with smoked Cheddar, bacon, tomato jam, lettuce, and pickles — but come for lunch and create your own burger from four patty options (custom-blended locally pastured and grass-fed beef; Montana buffalo; steak, which is a blend of ribeye, New York strip, and filet mignon trimmings; and veggie), with a wide variety of cheeses and other toppings.

The Best Burger in Every State

Chef Oscar Ortega is making some truly otherworldly chocolates at his Jackson chocolate shop. His truly artisanal chocolates come in classic flavors (Tahitian vanilla, walnut) and inventive varietals (oregano and Earl Grey tea). You don't need another reason to eat chocolate every day, but this place sure gives you one.

The Best Chocolate Shop in Every State

Alla Lala Cupcakes serves as Gillette, Wyoming's only cupcakery... and any wannabe cupcake shop owners would likely have difficulty competing with the shop's quality and variety. With an impressive menu of inventive flavor profiles — such as rhubarb basil cake, grasshopper, and brown sugar pecan — competitors would surely have their work cut out for them!

The Best Cupcakes in Every State

Mini doughnuts are as fun to look at as they are to eat, and Delish Donuts & Coffee proves this. These fresh, made-to-order doughnuts are crunchy and crisp on the outside and beautifully fluffy and wondrous on the inside. Get them plain, dusted, or glazed. And if you're lucky enough, you just might find a seasonal flavor!

The Best Doughnuts in Every State

The adorably quaint Cafe Genevieve, located inside a circa-1910 log cabin and in business since 2010, is a Jackson Hole destination. Chef Joshua Governale's menu is Southern-influenced, with standouts including fried rockfish, smoked turkey leg with mole colorado, and elk sirloin, but don't pass up the opportunity to try Wyoming's best fried chicken, available either on a waffle during brunch or with mac and cheese during dinner. The chicken is dunked in batter before heading into the fryer, so the resulting fried chicken is coated in a shatteringly crisp crust that hides perfectly cooked chicken underneath.

The Best Fried Chicken in Every State

A little cart in a Cheyenne Home Depot parking lot, serving one of the best hot dogs in the West? Yeah, you heard that right. That's because it's run by a former fine-dining chef who's committed not only to serving top-notch hot dogs and sausages with some seriously creative toppings, but also to serving some of the best wild game sausages around: think elk jalapeño Cheddar brats, bison brats, and "jackalope" sausage. The specials change daily, but don't miss the opportunity to have your dog topped with pulled pork, bacon, and barbecue sauce.

The Best Hot Dog in Every State

This Wild West-themed saloon, complete with swinging doors and mounted stag's heads, is about as Wyoming as it gets. The menu is primarily comprised of bar food, sandwiches, and burgers, but its steaks and chops are beyond reproach. Slow-roasted prime rib costs $25, a 16-ounce rib-eye costs just $24, and a 14-ounce marinated rib-eye costs $22. All entrées come with your choice of two sides.

America's Best Inexpensive Steakhouses

There's actually no shortage of decent Mexican spots in Wyoming, and the best of all is San Juan, formerly known as Sanchez. Owners Maria and Rigoberto Sosa, who hail from Guerrero, Mexico, and purchased the restaurant from its previous owners in 2014 after working there for 12 years, transformed the space from a taqueria into a full-service Mexican restaurant, taking over the adjacent outdoor seating area and acquiring a liquor license. Peek into the kitchen and you'll see the Sosas, turning out tacos, enchiladas, tortas, quesadillas, with a wide variety of fillings, based on their old family recipes.

The Best Mexican Restaurant in Every State

Tasty Bones is a great barbecue place in Wyoming, and their Hog Trough sandwich is pretty impressive. Two grilled cheese sandwiches serve as the buns, holding a half-pound burger patty topped with brisket, pulled pork, kielbasa, and coleslaw — all of which comes together in a sandwich that just might change your life.

The Most Outrageous Restaurant Dish in Every State

This casual family diner has been in business for more than 30 years and serves top-notch renditions of classic country fare, like chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, and cinnamon rolls. And as can be expected, its pancakes are phenomenal. They're golden-brown, plate-sized, and slightly crispy, and about as no-frills as can be; you can add chocolate chips, pecans, or blueberries, and that's it. No matter; a little butter and syrup is all you need.

The Best Pancakes in Every State

This warm and inviting Casper breakfast spot opens at 6 a.m. daily (7 on Sundays), and its menu is a solid mix of the classic and the unexpected, all prepared with high-quality ingredients and served in ample portions. You'll find your classic eggs Benedict, daily breakfast quiche, chicken fried steak, create-your-own omelettes, triple-berry oatmeal, and fresh-baked muffins, but there also several Mexican-inspired dishes like a breakfast quesadilla, chile relleno topped with eggs and cheese, breakfast tacos, and tamales and burritos smothered in homemade green chili. There's also a Breakfast Banana Split, which is a lot healthier than it sounds: It's layers of low-fat fruit yogurt with granola, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.

The Best Restaurant for Breakfast in Every State

The Cheese Barrel is a Casper gem, serving breakfast and lunch fare like omelettes, biscuits and gravy, soups, sandwiches, and salads made from scratch with fresh ingredients. New England chowder and green chili are always available, but daily specials include potato soup, cheesy cauliflower, and cheese potato broccoli. Make sure you get some of their famous cheese bread on the side.

The Best Soup in Every State

Named after "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the small town of Cody, Wyoming, located near the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park, probably isn't a town you'd imagine as having a standout taquería. But that's the great thing about great tacos: They tend to pop up where you least expect them. Case in point: Tacos El Taconazo. With a clean and inviting dining room, a friendly wait staff, and a surprisingly expansive menu, the restaurant specializes in made-to-order carne asada, served in a flour or corn tortilla and topped with lettuce, tomato, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and raw or grilled onions.

The Best Taco in Every State