The Best Restaurant in Cody, Sheridan, and Northern Wyoming, Wyoming

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Although not every community here has the eclectic mix of dining options common in more urban areas, there are plenty of small restaurants and local cafés with inimitable appeal. The larger communities often have several ethnic eateries from which to choose, serving everything from traditional Mexican and Native American specialties to Old World Italian and modern Korean dishes. The real strength of the region’s dining, however, lies with the basics. In almost any small-town watering hole you can order up some of the freshest and best-tasting beef and buffalo in the world. Whether it’s prime rib and mashed potatoes with sunflower bread or charred rib eye with corn on the cob, the area’s best meals are simple yet filled with a flavor found only in the West.

The Virginian Restaurant

$$$ Fodor's Choice

Named for the 1902 Owen Wister novel that made Buffalo famous, this is the dining salon of the beautifully restored Occidental Hotel. Dishes made from organic beef range from buffalo rib eye to chateaubriand and filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. Further delights include shrimp scampi, swordfish, and chicken marsala, all served amid the splendor of antique mirrors, Western art, and Victorian lamps; many fixtures are from the original building. Period lamps light the 19th-century brass-color tin ceiling, and wainscoting accents the maroon-colored walls. There's also a kids' menu, and starry-eyed couples can dine in candlelit seclusion within the old Stockmen's bank vault.

10 N. Main St., Buffalo, WY, 82834, USA
307-684--5976
Known For
  • Marvelous stained-glass accents in the saloon, dating from 1908
  • Inspiration for Owen Wister's famous novel (and not much has changed since)
  • Decadent buffalo steaks
Restaurant Details
Credit cards accepted

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