8 Best Restaurants in Cody, WY
Seat of Park County and gateway to the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, Cody, Wyoming is one of the American West’s standout towns. Set in the Bighorn Basin and edged by grand peaks such as Heart and Cedar mountains, this “Rodeo Capital of the World”—named after the legendary Old West bison-hunter and showman “Buffalo” Bill Cody and also drenched in the living indigenous heritage of Native peoples such as the Shoshone and Crow—plays host to the excellent Buffalo Bill Center of the West and launches visitors up the canyon of the Shoshone River to reach the oldest national park on the globe.
But don’t launch yourself to Yellowstone right away: Spare a day or three to explore Cody itself, including on the gastronomic end of things. This is a town that knows how to satisfy a Cowboy State-sized appetite, needless to say, and we’re not only talking about ribeyes and T-bones (though, unsurprisingly, you can absolutely dig into some prime-grade steak here).
In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the best restaurants in Cody, from mom-and-pop operations to decked-out dinner theaters.
The Cody Cattle Company
1910 Demaris St., Cody, WY
Drinking deep of the town’s cowboy bona fides, the Cody Cattle Company is a dinner theater combining meat-and-potatoes-style comfort food with live music. The family-style, all-you-can-eat spread here includes beef brisket, pulled pork, chicken, flatiron steak, and other solid entrées paired with such sides as baked beans, taters, corn bread, and salad, and follows everything up with a celebrated dessert of brownies and vanilla ice cream. There’s a full bar menu as well.
The tunes, meanwhile, come courtesy of Ryan Martin and the Triple C Cowboys, who show off some impressive musicianship and eclectic influences.
While the Daily Double Ticket for dinner and a show is available all summer long at the Cody Cattle Company, the Trifecta option (June through August) adds a third enticement to the evening out: entry to the Cody Nite rodeo, the grounds of which are within strolling distance of the dinner theater.
8th Street at the Ivy
1800 8th Street, Cody, WY
Housed within the Best Western Premier Ivy Inn & Suites, 8th Street at the Ivy serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner: a great choice, in other words, for an anytime fuel-up. Kick off the day—Yellowstone-bound? rodeo-bound?—with eggs benedict, French toast, country-fried steak, or an omelet. For lunch, nab a burger, sandwich, or wrap. Ease into dinner with Seared Ahi Tuna, Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts, or Lump Crab Cakes, the ideal segue to one of the 8th Street entrées: from Fish & Chips and Blackened Walleye to Filet Mignon and ribs.
The Blanca Tatanka
1455 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY
Connected to the Scout Inn, the Blanca Tatanka (“white buffalo/bison,” in a mishmash of Spanish and Lakota) is another of the top Cody, Wyoming restaurants, offering bar-and-grill fare as well as a busy calendar of live music. Highlights of the small-plate menu include such house specialties as the Wagyu Sliders, Nauti Pappardelle, Wonton Nachos, and beignets with whiskey sauce. You can also order everything from Pork Belly Tacos, Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, and Sweet Potato Fries to burgers, sandwiches, and pizza here.
The specialty cocktails are also worth checking out, with plenty of beer, wine, and other beverages on offer as well.
Hungry Bear Restaurant
2706 Big Horn Ave #A, Cody, WY
The family-run, husband-and-wife operation of Hungry Bear Restaurant focuses on homemade goodness, from omelets and other soul-nourishing breakfasts to sub sandwiches, chili burgers, wraps, pizzas, calzones, and pasta. It’s not always the fastest service here, but the down-home warmth and tasty fare (oh, and the big portion sizes in which it comes) are worth the wait—as plenty of the locals who patronize the restaurant can attest.
Granny’s Family Dining
1550 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY
Breakfast is probably the all-around star of the show at Granny’s Family Dining, given it’s served all day long and has a cadre of loyal fans (local and out-of-town alike). We’re talking hit-the-spot omelets, Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, and other winners. But you can also avail yourself of a straight-shooting lunch or dinner here, with everything from poppers, shrimp boats, and deep-fried mushrooms to burgers, sandwiches, chili, Chicken Fried Steak, meatloaf, jumbo shrimp, and Filet of Fish on offer.
Trailhead Bar Grill Wood-Fired Pizza
1326 Beck Ave, Cody, WY
An upscale mountain-lodge vibe pervades at Trailhead, run by Chef/Owner Nathan Kardos, a graduate of Cody High School as well as Colorado’s Culinary School of the Rockies (now called the Boulder Campus of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts). An emphasis on fresh, flavorful, high-quality ingredients anchors the Trailhead menu, which is seasonally inflected and features much local produce, meat, and baked goods—plus top-shelf seafood courtesy of a partnership with the Seattle Fish Company.
From breakfast and brunch items such as the Pork Belly Benny, Baked Eggs Pomodoro, and Sourdough French Toast to Italian-influenced entrées such as Bison Bolognese and a smorgasbord of wood-fired pizzas (one of the real backbones of the restaurant), Trailhead ranks among the best eateries in Wyoming—don’t miss it!
Proud Cut Saloon
1227 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY
The tried-and-true Proud Cut Saloon has deep roots in Cody: The establishment has food-service pedigree dating back to the 1930s, and did a long stint as the legendary Wonder Bar. Overlooked by numerous mounted taxidermy heads, this bar/steakhouse supplies Old West vibes and tasty flavors in equal parts.
Starters include Rocky Mountain Oysters (if you know, you know), Fried Green Tomatoes, and semi-legendary onion rings, while main courses here can take the form of everything from burgers and sandwiches with Cowboy Chips to steaks, ribs, surf-and-turf, and grilled trout. The Proud Cut desserts, such as homemade cobbler and peanut-butter pie, are also worth strongly considering.
Wy Thai
1928 Big Horn Ave, Cody, WY
Very much among the hidden-gem Cody, Wyoming restaurant, Wy Thai offers incongruously great Thai food in the unlikely setting of this Wild West rodeo town. From appetizers such as Crab Rangoons, Chicken Satay, and Garden Rolls to the wide variety of noodle dishes, curries, stir fries, and soups, this warm, welcoming eatery offers authentic flavors and topnotch service.
Eat Well & Be Well on Your Cody, Wyoming & East Yellowstone Getaway With the Hundred Collection
From cabins and ranch spreads to a legit geodesic dome house, you’ll find some of the very best short-term vacation rentals in the Cody area via our partner, Sandi Fisher’s Cody Lodging Company, the varied inventory of which exemplifies the high standards of accommodations and hospitality we pride ourselves on here at The 100 Collection.
And you’ll find yourself nice and close to the above dining establishments in the Rodeo Capital of the World!
