Restaurants

While they're not world-class establishments, Yellowstone's restaurants are well suited to their location and the appetites of their patrons: The portions definitely won't leave anyone going hungry. Most of the menus include a selection of unadventurous, all-American meat-and-potatoes grub alongside a few more creative entrees. Consistency can be a problem because the volume is high and the kitchen staffs are seasonal.

If you're not up for restaurant dining but you don't want to cook over your camp stove the whole time, there is counter-style fast-food service at the Yellowstone Park General Stores, as well as snacks shops and cafeterias at Canyon, Mammoth, Grant Village, Lake Lodge, and Old Faithful.

Mammoth Hot Springs

You'll find the Terrace Grill at the opposite end of the building in which the Mammoth Hotel Dining Room is located. Here fast-food fare is served in a less formal and less pricey dining room; reservations are not accepted.

Canyon Village Area

Like restaurants in the other park centers, the eating options at Canyon Village consist of three choices: a casual soda fountain, a fast-food cafeteria, and a conventional dining room.

The Canyon Glacier Pit Snack Bar, which is operated by Yellowstone General Stores, is in the same building as the grocery store and souvenir shop. Seating is on stools in the fashion of a 1950s soda fountain. Breakfast consists of egg dishes, lunch is soup and sandwiches, and dinner is traditional Western food.

The Canyon Lodge Cafeteria is a fast-food alternative managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts and is across the parking lot in the Canyon Lodge area. Hours are the same as at the snack bar, and the menu bears some striking similarities -- but you might get through the cafeteria line faster than you would get a stool at the soda fountain. Next door is an inexpensive deli, The Picnic Stop, with sandwiches, salads, and other light fare.

Yellowstone Lake

For the eat-on-the-run traveler, a deli in the Lake Yellowstone Hotel serves lighter fare in an area that is slightly larger than a broom closet. Just down the road, the Yellowstone Park General Store offers three meals in a section of the store that is shared with tourist items; the best bet here is breakfast or a burger.

Grant Village

The casual choice here is the Lake House (tel. 307/344-7901), footsteps away from the Grant Village restaurant. It specializes in inexpensive fish entrees, as well as burgers and beer. No reservations are accepted. The Village Grill in the Yellowstone General Store here also serves three meals daily.

Old Faithful Area

Choices abound here. For quick and inexpensive, the Geyser Grill at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the cafeterias at the Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria serve lunch and dinner in a fast-food environment that fits the mood of a crowd on the move; the Bear Paw Snack Shop, an ice-cream stand in the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn, is your best choice for dessert. The Yellowstone General Store also has a lunch counter.