Best Places to Blow Your Diet in Cooke City

Adventurous souls crawl into Cooke City ravenous from long days out, so embrace the caloric lure of Cooke’s rich, meaty, large-portioned culinary scene—much of it sourced locally—with nary a second thought for your diet back home.

Scramble for a seat (or just share a table with some fellow adventurers) at the bustling Bearclaw Bakery. This breakfast joint dishes up breakfast burritos and French toast big enough to kick off a day of serious outdoor exploring—and the bread is all homemade.

On warm summer days or nights, angle for the patio of the Beartooth Café, serving hearty sandwiches for lunch and bacon-wrapped sirloin filet, prime rib and trout for dinner. If it’s not so nice, huddle inside the log cabin interior and give extra consideration to the dessert menu.

As the only joint open after 10pm, the Miner’s Saloon represents the entirety of the nightlife in Cooke City, with locals, visitors and families packed around pool tables and pizzas. That said, the community living room holds its own before sundown, too, with elk sliders, hand-tossed pizzas, wings and the occasional fancy Italian night (since the cooks trained in Italy). Just don’t ask for ranch dressing, it’s been inexplicably banned. Yes: banned.

Run by a French transplant, The Bistro feeds those who have hiked, backpacked or roadtripped themselves into deserving a supper splurge. Serving major meat, the Bistro cooks up steaks, lamb and pork chops alongside a wine list that pulls some big-city weight.

At Buns n’ Beds Deli, 60% of the summer business comes from “cheddar bombs”—1/3 pound burgers with a secret sauce and a knack for curing hiker’s tummy rumbles. The rest of the menu is deli-style sandwiches, hot dogs and a little barbecue (which becomes a lot of barbecue once winter settles in.

Remember, at 7,600 feet, you’re actually working harder just walking to the restaurant (and Cooke City is such a tiny town, you will walk), as well as every other expedition you embark on. All the more reason to chow down.