Good food and national parks aren't always discussed in the same conversation, but there are some great meals to be had in the parks.
Places such as the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park or the Mammoth Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park can compete with many fine big-city restaurants.
But there are other lodge dining rooms that, well, still have a ways to go in terms of elevating their menus.
With that understood, which restaurants and meals in, or nearby, the national parks would you recommend to your friends?
For instance, I frequently recommend the Jailhouse Cafe in Moab, Utah, for breakfast before heading off into Arches or Canyonlands national parks, the Park Cafe in St. Mary, Montana, outside Glacier National Park lives by its motto -- Pie for Strength --, and when in Bar Harbor, Maine, during visits to Acadia National Park I've had some great meals at Cafe This Way.
So, what say you? What restaurants/dining rooms in, or nearby, national parks would you speak highly of?
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Hatteras village is in the confines of CHNS so maybe this counts.
The volunteer fire department serves fresh local fried bluefish or Spanish mackerel with tea (sweet tea or unsweetened) homemade coleslaw, potatoe salad and fried hush puppies every Saturday afternoon during the summer. I think the entire dinner is $8. Amazingly good food for the price, both local and visitors attend!
In Yellowstone, we agree that Mammoth is one of the outstanding restaurants but Lake Hotel is equal, with a fantastic view of the mountains and lovely live music in the lounge. Our other favorite is the ribs served only at Roosevelt Lodge.
Ed, they still serve that great cornbread at Roosevelt with the ribs?
The Eggs Benedict at El Tovar and the beef stew at Phantom Ranch. The lemonade at PR is great, but we like to joke that we hike there for the stew.
Will definitly visit,Y_P_W ! Have visited Hog Island Oyster in Tomales Bay that has similar
Certainly an opportunity for people to become more connected (and appreciative) of our natural world and where food actually comes from. So much of the direction of many in the environmental industry seems to further separate the visitors from these type of experiences in the name of extreme preservation. Pretty sad for the culture to lose that connection. Not healthy in my way of thinking. I understand the need to preserve but in it's extreme it has very dark side effects.
While I do enjoy the product from Hog Island, I have never used their picnic tables. They do provide a few things such as oyster knives and lemons, but they charge $10 per person and pretty much require reservations on weekends.
Tomales Bay Oyster is just down Highway 1 and doesn't charge for use of their picnic area and doesn't take reservations. I've noticed they are absolutely packed on weekends.
Drake's Bay Oyster Company is actually relatively quiet. Their retail operations are a small part of their business. They're huge with their business selling to markets and restaurants. I frankly like their location better than Hog Island or Tomales Bay Oyster, but the distance from Highway 1 is probably one of the reasons why there are fewer people there. If you want to go, of course try and make it before November. We don't know yet which way the decision is going to go on its future.
Someone mentioned Roosevelt dining without talking about the Roosevelt Old West Cookout?
I think I had two steaks. One of the employees said the record was eight.
The Roosevelt Old West Cookout would have been the most memorable the time a bear ambled in just as they were serving the steaks. The guests abandoned their steaks to the bear. I think it was 1997, a week after we ate there with our family.