Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Heading out to Jackson Hole with the family in just over a week. We are staying in the Teton Village at the Mountain (not in the town of Jackson). So excited. I was there once before about 25 years ago, but this is the first time that my wife and kids will experience skiing out west or frankly anything in the interior West. We’ve been to California, Oregon, and Washington, but never to the Rockies or Tetons.

This trip is mostly about skiing so we won’t have a lot of free time, but cool experiences are appreciated as are cool eating and drinking opportunities. Understand that I will be with my very cool 14 and 11 year old daughters. They are happy to do high end dining, but they are equally cool with a burger joint (as am I), yet we are limited by the fact that we are with minors, so now tearing up the dance floor at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar at midnight is not an option.

Any suggestions?

Mike,
I just came back from JH a couple of weeks ago. Snow was not great for us, but hopefully conditions will be better when your visit. We also stayed in Teton Village. We drove to Jackson every night for dinner except for our last night. Our favorite restaurants were Snake River Grill and Trio. Snake River Grill was fantastic, but very high end with prices to match, but worth it IMHO. We also ate at The Kitchen and Cafe Genevieve and were less impressed with those places. Had lunch before our flight home at Persephone Bakery which was also superb.

In Teton Village, we ate dinner at Spur which was really good and a cool vibe. The Mangy Moose is an institution in Teton Village but the bar isn’t really kid friendly.

Btw, we had our 8 y/o daughter with us for every meal.

Good luck with Corbet’s Couloir!

Anyone have any recent recommendations or warnings for Jackson Hole? I’ll be there in late December and am staying in Teton Village, if that makes a difference.

Mike,

I haven’t been back since my trip in 2016 (loved it). We’ve discussed going back, but have tried out Squaw, Alta, and PC since.

As mentioned above, Snake River Grill was excellent. It’s a white tablecloth kind of place.

One place that I found to be underrated was the Handle Bar which is the pub in the Four Seasons at the base of the Bridger Gondola. Actually ate there twice. It was perfect for my family of four, especially when there was a game on the TV.

We hired an instructor for the day. He acted as a guide and instructor. Super guy named Alex Duret. I’d highly recommend him if you’re inclined to do that kind of thing.

Warning - Don’t count on Uber if you were. We were there this summer and used an Uber, and the driver told us that there are extremely few drivers who work the area, especially during the holidays, and rates were insane.

Recs - Agree with Snake River Grill in town. The Blue Lion is every bit its equal, if not better (also in town). Persephone Bakery for treats early (they may deliver or have a place up in Teton Village now).

that said, the drive into town is a bit long, so you may not want to make it too much - staying in Teton Village makes skiing more convenient, but going to town less so.

All three restaurants in the Four Seasons are really good, including the Asian fusion restaurant proximate to the lobby. We also liked the funky little Thai restaurant a couple of blocks from the Hotel.

I would say the drive from Teton Village to Jackson is about 20-25 minutes. It’s not that far, but the speed limit the whole way is like 35mph and you have to keep an eye out for wandering moose.

I would say it’s worth it to head into Jackson for a couple of meals, some shopping, and to walk around. The town itself is awesome. But if you never left Teton Village, you’d be totally fine restaurant wise.

For my crew, we are all about skiing so it’s ski hard, some apres, a little relaxing, dinner and early to bed.

We were just there the last full week of September for some hiking and a climb. We stayed in one of the granite Ridge cabins on the north side of the slopes.

We loved Il Villaggio for terrific quick & easy take out pizza. Its superb pizza. Never dinned in. In fact this time we never ate out period since our cabin was great and my wife loves to cook. I like Trio, a lot but downtown Jackson can be a cluster for traffic and parking. We’re not shoppers. The Tetons is probably our all round favorite place on earth… for the national park hikes and climbs. We also did take out at Teton Thai that did not impress us but its well liked by many. If wanting pizza, go to Il Villagio Osteria. Take out was so dam easy and convenient. We just did take out but the venue looks pretty nice. Don’t let anyone talk you into Pinky G pizza in Jackson. It sucks. We enjoy Snake River Grill too but slightly prefer Trio. Harrison Ford was a table across from ours last time we ate at Trio. Love to see the park itself in winter but travel there is limited by car, then. My climbing guides ski Disappointment Peak and other peaks in the range.

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In Teton Village, I like Osteria for Italian. Teton Thai on the other side of the parking lot in the village is great, but it is very small. It can be a bit variable, as Craig alludes to above, but I’m a fan. If staying in a house/condo, would recommend getting take out from there. I also like the Handle Bar but more for lunch than dinner. On the mountain at the top of the gondola, Piste is above average for finer dining with ski boots on (make a reservation for lunch). Spur at the base is pretty good and has decent apres. Mangy Moose bar is more interesting than the restaurant, but it’s kind of an institution.

In the Aspens development which is a few miles outside of Teton village, there is a solid sushi spot called Sudachi that is reliable. In the same development, they recently opened a Persephone outpost (think it is called Persephone Aspens - as opposed to the original location in town) and they do dinner. I had lunch there a bunch of times over the summer and it was great. Would assume dinner would be excellent. It is a casual bistro.

In the town of Jackson, I agree that Snake River Grill is very good. Kind of a haul after a day of skiing but their potato pancake with smoked salmon is worth the trip. There’s a small sushi spot below it called King Sushi that we really like too.

Worth mentioning that within the Aspens there is a pretty good wine shop and market next to it. In the village, there is a small market under the Mangy Moose that has a serviceable wine selection.

If you are staying in a place that has grilling capabilities, there is a market in town called Jackson Whole Grocer that gets great local beef - wagyu ribeyes, marbled strips, etc.

If you’re a big skier and haven’t seen it before, watch Swift Silent Deep before going. Fun movie! Enjoy the trip.

I just booked my flight in for late January. I prefer staying in town, so I can walk to dinner and have a drink or two. I’ve had a few decent meals at King Sushi. Go early. Gets crowded.

Was there in September, 2019. Our favorite restaurant in town was Glorietta. Loved the Handle Bar at Four Seasons also.

Thanks to all for the great responses, I’m making a list. Any suggestions for winter non-skiing activities? I’m planning on some skiing, but will need to pace myself and take some days off because of a less than perfectly sound knee.

Local is next to the million dollar cowboy. Decent place for a bite and not a bad wine list. I’ve done two solo at the bar drink and eat early dinners and was very happy. Haven’t sat for a “ full” dinner.

BTW, I think Snake River Grill will do corkage.

My first thought is to hookup with a winter trip into Yellowstone. I’ve always wanted to do that but always go skiing instead

I have done the day trip snowmobile excursion into Yellowstone. It has been ages but it was super fun and well worth missing a “regular” day of skiing. They supply the gear including the one piece suits and yes it will be cold but honestly with the warm hand grips etc I was never real cold. Super fun to drive a snowmobile and a cool way to see part of the park.

Winter non-skiing to do’s:
Yellowstone sled trip if you can get a tour spot. Otherwise the group rides up at Togwotee Pass are fun and its beautiful up there.

Sleigh ride on the Elk Reserve. Visit the National Wildlife Art Museum too.

Beautiful drive to Granite Hot Springs…well, a drive in your car, followed by an even better sled ride to the hot springs. Worth checking out…

Food thoughts:

Snake River Grill is still the best food in town.

Rendezvous Bistro is always solid and fun.

Another higher-end dining option is Wild Sage at the Rusty Parrot. Have had some great wine dinners there with friends over the years.

At Teton Village, Old Yellowstone Garage (OYG) is solid.

I left town 6 weeks ago when it was still closed following a fire, but if Cafe Genevieve has re-opened when you go, then eat there for any meal.

Persephone for the best coffee’s and pastries in town is next door to CG.

Atelier Ortega has some world-class chocolates if anyone in the group is into that.

Breakfast at Nora’s Fish Creek Inn for sure. Huevos or some of the lightest pancakes you will find. Come grubby after a night of drinking like the locals.

And, last but not least, getting a bunch of small plates at Bin 22 is essential for the wine loving visitors. Its a great little restaurant attached to a wine store. Purchase and open at your table or try some of their very well selected wines by the glass.

I’ll second Persephone and Bin 22.

Here’s an initial update:

A decent meal with family at Gun Barrel Steak and Game House, which according to the menu offers $15 corkage. My elk chop was cooked perfectly and was quite tasty.

I had a very good double stack burger with outstanding fresh cut fries at Rations, a lunch counter inside the Basecamp convenience store in Wilson. They have a very good selection of geekier wines and I picked up Guimaro Ribeira Sacra and Forlorn Hope Suspiro del Moro for my sister-in-law and a Kelley Fox Momtazi Vineyard for myself.

Dinner last night at Il Villaggio Osteria. There was quite a bit more cream in the sauce than is traditional in the pasta Bolognese, but the pasta was al dente and it was hearty and enjoyable. The veal chop had an incredible crust but was still moist and tender, and though I would have preferred a little more body in the Marsala sauce, I enjoyed it.

Further updates to come.

Not sure if you are still there, Mike. . .
Looks like you have everything you need in Teton Village, but if you do venture into town, I recommend looking at Bin22 for an informal, enjoyable experience. Tapas-like plates and an in-house wine store where you can go get your bottle(s) at the retail price and have them with your meal. No corkage, and bring anything left in the bottle home to Teton Village. The communal table adds to the experience (usually).

I browsed the retail selections at Bin 22 on Monday but had just eaten lunch so I didn’t try the food. I’m not sure if I will make it back on this trip but appreciate the recommendation.