Once considered a steak-and-potatoes kind of town, Cheyenne now has culinary clout. You'll still find well-prepared hearty fare here, but the city's downtown has been hopping with everything from a trendy New American dining room to kicked-back craft breweries. A bonus: Several of the top sipping and supping spots are in restored historic buildings, so you can drink in some local lore with your lunch.
Part of an upscale hospitality venue encompassing event space, a restaurant and a boutique liquor store, the Art Moderne-style Metropolitan Downtown cements the reputation of the city center as Cheyenne's new dining and entertainment hub. The 200-seat restaurant and bar, featuring the original 1930s terrazzo floor, is helmed by Juan Coronado, who graduated from the prestigious Johnson & Wales culinary school in Denver and worked with several top chefs in that city. Chef Coronado's creative New American menu draws on an eclectic array of influences. It offers traditional steak and seafood dishes plus preparations with Asian, Latin and Mediterranean flair. The menu changes seasonally, allowing the freshest local produce and meats to be highlighted.
The sleek lines of the Art Deco marquee fronting the historic Frontier Hotel are echoed in the decor of Napoli's Italian Restaurant, in the hotel's lobby. You might start your repast with crispy fried calamari or a caprese salad. The accompanying bread is baked on the premises, and fresh pasta is featured in such dishes as gnocchi with pesto, penne a la vodka and in a sampler that lets you enjoy smaller portions of lasagna, manicotti and cheese ravioli. Shrimp scampi and osso bucco stand out among the classic main courses. An extensive wine list and cocktail menu complete a sophisticated dining experience that comes at down-to-earth Cheyenne prices.
Extremely popular with pizza seekers, Bella Fuoco got its start as a food truck with a twist: It traveled around town with a fully operational wood-fired oven. The roaming oven is still enlisted for catered events, but now a more settled counterpart turns out fresh pies, calzones and paninis in a cozy turn-of-the-century home with a pretty patio porch. Soups, salads, pastas and starters like duck wings are popular complements, but it's the pies that really dazzle, whether you like the traditional margherita pizza or ones with more cutting-edge topping combinations such as bacon, onions, mozzarella and blue cheese, say, or jalapeños and cream cheese. Across the street, Bella’s top brass converted the former home of America’s first female Justice of the Peace into Esther’s, a full-service venue for special events.
The play’s the thing at The Paramount Ballroom, a bar and lounge on the ground floor of a beautifully restored 1905 building. Handcrafted cocktails are named for productions staged during the Paramount’s stint hosting the Capitol Avenue Theater. The Ben Hur, for example—Bulleit Rye, maple syrup, lemon and rosemary—pays tribute to a memorable version of its namesake biblical drama: A live horse running on a treadmill simulated the famous chariot race scene. Light fare such as beet salad and deviled eggs complement the wine, beer and mixed drinks menu, and more contemporary entertainment might include live bands on the patio.
The Accomplice Beer Company shares the first floor of the 1887 Union Pacific Depot building with the Cheyenne Depot Museum. Enjoy signature brews and seasonal specials accompanied by a casual pub menu that includes baby back ribs, chicken wings, tuna tostadas and a kale salad that's a surprise hit with local suds lovers. The real surprise here is the way beer is dispensed, however: You buy an electronic card that lets you access a series of self-serve taps. Don't worry if you're not especially adept at beer pouring; friendly staff members are on hand to help you pull the perfect head.
The latest cocktail menus in town include the small-batch spirits created by Chronicles Distilling, a venture by brothers Aaron and Chase Lesher. The siblings spent two years refurbishing a space in a wholesale grocer's warehouse called the Asher building, dating back to 1914. Downstairs, see the equipment they built from scratch and learn about the distilling process. Upstairs, sample the wares—corn vodka and whisky, straight or infused with flavors—in a cocktail bar with exposed brick walls and hardwood floors. Several retailers and an entertainment venue provide other reasons to visit the Asher building.
Cheyenne's first craft brewery, Freedom's Edge Brewing Co. is known not only for its top-rated beer, but also for its friendly, fun-loving atmosphere. You might encounter a Pottery & Pints mug decorating event, live Celtic music or Damas & Drafts, where you'll learn how to master the ancient Japanese kendama toy. The menu of house brews changes regularly, but you can expect to find the flagship 1890 American IPA, named for the year that Wyoming earned its statehood, the spicy Blood Orange Imperial Ale and the rich Vanilla Porter. Food trucks often turn up and, in fine weather, the garage door of the intimate space opens up to outdoor tables.
The latest craft brewery to arrive on the scene, Danielmark's Brewing Company occupies a renovated 1886 Victorian home with a tree-shaded back patio. In the adjoining carriage house, you'll find the gleaming tanks and vats that turn out such signature drafts as the bestselling Bluesitra Belgian IPA and popular Angle Iron dry Irish stout. Danielmark's is an ideal spot to chill out with friends and family—including the four-legged members—while munching on free popcorn, playing a game of corn hole, listening to a band or just sitting out and gazing at the endless Wyoming sky. It's quintessential Cheyenne.
Find more ways to eat and drink your way through Cheyenne.
