Ranchers, families, and aromatic ski bums jam into Bubba's for the amazing barbecue. No cowboy shtick here: just succulent chicken, pork, and beef. You'll wait. It's worth it. Open for breakfast, too.

In a town where elk qualifies as one of the four major food groups, it's a blessing to discover the lighter side of Wyoming. The Asian-inspired favorites at Koshu include escolar tempura with lobster-cream soy reduction, and grilled fish of the day (it might be sea bass, salmon, halibut, or Hawaiian ono). Actually, the whole place is on the dainty side: It's literally tucked into a small back corner of the Jackson Hole Wine Company, and the sign out front is easy to miss. Thanks to the location, though, you can pair any of the 900 varieties of wine with your meal (sold at retail, plus a nominal corkage fee).

First-on-the-slope, last-run-of-the-day types rely on the Cowboy Café, located in the same building as the ski tram. Local brew Snake River is on tap, and, while the gut-busting Tram Taco (Fritos, chili, and cheese in a taco shell) isn't always on the menu, if you ask for it, you'll get it. There are great burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas by the slice, too—all of it tasty and portable.

Closed early April—early November.

This downtown joint is a favorite of Jackson's most famous residents, among them Dick Cheney and Harrison Ford. Executive chef Jeff Drew's contemporary American menu—think appetizers such as artichoke-and-truffled potato ravioli in fennel broth, and entrées like roasted double elk chop with cabernet-braised shallots and wild mushrooms—complements the 270-bottle wine list; look for the Oregon pinot noirs. If you're not too fond of the decor (the three-dimensional paintings of buffalo hanging from the main dining room's ceiling aren't for everyone), the private dining room is more romantic and modern. Just ignore the lounging secret service agents.

Austrian restaurateur Peter Steigler (he's the brother of Olympic skiing legend Pepi) has carved out a slice of Old Europe in the heart of the New West. The beer here is strong, the wait staff is dressed in traditional Austrian garb, and the food—venison and antelope, pork and cabbage, bratwurst, and schnitzel—is heavy. You might veer back to Americana and order the burger, though: Because the chefs grind their own beef on site, the restaurant is exempted from the irksome state law requiring all burgers to be cooked medium.

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

The dining room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and tall ceilings, is elegantly simple here, but the boisterous atmosphere feels almost, well, urban. Owned and run by three local chefs, it's one of the best-executed of Jackson's many bistro-style restaurants (but of course there's an open kitchen). The menu changes as frequently as the weather outside, but look for the starter of crab cakes with cucumber-carrot slaw and the excellent trout amandine.

Closed first two weeks of April.