The Virginian Restaurant
We are currently closed for the winter we are available for private parties by reservation
The Virginian Restaurant at the Occidental Hotel is named after Owen Wister's immortal novel "The Virginian." and since the novel is a famous and wonderful story of the Old West, it is only fitting that The Virginian Restaurant is a famous place for you to find wonderful food in an authentic Old West setting.
Come dine in a nationally registered historic building and be a part of our living history. Special seating includes private window seats for a romantic meal out.
*Reservations are highly encouraged especially in the summer season. We do have limited seating and only three window seats for couples. We do not guarantee window seats unless you book that table during the first half hour of service. We will always try to accommodate your requests when possible. Holidays are especially busy so book ahead of those dates by at least two weeks. We require reservation for parties larger than 6, but also appreciate advance notice of parties of 4 or more. Thank you and we look forward to your visit!
*For To-Go orders please call ahead to select time for pick up.
We require credit card payment in advance for both To-Go orders.
Enjoy Mouth Watering Food
Timeless Ambiance
Why We Call Our Restaurant The Virginian
From the beginning, Owen Wister's famous novel, "The Virginian," has been connected with the Occidental Hotel. When he first came to Wyoming in the 1880's Wister visited the hotel and responded strongly to what he saw here.
He spent many hours in the Occidental Saloon, closely observing the colorful Cowboys, cattlemen, lawmen and desperadoes that frequented the place. And when it came time to write his book, he based many of his fictional characters on the real characters that he had seen at the Occidental.
Some people say that Wister actually wrote parts of the book in a room at the Occidental. And many historians believe that the author placed the famous shoot-out at the climax of the novel—the first "walk-down" in the Western literature—in front of the Occidental Hotel.
One thing is for certain: the year after the novel was published, the motto of the Occidental Hotel became "Where the Virginian Got His Man!"
From The Annals of Wyoming
“From the lobby of the Old Occidental, along about the 1890’s, many of Owen Wister’s characters found their way into the pages of his ‘Virginian.’ It was here that many of the manners, customs, and expressions of the genuine cowboy were impressed upon the mind of the author of this widely known book, one of the few books upon the West that portrays the life of the cowpuncher as he really lived it.”