107 E. Bridge Avenue, Saratoga, WY 82331

No Website/Phone: (307) 326-5020

Summer Hours: Open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday

In May 2008, I had the pleasure of spending a weekend in Saratoga, Wyoming. This small town, population under 2,000, is located on the banks of the North Platte River and is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes west of Cheyenne. We ate at several eateries in Saratoga and I will highlight each of them here at Heidi Town.

Early one morning while soaking in the hot springs at Saratoga Inn, we overheard some fellow soakers talking about the best eggs benedict they’d ever had. Ryan and I are avid breakfast fans and are always hunting for a good breakfast when we are traveling. The couple said the place was called Lollypops. We jumped out of the pool, dried off and headed into town.

Nothing is difficult to find in Saratoga, as there are very few streets and only two streets that qualify as main streets. Lollypops is located on E. Bridge Avenue, just a few doors down from the town’s crowning jewel, The Wolf Hotel & Restaurant. Lollypops is darling. Located in an historical building that reads “Pool Hall” across the front, the tiny inside space has just enough room for three tables. There’s also patio dining and patrons can dine at the counter, soda-shop-style. The ambiance is candy shop meets soda shop. Bright and cheery, it is easy to imagine children running in to buy a lollipop or a milkshake on a hot summer day.

We sat inside and were quickly told to help ourselves to coffee. The coffee was very, very good – a big bonus in a small town. A prominent sign above the coffee station reads “If you’re in a hurry, you’re in the wrong town.” We found this was indeed the case at Lollypops, but thankfully, we weren’t in a hurry. Apparently the egg benedict loving couple at the Inn had recommended Lollypops to everyone at the Inn, because the place was packed with familiar faces.

The menu has several versions of eggs benedict and also includes a variety of other breakfast items including waffles (we saw several orders of waffles go by our table and they looked delicious). Of course, we had to have the eggs benedict, and we both chose the standard with ham. I am a sucker for great plating and it is unusually to see this at a restaurant like Lollypops, but our eggs benedicts arrived looking like a portrait. Placed carefully on ovals plates, with a perfect drizzle of hollandaise next to pan fried potatoes and bright red bell peppers, our breakfast was almost too pretty to eat. I really wish I had taken a photo.

Best of all, these really were the best eggs benedicts I’ve ever had. Perhaps it was the earlier hype, the perfect plating or just being on vacation, but the meal turned out to be quite memorable. As we dined a local couple, who were obviously regulars, began to help the harried waitress (there was only one person on staff – she was preparing the food and waiting tables). ”This is what is so great about a small town,” I thought to myself as the local couple scurried around, busing tables and keeping the coffee filled.

For two eggs benedicts and two coffees (plus a candy-to-go for Ryan) our bill was under $20. We can’t wait to go back someday for milkshakes.