I feel like “one night in Laramie” would be an excellent title to a country music song. If a songwriter writes that song, I want credit for the title.
We spent one night in Laramie, Wyoming earlier this month and it was a stellar trip. It started with chasing wildflowers in the Snowy Range. I found them. In fact, I found a lot of them!
RELATED: The Snowy Range in Living Colorado, Wildflowers in Wyoming
For our one-night stay, we were booked at the dog-friendly Hampton by Hilton. An affordable option at just around $100. It was meticulously clean, and most important to me, the staff was super nice.
We wanted to find a hotel that was dog-friendly because it seemed ridiculous to board Fritzi for one night, especially since hiking was on the agenda and that’s her favorite. We had a room close to the stairway which made it uncomplicated when we needed to take Fritzi outside to do her business.
As in all trips, Fritzi made herself right at home. She always has the attitude, “okay, we must live here now,” which makes it easy for us to take her when we visit places.
After hiking on the first day, lunch was incredible and I am not exaggerating. Not only does Alibi Wood Fired Pizzeria & Bakery make marvelous food, but it’s also an ideal stop with a dog.
We sat at a table on the back patio. It’s spacious and there’s even a dog bowl filled with water. I was so impressed with the food here that it is likely we’ll make a trip up just for a meal at Alibi. After all, it’s only a one and a half hour’s drive from us and that’s not too far for prosciutto and spicy salami.
Pizza always sounds delicious but we decided on sandwiches, an Italian Cubano for Ryan, and a Tuscan sandwich for me. The homemade bread is what makes these sandwiches great, but they are also packed with meat and cheese. I want to try the pizza, but I am already stuck in a yummy restaurant rut because the Tuscan is scrumptious.
Alibi has a full bar and a variety of baked goods, including bread. It should be on your must-go-to when in Laramie list. You have that, right?
Between lunch and dinner, we enjoyed the open container area and Laramie’s downtown shops. My favorite is Chalk N’ Cheese, a sort of wine boutique with a display of cheese on sale in a cold case. Upstairs, they are stocked with wines to buy.
Under normal circumstances, they make wine and cheese platters available in this area—it was the highlight of our first visit to Laramie. In the age of COVID-19 however, they are doing cheese plates to go. This sounds pretty awesome, all things considered, because they know their stuff and will put together an amazing plate of cheese and can even recommend a wine to accompany it.
RELATED: The Laramie, Wyoming You Never Expected
Dinner was steak on the sidewalk at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery. This restaurant didn’t have outdoor seating in the past, but now, in this COVID-19 world we are living in, they do.
It’s fun to sit on a makeshift patio, checking out the beautiful downtown buildings of Laramie while munching on a big, crisp dinner salad. A restaurant can win me over with fresh cucumbers on a garden salad.
By the way, this place has the best macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted. It’s a jalapeno macaroni and cheese that actually has fresh jalapenos and a kick. I could have had a bowl of that and been satisfied but this restaurant’s meals are huge. You will need a to-go box.
I recommend making a reservation at Altitude because it’s popular. Our reservation meant we sat right away, despite the wait.
For dessert, we made a stop by one of my Laramie favorites, Front Street Tavern. Attached to Sweet Melissa’s Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant that will blow your taste buds away, I knew the banana bread would be exceptional. I was right.
The next morning before leaving Laramie and heading south to Colorado, we had breakfast at 17th Street Cafe, across from the University of Wyoming campus.
I have two words for you: green chile. And another two words: get it. I am super picky about my green chile. For one, I want pork green chile to have enough pork in it to merit the name.
17th Street Cafe does green chile really well; it is so amazing that we got some to-go.
Whatever you order at 17th Street Cafe, get green chile on the side. With an outside patio, this is a great option for dining in Laramie during COVID-19.
Laramie makes an easy and safe getaway. Restaurant employees and hotel staff wear masks and are welcoming. This is a small town with a variety of food to keep you satisfied. For a list of restaurants in Laramie, Wyoming, go here.
Thank you to Visit Laramie for hosting this trip.
Permalink
We’ve eaten at Altitude Chophouse several times. YUM! Now I want to go back.
Permalink
Now you can eat outside there! I don’t know how long it will last since it gets pretty chilly there in the winter. But right now they are trying to extend the open container policy so maybe the impromptu patios will also stick around.