Let me get something out of the way up front: I’m a wild-game guy. I’ve got elk in the freezer right now. My idea of a perfect Sunday usually involves a cast-iron skillet and something that used to have antlers. So when I tell you that one of the best meals I’ve had in southern Wyoming came out of a kitchen that hasn’t cooked a piece of meat since 1999, I need you to understand that I am not the easy sell here.
But that’s sort of the whole point of this blog, isn’t it? I started Wyo Food to push back on the idea that Wyoming food begins and ends with a ribeye and a view of the Tetons. The real story is statewide and a lot stranger than people give it credit for. And nothing makes that case better than driving two and a half hours from Casper to Laramie and finding a 100% vegetarian café quietly running circles on the rest of the state.
The drive, and why Laramie is worth it
Casper to Laramie is about two and a half hours straight down, and it’s the kind of drive that talks you out of itself somewhere around mile 80. There’s a lot of sagebrush and a lot of wind and not a ton of reasons to keep your foot on the gas. But Laramie has always been the secret weapon of southern Wyoming food — it’s a university town, which means it’s younger, weirder, and hungrier than its size suggests. Around 30,000 people, a real downtown, and a food scene that has no business being as good as it is.
I’ve been trying to get this blog out of its Casper comfort zone, and Laramie was at the top of the list. If you’ve read my thoughts on the best Mexican food in Wyoming, you already know I’ll drive a long way for a good meal. This one paid off.
Sweet Melissa’s: “comfort food for the homesick vegetarian”
Sweet Melissa’s Café sits at 213 S. First Street, right in downtown Laramie, and it’s been there since 1999. The tagline on their own materials is “comfort food for the homesick vegetarian,” and I think that’s exactly right — this isn’t a place trying to make a political statement out of skipping meat. It’s a place trying to feed you something warm and familiar and a little surprising, and the fact that there’s no meat in it barely registers until you stop to notice.
Here’s the line that actually got my attention: for over twenty years, this has been one of the only restaurants in Wyoming that can guarantee a fully vegetarian menu. In a state where “vegetable” is sometimes assumed to mean the lettuce under your burger, that is genuinely remarkable. They pull a lot of vegan and gluten-sensitive options out of the same kitchen, too.
And no, this isn’t some hidden secret only I know about — the cafe got the full Guy Fieri treatment on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. So I’m late to the party. I’m just here to confirm the party is real.
The food
The thing that surprised me most was the range. I went in half-expecting a couple of sad veggie wraps and a black bean burger. Instead the menu reads like someone with a passport and a sense of humor was given the run of the kitchen — Asian, Mexican, and Mediterranean influences all jostling for space.
A few things that stood out (with the caveat that they run a rotating seasonal menu, so what’s on when you go may differ):
- The tempeh gyro — Mediterranean is one of my two favorite cuisines, so this was the one I had to test. It holds up. Real flavor, real texture, no apology.
- Vegan enchiladas — being a Mexican-food obsessive, I’m tough on this category, and these earned their spot. Saucy, hearty, the kind of plate that doesn’t leave you wondering where the meat went.
- Crabless cake — exactly what it sounds like, and better than that description deserves.
- Kimchi pancake — this one made me grin, because I just wrote about making kimchi at home and apparently Laramie’s been ahead of me the whole time.
Portions are generous. I did not leave hungry, which is the bar a self-respecting Wyoming restaurant has to clear no matter what’s on the plate.
Front Street Tavern next door
Around 2009 they expanded into the adjacent space and opened Front Street Tavern, which runs the same vegetarian-friendly kitchen but adds craft cocktails, regional beer, and a few organic wines. So if you’re rolling into Laramie at dinner and want a drink with the same food, that’s your move. It makes the whole thing feel less like a lunch counter and more like a destination you can settle into for the evening.
Why this matters for Wyoming
I think a place like Sweet Melissa’s is actually one of the most Wyoming restaurants in the state, and I mean that as a compliment. Wyoming has a stubborn, do-it-your-own-way streak — and opening a fully vegetarian café in beef country in 1999 and keeping it alive for a quarter century is about as independent and contrarian as it gets. It’s not fighting the cowboy thing. It’s just quietly being excellent next to it.
My wife Kimi — also a veteran, also a far better cook than I am — has been on me for a while to broaden what I’ll order. This is the kind of place that makes that easy, because it never feels like you’re giving something up. You’re just eating well in a town that does food better than its zip code suggests.
If you go
- Where: 213 S. First St., Laramie, WY 82070
- Phone: (307) 742-9607
- Hours: Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, closed Sunday
- Good for: vegetarians, vegans, gluten-sensitive eaters, and stubborn meat-eaters who need their assumptions adjusted
- Pro tip: Laramie is a perfect day trip from Casper, Cheyenne, or even Fort Collins — build the meal into a downtown afternoon and don’t rush it.
If you’re making the same drive I did, the road back gets long. I keep a decent insulated travel mug in the truck for exactly these runs — coffee for the way out, anything for the way home. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
And if Sweet Melissa’s has you curious about cooking more meatless meals yourself, a good vegetarian cookbook is a low-stakes way to start. I’m a beginner here too.
Tell me where else to drive
I’m trying to get out of my Casper bubble and eat my way across the whole state this year, so I need your help. What’s the Laramie spot I should hit next — or the one I should’ve reviewed instead? Drop it in the comments, or tag @wyofood on Instagram or Facebook and show me what you’re eating. I’ll take any excuse for a road trip.
— Sean