The Yellowstone Restaurant — Restaurant in Pocatello

We’re not picky. We’re the kind of people who can enjoy a roadside burger or a 12-course tasting menu with equal enthusiasm—as long as the food is good and the service is thoughtful. But our experience at Yellowstone Restaurant in Pocatello was… well, if a comedy of errors and a lukewarm buffet had a baby, this dinner would be it.

Let’s start with the good: we had a reservation, and our name was neatly handwritten on a place card at the table. A lovely, thoughtful touch that briefly gave us hope. Unfortunately, that hope evaporated the moment we sat down at a sticky table, where our glasses were perched upside down on a surface that felt more like it belonged in a preschool art room than a “fine dining” establishment. Menus were oddly placed under our plates—as if they were shy and didn’t want to be seen.

10 minutes in, water arrived. In a carafe. Which we poured ourselves. Not a huge deal, but again—this isn’t a campsite.

Drink: vodka soda, splash of cranberry. What arrived: vodka cranberry, no soda. Close, but no. Still, we smiled and gave them the benefit of the doubt.

Bread and butter. A napkin was technically involved—it lined the basket…the bread was just sitting on top of it, uncovered and cold on the bottom, like it had been pulled from the fridge and placed there in haste. The butter could’ve doubled as a hockey puck. I briefly considered using the back of my knife as a defrosting tool.

Meanwhile, the restaurant staff behaved as though they were drowning in a Saturday night dinner rush. Maybe five tables, tops. And yet, it took a full hour before we asked where our soup and salad were.

Our server, whose appearance seemed better suited to a post-gym grocery run than a fine dining floor, informed us casually that “the salad’s been ready, just waiting on the soup.” Now, about that presentation: leggings so tight they left little to the imagination, and a very prominent septum piercing. This isn’t about policing style—it’s just baffling when your dress code says luxe, and your staff says laundry day.

Miraculously, both soup and salad arrived within 90 seconds of our inquiry. The salad was limp, listless, and clearly over it. The soup had the thick, heavy consistency of gravy—possibly delicious if served over turkey, but not ideal for a first course.

When our entrées finally arrived, things did not improve. My husband’s pork ribeye and mashed potatoes were cold. My filet was cooked correctly, but my vegetables and potatoes had clearly been waiting out back for someone to remember them. Our son, who is in advanced culinary classes and genuinely excited to taste something unique, ordered the bison burger. Not only did no one ask how he’d like it cooked (a must-do at any reputable restaurant), but the burger came out dry, overdone, and loaded with all the toppings he had specifically asked to leave off.

When my husband sent his meal back, the server—cheerful, unbothered, and seemingly unaware that everything had gone sideways—asked if he wanted a refund or if he’d like to try something else… but warned it “might take a while.” When he asked if there was only one chef back there, she replied with stunning confidence, “Oh no, there are 3.”

3 chefs. 1 cold pork chop. Zero urgency.

What made it worse was the complete lack of acknowledgment that anything was wrong. No apologies. No “let us make this right.” Just a vibe of casual indifference, as if cold entrees and missing orders were part of the experience.

They offered us a complimentary dessert to-go—a warm butter cake. Unfortunately, it came out frozen. Of course it did. At that point, it felt like performance art.

In conclusion: Yellowstone is a restaurant that seems to believe it’s operating at fine-dining standards, while serving food and service that would struggle to impress at a PTA potluck. If you enjoy sticky tables, chilly meals, and servers dressed like they just sprinted in from an errand run, this might be the...

We recently hosted a catered event for 45 people at this restaurant (40 adults and 5 children). While the event overall went smoothly and we appreciated the efforts of the staff on site, there were several aspects that fell short of our expectations, particularly in the areas of planning and management.

To start, we were assigned only one server for the entire event, and she was also responsible for managing the no-host bar. This left her stretched extremely thin. Despite this, she did an impressive job trying to accommodate everyone’s needs and remained pleasant under pressure. We were grateful for her efforts and told her directly how much we appreciated her hard work.

However, the catering setup lacked some very basic elements: no salt or pepper was placed on the tables, and the fettuccini Alfredo was quite bland and really needed seasoning. Additionally, when guests tried to order wine from the bar, there were no wine glasses available. The server had to leave the event area to retrieve glasses from the main restaurant. When wine was reordered later, she asked guests to reuse their glasses due to a shortage — which felt awkward and not up to expected standards for a catered event.

We also ran out of food partway through the dinner, which was very concerning for an event planned for 50 guests. We were responsible for ordering but a recommended ration that that may not be enough for 50 people would have been helpful. Thankfully, eventually the server helped resolve this by providing another pan of pasta at no charge, which we appreciated.

The most disappointing part of the experience came when the manager came over to speak with us. Rather than apologizing or offering solutions, she was defensive and dismissive, explaining that they had four other catering events and that was why only one server was assigned to ours. We were not confrontational or rude — we simply expressed some concerns and confusion — but were met with excuses instead of professionalism. In the end, we had to cut the conversation short because it became uncomfortable.

While we are thankful for the staff who stepped up and tried to make the event work, it’s clear that better planning and staffing are needed for events of this size. No catered event should run out of food or leave a single person trying to serve and bartend for 40+ guests. We sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously, as the experience could have been much better with just a few adjustments and a more customer-focused attitude...

I had a nice time here at the Yellowstone Restaurant. I stopped in somewhat late in the evening, but they didn't have any issue with it. When I lived in Pocatello, I always wanted to see someone do anything with this building - I think it has a bright future with the Whispers Lounge. There was a wait for food, but I was seated very quickly. I don't understand why the wait was as long as it was - they didn't seem particularly busy, but I also don't know what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant. I had a drink that was superb - the Patron coffee cocktail. (I'm sorry, I don't recall the name!) It kept me warm on a cool, late evening and in pretty good spirits. They were very quick on bringing drinks, and I never had to ask for a refill on water. (Thank you!) The other parties in the restaurant were quite respectful, and very well dressed. I came in with a t-shirt and jeans, and although there's no stated dress code, I felt out of place! Maybe I'll throw on something a little nicer next time. My dinner was pretty quick and tasted good. I had the Southwest Style pasta, and it was fine. I suppose my expectations were a bit higher, but maybe my expectations need adjusted. It is good, but I was looking for something really amazing, not something I can make at home. They did offer to make it vegan, but I'm not a vegan so I had it with cheese and cream. My only complaint is that payment system. I don't like having the wait staff come to the table with a portable card reader to have you tip and sign before they go. It makes me uncomfortable, and I'm sure others agree. I also equate it to restaurants like Chile's with a similar checkout system. It feels tacky, and maybe just my personal experience, but like there's extra pressure to tip higher. Overall, I would love to come back and give Whispers another try. The local art on the wall is fun, and I wanted to guess that it is photography from either the owner or an employee. Everyone was very polite, and the atmosphere was mellow. I love what they're doing with an old building instead of just building new, and helping to revitalize a...