Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
This is the place for the classic small-town café experience. Locals and visitors happily blend in a casual, friendly atmosphere as they dig into well-prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. You can start your day with huckleberry pancakes or biscuits and gravy and come back for a home-cooked dinner of sirloin steak Stroganoff or a hefty helping of Grandma Maetzold's original mac 'n cheese recipe.
Pair a great local beer with delicious casual fare at this local brewery, where there are always about eight different kinds of house beer on tap as well as kombucha, sparkling water, and nitro iced coffee. The premium burgers and sandwiches are exceptionally good, especially when accompanied by hand-cut garlic Parmesan fries. Try the slow-roasted ginger hoisin pork sandwich with spicy slaw, or have it in a bowl with rice, spicy slaw, and sriracha mayo. The fried pickles are great for a starter, and there's always a good selection of simple, house-made desserts. Note: this is a brewery, so they are only licensed to serve their own house brews and have to stop pouring at 8 pm in accordance with Montana liquor laws.
A classic 1950s American diner on the south end of the lake near Polson, Betty's is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. Decorated with old signs and other Americana artifacts, it serves classics like biscuits and gravy, homemade milkshakes, and signature Betty pancakes. Look for the big pink neon sign on the west side of Highway 93.
On top of 16 selections of house-brewed beer you'll find a typical pub menu upstairs in the Pubhouse and deep-dish pizza downstairs in the cellar. This is a popular place in both summer and winter, with nice views of the lake from the open-air decks.
Craft beer and gourmet burgers are the thing at Hop's, a popular chef-owned eatery in the historic downtown area. Its menu boasts 100 craft beers, regional wines, and more than a dozen burgers, including at least one vegetarian option. Start with crispy duck wings, then try a smokehouse bacon and Brie, wild boar, buffalo, or yak burger. The elk lasagna also is outstanding.
Sample high-quality, locally made gin, vodka, aquavit, and an award-winning single malt whiskey at the beautiful and now-famous distillery. Be warned, however, that there's a two-drink maximum per customer, which will make it difficult to choose from the long list of handcrafted cocktails. Try the Smoke Tones, made from homemade Quick Silver vodka, grapefruit, habanero tincture, and a smoked salt rim; or The Dude Abides, with vodka, coffee, coffee liqueur, and milk. They also make a great riff on the Old Fashioned, with Sudden Wisdom rye and creole bitters. Purchase whole bottles over at Grizzly Liquor, a few blocks away on Spruce Street.
Sip a Yard Sale Amber or the award-winning Hat Trick Hop IPA in this two-story establishment overlooking the river. The main-floor restaurant offers a casual atmosphere with good views. With a literal wall of bigscreen TVs in the bar downstairs, it's the place to go when a game is on. On weekends, the mimosa and Bloody Mary bar is a big draw, as is the generous beer sampler and the build-your-own-Caesar-salad bar. Everything on the menu comes in ample portions, including fish and bison tacos, smoked bacon mac n' cheese, and a large selection of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches. This is the brewery's first location outside of its hometown of Lakeside, Montana.
Locals wait in line for the fall-off-the-bone barbecue ribs, broasted chicken, and fry bread served with honey butter. The atmosphere is very casual, with a large main room, several smaller eating areas (great for families), and a spacious patio. A typical combination platter includes your choice of ribs (country-style or spare) and either broasted or rotisserie chicken served with sides of fry bread, baked beans, coleslaw, and red potatoes—or opt for a side salad. They also serve pasta and have excellent pizza with homemade sauce.
Opened in 1949, this cozy café is a longtime Missoula favorite for any meal, especially breakfast. Hardly a shack, this elegant little eatery, in an old auto dealership, offers all kinds of American fare—from an array of salads and sandwiches to huckleberry pancakes and almost 20 omelets, including interesting options like apple, cheddar, nutmeg, and cinnamon; and veggie, cheddar, garlic, and crouton. Swinging doors take you into the saloon, where there's an oak bar that arrived in Montana via steamship up the Missouri River a century ago.
Intimate tables and innovative cuisine make this restaurant the best fine-dining experience in Missoula. The owners use locally-grown ingredients from area farmers and ranchers. Private candlelit tables and an extensive wine list make it ideal for a romantic dinner. The menu changes seasonally. Dishes might include grilled bison tenderloin with artichoke and ricotta ravioli, or Montana-raised lamb with Indian spices, housemade paneer cheese, and split pea and potatoe puree. A wine bar serves less expensive yet equally delicious meals in a more casual setting.
The garden dining here offers a flower-studded view down Bigfork's main street. Local artists' work decorates the whitewashed walls. The owner-chef specializes in French onion soup with Gruyère cheese served inside a large onion, and specials like venison tenderloin with figs and Bordeaux sauce. An international wine list and a traditional chocolate soufflé round out the Mediterranean meals. They also have a deli, La Petit Provence, located inside, which serves gourmet sandwiches, soups, and quiches for lunch.
In Bigfork's former bank building, built in 1908, diners opt for street- or bay-side seating, or a table in the snug bank vault. The menu changes seasonally, but signature dishes include fresh ahi tuna with sweet soy ginger and wasabi over jasmine rice, and roasted elk tenderloin with porcini mushrooms. Save room for Benedictine chocolate truffle pie.
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions: