5 Best Restaurants in Glacier National Park, Montana

The hotel's handsome restaurant still has its original wainscoting and leaded-glass windows, but in fine weather, ask to dine on the deck outside to watch the sun set behind the mountains. Bison meat loaf has been a signature dish for years, but you'll also find other unique dishes like confit duck leg with flathead cherries; house-made fettuccine with fennel, olives, and shitake mushrooms; or lamb with huckleberry jus. There's a good selection of craft cocktails, beer, and wine to complement the food. Try the wonderful berry crisp with huckleberry ice cream for dessert. The menu in the lounge is more casual, with items like Southern chicken salad and Korean steak tacos. During summer, if you place an order at the front desk by 6 pm, a box lunch will be ready for pickup the next morning.

For many, a trip to Glacier isn't complete without a stop in Apgar Village to enjoy Eddie's ice cream. In addition to the walk-up ice-cream window, a casual sit-down restaurant serves everything from burgers and fries to a trout platter and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; you can even get a picnic lunch to go if it's ordered before 11 am. The food is simple and good. Be sure to try the huckleberry cobbler or some huckleberry soft-serve frozen yogurt.

A unique dining room built of enormous logs provides a rustic setting for hearty comfort-food classics: slow-roasted prime rib, classic mac and cheese, pan-seared trout, beef pot roast, and butternut squash ravioli. The food goes well with the Montana microbrews available on tap and in the bottle. With notice, the restaurant can prepare a box lunch to go.

The picturesque Ptarmigan's massive windows afford stunning views of Grinnell Point over Swiftcurrent Lake. Known for using regional, sustainably sourced ingredients, the restaurant specializes in dishes such as house-smoked Montana trout, braised bison short ribs, and roasted duck with Flathead cherry chutney. Gluten-free and vegan dishes are also served. Save room for the huckleberry cobbler. Before or after dinner, pop into the adjacent Swiss Lounge to enjoy a Montana microbrew or a huckleberry margarita.

Italian-influenced mountain cuisine is prepared with care at the two-level Grille, which emphasizes local, sustainably produced ingredients. The regional focus extends to the artwork that adorns the walls; many pieces are by area artists. The menu changes regularly depending on what is in season, but it always includes hand-cut steaks, wild game, and fresh seafood. Grilled Montana rainbow trout marinated in lime, herbs, and olive oil is another staple, as is the bison burger, served here with pickled red onions and white cheddar. All the desserts are made in-house from scratch. The restaurant is open daily for dinner; the deli serves soups, salads, sandwiches, panini, and a few entrées like lasagna for lunch.