Glacier National Park Restaurant Tips by Bwana_Brown Top 5 Page for this destination

Whistle Stop Restaurant: A Quirky Little Spot

We did not really want an expensive buffet breakfast at Glacier Park Lodge, so after we checked out, we backtracked to the north again, heading for the spectacular Many Glacier area of the NP. However, in our explorations of East Glacier Park the evening before, we had spotted a likely looking spot for breakfast on the edge of town. The Whistle Stop Restaurant is housed in a ramshackle building, with a covered outside front seating area from which you can access the inside of the restaurant by stepping through a long open window! Further seating is available just inside the restaurant or in a separate attachment along the side (where we sat). The place specializes in omelettes and French toast and has a real 'homey' atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: I figured it would be a while before we had another decent meal, so I opted for their 3 rashers of Bacon, one Egg over easy, Toast and black coffee (US$5.75). Sue decided she would try the French Toast (US$5.50) to go with her herbal tea. My meal was very good but Sue's serving was much larger and 'richer' than we are used to - they did say the portions are generous! We could not say that we did not have enough to eat for our US$13 as we left!

Address: 1024 Us Hwy 49, East Glacier Park, Montana

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Beside Highway 49 on the northern edge of East Glacier Park

Phone: 406-226-9292

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: American

Great Northern Steak & Rib House: Dining in Glacier Park Lodge

After a long drive from West Glacier back over the Continental Divide, followed by another drive along the southeast side of Glacier NP, we finally arrived at our first accommodations stop of the trip - Glacier Park Lodge. This was the 'flagship of the fleet' when Great Northern Railways built its network of hotels to serve the National Park, and its prime eating location is in the Great Northern Steak & Rib House pictured here. It was past 5 PM by the time we arrived, after a full day of driving and sightseeing, so we had a settling in drink in their bar before we went down for Dinner at about 8 PM.

It did not take us long to notice that most of the restaurant staff were very healthy looking youngsters and seemed to be speaking with an Eastern European accent. Our waitress soon filled us in - they were part of a regular exchange program in which university students from Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia and other countries come over to work for the summer at various locations in the Park. I don't know why, maybe it is difficult to get American student help in 'remote' locations like northern Montana?

Favorite Dish: We both decided that it was time for a serious meal, so we ordered Pan-Seared Mountain Trout with fried Red Potatos, Brocolli, Califlower, Red Peppers, Yellow & Green Zuchinni and Red Onions served with slices of Lemon (US$18 each). We also had side dishes, with mine being Garden Salad with Blue Cheese dressing (a bit weak for my taste), and ordered a glass of wine each to accompany the meal. The Trout was delicious and we both enjoyed our meals as we took in the atmosphere and reflected back on a successful first day in Glacier NP! With a tip, the total cost of Dinner came to US$53.

Address: East Glacier Park, Montana

Comparison: about average

Directions: Just outside the southeast corner of Glacier NP, located across the highway from the railroad station in the town of East Glacier Park.

Phone: 406-862-8190

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Steakhouse

Website: http://www.nationalparkreservations.com

Two Dog Flats Grill: The best of Saint Mary Lake

After driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road for the fourth time, and stopping for a hike on top of the Continental Divide at Logan Pass Visitor Centre while passing by, it was half-way between lunch and dinner by the time we turned up at our final accommodations in the Park, on Saint Mary Lake at the eastern edge. The small building in the pic serves as both the Rising Sun Motor Inn office and restaurant, so we were soon ushered to our table by one of the tallest and lankiest guys (looked like 6 ft. 6 in. to me) I have seen in a while (this time a Russian exchange worker). The focus at Two Dog Flats is on typical Montana type food but with a Tex-Mex slant on it.

Favorite Dish: Sue chose a Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap which consisted of grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, croutons and lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing wrapped in a flavoured Tortilla, with chips and a pickle spear (US$7). After having had some in Belize earlier in the year, I thought I would give the Jerk Chicken Breast sandwich a try. This came with peppers & onions and was served on a bun with lettuce and tomato as well as an order of Fries ($7.75). I had to have a pint of draft Fat Tire beer ($4) to wash it down while Sue stuck with her standby glass of Chardonnay ($4.25). It had been a while between meals, so both dishes went down very well.

We came back for breakfast before hitting the road back to Calgary, Alberta to turn in our rental car and head home. We each had a standard breakfast of egg, bacon or sausage, hash brown potatos, toast and coffee ($6.25) and it did the trick much better than the previous morning at the Lake McDonald Lodge!

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: On the Going-to-the-Sun Road, near the eastern end of Saint Mary Lake

Phone: (406) 862-8190

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: American

Website: http://www.nationalparkreservations.com

Ptarmigan Dining Room: In the heart of Glacier National Park

After a couple of small to medium hikes (in the Two Medicine Lake and Many Glacier areas) on the morning and early afternoon of our second day in the National Park, we were able to check into our accommodations at the Many Glacier Hotel. This hotel was built with a Swiss theme to it, including the Interlaken Lounge and its adjoining main restaurant, the Ptarmigan Dining Room. Like the restaurant itself, the nice lounge area has big windows overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake at the front of the hotel (2nd photo). We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the hotel and sitting in the lounge having a few cold beers and glasses of wine as we discussed our adventures to date! The waiter service there was a bit slow (a mixture of American and European staff) but it was no problem to walk into the next door bar area to order and retrieve your own drinks. Eventually we arose for dinner, and entered the Ptarmigan (open from 5-9:30 PM).

Favorite Dish: For this evening meal, we decided to share some appetizer plates. I liked the look of the Bruschetta Bernadette, consisting of grilled baguettes garnished with cucumber, tomato, garlic & fresh herbs marinated balsamic vinegar ($6.50) while Sue ordered Seafood & Spinach Dip - a flavourful blend of seafood with spinach, garlic, Romano cheese and onions served with warm Tortilla chips ($7.95). We really enjoyed the mixture of these two dishes and retired to the outside deck at about 8 PM, where the sun was shining in the cloudless sky and a fairly strong but warm breeze was blowing. We actually stayed there until the sun set and then it was off to bed in preparation for our major hike to Grinnell Glacier in the morning!

The Dining Room also offered a buffet breakfast or you can order individual items like toast, bacon, coffee, etc. We had a quick breakfast there in the morning before heading down to the dock to catch the 'Chief Two Guns' boat ride for the first part of our hike.

Comparison: about average

Directions: On the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake, in the Many Glacier area

Phone: (406) 862-8190

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.nationalparkreservations.com

West Glacier Restaurant: Drove through the Park for this one!

Our first day in Glacier NP was spent on a 'mission' - when we left Canada's Waterton Lakes NP for Glacier, we needed more DVD discs for our video camera, after spending two and a half weeks shooting away in Alberta. This part of southern Alberta and northern Montana does not have a lot of specialized shopping spots and it turned out that the quickest place to get supplies was over the Rocky Mountains continental divide, just outside the West Entrance of Glacier. So it was that we took our first drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, from which we emerged into the little town of West Glacier at about 2 PM, four hours after crossing into the USA. We were quite hungry by then and the West Glacier Restaurant, located right across the street from where our shopping needs were met, looked like an inviting spot.

Favorite Dish: The interior was spacious and the lunchtime crowd was thinning by the time we walked in and were ushered to a table. Because we had to turn around and now drive back over GTTS Road to the east side of the NP, we decided to keeps thing simple with their Lunch special of a Tuna Melt sandwich with a cup of Clam Chowder (US$6), washed down by water. The food was tasty, but it took some time for the bill to arrive so we could get underway again. Still, we were happy as we left to hit the trail again!

Address: 10 Main Street, West Glacier, Montana

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: American

Russell's Fireside Dining Room: On the shores of Lake McDonald

Landing on the Pacific side of the continental divide for the second time in our trip, this time to spend a night at the Lake McDonald Lodge, we had a chance to sample the fare at its Russell's Fireside Dining Room. With its wood beam construction, large windows fronting onto the lake and various stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls, the decor of the large room evokes images of the early days of the Park. We had some phone calls to make after an early evening arrival at the Lodge, so when we finally made it down to dinner around 8 PM on a Sunday night the place was really hopping. However, after only a short wait next door in the adjoining overflow bar area, we soon had a window seat.

Favorite Dish: Once again, neither of us was famished, so we decided to keep our order down to a dull roar. Sue had Crab Cakes sauteed with a spicy remoulade and topped with fried leeks (US$7.50) and a side Caesar Salad (US$5). I like my bright colours, so ordered Baby Tomatos and fresh Mozzarella balls with a relish of basil, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar served with grilled baguettes (US$7). The total dinner cost was US$28. We both enjoyed this meal but were not quite so lucky with breakfast in the morning. I had one egg with ham, hash brown potatos, whole grain toast and coffee (US$5.25). However, the potatos were very soggy and the toast was so slow in coming that we had our meals almost finished (rather than let them go cold) before it arrived. The waitress said that their toaster was backed up with orders, but that is the first time I have ever seen a bottleneck for something as simple as that - the place was nowhere near full of people.

Comparison: about average

Directions: Beside the Going-to-the-Sun Road near the northeastern end of Lake McDonald

Phone: (406) 862-8190

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 2

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.nationalparkreservations.com