10 Montana Restaurants Where You Can Truly Eat Local

The Farm to Table movement has really gathered momentum in recent years, with more and more people realizing that food tastes better when it’s enjoyed where it was "born." Montana is a great place to be if you’re a locavore—from our locally raised meats to our produce, hops and wheat crops, we’ve got all the best food groups covered. These 10 restaurants will serve you an authentic made-in-Montana meal.

1. Over the Tapas, Bozeman

This small plate restaurant might serve Spanish inspired dishes, but whenever possible, the ingredients used are 100% Montana-made. The restaurant-owned Bozeman ranch provides most of the produce, the fresh eggs and the beef from their certified Highland cattle. They also have a great selection of local beers.

2. The Fieldhouse, Billings

The Fieldhouse is a foodie’s dream—they serve dishes made from scratch using whole foods that can be found regionally. They claim to have the best cheese plates in the region, and that very well could be true.

3. Local Kitchen & Bar, Billings

Billings is ahead of the curve on the local dining scene. The owners of this amazing place believes that local goes beyond the food, although they definitely have plenty of Montana-made meals here… but they also feature local artwork, donate to charity and pay employees to volunteer.

4. Sola Cafe, Bozeman

This cafe is a local favorite, partially because of the fresh local ingredients they use whenever possible. The menu includes delicious pastries and coffee as well as a large selection of brunch classics, sandwiches, soups and salads.

5. Seven Bar & Grill, Lakeside

Seven’s menu includes some local ingredients used in very fun ways—elk burgers and mint huckleberry vinaigrette, for example. Their burgers and steaks come from cattle raised in Montana.

6. Red Bird Restaurant & Wine Bar, Missoula

The Red Bird is a member of the Western Montana Growers Cooperative, meaning they can support local farmers and serve top quality local meats and vegetables. The ambiance here is almost as wonderful as the food.

7. Highlander Bar & Grill, Helena

Located at the Norwegian Woods Golf Course, the Highlander Bar & Grill has gourmet fare made from Montana ingredients. Their Scottish Highland cattle are raised onsite.

8. Lilac, Billings

You’ll find some eclectic dishes on Lilac’s menu, like beef tongue tacos and crispy chicken skins. But everyone who dines here raves about the food, which is made from scratch using local ingredients.

9. The Corral, Gardiner

This small burger joint is the longest standing business in Gardiner. They specialize in buffalo burgers and bacon cheeseburgers, and everything tastes delicious because it’s local and fresh.

10. Flathead Lake Brewing Company, Bigfork

Not only will you find tasty local food here, but you’ll also get to sip on local beer. This is a company that really believes in sustainability—they know quality ingredients require a quality environment, so their entire facility is energy efficient and LEED certified.

Montana sure has an amazing dining scene. Here are some of the top places to get a steak.