Glacier National Park Restaurants

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!

If you read any guidebook or website about East Glacier, the number one place you'll hear about is Serrano's. I was excited to try it, but the first night I arrived, the place was packed, with a long line on the front porch, so I moved on. The second night, I made sure I got there right after it opened and was able to score a table on the back patio. Service was very good - drinks were refilled quickly. You get a bowl of chips and salsa, though if you run out of salsa, the next bowl costs extra :( Sadness because it was so good! The entrees ran in the low - mid teens. I went with the seafood enchiladas - crab, scallops, and shrimp covered in a creamy tomato sauce. Fantastic! The seafood was fresh, plentiful, and in good sized pieces. I would have come back the first night and waited in line had I known what I was in for. Don't be put off by the crowds (which were there again as I left) - you won't be sorry you waited. Highly recommended.

This little restaurant sits up the street from the Mountain Pine Motel and next to Brownies Grocery store (coincidentally owned by the same folks.) Breakfast is what most people rave about, but I stopped in for dinner. I was seated fairly quickly out on the patio, which was nice to watch the world go by. Unfortunately, service was a little slow (although when I mentioned I had to be somewhere, it did pick up.) I had the Walleye dinner, which came with a salad and bread. Overall, the food was OK, but I regretted not choosing a sandwich because I thought for what I got on the dinner, the price was a little steep (about $17 for the meal alone, not including tip and drink.)

If you go during Huckleberry season, they advertise the pie, and if it is there, definitely spend the $4 to get a slice. By far, it was the best part of the meal. The fresh berries were just fantastic!

There aren't a lot of choices in East Glacier, and you probably could do worse. You definitely can do better - I did the next night.

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The Ptarmigan Dining Room at Many Glacier Hotel is a full service restaurant with spectacular lake and mountain views that will take your breath away. They specialize in Continental and Swiss Cuisine. The food is very good but the view is so special that you might not even notice. The next closest restaurant is sevreal miles away, however, you won't mind once you see the Ptarmigan Dining Room.

The restaurant is open for breakfast (buffet) lunch and dinner every day in season. Attire is casual and reservations are not accepted. Box lunches are also available for those who want to take a picnic with them.

The dinner prices at Many Glacier Hotel were slightly better than those at Glacier Park Lodge, although Many Glacier was more remote and in a much more beautiful setting.

Favorite Dish: I had the buffalo tips and gravy over noodles. It reminded me of beef stroganoff. Frankly, I wondered if they might be running short of buffalo meat because my dinner was mostly noodles. Still it was good.

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On our trip to Glacier National Park we enjoyed staying and eating at three of the different historic rustic lodges. However, for lunch each day we packed simple fixings for picnic. We never had a problem finding a place to make sandwiches and enjoy our mid-day meal in the great outdoors.

Favorite Dish: Whole grain bread, peanut butter and honey, luncheon meat, potato chips, fresh fruit and a cooler with ice, energy drink and diet cola. Who could ask for anything more.

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During our visit to Glacier National Park we enjoyed two breakfasts and two dinners in the dining room of the Glacier Park Lodge. It is named the Great Northern Steak and Rib House after the Great Northern Railway.

For breakfast there is a very ample buffet and the dinner menu offers a wide choice of entrees. Prices are neither cheap nor outrageous. The setting and service would be hard to beat. Our servers were international college students, mostly from European countries who are recruited to work in the National Park for the summer season.

There is a spectacular mountain view from the restaurant, but only a few tables are situated to take full advantage of it. The spacious interior of the lodge itself, with it's great log timbers, is view enough. Dinner portions are hearty and ample, which were appreciated after a long day of hiking and exploring the mountains.

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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.

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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!