Great Restaurants in Missoula

Missoula, Mont., has a surprisingly worthwhile culinary scene, with a bevy of outstanding restaurants cooking up an array of cuisines.

The city’s lively downtown is where you should concentrate your gastronomic efforts. Worth visiting are Biga Pizza, a local favorite serving brick-oven pizza with enticing topping combinations; Scotty’s Table, located in the lower level of the Historic Wilma Theater and serving upscale food that utilizes local meat, produce and grains as often as possible; Face Club, a new sushi restaurant serving locally-sourced bison; Burn’s Street Bistro, with a creative mix of styles and cuisines coming together in an exciting menu; and The Notorious P.I.G., an outstanding, no-frills barbecue restaurant where the line is usually out the door.

With the exception of the occasional line at Notorious P.I.G., there’s rarely a wait for a table in Missoula and the food is honest, approachable, and welcoming — just like the town. Locally sourced, sustainable ingredients are a common theme, which is a welcome if unexpected aspect of dining in Missoula.

You can wash your meal down with local spirits, too. Missoula is home to nine breweries, two distilleries and two wineries, so locally produced libations are always close at hand.