Harbor Grille — Restaurant in Kalispell

We have had very mixed experiences here, some really great and others really awful, hence the 3 stars. We live in Kalispell, so we've been there quite frequently since its opening. Generally speaking, if you want good quality service, don't go during the busiest time of the day/week/month/year. When it's not tourist season, it's apparent that they pay more attention to both their food preparation and their service. One of our bad experiences was that a couple months ago (at the beginning of the tourist season) we went during dinner hour, we saw some opening of tables right by the windows and asked if we could have one of those tables, and the server said no because those are reserved, and seated us down right by the door where people were walking past us and brushing our shoulders through the remainder of our dinner there. And only 10 minutes later after we were seated, two women came in and (because we were right by the door so we could hear their conversation very clearly) said they did not have reservation, and the server led them right to one of the window tables. I felt like we were unfairly treated, but both my husband and I don't like contention so we didn't say anything to them. My husband said next time we'll just make sure we reserve a table. So last weekend we called to reserve, and this time I specified that we would like to reserve a table by the window, and the guy on the phone (who was cold and a bit rude) said "We don't allow that here; you get whichever table that opens up first". After I hung up, my husband was like "what the heck, last time they wouldn't let us have one of those window tables because they said those were reserved!" So there you go, if you get good service, you're lucky, but be prepared that you won't be the lucky one. In terms of food, our experiences are also very mixed there. When the restaurant first opened, the food was very carefully prepared, and the seasoning was splendid. My husband and I both loved their claim chowder the most- it was unique, tasty, and nothing like the plain lame clam chowder that you get everywhere else. But this last time we went, not sure if they changed their menu or if they spent less time preparing, but the clam chowder tasted plan and lame and nothing like we've always had. My husband ordered meat and it was also dry. Overall, I would say that if you live locally, don't go during tourist season. If you're visiting from out of town, then good luck, I hope you happen to have good experiences, but know that chances...

I was very excited for a date night with my husband at the Harbor Grille. We went to see Mike and Chris play and they were amazing as always. After we were seated, our server came to get our drink order. She didn't go over any specials or anything; just asked if we had menu questions and what we wanted other than water. My husband asked for a sample of one of the beers before he committed and I ordered a cider. The server came back with my cider and the wrong sample of beer. No worries; things happen! She went back and got the correct one and then took our food order. It was unfortunate that a few of the menu items we wanted weren’t available. I wish we would have known that prior to ordering. Instead of waiting a few seconds for my husband to taste it and see if he wanted a full pour, she left. Again, no worries as it was a busier Saturday night. About 10 minutes later, she came by and said “I don’t think I ever asked you if you wanted a full pour.” My husband told her he did and she said she’d grab it and be back. Our food came out and my order was totally wrong. I ordered fish and chips and they brought me poke…? The server came back and apologized(sort of, it's like she was embarrassed which I understand, but she almost made a joke out of it instead) and said it was her fault. When she came back she asked how everything else was and my husband had to remind her he still hadn’t gotten his full pour of beer! At this point I was half way done with my cider and had no food. My husband had his food but no drink. It was super frustrating. My correct order finally came out and it was ok... Could tell they were just frozen fries and fish. Nothing fancy and not a lot of flavor at all. For the price I expected way more. My husband and and I are both in the hospitality/event/service industry and we felt like the attention to detail and overall service was sub-par. The location was beautiful and it had a great ambience. Loved the fire pits outside. We love live music too! Would we return? Probably not. For the prices, there are definitely more options closer to us...

This restaurant is in the perfect location! The parking lot was easy to access. Gorgeous open views of Flathead Lake. We attended during a thunder/lightening storm and viewed quite the show from Mother Nature. They had all the windows/doors opened up leading to the walkway outside, and down along the boardwalk. It was breathtaking. We were immediately greeted with friendly smiles and only waited maybe 5 minutes to be seated. The Hostess Hosana was fantastic and definitely was "running the joint". The respect her coworkers had for her authority was impressive, and the relationship held between all of them was welcoming. I could tell the staff genuinely cared for one another. Our Waitress Cadence was so cool! She and Hosana checked in on us every now and then, making sure we had all we needed. There was another male staff member (I cannot recall his name) and he was also great! He kept our waters filled every time he passed our table. We ordered an appetizer of the steam clams (phenomenal), an entree of the seabass and another of the salmon. Both were great dishes but the seabass was quite smothered in this red glaze/sauce and really took away from the taste of the seabass. It'd be better if the sauce was drizzled or maybe spread to the side of the fish as a choice to dip the seabass in. The salmon was amazing. I'm a "salmon snob" and found this to be cooked perfectly. The rice was sticky and with the added herbs, made an exquisite touch to the whole dish. We ordered the lemon cake w/raspberry sauce and that was the best dessert we've had in awhile! We also ordered 2 lemon drops - totally tasted like candy, a huckleberry margarita, a green tea and white tea shot. All the drinks were so good! The Bartender knows their drinks! Overall we had a wonderful date night and we're so happy we finally stopped in. I would definitely recommend...