Wassweiler Dinner House and Mercantile — Restaurant in Montana

First, the patio at this place puts it in the running for the best ambience in town. Top three at least. So they get a star for that. But all pleasantries end there. Wassweiler is at the top end of what you can spend for dinner in Helena. But the quality and experience you get isn't worth half the price. Let's start basic: water. Clearly someone was so impressed by the Flensburger beer bottles that they decided to reuse them for water and forgot all about functionality. Each water bottle is enough to fill one person's glass. This means that there will always be somebody thirsty at the table because the water is out, the table space will be overcrowded with empty bottles, and the waitstaff will have to either ignore the problem or constantly be running just to get water. Then let's move to the accuracy of what you get: The beer listed on the menu was Ayinger doppelbock (they don't make one, check their website). What came was Andechs DARK doppelbock. So both the brewery and the type of beer were incorrect. You want the bread that is listed with your mussels to dip in the sauce? Be ready to press them for it (this happened at our table and the next one). Quality of the food: actually you may not want that bread...the mussels broth is so salty that you won't be able to eat the bread once it dunked in, ruining the point of a classic dish. $10 Caesar salad? Pathetic, small, unflavorful. I won't go in the redone windbag because the food looks so bad, but I imagine that anyone would be happier with the $4.29 side Caesar salad there than this one. It is probably bigger too. Ever seen a lifelong beef-eater not finish a relatively small steak? Come here with one if you want to witness it! I don't know what was wrong as I didn't try it, but something must have been. Would you care for a melange of both mushy and under cooked vegetables in the blandest peanut satay sauce ever? This is the place to find it. My unprofessional evaluation is that the place is too far gone to fix. We can only hope that they go out of business soon and that something new comes to prepare good food that we can enjoy on that patio. Until then, save yourself some money and eat basically anywhere...

Update 12/23: I’m deeply saddened by my most recent experience. My wife and I have always loved the Wassweiler, though found it remarkably average in our most recent encounter. We paid an extra $25 for a sitting fee for an available reservation in the outdoor globe. Unfortunately it seems as though we’ve been put on another planet. It took us 55 minutes to get the pre-course bread, and another 15 minutes for the main course. Make sure to buy a bottle, as you’ll be looking at 15 minute intervals minimum for your waitress.

For fine dining, the experience is the majority of the value in your bill. Unlike the other visits in the years we’ve come to our favorite restaurant, the service is now lacking. There’s a noticeable difference in the attentiveness and service of the staff, and the food is underwhelming for the price.

It pains me to write this update, as you can see below my wife and I have held this place close to our hearts.

I’ve written this review in the time between being delivered my meal and consuming it; without the visit of our waitress.

After writing this review, we decided to walk inside to pay our bill (not the norm, but we were tired of waiting). After having poor service, we were the informed that there is a standard 20% gratuity for the outdoor dining.

Now don’t judge too hard, we normally tip 25% or more… but wasn’t intending on it for this dinner.

I hope that they can adjust the service concerns.

Previous review:

My Fiancé and I have come to the restaurant many times this year, and have celebrated some big moments here. We had our dinner the night of our engagement, and also the night before I left for my extended military service.

Kristin is always amazing as a waitress and is very polite and knowledgeable, along with having a good personality.

Marci the owner is personally involved in making sure that her customers are very well taken care of, and makes sure that you leave with a smile on your face.

Both the meals and experience are remarkable, and will continue to delight all of its guests.

Top restaurant in...

This dining experience at this historic building with intimate seating interspersed throughout the original building footprint was my 2023 Christmas gift. Because I love to cook and, so, always seek new food experiences, my husband knew it would be the perfect gift. Dinner at the Wassweiler is an intimate gourmet dining destination experience that is well-worth the investment. The Wassweiler is expensive because the ingredients and menu are top-tier.

The meal began with French onion soup for two, which was the Soup du'jours. I couldn't deduce what the secret ingredient was, but this soup was the most flavorful of its type I've ever eaten.

Entrees were equally impressive. My husband ate every bite of the Terres Major plate with great relish. ( I managed to beg one bite of his meal. It was delicious!) I dined on a Bacon-wrapped filet mignon served with fresh vegetables on a corn fritter bed. In my case, I can report that what I was unable to eat provided a still-tender gourmet treat.

The wine list, although limited, is impressive. Before we were seated, I noticed a recently awarded plaque honoring the restaurant's wine list near the entry.

Finally, the dessert course. My husband delighted in the fresh berry cobbler. I enjoyed finding a rich flour-free chocolate torte on the menu. Both desserts were served with homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. The perfect ending to this truly memorable meal was my choice of decaf coffee, which was served in an individual French Press. Classy!

Finally, kudos to our server and Sommelier, Christy. She provided knowledgeable, friendly, and non-intrusive service throughout our meal. For example, I expressed a bit of disappointment in the red wine blend we'd ordered. She brought a sample of the night's featured fine wine, which had similar blended varietals, to help me determine which flavors I prefer. I learned a lot from her kindness without a hint of "wine snobbery" in...