The Northern Lights Saloon — Restaurant in West Glacier

We've been visiting this unique little place for almost 15 years now. I even did a nice web page (and secured multiple domain names) for this place years ago - all on my nickel because we enjoyed the place so much. Yet this last week's visit will most likely be our last. Why? The place is apparently under new ownership and completely disorganized, a good portion of the menu items (5 out of 11) were missing, and the food quality was poor at best.

It started with a phone call the day before, when they informed us that steak night was on Friday (no pizza on the menu). So we drove the 45 minutes from Apgar up a dirt and muddy road (which is normally no big deal) only to find that there were no steaks and there was no steak night on Friday - it was going to be Saturday instead. They had plenty of chicken but couldn't fix even the simple chicken piccata entrée on the menu. We then figured that burgers were safe enough, and were even wrong on that count. A large, fresh bun (probably from the Polebridge Mercantile next door) contained a small black hockey-puck of meat that was barely edible. It was almost cartoonish - this large bun with a small piece of meat you couldn't even remotely see when you closed the bun. Even the beers were served in small plastic to-go cups - no additional beers offered for purchase.

Bear in mind that we were a nice family of four that couldn't have been more polite. Even tipped 18% on a lousy meal and fair service. Oh, and if they tell you that there is a $2.00 fee for using your credit card, check that too - they charged us $3.00.

Being "hip" doesn't mean you can ignore providing good food as advertised early on a Friday night. Already out of several items at 5:00? Inexcusable, especially for such a...

The Northern Lights Saloon (Polebridge, MT) can only be accessed by a long, mostly dirt, road out of Columbia Falls, MT. Polebridge sets next to the western edge of Glacier National Park and is a quaint, scenic destination of its own. We had driven by the Saloon for many years, but never stopped to eat. We decided to try it during a camping trip in the park. The menu states only pizza is served on Friday nights - the rest of the week has a broader range of options. The Saloon itself is a rustic, log-constructed, building that is relatively small for a restaurant. When we arrived, I was shocked to see the number of vehicles parked at the Saloon. The yard was filled with picnic tables and patrons, who were enjoying pizza and drinks while listening to a guitar trio performing in the open. Despite the crowd and 45-minute wait for the pizzas, we had a great time. It seemed to be the town's social hour, and we enjoyed watching, listening, and sharing our table with another group. The pizza was very good and the service excellent. Thanks to "Bob" for remembering my name ("Bob") and having fun with it while we waited. ...

We spent a week in the Polebridge area and visited Northern Lights Saloon twice. First time was with our kiddos in mid afternoon. Huckleberry ice cream and root beer all around. Staff was fantastic and treated our children like guests of honor.

Second time my wife and i went for drinks at the end of a long day. Hung out with the locals (a guy bought us a round after i helped our waitress on some stuff). Live music started and we watched the sun set. Neat people, both visitors and locals.

Bar is fully stocked, menu is diverse and interesting. Bartender and staff knew their stuff too. This place will remain as one of my most enjoyable experiences in the...