The following are bygone restaurants yet to have their own article on this site. Any information or photos would be most welcome. Please let us know of any restaurants that have been left off this list. Thank you.
- 4-Bs (in 1976 three locations: Holiday Village, 301 E. Broadway and 700 W. Broadway)
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- Alice’s (late 1970s, on East Main where the Empanada Joint is now
- Big John’s Sandwich Shop (on W. Broadway, now across from The Palace)
- Broadway Cafe
- Bud Lake Village
- Bug’s Bar-B-Que (1950s and 60s, on Brooks where Denny’s is now)
- Casa Pablo (1980s – 1990s, south side of Main across from The Shack, later in the Palace Hotel)
- Cattin’s
- Club Chateau (E. of Missoula)
- Curley’s (1974 -2014) on Brooks
- Del’s Place (1980s-2014, formerly Bar MG, on East Broadway now an Indian food joint)
- Don’s Family Restaurant
- Dorothy’s / (later Casa Pablo on W. Main across from The Shack)
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Emmaus Road (late 1970s, Ray Risho’s first restaurant, on South by Sentinel)
- Frontier Lounge (W. Broadway)
- Fairway Drive-in
- Feather & Fin (1978, on South near Higgins) cough! this one lasted a month
- Frontier Pies (1980s off Brooks)
- Frontier Lounge (W Broadway past Russell)
- The Gilded Lily, then The Lily (1970s to mid-1990s, above The Crystal Theater where Silk Road upstairs is now) Between The Lily and Silk Road eras, The Bridge – now Bridge Pizza, at a different location – occupied the space
- Golden Pheasant (on N. Higgins where Feruqi’s is)
- Goldsmith’s (1980s – Ice Cream parlor on south side 800 block East Front)
- The Green Leaf (1990s, where El Cazador is now)
- The Grill Cafe (1922-1957, 100 block W Main owned by Sam Poulos George Bravos)
- The Happy Bungalow
- The Heidelhaus (on Brooks, now The Montana Club)
- High Mountain Cafe (1970s – in 600 block of Woody, east side) started by Dave Boland, later run by Debbie and Lucy
- High School Candy
- Hollyoak Drug lunch counter
- Kayway Cafe
- Knucklehead’s BBQ (early 2000s, NE corner Broadway and Owen)
- La Fiesta (NW corner Main and Ryman)
- Littlle Big Men Pizza (1970s, on Brooks, in the building where KFC/A&W is now)
- The Main Spot (next to Zip Auto on the south side of Main)
- Mammyth Bakery & Cafe (on West Main near The Missoula Club) owned by Bates and Kimmie
- Marianne’s (late 1990s, Wilma basement)
- Mario’s Greek and Italian (early/mid 1970s, 1337 West Broadway)
- Marvin’s
- Miller’s Crossing
- Ming’s (1049 W. Central, across Brooks from Tremper’s Shopping Center)
- The Mining Company (1970s-80s, W Broadway)
- Minute Kitchen
- Montana Pie Company (on Brooks toward downtown from Holiday Village)
- Montana Mining Company (1970s – 1210 W. Broadway)
- Moose Magoo’s (1990s, Palace Hotel)
- Mr C’s
- Nap’s / Wild West Pizza (1970s) / Luke’s Pizza (late 1970s) on W. Front
- Nine Mile House
- Nygard’s Park Cafe (600 N. HIggins in the Park Hotel)
- Old Town Cafe (1976-2000, on W. Alder, now The James Bar) most recently owned by Rahm Murphy (who participated in the infamous Round River program at UM from ’72 until ’74 when it was banned) and Kendall Jubb and before that by Gene from New York
- Palace Coffee Parlor (1960s, 1970s – Palace Hotel)
- Perugia (1995-2005, Ray Risho’s second restaurant where the new Poverello is now)
- Pioneer Pies (1980s on Brooks)
- Pancey’s Alley (late 70s, 125 E. Main – entrance in the alley behind the Top Hat)
- Perkin’s / Appletree / Finnegan’s (over Rattlensnake Creek)
- The Queen of Tarts (1979-mid 1980s, on Higgins, probably where Noteworthy is now) – Owned by Marion Schat
- The Rocking Horse (Southgate Mall where the Mustard Seed is now)
- The Shack (1960s – 1980s, at its original location at 223 W. Front)
- Shakey’s Pizza (early 1970s, 1612 Benton, in the building where The Treasure Chest is now)
- Sharief’s Pizza Parlor (1970s) / Perugia (1990s) at 1106 W. Broadway, now the new Poverello
- Silk Road, The (2005-2016, Risho family’s third restaurant on the Hippie Strip in front of the Crystal Theater)
- Sheep Ranch Inn
- Smitty’s Pancake House (1970s) / Finnegan’s (1980s – 90s) at 700 E. Broadway over Rattlesnake Creek
- Snow King Restaurant (1960s – 1990a at 1819 S. 3rd W.)
- The Spaghetti Station (mid-late ’70s – in The Warehouse at 725 W. Alder)
- Sugar Shack (1970s, SE corner Higgins and 6th)
- Thai Spicy (2000s, NW corner Main and Ryman, then The Walking Moustache, now Masala)
- Tina’s Mexican (across from the new Shack on W. Main)
- Torrey’s (1980s-90s, vegetarian joint in Holiday Village parking lot)
- Tower Pizza (1973-2017, on south side of Brooks across from Denny’s)
- Townhouse (100 block of W. Main)
- Town Talk Cafe
- Treasure State Donuts (opened and closed in 2014)
- Uptown Cafe (the original Uptown – 1950s? to late 80s, north side of 100 block W. Main in the ’50s, then west side of Higgins by the late ’70s) In the late ’80s, it was bought out by the asst. manager of The Depot, name changed to Uptown Diner and moved to present location
- Village Inn Pizza Parlor (1973-2002 at 3520 Brooks, where a 1st Interstate Bank branch is now)
- Villa Santino (west of Lolo)
- Vito’s / Los Lobos / The Raven / Dauphine’s (early 1980s, 100 block of East Broadway)
- Wild West Pizza (1977, later Luke’s Pizza, 1978-79 on W. Front in Luke’s basement)
- the old Zimorino’s (on N. Higgins where Sapore is and before that in the Turf Bar on W. Main)
- Zorba’s / Chinook (on Orange next to Bourquin’s)
The Spaghetti Station … mid-to-late 1970s …
Duly added. Thank you.
Uptown Cafe/Diner was on the east side of Higgins immediately north of the Bon Marche. I remember the remodel into the “diner” look and the god-awful commercial jingles on the radio.
Just north of the Bon Marche is the location it moved to in the late ’80s.
QUEEN OF TARTS – Back in the 1980s, when most of Missoula was asleep in the predawn hours, Marion Schat was a whirlwind of action in the kitchen of her famed Queen of Tarts bakery and cafe.
Every morning, the red-haired beauty with lively green eyes was in the “Queen,” near the Wilma Theatre on Higgins Avenue, blaring classical music as loud as her humble sound system could deliver while she mixed pastry dough, rolled out croissants, and moved baked goods into and out of the oven in preparation for the morning rush of customers.
“It would be 4 or 5 in the morning and she would be in that kitchen drinking coffee with mocha cream, throwing flour everywhere and flipping huge slabs of croissant dough,” said Michele Nelson, one of Marion’s four children. “Those slabs were huge – 5 feet long, and thick – and she would flip that dough like it was a tiny piece of paper and pound on it until she got the right consistency.”
What might be a cumbersome, inelegant task in the hands of most people was performance art that became the most delicate, flaky and mouthwatering old-world Dutch-style croissants because of Marion’s talented touch.
A third-generation master baker who was born in Holland with an artist’s soul and sensibility – and deep curiosity about what made the world tick – Marion Elizabeth Ruth Schat also was a fearless entrepreneur and single mother who boldly brought to life big ideas to honor her dreams and support her children.
Marion’s undaunted spirit was sparked by her hardworking parents, who immigrated to the United States with their young family in 1957 and operated the renowned Schat’s Bakery in Bishop, Calif.
As a young woman, love and adventure eventually called Marion to Montana’s Swan Valley in 1973 with her husband Richard Nelson and their own young family.
There, the couple owned and operated the Holland Lake Lodge while their four children – Michele, Nicole, Darin and Lindi – thrived in the beautiful rural environment.
“At the time, I think they felt there were too many people in California and they wanted to be somewhere more peaceful,” said daughter Nicole Stimac.
Hiking, horseback riding, swimming, wilderness treks, boating, skiing and living among the wild animals that found shelter at the lake defined the everyday life of the family as they all made their unusual home a home-away-from-home for their many guests.
“My mom was amazing,” Stimac recalled. “People loved her – and the incredible food she made.
“She made this one soup in the pressure cooker, which was a chicken noodle vegetable soup that was incredible. But then everything she touched was incredible.”
When the couple divorced a few years after the move to Holland Lake, the lodge was sold and Marion took her children back to Bishop to learn the finer art of baking and business.
For a year, she worked in her family’s bakery with the idea she would return to Missoula and open up one of her own.
Armed with talent and drive, Marion returned with her children started the cafe on Higgins in 1979.
***
The Queen of Tarts, which to this day still is spoken about with nostalgia and reverence by longtime residents, served as a community hub until the mid-1980s.
“It was such a cool place,” said Monte Dolack, a Missoula artist who, at the time, worked in a studio above the Top Hat bar and came to the cafe every morning for Marion’s gourmet coffee, brioche, an almond pocket or fruit tart, and then often returned for lunch.
“All the booths were done in koa wood and it had just a great feel,” he said. “It was such a friendly atmosphere and it was more of a European style – something you would find in Amsterdam or Paris.
“Part of what made it so special was you would look at the baked goods, which were so beautiful, and at that time you didn’t see things like that very often.”
Always gracious, sometimes mischievous, Marion most often lured people into her life and cafe with her infectious laugh.
And then of course, there was her famous mocha cream.
“So many people would come in for breakfast and have coffee with Mom’s famous mocha cream,” said Lindi Nelson.
Like the bar in the 1980s television sitcom “Cheers,” everybody knew each other’s name in the Queen of Tarts, which became the place people went to catch up on the news of the day, gossip, relax and find comfort among friends.
“It was at a time when downtown was just starting to come back, and it was because of places like the Queen of Tarts,” Dolack said. “Downtown had been hit hard by the recession and by the opening of the (Southgate) mall, and a lot of old-time business had left downtown, which gave the opportunity for small-business people to rent or lease downtown space.
“Those small-business people reinvented themselves at the same time they were reinventing downtown. A lot of little businesses – mine included – sprang up, and we all supported each other.”
But what Marion created with the Queen of Tarts, especially, was forward thinking.
“If it were here right now, it would be a great asset,” Dolack said. “It truly was ahead of its time.”
***
The Queen of Tarts closed its doors in the mid-1980s, at a time when Marion found love again and married Jack Ryan.
The couple decided to try their luck in developing property on Hawaii’s Big Island, where they stayed until returning to Montana in 2004 to live in Polson and be closer to her children.
Marion died on Jan. 8 from chronic illness at age 69.
She leaves behind for her surviving children a love of classical music, an awe of nature and the confidence to make dreams into reality.
“She was way ahead of her time,” Nelson said. “She was always thinking ahead, and I think of her as a true entrepreneur – she was fearless, and I think that’s what she truly taught us.”
By way of example, Nelson, who owns the El Topo Cantina in Bigfork, tells of the time when she was 13 years old and cooking by her mom’s side in the Queen, like she did most weekends.
“One day, Mom had been cooking and baking for 50 days straight. Nonstop working,” Nelson explained. “She looked at me and said ‘I’ve got to go’ – and she did. She just left me there with 12 tickets in front of me to cook for customers.
“She taught me at a young age you have to face your fears, and I had to cook everything by myself.”
Of course, looking back, Nelson knows her mom had trained her well and knew her daughter was up to the challenge.
“She did it just that one time,” Nelson said, with laughter in her voice. “It was definitely a life lesson.”
— http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/hometowns/western-montana-lives-missoula-s-queen-baker-helped-reinvent-downtown/article_c6adaaae-695d-11e2-bb03-001a4bcf887a.html
Bugs barbeque was missed. Babe Bogard made awsome pies there for many years.
Does anybody remember who owned Bugs Barbeque? I remember the restaurant.
Anybody have a lead on the amazing pinkish dressing that Alice’s Restairant used to put on their hot vegetable salad? That was always a favorite for us and we can’t seem to consistently duplicate it. Thanks!!
That was one of my favorites at Alice’s. I believe the dressing was mainly sour cream. The pink color was imparted by the addition a small amount of beet juice.
What about 93 stop and go? Big Sky Drive Thru? Or Hardy’s?
See “Drive-in Restaurants”
Remember, Casa Pablo’s was Moose Magoo’s before it was C.P. and C.P. was on the corner of Ryman and Main before moving to the Palace. Dorothy’s was on that corner before that, I ate there mornings in the late ’50’s. Great breakfast before fishing. Also the Mint had a restaurant that served early breakfast.
There was another restaurant in the area where Poverello is going. Up-scale place owned by the people from Silk Road.
Perugia
I’d forgotten about Moose Magoos–thanks Elmer. Didn’t they have around 50 hamburgers on the menu (including things like peanut butter and jelly) and a waitstaff wearing crazy costumes? A few others that come to mind: The Mansion, which I know has been reincarnated after burning to the ground (but it just isn’t the same…), the Rocking Horse (in the mall, maybe where Mustard Seed is now–good Sunday brunch), and Del’s Place (now an “upscale” donut shop out by the Children’s Theatre). And didn’t Brooks Street have both a Pioneer Pies and a Frontier Pies? Also, Thai Spicy (now the Walking Mustache) and Goldsmith’s with their great ice cream, or Naps where (I think) Lukes Bar once was. And remember the chili bread bowl at Mr. C’s?
The Mining Company on Broadway, I think it’s a casino now. They had these weird intimate booths and awesome mud pie!
My Dad had The Grill Cafe on 100 Block of West Main St.
1922—1957 Sam Poulos George Bravos….
The Savoy on Broadway and Torrey’s, on Brooks, near Malfunction Junction.
The company I worked for back then put the walk in coolers in for them.
There was a family restaurant in Southgate mall, good breakfast up until the early 1990’s. What was the name of that resataurant?
The restaurant in the Mall was Grady’s I believe.
It was Grady’s . My first wife worked there after the Hole In One donut shop and cafe that Bob Skinner owned closed . It was also in the South Gate mall
How about The Turf, Andre’s Frontier Lounge on west Broadway, and Brownie’s In and Out.
Does anyone remember the Minute Kitchen? They served fried chicken in a basket and it was my favorite restaurant as a child in the 50s.
RE: Old Town Cafe…In the interest of accuracy, Ram Murphy did not run the Round River program, and it was not “banned” by the Regents. Ram worked peripherally with the program for a year. I worked with Ram for a number of years in the restaurant biz, good human being, astonishing baker, damned fine bass player, too, if you didn’t know. Old Town made the best corned beef hash I have ever eaten.
Bug’s Bar B Que restaurant
I remember after bowling at 5 valley Bowl, my parents took us to Don’s Family restaurant. Pigs in a blanket and warm syrup.
I also remember going to Zorba’s Greek Restaurant. It was high end Greek food and it only had one parking spot.
My folks always went to The Six Pack out in Florence
And what was the restaurant that is now where Montana Jacks is?
What was the name of the restaurant on Brooks in the early 2000’s that had a big salad bar up close to where you ordered ? . You could order a dinner too. It was very popular. Located on the right side going south down Brooks. It had a set of double doors facing Brooks when u walked all the way to the back to order. We always just got salad bar. Lot’s of choices on the salad bar. Yummy seafood salad.
I’m remembering Hansen’s cafe on Higgins Ave, before you cross the bridge. When I was a freshman in HS, we used to go there for Sloppy Joes. In my memory, they remain the best ever . Were they? Who knows, but the memory is the best. We also used to go to Woolworth’s downtown and had the best Banana Splits! Were they? Great memories of childhood in Missoula.
Woolworth’s also had great grilled cheese sandwiches
And yes, Hansen’s Ice Cream had great sloppy joe’s and…ice cream – home-made in the back of the store..
Anyone have more on the restaurants in the old Milwaukee Road Depot on the south bank of the river? According to the Internet (which never lies), it was in 1981 that a connection was built between the depot and the baggage building and two steakhouses, first the Clark Fork Station and then the Milwaukee Station, briefly were in there. I think I ate there once but it doesn’t say good things that I can’t remember for sure.
What was the name of the steak house on Brooks in the early 80s. They used to give the little stuffed animals their hands and feet pinched together. I think it was by Wendy’s
Mr Steak was the place by Wendy’s I think
The Pink Poodle was on Higgins Street – down from where Butterfly Herbs is – I member going there in the late 1960’s and having a cherry ice cream soda
What was the name of the Mexican restaurant that had the Matador dish. It was located on the west end of the block from the Stockman’s Bar. Early 70’s-??
I think the location was the Star Garage in the mid 60’s.
According to a period phone book, a restaurant and bar called The Holding Company was at that address in 1976. The building was originally an auto shop called the Star Garage. In the early ’70s it was converted to house Jekyll and Hydes, a rock bar. Mission Mountain Wood Band often performed there. In late’70s, during the disco era, a disco called “The Star Garage” inhabited the basement. The Mexican restaurant above it during that period was called The Acapulco. It was part of a chain out of California, but their Matador burrito was served only in Missoula, created by the local chef. The restaurant El Matador in the mall, was initially called El Matador South, leading us to speculate that The Acapulco became the El Matador, which later opened a second shop in the mall.
Anyone remember the name of the Mexican restaurant that was at Ryman and W. Front in the mid 70’s?
That was the El Matador. Great food. My younger brother worked there when he was in high school (Hellgate).
And there was the Tropicana on Woody Street owned by Debby. They had the most fantastic, best breakfasts in town, all homemade and lots of it. My friend Tom and I both worked there for awhile.
Tom also baked at the Queen of Tarts in 1986. I remember being in the basement of the restaurant (with an entrance to the old catacombs) with him one time as he was mixing the ingredients. Those were the best croissants I ever tasted. They were delicious, and her brioche, oh, the best! I loved the Queen of Tarts, great breakfasts there too.
Gradys in the mall, also arriba where red robin is now. I worked at a place called big Apple deli in Stephens center near Katie okeefes in 1991ish…wasnt open long. I think the small building on south near sentinel was Dominics sandwich shop. Romeos started out at the end of pattee creek market building, next to stageline pizza (also closed, there was one on south by rosauers too) I think after Romeos, that spot was an Asian place. Also great cafe in place two, in the mall where herbergers across from red robin is.
Vinces Supper Club was a favorite for their prime rib and steaks in the 60s and 70 till it burned down.
Does anyone remember the name of the bar (where the Rhino is now I think) that used to be right behind the Top Hat and across from Datsopolous?
I worked at Alice’s Restaurant in the mid 70’s, I would give anything to know if any of those wonderful people are still around Missoula. I am from Northern California, I never forgot beautiful Montana. Ironically I am going there tomorrow for my walk down memory lane ♥️ Was a great restaurant and amazing people.
Does anyone remember a little Pizza joint somewhere around the 1100 block of W Broadway in the late 70s? I don’t think it was Sharief’s. I seem to remember it being about 1/2 a block north of Broadway.