The Hopper

Walked in, ordered a sandwich, got it made perfectly and bussed to my table in under a minute. I've…read moregotten slower service at McDonald's, man. Not to mention, whoever curates their playlist knows what they're doing.

Why am I losing my hearing while waiting way too long for my food/ coffee? I was the only customer,…read moreit took forever. And there was a very loud noise ringing in my ears the entire time. Food and coffee mediocre.

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Hokkaido Ramen & Izakaya

4.2(193 reviews)

0.5 mi

My wife and I have come here a couple times now, and every time we have never had a bad experience…read more The service was amazing and fast. The food was delicious. Having come from Southern California, I was afraid the sushi here in Montana wouldn't be as good, but I was wrong! And they have a cute lil robot that brings you your food if you have a larger order.

Surprisingly good Japanese ramen and sushi in Helena. This restaurant is part of a Japanese…read morerestaurants with locations in numerous cities in Montana as well as numerous other states. It seems to target locations which do not have a plethora of Japanese restaurants to choose from. This location is conveniently located at Great Northern Town Center. It has a parking garage a short walk away and there is a Cinemark movie theater to watch a movie before or after your meal here. I decided to order takeout which was a good idea since the restaurant was a bit crowded. Tried the spicy beef ramen that they are known for and a Philadelphia roll. The ramen is an interesting fusion dish as it contains a beef rib. It was like having barbecue meats with ramen. Whereas the Philadelphia roll was pretty standard and predictably good. Overall, I enjoyed the food here and it was nice to find decent Japanese food in a smallish city in Montana.

Spicy Philly and Alaskan roll

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Shellie's Country Cafe

4.0(194 reviews)

1.9 mi

If I could rate it higher I would, server Dawn was super polite and funny, she took our orders and…read morebrought our pies in less than a minute! I ordered a pistachio cream pie and it was the most incredible thing I ever ate! I wish I could have the other pies too! Why don't I have a super fast metabolism?!? Why?!? Anyway this was a great way to close the second day in Montana. Hope we come back here again. 100/10. Best pies in Montana.

A convenient spot off the beaten path in Helena. Their menu…read moreis extensive and nicely prepared. Down home styles and tasty. Give it a try the next time you are in the area.

Good food and the best pie you'll ever have

"Holy Cow!" French Toast Plate

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"Holy Cow!" Breakfast Burrito

Real Food Market & Deli

3.6(34 reviews)

1.0 mi

•$$$

I spent 3 weeks in Helena, MT in 2012 on business. It took me 3 days to hear about this place,…read morethen 1 day to decide this is where I will eat the rest of my meals. Their hot foot bar changes daily, there is an awesome salad bar, and of course my favorite....a fresh juice bar. Some of the best salads I've ever had, has been from here. They are also a grocery store, so you can get everything you need in one place. I love my fresh juices and after the first few days, the guys at the juice bar gave me a huge container of juice, so I could keep a days worth in my hotel room The people are so nice and friendly, but that is also Montana. :) .

Too expensive for too little food. In this photo you could see I took maybe three or four bites…read more That's when I realized - look how little food this is. It cost nearly $12. It's way too much money. I won't go back.

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Boar's Head Meats & Cheeses!

Brewhouse Pub and Grille

3.5(271 reviews)

0.7 mi

We recently held my father's 90th birthday celebration downstairs at the Helena Brewhouse. It was…read morefantastic! They provided our group ample space and great service. We ordered several appetizers off of the event menu and arranged to give guests drink tickets. My father had such a great time! This party allowed for many friends and family members to come and help him celebrate his birthday. I highly recommend the Brewhouse's event space. Rachel was a great manager and made planning this event easy even though I live out of state. THANK YOU!!!

Lunch stop! Food is quality, prices are reasonable, service…read morewas great and the beer....is beer. Would recommend! Won't be disappointed if ya stop!

Sweet Potato Fries

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Benny's Bistro

4.1(149 reviews)

0.1 mi

We stopped on a whim when traveling through Helena. It was not what we expected, as the online…read morereview we found was for a previous restaurant. What it was, however, was one of the best dining experiences we have had. From New York to London to Las Vegas, around the world really, we always eat at the best places we can find, and Benny's compares well to the very best of them. Every course, every dish was amazing. The professionalism and knowledge of the staff was top notch. We particularly liked that the ingredients were locally sourced as much as possible, with seasonal selection on the menu. That quality of ingredients was evident in the dishes. Cannot say enough, with our only disappointment being that we do not live in Helena so we won't be able to eat there as often as we would like.

Here on business and I always look for the local restaurants. What a gem Benny's Bistro is! A…read morequaint warm vibe in downtown Helena. The staff was accommodating and passionate about the restaurant. Service was top notch. Our waitress was fun. The Bison Skewers were flavorful and the polenta underneath was amazing. The Rosemary Tomato soup was balanced and refreshing. I went for the Beef Stroganoff... homemade noodles, tender meat, and flavorful mushrooms. I'll be back when I return to Helena.

Cherry cobbler, November 2012

Jack the Rabbit under the piano.

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Coffee and saxophone signage

The Dive Bakery & Cafe

3.5(33 reviews)

1.3 mi

Caramel and cinnamon rolls are great!…read more However, their service is terribly lacking! There is one person taking orders, making coffee, and getting pastries and one person making hot items. Wait times are long and it's painfully awkward to wait in line while the person who is supposed to take orders is making coffee right in front of you. The accuracy of hot food is marginal. We did a phone order and they messed it up. No cheese on one crepe and no egg on another. Also, they gave us two cinnamon rolls instead of two caramel rolls which I don't bother correcting. They could do a lot better having more staff and focusing and speed and accuracy of service. I'd recommend Great Harvest bakery or Grateful Bread instead if you're looking for a local place.

caesar salad ordered with no croutons, croutons crumbled and mashed in. Sandwich good. Salad…read moreunflavorful. Ingredients were: romaine, mediocre parmesan, dry tasteless chicken, package of soybean heavy dressing (and croutons ha). If you're going for the location, something packaged is a good bet. I do hear good things about the pastries.

Front of the bakery

There's a hidden upstairs seating area, pretty cool

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Upstairs is where it's at!

Windbag Saloon

3.5(379 reviews)

0.1 mi

Underrated! This place is great. Deceiving larger it looks from the outside. The food was…read moreoutstanding! Service was top notch and the prices are average. Highly recommend! We will definitely be back.

Great ambiance, but mid food…read more This was my second time coming here, this time for lunch. Decently crowded but seated immediately. Place is pretty cool, since it keeps so much of its history, and the service is solid, but the food isn't great. I got a half sandwich and soup of the day, which was a chicken chile verde enchilada soup. The French dip was looking like it was sitting for a while under a heat lamp and semi dried out. Soup wasn't looking much better, and the chicken almost looked like a frozen package. Place is cool and great for watching a game and getting a drink, but don't hold your breath with food quality.

Windbag Saloon ambiance

Gigantic Pretzel served with white queso

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Outside of the Windbag Saloon

Panera Bread

2.0(8 reviews)

1.3 mi

I went through the Panera drive-thru for lunch today and, after waiting about 20 minutes behind…read moreonly two other cars, I returned to my office and opened my Whole Harvest Medley Salad without chicken. I was really disappointed by the portion size. I've ordered whole salads from Panera many times before, and they've always been considerably larger and filling enough for a meal. This looked and felt much more like a half-size portion than a whole salad, especially considering what I paid for it. I understand portions can vary a little, but this was noticeably smaller than any whole salad I've received from Panera in the past. After a 20-minute drive-thru wait, it was especially disappointing to get back to work and find this. I'm glad I ordered a side of bread, because otherwise this definitely wouldn't have been enough for lunch. I've included photos for reference because the portion size really speaks for itself.

Sat in the drive through for 20+ minutes 2 vehicles ahead of me. bo way to get out of the drive…read morethrough. Order was ready sitting on the counter - they said it was done. Drive through attendant ignored it.

Bakery Family

Breakfast Sandwich Family

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Value Duets Family

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Brenda V.

3 years ago

I love the vibe at the Hopper Kitchen! The service is absolutely wonderful and friendly, and the Brazil Bowl is a weekly favorite lunch for me! I go every week for self-care. I highly recommend you stop in and try any of their wonderful dishes. As they have so much to choose from! read more

Michaela B.

5 months ago

Absolutely delicious food! I especially love the thai peanut butter and jelly chicken wings and the tater tots!

The Hopper - salad - Updated October 2026

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Highly Recommended! Good food, nice place, and great service…read more So, I was in town on business and staying in a nearby hotel with a very blah breakfast. I had to work early, and was craving a midmorning early lunch. Specifically, I wanted a salad with some tasty protein and a bowl of soup. The usual suspects were the national chain restaurants, but I try to eat local and family based. I wanted FLAVOR. Enter Planet Gyros. Yelp showed they were open and the photos looked perfect. I asked the gentleman at the counter what the soup of the day was. Lentil with smoked sausage! Yay! They pared that with a big green salad with some perfectly cooked Souvlaki chunks on top. Tender and with a nice touch of a vinegar tang. It was like having a meal at my grandmother's. As if my grandmother was still Cooking, or was Greek. A perfect meal at a nice place!

I made a to go order at this spot and they were very quick! I had multiple items since I was…read morepicking up for co-workers. I had the Zeus as a salad and it didn't disappoint. It was so fresh and they piled on a lot of the meat. I did also like their tzatziki sauce- very rich and creamy so I didn't have to use too much. I was surprised how big the interior was. There were ample seating so this place will definitely hold a big group.

Cheddar's Gourmet Grilled Cheese

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Perfect experience, we picked up 3 sandwiches for take out. All 10/10, and the soup shot is perfect…read moresize for dipping the entire sandwich. Service was kind and professional.

I'm honestly surprised this place has low ratings--everything I've had here has been excellent. The…read morefood is consistently delicious. I do enjoy the Parmesan-crusted option, though I will note that it slightly overpowers the natural flavor of the brisket and sandwich, so that's something to keep in mind when ordering. The service has always been great--staff are friendly, welcoming, and kind every time I come in. The ambiance is simple, but when the food is this good, that's really all you need. Thank you for consistently making an outstanding grilled cheese. I will definitely be returning again and again.

Bad Betty's Barbecue and Catering Company

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Bring it on! Best In…read moreHelena, hands down, there is no contest! CAN YOU SAY BRISKET

Ugh. I loved this hole in the wall a few years ago but not everything ages well with age. Spoiler…read morealert: Look at their Health Score which is 81/100 as of this writing. Had the Trinity with dirty rice and a side of mac n'cheese. The trinity consisted of sausage, pulled pork and burnt ends. Very, very dry. Not sure what the mac was but it was okay and the dirty rice was not only dirty but a dry clump of rice. Left with my stomach crying "WHY?" later on. Fortunately no accidents if you know what I mean. Service was you order first and try and find a place to eat. Not coming back.

Rise N Shine Cafe

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This was a perfect breakfast stop while passing through Helena…read more We enjoyed all the options for different portions based on how hungry you are. The gluten free waffle was amazing and short stack meals with protein hit the spot with an amazing portion of ham/chicken sausage to fuel for the day. The coffee was good and strong! The staff was friendly and attentive to refill coffee often.

Server was very attentive. Food came out hot and was delicious. It always feels like it's a place…read morefull of happy people.

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Always have a great experience when we go to on Broadway. Always superb staff and great food.read more

Steffano's U-Bake Pizza & Sub Shoppe

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Many Steffano's pizzas have been baked in my home oven over the last 40 odd years. In that entire…read moretime frame I have never tried their their sandwiches and I don't think it was until just now, looking at some other Yelp reviews, that I realized Steffano's offered ribs. Why someone from LA would order ribs at a take and bake pizza and sub shop... Anyways this is a review of Steffano's pizza, not Yelper's who make poor life choices. Steffano's opened up sometime in the early 1980s, I don't think anything has changed since. This is what I call "old style" pizza. Simple ingredients, simple method, time tested and true to itself. You won't find a spinach and chicken with pesto base and balsamic vinegar drizzle here. And that is perfectly fine, set your expectations appropriately and you won't be disappointed. These pizzas are made fresh when you order them, then you run it home and toss it in the oven to be enjoyed with your friends and family. Staff is friendly and helpful, service is quick, and everything is consistent. I have a hard time asking for anything more from Steffano's. It's a great local gem that is embraced by the locals. If your airbnb has an oven, save some cash by getting a quality pizza from a local business. I really need to try their sandwiches, they look great, I hear good things, but whenever I walk in my stomach starts wanting pizza.

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I didn't realize they're a food prep spot when I went in. I had brought my computer and I was…read moreplanning on sitting down and having a dinner done right. If I give this place 5 stars am I bragging on myself? I had the potato casserole, and it was really good.

I keep looking at the menus and reading ingredients list. Still very few vegetables. The veggies…read morecould be separate to some of the entrees. January 2024 menu empanada ingredients could have more veggies. This stuff is not inexpensive and is a great idea, just falls a bit short imo.

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Never been disappointed. The fish burrito is my favorite and consistent. Prices are insane for…read morequality of food. If you don't like staff with piercings, tattoos, and colored hair this isn't your place. This eclectic spot is a fav whether your wearing a business suit or a bikini.

The tacos were a disappointment. They were super soggy, which I think was from the salsas being too…read morewatery. The meat was bland and fell apart, so the tacos lacked both flavor and texture. I also felt the burrito wasn't very big and definitely didn't seem close to the advertised 14 inches long.

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