Boxcar Bistro

Beautiful interior and ambiance with low lighting, pleasant music, attentive service, and an elevated menu with plenty of variety in upscale cuisine options. The blackened prawns were buttery tender, perfectly cooked, with a lovely bright citrus vinegar savory balanced flavor with the sauces and seasonings. Beet and burrata salad was exquisite, again perfect flavor complements and balance. A wonderful light dinner with ideal portions that leave you feeling perfectly satisfied. Highly recommend this for an intimate gathering dinner with friends or a date, or just a nice evening out for an upscale dining experience.

I want to like this place but it's tough. The sea bass was blah and undercooked. The lamb was chewy. The vibe and decor is great and lends itself to a speakeasy vibe but they don't serve liquor so while it's feels speakeasy, don't plan on getting that dirty martini you were craving. Service was fine.

Food is good, but don't come hungry - small portions, at expensive prices. It was a full task to get the squash out of the shell, which was roasted plain, no spices, not even salt. The quail & duck were served such that we had to eat with our hands. Lots of fat on the quail. Felt mildly rushed & pestered to leave despite it not being busy. I enjoyed the ambiance, but it was hard to hear the conversation at times.

Great bistro atmosphere with an eclectic Euro feel. Zeb, our waiter was fine, maybe not the most experienced in a higher priced restaurant?? The Blackened shrimp was yummy. Nice flavors. Duck confit was very nice with pomegranate reduction adding a tasty balance. The sea bass was nicely done. It came out undercooked, but they took care of it. We often get a dessert wine after a meal, but these wines were pretty expensive. I get the alcohol mark up, but when a muscat that sells for $13 a bottle is priced at $23 a glass that’s too much for me. We will definitely go back though.

Best meal I had during my visit to Missoula. The steak frites were perfect, and the foie caramel sundae was ridiculously decadent. Great wine selection, too. Prices were a tad high for the area, but totally reasonable given the product and ambience.

I recommend here for date night. There aren’t many spots like this in Missoula so it was nice to find something that felt more upscale. We liked the sea bass dish the best.

This place is exceptional. The atmosphere is an upscale casual. The day we went the front of house was handled by one man and he did a wonderful job. While many restaurants try to portray fine dining and fail, this place provides fine dining in a more relaxed atmosphere. The duck confit was delicious, juicy and tender. The beans are additively delicious. The veal is served with broccolini which is grilled and delicious. The veal shank was tender, tasty, and beautifully cooked. The mix of tomato, herbs, mushrooms and garlic provide a punchy flavour to help cut through the richness. The spiced bread pudding was my favorite of the two desserts my wife and I ordered. The caramel sauce it comes with is really good. The chocolate torte was dense and rich. It was good but I really think the bread pudding is the show stopper dessert-wise.

Food quality / price (value) rating: 10. The atmosphere is neo-classical, with chandeliers, textures and colors brought together by a talented designer. There is a cute outdoor seating area as well. One typically needs to make reservations well in advance for this restaurant for good reasons. The Chef, Rachel, is the main reason for this. She should be made a partner NOW to prevent losing her! Her extraordinary palate and artistic talent joins together to create a very rare and exceptional gastro-experience. We concluded our Montana vacation on the highest note possible by having our final dinner here. We started with the Fromage Board, a wonderful mix of rare and unusual cheeses, crackers, olives, nuts, seeds, pickles, honeycomb, jelly, dried apricots and figs, and a hot mustard. Incredible! For an entree, I had the Double Cut Pork Chop. The presentation was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, one that would make any artist envious. The photo speaks for itself. It was the most tender pork I've ever had the pleasure of eating, so tender that the WEIGHT OF THE KNIFE WAS ENOUGH TO CUT IT - I am not kidding! The mixture of textures and flavors was a true Meistro's symphony. You must read the description on the menu, as I am not enough of a poet to properly enshrine it's splendor. The wife had the Herb Roasted Chicken, where again, one must read the description on the menu to appreciate the ingredients and their place in the universe. We split a Bread Pudding ala mode, where the vanilla ice cream was super high quality. A couple of cappuccinos and we were finally satiated. Our server, Jewel, was very attentive without being imposing, and made our visit everything it could be. They have a wine and beer license only, so have your martini beforehand. Check out the photos, and look no further for the best food experience you can have in Missoula.....and possibly Montana.

Enjoyed a very nice evening at Boxcar Bistro with our daughter and her husband in Missoula. Was having such a good time that I forgot to take pics! Ladies started with a sparkling wine Cremant de Limoux -France and was very pleasant. I wanted a Pinot Noir and have tended to lean to Willmette Valley and had a taste - pretty decent but our bartender suggested the Domaine Gachot -Monot Pinot Noir burgundy region France Made for an elevated experience. Fabulous doesn't do it justice. Served in expansive Riedel glasses. For me, it worked really well with the Duck Confit which was combined in a cassoulet. Cassoulet was a real high point and Was so delicious I am graving it as I write this the next day. Two of us had the duck and two had the Steak Frites which were very good but a little light on portion size for the frites. Frites were salty but yummy yummy. Shared the vanilla bean crème brûlée good as you would expect but not extraordinary. Would recommend this restaurant and its attentive team. Really a beautiful space. Some unique seating.. Parking easy a plentiful on a Friday night.

Sadly, I really wanted to love this place. I'll go back and give it another try. It just was so-so in flavor. Service was OK, nothing spectacular. First is location. It's hard to find this place a bit. It's off of Wyoming street. The front door is not on the main drag. It looks like a first floor commercial office space refurbished to use as a restaurant. The designers did a great job, but still, it does not have the look and feel of a restaurant. The front door, shouldn't be a glass office door opening around the corner, it should open up to the sidewalk on Wyoming, welcoming people. 2) When you put up a curtain in front of your door, to create the illusion of a swanky restaurant, it makes it difficult for the hostess to see patrons entering, and thus you might be left to wait there a while encircled in a cylinder of fabric while diners who can see you just stare. Hopefully in the future your success will allow you to move into a better space, a restaurant space. For now it seems like a secret club. I had the French onion soup, a glass of champagne and the vegetable risotto. All were overpriced for what you get. The French onion soup was fair, not great. The best part was the croutons and melted cheese. It basically lacked flavor, perhaps not enough wine or salt in it. Just bleh. The risotto, though somewhat tasty, was not risotto. Firstly, it was not made with Arborio rice, you know, the type of rice you have constantly stir and slave over the stove for about 20 minutes constantly adding broth little by little to get a smooth, creamy consistency? No. Instead think rice soup with beef bouillon and a few al dente veggies thrown in. The rice was in their full grain-iness, not creamy, but rather seemingly from some 99 cent bag of Texas long grain. No cheese either in this $27 rice soup. Oh sure, it had interesting tiny pieces of cauliflower, or some odd sweet potato chip on top, but it's like they're trying too hard to reinvent this classic Italian dish to make it work in a "French" restaurant. Here's an idea: call it vegetable rice soup and shave $10 off the price! That would be a fair offering. People rave about this place, but honestly, I cannot. Sorry. I've eaten French food in many a place, even France, and this did not even come close. Maybe I just chose the wrong dishes. Hope so. When my server asked me how my meal was, I did remark I wasn't too happy with the vegetable rice soup sold as risotto. She just shrugged her shoulders and said "yeah, that's just how the chef does it here. " I hardly think my server even knows what risotto is. I'll be back and try something different. Perhaps it will be better.

Visited this restaurant with family. Despite the restaurant being relatively empty, we were not seen for more than 10 minutes after sitting down. It was my mom's birthday, so we asked them to surprise us with a desert. The waitress brought out spoons for the desert five to ten minutes before bringing it out, ruining the surprise. Overall, the service was not thoughtful or attentive. The food was also far too expensive for the quality. Skip the flair and try a more authentic local spot instead!

Small and intimate with a lovely French theme. The food was excellent however my steak was nearly well done when I ordered medium rare. The server immediately brought it back and made another. The 2nd one was cooked perfectly, but over seasoned. Very salty. However, we still enjoyed our meals and they gave us a top off of our wine and dessert complimentary. If we are in the area again, we would return!

Great bistro atmosphere with an eclectic Euro feel. Zeb, our waiter was fine, maybe not the most experienced in a higher priced restaurant?? The Blackened shrimp was yummy. Nice flavors. Duck confit was very nice with pomegranate reduction adding a tasty balance. The sea bass was tasty. It came out undercooked, but they took care of it. We often get a dessert wine after a meal, but these wines were pretty expensive. I get the alcohol mark up, but when a muscat that sells for $13 a bottle is priced at $23 a glass that's too much for me. We will definitely go back though.

Love, love, love this place! French inspired bistro in Missoula. It is small and intimate. Wonderful food- steak and sea bass were our selections. Can't wait to go back.

We started our vacation here and ended here. The food is sooo AMAZING and the service is great! This was a random find for us while traveling to the national park, and it turns out to be a remarkable experience! We had the duck confit and steak with surprisingly delicious dessert "the bread pudding". If you are in the area, must try as many as you can. I almost wanted to move across street to be able eat here whenever I want. It's that good

An alleged "medium rare" burger. Priced at $24.00. A talented veterinarian could bring this cow back to life. I don't know how a restaurant could serve a burger this raw, it was basically a beef-based ceviche. I got halfway through it before I realized how raw it was and it started making me sick.

Cute little Bistro, great decor with chandeliers, wine bar, and a cool arrangement of seating. Sorry should have taken more pictures. There is a nice selection of food to choose from. What I appreciate is that there is verity but yet not too many selections. Wine was delicious, appetizers was awesome and the owner paired it with a Sherry which really drew out the flavors, Tenderloin cooked beautifully, desert was a great compliment to the dinner and night with friends. First time having Foie gras, it was delicious. It had this sear on it which really added to the taste.

Amazing food....amazing service...everytime we eat there it is a fantastic experience....best place in town hands down

Food quality / price (value) rating: 10. The atmosphere is neo-classical, with chandeliers, textures and colors brought together by a talented designer. There is a cute outdoor seating area as well. One typically needs to make reservations well in advance for this restaurant for good reasons. The Chef, Rachel, is the main reason for this. She should be made a partner NOW to prevent losing her! Her extraordinary palette and artistic talent joins together to create a very rare and exceptional gastro-experience. We concluded our Montana vacation on the highest note possible by having our final dinner here. We started with the Fromage Board, a wonderful mix of rare and unusual cheeses, crackers, olives, nuts, seeds, pickles, honeycomb, jelly, dried apricots and figs, and a hot mustard. Incredible! For an entree, I had the Double Cut Pork Chop. The presentation was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, one that would make any artist envious. The photo speaks for itself. It was the most tender pork I've ever had the pleasure of eating, so tender that the WEIGHT OF THE KNIFE WAS ENOUGH TO CUT IT - I am not kidding! The mixture of textures and flavors was a true Meistro's symphony. You must read the description on the menu, as I am not enough of a poet to properly enshrine it's splendor. The wife had the Herb Roasted Chicken, where again, one must read the description on the menu to appreciate the ingredients and their place in the universe. We split a Bread Pudding ala mode, where the vanilla ice cream was super high quality. A couple of cappuccinos and we were finally satiated. Our server, Jewel, was very attentive without being imposing, and made our visit everything it could be. They have a wine and beer license only, so have your martini beforehand. Check out the photos, and look no further for the best food experience you can have in Missoula.....and possibly Montana.

We checked out Boxcar Bistro last night just for dessert and I'm really excited to check it out again for a full meal. The place is cozy, classy, and affordable. It's not a big space but they were pretty full when we arrived. We sat at the bar and had a great chat with the gentleman behind the bar who gave us the full story behind the bistro and how they came up with the concept and menu. The food we saw looked delicious and the staff really sold us on coming back. They are still working on their menu, adding new items as they try thing out. Duck Confit or Escargot? Just added to the menu today! The desserts were pretty good. They're still perfecting some of their recipes. The flavor of the creme brûlée was great but the consistency wasn't quite there. The bread pudding was pretty good. Good texture and consistency but not quite sweet enough for me, but the caramel sauce they added was a little too sweet lol. Happy we are trying them in their infancy (they've been open 2 weeks) and looking forward to coming back on my next visit to see how their items have changed or developed. All their menu items were under $30 which was so surprising considering the finer dining feel to the place and their menu options. Will report back after trying the full menu.

Good bar and service I love it you good service and the food was awesome I would go back again and again I loved the place and would say it's my favorite restaurant in Missoula now

We have dined here several times and have enjoyed most items on their menu. Cozy, relaxed ambiance and decent service. Try it.

Fantastic food. Duck, sea bass and onion soup were all terrific . Intimate atmosphere. Perfect service. Highly recommend

While I have been to Boxcar once more after my initial review I wanted to update my first review. I recently dined at another fine dining establishment in Missoula and while not wanting to cause a ruckus or hurt anyone's feelings, Boxcar is still far and away, in my humble yet wide experience, the absolute best dining in Missoula. From beginning to end Boxcar is my go to place, period. Sorry for cheating on you Boxcar, but you know I love you best.

Good food, over priced and could get the same thing elsewhere. Ambiance is nice and service was good. Likely won't be back just because for the price it's nothing special

Yumminess!! This was an excellent dinner out and very special experience. My husband has the quail and loved it. My risotto was yummy although the portion was overwhelming. Service and wine were great. The only concern was my 13 year old daughter had difficulty finding something she wanted. She was happy eventually with her steak - and I concede that 13 year olds are not the target clientele - but it will be hard to go back as a family option. But it is a definite date night favorite.

Staff, food, and ambiance were perfect. Beer pairing was spot on and added to the duck confit. Highly recommend!

Stopped into this lovely restaurant while on vacation with my boyfriend. He currently lives in Montana and saw this restaurant was newly open. We usually pick a nice night out to end our time together before I head back home and this was the absolute best place to be. Ben and the rest of the staff (so sorry, we didn't get the other two ladies names!) were so accommodating as we didn't have a reservation. There are seats open on the patio and bar for walk-ins. They were very attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine. While at the bar, we shared some great conversation with the rest of the diners. The best thing we had at this restaurant was the beef tartare appetizer. I've ordered this at many different French inspired restaurants and wine bars but I can happily say it was the best I've ever had and would gladly order 5 for dinner alone with a glass of wine. We ordered the chicken and steelhead for our meal which were both delicious. My boyfriend couldn't stop talking about the chicken on the drive back home! We finished off our meal with the creme brûlée which was also great and came with some heavenly whipped cream. My boyfriend has lived in Montana for most of his life and has told me about some of the restaurants he's been to in different cities. This, hands down, is one of, if not the best places he's been to. If traveling to Missoula for a day or wanting a great night out, this is a must. This puts Missoula and honestly, Montana on the map for some delicious fine dining while still being approachable and absolutely affordable. Will DEFINITELY be dining here on my next trip! Ambience, service, food 10/10!

So excited for this new restaurant in the Old Sawmill District. Excellent food, wonderful staff, beautiful space! We had the raclette, chicken chasseur, and risotto and split the bread pudding (best we've ever had!). Highly recommended! Edited: we visited again last night and it was just as delicious!

During a visit last weekend I came across this restaurant and saw the flawless star rating. Decided to give it a try and the party of 3 I went with were not disappointed. Ben was a fantastic host/sommelier/server who treated us with both delightful enthusiasm and courtesy. Practically everything we tasted was fantastic. I highly recommend tasting the various cheeses, the beef tenderloin with foie gras added as well as the duck confit and bread pudding for dessert. Really though, nothing will disappoint and ar the extraordinarily reasonable pricing, a meal worth having over and over.

Best date in Missoula. Intimate atmosphere. Good food. Great wine. Definitely recommend.

Love the ambiance in this restaurant. Nice high-end dining without the high prices. Alex, our waitress, made some recommendations and we decided to order them all. We started off with the Escargot and Steak Tartare. My only gripe would be that the escargot was searched with rye bread. It would have been much better, in my opinion, served with the toast that came with the tartare. That minor complaint aside, both were fantastic. Next we tried the Duck Confit. The presentation was nice and the flavor even better. Finally, we got to the Beef Tenderloin with Seared Foie Gras. Without exaggeration, it was one of the best steaks we have ever had. I don't know what is in the sauce but it is superb. Nice location, great service and food that will have you coming back for more. Would I go back? Absolutely! This is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Highly recommended!

Came here for appetizers and a drink on our anniversary Excellent service, excellent food and gorgeous atmosphere. We tried the raclette with bacon jam, the beet salad and the tartare. The tartare was perfectly seasoned and the rye bread was a delicious addition to one of my favorite things. The raclette was really delicious and I looooove bacon jam. It was a perfect balance served on buttery crisp toasts. What they used for the bright tangy dressing on the beet salad was nothing short of magical. So many delicious flavors. Service was excellent, the atmosphere is gorgeous and romantic...i didnt feel like i was in Montana. Such a great spot. Can't wait to go back

I had dinner here last night with some friends. The food, service, and experience were fantastic across the board. The only thing that could make my dinner memories any better, would be to go there right now and find an empty field. We ate lotus blossoms with sirens in Valhalla. Led there by the earthly form of Bacchus.

This place is super cute and in a great location. The restaurant was extremely accommodating when I asked to add one person to the reservation. They have a vast wine list as well as local craft beer, something for everyone and very tasteful. We tried multiple appetizers none of which disappointed. The service was great and made the experience even better. The main course was my favorite part. The food was not only delicious but the presentation was so well done. Everyone loved their dish. Kudos to the head chef and his amazing crew for running such a great business! Definitely will be coming back next time I'm in missoula and would highly recommend.

We had the New Years Eve dinner. It was a set menu with five courses to include breads, salads, charcuterie, lobster or waygu steak entree, and beignet dessert. Each course included a wine pairing. While the food was fabulous, at $190 before tip per person, this was not worth the cost. Admittedly, we should have called ahead and asked about the price, but Boxcar should have advertised the price upon reservations or via social media. $1000 for dinner for four in Missoula Montana was too expensive for this experience.

Small and local this place is a great hole in the wall. Delicious food that will leave your tastebuds extremely satisfied. Beautiful and quiet atmosphere that is perfect for a treat yourself meal or a date night. Will definitely be back here again.

This is a much needed addition to the neighborhood! Can't get over how affordable it is in contrast to the intimate, beautiful decor and stellar service. My husband and I wanted to make our way through the extremely well thought out and exciting wine list. Our food was not as exciting (burger and steak frites that frankly tasted old), but it was our first visit so I'll give it a few more tries before I make a final judgment on that front. We'll be back monthly for the well-executed wine list and insanely professional service.

The scenery is what really gets you here. Very elegant, clean and the food had great presentation . I can't rate this 5 stars because some things were off on the food . The escargot was overpowered with star anise and my braised bison was pretty tough . My fiancé's duck was AMAZING I wish I would have ordered that instead .

We are Montana locals and love to eat out and Boxcar is absolutely our new favorite place to eat!! Great food!!! Excellent service!!! Fabulous ambiance!!! Home run all the way around!

Place was intimate and beautiful the food was delicious and not overpriced. We even ordered a bottle of bubbles. Lovely service plan on going back very soon!

Fun place to enjoy a fine meal. Cozy interior and good service. Enjoyed the beef tartare, duck, and scallops. Would recommend.

This is a wonderful new restaurant in Missoula! I wanted everything on the menu. Settled for the mussels with frites ( fries). Was not excited about the frites, but they are a wonderful pairing for the mussels. Next time, and there will be a next time, duck or steelhead. Can't imagine a bad selection. Wife had beef sirloin cooked to perfection. Be sure to get reservations. Again, best penn cove mussels that I've ever had.

Some of the best French food you'll find in Montana. Really enjoyed the snails, raclette and duck confit. The only thing that wasn't at least decent was the beef tartar, but you can easily avoid it as the other appetizers are all worth getting. Parking is pretty easy on the street but make sure you make reservations especially if its a big party.

Sweet little bistro! Absolutely loved the raclette, fig jam, and toasts...Yummm! The muscles & fries were awesome (shallot and cream sauce on the bottom was so good)!! The tables were small but intimate and charming. We also had a great Sancerre and press coffee there. Perfect! Can't wait to go back!

Outstanding food and service. Maybe some of the guests could dress a little better for such a fantastic restaurant! Everything was great! Thanks

The ambiance was wonderful! Great food and service. Great wine list. So fun to find this place with great food and went on over to the baseball game!

The reason Im giving this rating at 2 is because of the wait on our food and what we experienced and observed during that wait for our food. We had ordered our food, and after about 30 minutes a table of four walks in before they even had drinks, the chef walks out from the back with a giant plate of food ready for them. Note, we had already been waiting at this point now 35-40 minutes for our food and to see a group of people being catered before everybody else that was waiting for their food was upsetting. The cook proceeded to go around fist, bumping everybody at this table. Thinking we only had a couple minutes left before we received our food. The chef came back out again with another plate of food for this group. We are now sitting at an hour wait for our food. I then proceeded to watch one of the gentleman shovel fries in his mouth tipping his head back loading as much as he could in his mouth with food overflowing onto the floor. it was a disgusting sight to see considering how much money we were spending in a very nice luxurious restaurant. Don't get me wrong. Our server was amazing. But seeing others being catered before those who were waiting was frustrating to see. Then when our food finally came out, the chef made this server walk around him instead of getting out of the way. All four of our plates were less than Luke warm. The beef cheeks had no flavor, my duck confet tasted like it had been sitting and was reheated and my friends raviolis looked over cooked and all the edges were so crispy it crunched and you had to work to swollow it! All in all the cooks need work and need to know what's acceptable to those coming in and expecting the same service as everyone else.

Food, service and ambiance were delightful!! By far the best meal we had in Montana.

I'm not sure what has happened to the Boxcar Bistro mantra, "great food at great prices", but this fine restaurant has definitely taken a turn in the wrong direction. I gave friends a gift card and they used it one date-night recently. The "special" was a steak "topped" (dumped) with crab meat: $60.00. The wine list, while still very impressive, will put someone in the bankruptcy level for any of the fuller bodied bottles. Really? I have touted this place as one VERY special place to eat great food at affordable prices. It seems that management has decided that money is more important than quality. Almost every item has increased in price, and there is not a lot of "extras" to justify these increases. The last time I had duck confit, I had to wonder how many times can it be reheated in sous vide? Very disappointed.

Excellent choice for lovers of French wines and cuisine! Spent an enjoyable evening chatting about several wine regions in France with the restaurant's owner. The duck entree was authentic and tasty.

We LOVE this restaurant, and have had nothing but stellar experiences here. Namely I'd like to highlight the food & service . Something unique and unexpected in Missoula! However a word of caution: Do not try and replicate their recipes at home. We love the Grenoblaise and had family visiting from the Midwest so we thought we'd add a little hometown "flair" to it. I replaced the Halibut with a whole Cabbage and the lemon juice with Mayonnaise and it was AWFUL. I mean just terrible. My husband suggested we replace the super cool scalloped potatoes with a wet roll of toilet paper and see if they noticed because he thought the sauce was THAT good. The combination of wet toilet paper and mayonnaise sauce just made for a very unpleasant digestive experience. Everyone was talking like sand monsters. We also couldn't make the potatoes correctly. I glued a stack of lays together and baked them. I think one of our family members suffered botulism poisoning from it.... Anyways! Point being, GO TO EAT IN PERSON. It's honestly the only way to experience the best cuisine in Montana.

I would give them two and a half Stars if I could for their wine selection and atmosphere, appetizers were pretty good main courses fell really short of the mark and the service was rude.

One of the best hidden gems of Missoula! The wine list is outstanding, and the food is even better. Be sure to start your experience with the olive appetizer - to die for! We had four of the cheese plates - each was an unexpected treat - like nothing I've had before - delish! Ambiance for an intimate date night or a small group gathering. I will definitely be back! Chef Jess presented us with a beautiful beef tenderloin, risotto, and bison short ribs. We all had to share because each was delicious. Be sure to get in before it's crammed packed with reservations.

There's a bartender at Montgomery Distillery named Brett. He's the nicest, most attentive dude. I always miss him when I go somewhere else for a drink. I tried Boxcar for the first time tonight and it was the first time I didn't miss Brett (you're still my #1, Brett). The people who work at Boxcar are lovely, inquisitive, excited to advise on their wine list, and just generally friendly and kind. The food and drink were great, but the people are A+.

Great service and we didn't feel rushed. Our food was amazing. We enjoyed how small the restaurant was.

Our experience was amazing! Ben walked us through the menu, suggested wine pairings, and was super fun and friendly. We all ordered different items, then shared them. Everything was amazing! We tried the sardines, beef tartar (which was the best I've ever had), Salmon, Bison short ribs, Risotto (1st fav), and Beef tenderloin (2nd fav). It was all so good! The bread pudding was also delicious. Highly recommend this place to anyone who wants an intimate atmosphere with delicious food.