Jeff V.
Yelp
5 stars?! You bet! The NLS isn't fancy, chic, trendy, or anything you would expect a 5 star rated place to be. It is, however, a quintessential Montana experience and of all of my Montana memories and experiences, this one is tops! Because of it's location, it doesn't get a lot of traffic, except by the backpackers coming out of Glacier National Park, people like me who know it for the gem it is, and the locals. But don't let the word "locals" scare you off, they are a very friendly lot, but there are not many of them. Actually, the endangered species in the Polebridge area out number the residents.
It doesn't have a huge menu, it's more of a case of this is what the cook cooked today, which one would you like. They have a full bar too, so you can get your bourbon and coke that you've been craving.
The only illumination in this historic cabin is what's put off by the rope lights that are wrapped around the log beams in the ceiling. When the town generator is turned off at a certain time of night , the propane lamps are then lit and the evening continues. When it gets chilly, they fire up the wood burning stove.
What I've always found weird about the NLS is how musical instruments just start appearing out of nowhere during the course of the night. You'll just be sitting there, enjoying your bourbon and coke out of a mason jar, when all of a sudden you hear a guitar being strummed. A few minutes later, another guitar. A few minutes later a fiddle. A few minutes later someone is playing the piano. The NLS band? No, these are people (locals and campers) who just spontaneous start showing up and music start happening. It's pretty damn magical!
If you're up in that neck of the woods, the NLS is not to be passed. You'll drop in for a drink, but you end up there for the whole evening. The new owner has made it a seasonal operation now (not open in the Winter), so make sure you check to see if it's up and running before you make the drive up there.
