The Windmill & Bar 51

The overall dining experience was wonderful. We had had the Christmas mojito and mule both were delightful drinks and the bartender was excellent. Our waiter was fantastic, attentive without being overbearing. The pork shanks wings were delicious! I had the prime rib for dinner and it was perfectly rare, tender, and flavorful. The parmesan truffle fries were crispy and tasty, and the horseradish was fresh and hot. One bit of advice: If you're serving a high quality cut of meat, and charging near $50 for it, don't give diners a steak knife from Dollar Tree to cut it with. Yes, the cheap dull steak knife detracted significantly from the dining experience. The prime rib was tender, but the dull cheap knife made it tough and awkward to cut. These things matter. Overall a great dining experience, would do it again. But id probably order something not a steak if thats the knife I get.

This place was absolutely amazing! I was visiting from NYC, and the food was simply exquisite. The salmon was cooked to perfection, and the mashed potatoes were incredibly comforting. Our waitress was incredibly sweet and attentive, always checking on us and ensuring we had everything we needed. Her positive attitude and energy were infectious, and I’m already looking forward to returning soon.

Great service and delicious food. All 5 of us were happy with our drinks and meals. Great fried shrimp, shrimp and scallops pasta, fish and chicken fried steak. Highly recommend.

What a great spot for lunch! Our server was awesome, very attentive without being overbearing. All of us thought our lunches were excellent. We started off with the Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms. Our entrees included the BLTA, the French Dip, and the Alaskan Halibut Fish & Chips. Everything was wonderful. We did not have to wait to be seated. If we lived there near this restaurant, we would be regulars.

This was the first time we've ever been here. It was simply amazing! Our server Ruth was awesome. Everything was perfect from the bacon wrapped steak to the prawns, scallops, halibut, AND THE GARLIC TRUFFLE FRIES!!!! I really like them. Zane, the bartender, makes a perfect drink. I order the same drink everywhere, and I can't tell you how often it is made wrong. Thanks, Ruth and Zane. You made our date night great!

Read the great reviews so expected it to be solid but it took almost 2 full hours to receive our food and we were a small party of 4 with two children who ordered chicken strips. My mashed potatoes were cold and my wife’s burger was burnt (she ordered it medium). Kids stuff was hot but chicken a little bland. I do give them credit for my steak and the tomato soup though, both were great.

Had a nice family dinner at the Windmill a couple of days ago. The service was excellent, the food was excellent! Would definitely recommend the chicken fried steak, the chicken Alfredo and the finger steaks. Updated 8/13/22 Sadly I feel I need to update this review to a 3 out of 5 stars. We were there for a birthday today and had a few issues with the service, atmosphere and food. First I'd like to say I appreciate the chutzpah it takes to be a live singer. However for what ever reason the live music was out of tune and bad. As far as the food is concerned I found it to be a bit salty. Our waitress, while friendly, wasn't around very much. We never got refills on any drinks and we weren't offered a desert menu at the end of our visit. We went elsewhere for desert.

We use this place for business lunches and dinner, great service and even more amazing EATS 👏 Be it the signature Chicken Fried Prawns, Open Faced Pot Roast, Homemade Steak Fingers, Scampi Prawns, Greek Shrimp and Scallop Salad, Blondie with Huckleberry Ice Cream or Molten Cake with the same, everything is large portions & exceptional homemade quality. Restaurant is neat, clean and has a nice back patio with a duck pond.

Got to Billings at around 8 PM and needed to get to a restaurant before it closed. We were recommended the Windmill. It was a really nice space and was very crowded on a Thursday night! We were luckily seated quickly, and decided to order the triple appetizer plate, and I got the fried chicken dinner. The appetizer plate was a stand out. Delicious, I especially loved the mozz sticks and shrimp. The chicken was fine, though had a hint of burned after taste. The mashed potatoes were also fine, a tad watery but no major complaints. Generous helping of food so definitely was a good decision to stop here!

I hadn't been to the Windmill since they moved from their old location. Though I miss the old location, this is still a great place. I fail to understand why it's only three stars on Yelp. We came on Wednesday night to get the Windmill Prawns on special and the place was packed. Though the prawns were a little smaller, they are still very large prawns that are battered and fried to perfection. The onion rings were great as well. Tasted just like they did at the old place. I'm assuming just a little egg wash and flour. No heavy coating. The bar made a great Old Fashioned. The service and atmosphere were great as well. Though not a cheap meal, everything tasted great! I will continue to come back to the Windmill.

The food was delicious. I had the ahi tuna it was 10/10! My husband enjoyed his steak. We had a great first experience.

Coworkers picked this place for dinner. Had no expectations walking in as I did not look at the reviews or the menu prior to going. When we pulled up, it's this cute kind of log cabin looking restaurant with a patio on the side and in the back. Behind the restaurant, it backs up to a pond where I'm assuming there's fishing as we saw two people, fishing and a group of people having a fly fishing lesson. the court was, but you would find in most log cabin, rustic, looking restaurants. Only difference was instead of having taxidermy or animal heads. They had a ton of windmills and pictures of windmills on farms. Our waitress was a spunky, sixtysomething young woman, who was right on top of it. She was funny and had jokes with my coworkers. When I asked what was good, she said they were known for the shrimp. So I decided to give it a try. I try not to order seafood when I'm in a landlocked state or city. Sometimes it's not always the freshest. I was not disappointed with the size of the shrimp. When they came out they were large prawns and I got five of them in my scampi dish. What was surprising was that the scampi came with sautéed mushrooms as well inside the garlic butter sauce. Being that I love mushrooms, I did not minus and they were very flavorful. And did not did her from the flavor of the shrimp themselves. The mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery and homemade with the skins on. For appetizers we had the crab stuffed mushrooms, these are a must try. It was not overly crab tasting as the crab is mixed with a cream cheese and herb mixture. We also had artichoke and spinach dip, which again was on the creamier side due to them using cream cheese More than regular cream. I would go back and give them a try again. This time I would try a steak from a local farm.

We went on a Saturday night (and didn't realize it was prom night). We couldn't get into the main restaurant because we didn't have a reservation. Not a big deal, there is a variety of seating in the bar area. We sat ourselves and waited for what felt like a long 4-5 minutes before being acknowledged. Finally, a waitress came over....once she came over, there were absolutely zero complaints on service. She was 5 stars!! We ordered some beer. Unsure of what I wanted, I ordered a flight and took recommendations from the waitress -- I'm glad I did! She recommended an IPA I would have never ordered and it was amazing! Salads were great -- absolutely no complaints. I ordered halibut tacos, which were good but not the best fish tacos I've ever had. My husband had the ribeye and was less than pleased. Temperature-wise, it was cooked perfect. Tenderness was not there -- very tough. He is not very picky when it comes to protein, but he didn't finish his steak. Ribeye was 2 stars. We will likely be back, but will stay clear of the steaks. Pics were taken mid-consumption. The flight beers arrived full and the tacos arrived with 3.

I ordered the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes smothered in white pepper gravy. The service was great and I loved eating in the bar area. The food was awesome. I tend to think a chicken fried steak is good if I can cut it with a fork and fork was definitely all that was needed for this one. The gravy was thick and creamy and the mashed taters were so good. I sometimes find that I need to add salt to white gravy but not this one. Even now as I'm writing about it I'm getting hungry for more of it. I think a second trip is in my immediate future.

Food was "ok". For the price it should be better. Not worth the price, in my humble opinion with my other options out there.

Service and overall team was good. The food is the review here. Receipt is attached... One of the nicer places in the Billings area for top notch restaurants. We go to nice places for lunch service to get the experience of the place in all aspects. First coarse. The Onion rings were perfect. Clean oil is the first impression. We hope that is always the case and these were on point with any food critic. Delicate batter that clung to the onion and fresh. But again, good oil temp and clean fryer showed in this case. We asked if We could order from the dinner menu during lunch and was granted in the same moment of the question. Shows a talent in the kitchen that way and management also. Plus the lunch menu is small for choices. Chicken Fried Steak. Good ground beef that was formed well and held the fry pressure. The pasta dish with Shrimp and Scallop. If My dish I would have returned but My shyest enjoyed the flavor so I obliged. Here's the rub.... Yes the shrimp were cleaned and bien removed, but the shrimp was made of rubber from result of overcooking with the sauce. These shrimp were size 35 most likely so cook time is about 1.5 mins. To be tossed as the sauce is completing, not to marinate with the entire toss as it sautés for :05. Otherwise the sauce was good, pasta good Al dente but the shrimp was a failure. With that We will return but We hope this observation is addressed and the KM coaches the delicacies of the small shrimp and last minute cook process in the sauces moving forward. All that being said, We did tip 30% and were in the Windmill for about 1.5 hours. Good lunch experience ..... PS.... Apparently photo won't load, bill was around $68. Plus 30% tip. Cash ticket and tip Thursday Lunch from around 11:30 - 1:pm Onion Rings Chk Fry Steak Shrimp and Scallop dinner item Scotch Ale and a Pepsi Booth party of Two Male server

Five stars! We sat at the bar and both bartenders were awesome! They took their time explaining the specials, talked to us about the beer and the wine choices, checked in an appropriate amount, and the food was perfect. Definitely recommend!!

Friendly waitress, teacher, very nice and professional, made me feel welcome. Solid drinks, had the surf n turf- good surf but the turf was blah. The ambience was amazing though, sits along a beautiful pond with Aspen, maple and oak trees lining the patio. Watched the ducks and geese while the sun was setting, truly one of the most peaceful, serene views of the stunning natural Montana countryside. The only improvement would be the music, needs to have classic country playing like George Jones, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, George Straight, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Dolly, Tammy Wynette and the rest of the classic greats. Definitely check out this restaurant, you won't be disappointed!

I had dinner here with my colleagues while on a business trip in Billings this week. All around, this is a great place. We were sat right away, with no reservation (it was a Monday night at 6:15pm) the server gave us water and the menus quickly and gave us ample time to peruse the offerings. Each of us ordered something different and it seems like we were all very pleased with our meals. I ordered the scallops with a salad and mashed potatoes. A few of us got mashed potatoes as our side and all came to the consensus that this dish was too salty. I did have some great spoonfuls before I called it quits on that side. My scallops were delightful. Other hits from the table were broasted chicken, finger steaks and the chicken fried steak!

My husband is only home for about 30hrs every 5 weeks. So since he had been on the road for his birthday we celebrated here while he was home. They did NOT disappoint. It was busy (Saturday night) we knew they would be but we were able to sit at the bar to eat. The guys behind the bar were great! Our food from appetizer to salad to main course came out with perfect timing. My Steak was perfect. He got the Surf and Turf and that was perfect as well. They still give you candle warmed butter for your lobster. Can't forget to get the prawns ever when visiting here they are always a must. Wasn't too loud. Until I see you again

Service was great Food was great Definitely will go back Try the Ribs or Steak excellent

Charged $21 for 3 "prawns" and broccoli for lunch. The "prawns" were three regular-to-small size shrimp. Don't call these prawns and charge prawn price! Call them what they actually are (SHRIMP), give more than three and then charge $21! I took a picture of them; I wish I could post for everyone to see what they're charging $21 for. Absolutely sad to see the degradation of this restaurant.

Great steak and a great prime rib. Great service. We went just for dinner, didn't have a reservation and were seated within minutes.

The waitress was just fine. The meal on the other hand was somewhere just below Applebee's. If you're going to charge steakhouse prices, you should at least try and present steakhouse quality food. Incredibly disappointing. Management wouldn't even speak to us.

Hit or miss - maybe a typical 3 star. Why on earth would you take halibut and drench it in Cajun sauce?! The halibut fish tacos looked like vomit it a tortilla. Never had so much sauce on anything - so bad. I picked out the halibut and didn't eat anything else because it was soaked in sauce. Additionally, the server was totally preoccupied flirting with the bartender. Including the two of them making fun of what I ordered to drink within ear shot. Asked for a skinny margarita and listened to them talk crap about how about I "just order a shot of shitty tequila and call it good." Not very busy, lots of staff standing around - always a recipe for bad service. Never saw a manager to give feedback.

Yea! Came back here because we love the food. Family time where everyone got their favourite dish and wine. Discovered Yellowstone wines, they were very good! The Malbec was my choice, excellent! The servers were great in spite of the place hopping busy. Sunday was the crab special, obviously very popular. Nice to be back for a bit. Nice this restaurant and bar open and vibrant!

My husband and I love the tomato soup, prawns, and crab stuffed mushrooms. We also enjoy having Lorie as our server. She's always so friendly and fun. You also can't beat the atmosphere, especially outside on the patio by the pond...so beautiful.

We went on a slower night, and the mood and ambiance couldn't have been better. The service staff provided a pleasurable memory and the food was superb. I am also a chef and I give this meal a definitive 5 stars for presentation, plating and preparation. After dinner we thoroughly enjoyed a quiet romantic stroll around the pond out back. We will be back very soon. Kudos' to your entire staff. Dennis Eddlemon

Hopefully the kitchen staff was having a bad day. Two persons at the table ordered the Windmill Philly. The sandwich arrived missing half the ingredients. No onions and peppers. When we asked for the ingredients we were given a small bowl of greasy onions. The blt special literally had a 1/2 slice of bacon. The clam chowder was good.

We have eaten here a few times always good food good service, this evening terrible service, been here an hour original drinks dry, still waiting for them to take a food order, we left won't ever come back.

Stopped in after a long day of work on a Saturday with 8 co-workers and the place was packed which was expected. Let's start with the check-in process. I stepped up to the hostess stand to find one young lady on the phone and the other looking at the seat map. After a couple of minutes the young lady finished her call and asked how many. When I told her our party size she seemed annoyed and said there weren't and wouldn't be any available tables in the dining room and we would have to try to sit at the bar. All the while there was an open table in the dining room empty. When asked about it she stated that was reserved for a party who was showing up 2 hours later. WHAT??? Luckily a table in the bar opened up fairly quickly as well as our fortunes changed with our server who was extremely friendly and took great care of us. In regards to the food....nothing spectacular. I had the pot pie which was decent size and flavorful, but was more broth than substance. Everyone else who had ordered burgers, pasta, and steak all commented that their food was good, but nothing spectacular. Will I go back? Maybe, but the bar has been set and my expectations won't be high.

I don't really know which way to go with this. The food is okay. The atmosphere is okay, nice even. Suggestion: Management should give the staff a place to gather, chat, be silly, check their phones and eat that isn't at the end of the bar in front of the customers, though. That was a turn-off. The food was okay, nothing to make me say "best ever" and nothing to make me say "ewww". I can't complain. Except about the specialty drinks. The hot buttered rum sounded delicious on a cold day. It was a watered down concoction that had zero flavor. None. I should have just ordered a glass of hot water. Lesson learned there. The service though? Um. No. Not that it was bad, the staff were pleasant enough, they did the minimum, and I mean the minimum. I never had the same person for ordering the food, bringing the food, checking on if I needed anything (wait . . . that one never happened at all), bringing the check and thanking me for my business (wait ... that one never happened either) but I can live with all of that. It just made it difficult to figure out who should get the tip or if I should even leave a tip (I did). Maybe it's different when you're seated in the dining area and not at the bar. Because. Bar. different expectations. Windmill & Bar 51 is an okay place. Might even be a "meh" two-star place based on my visit, but there was just something about it to make me give it three stars.

Tried again same overpriced garbage. $8 tap beer and a $14 regular margarita. WTF? Asked about happy hour prices, oh ya I will change that. Sorry I cant do that its after happy hour but I will buy you a round on the house. Get the bill, charged for the "free" round including another $14 margarita that wasnt wanted nor touched. Med rare prime rib = very well done end piece. Sorry that was all the prime rib we have, enjoy the shoe leather. Avoid this place.

At the time I am writing this review, the Windmill has a Yelp average rating of three stars. Given the great service, overall lip smacking eats, and incredible patio experience (your waitress will kill, pluck, and clean a goose from the adjoining pond table-side if you ask), I think that it is downright criminal that this place has such a low cumulative score. Yes, the kitchen did overcook the clams until they were tough and wizened, but the bivalves came swimming in a delicious garlic butter broth. The steak was also a little over, but still tender and well seasoned. The fried prawns were huge, juicy, crunchy, and perfectly done. My stomach was also done after I plowed through all the great flavors and copious calories - and it was a content sense of extreme tummy distention that I encountered after the meal.

We have visited twice, the food here is low grade slop. When entering it appears to be a great place. Plenty of room, it's clean, the people up front are friendly. Overall great atmosphere and good service. However the food takes away from everything, I ordered a steak on my first visit and for a Montana restaurant to serve such a low quality cut of beef and try to pass it off as prime is a disgrace. (You live in a state known for great beef, try harder). Second visit thought I would try seafood (again in the middle of Montana I don't expect fresh caught) ordered the fisherman's bounty, first of all scallops should NEVER be deep fried, fried shrimp and halibut looked good but had zero flavor tasted like eating chalk. Had a side of Parmesan truffle fries, you can tell your cook that dumpling the seasoning in a huge pile in the middle of them is ruining them completely. Would have left a one star but the ambiance and good service at least made me feel better about choking this garbage down. Owners should spend a little less time trying to look good and some actually being good. Try harder, Windmill P.s. any group of more than 6 will get charged a 20% gratuity!

We were looked at and treated like we had no business being there. Employees very stoic. The ones who didn't completely ignore us gave us dirty looks, stares & glares. They might have well just told us we were not welcome there, for whatever reason.

This has been one of our favorite restaurants to go eat at and we eat here pretty regularly but came for dinner tonight and found out that they recently changed their menu. They removed their chicken fried chicken which was always my go to and they took off quite a few other items. Definitely not a fan and probably won't be back which is super unfortunate because we enjoyed coming here for dinner so much.

The service was great from Roberto but the food was "maybe" a 2. We ordered the king crab and the surf and turf and the two meals were definitely not worth the money. The surf and turf was small and nothing special in flavor as well as the king crab... it was boring, zero flavors including the sides. Maybe we should have known better seeing the paper napkins when we were seated. If the food at least matched the price we would have given this review a 5 star only due to Roberto's service. Needless to say we won't be back, considering the shoes they didn't fill with the surrounding competition. If you dine here, know that you're going to a bar with the aspirations of being a higher class dining venue.. Stick with the apps and beer only.

We had absolutely the BEST server named Ruth:). She is a fairly new employee and you would have never known. She is a natural and a keeper:). Personable, genuine, great eye contact, and amazing personality. We had a party of six, and she never missed a step on our requests. Frankly, she was so great, I would only want to come back if she is my server:). The food is always so well prepared, and hot, I would come back for that, too:)

Looks like my review got deleted even though they said they were wrong. This was one of worst experiences for takeout at a local restaurant. Please try CJ's or Rib and Chop House. Texas Roadhouse or even the Outback will serve you better.

Everyone in the restaurant from staff to patrons seems to think COVID is over or they are immune. If I hadn't been with a work-related group, I would have walked out; I was the only person in there with a mask on. Please consider implementing COVID safety protocols for your staff.

If I wanted an unseared prime rib boiled in water INDIVIDUALLY, I would have gone to Golden Corral! Thanks for the once baked, once microwaved shit potato with it... definitely not the Windmill 20 years ago! Shitiest steak in Montana.

Our server was amazing. Very kind, on top of things and overall great service from her. She deserves a 5 star. However , our food was horrible. We both got the prime rib and it was the worst one I have ever had. Disgusting. You could tell that it had been reheated. Any meat that has been reheated has a rotten flavor and is cooked on the outside. On top of that it did not have the cooked outside like a normal prime rib has. Our server stated that they cook it and then soak it in au jus. That would be great however this meat was definitely reheated. I have never complained about a piece of food before but this place for the price I would not suggest. We went there for our anniversary and all I can say is that we were highly disappointed.

First and foremost I have been critical of the windmill for many years. They have been hit or miss ever since moving out of downtown. We, a large group, have been there twice this summer and both times have had excellent service and great food. Hope this continues.

I went on a dinner date here with my boyfriend and had a nice dinner. The steak was really good. But to be honest, I really miss the old Windmill. I know it's been a while since they were in their ol speakeasy-esque location but that place just felt more intimate and real, less super fancy with water features. They just concentrated on damn good food. And what happened to the relish plate? And the spaghetti side dish option??

Love this place, have never had a bad meal. Me and my wife go here to eat quite often. The steaks do not disappoint, but they do have a good kids menu as well.

this is literally my favorite restaurant. the clam steamers are perfectly cooked every time and so flavorful. the shrimp and scallop pasta is also so yummy but could use a bit more salt. 10/10 recommend

The service was very slow. We ordered the rib eye which was not even edible. We would have needed a saw to cut through it. My granddaughter ordered the filet medium well but it was pretty rare. We had a flight to catch so we did not have time to wait for them to remake her food. She ate it which actually surprised me. We use to eat at the Windmill when it was on the south side and the food was excellent. Over all we were extremely disappointed and I would not return.

Nice place, good atmosphere, drinks are okay, food is a great deal less then spectacular. Bbq ribs were cold and porroast should have been described as beef soup. Third time here, third time is not the charm. And i really wanted this to be my "go-to spot. 5/12/19 update!! To be fair, i gave this place one last chance. And i took a chance and ordered dinner again. Sirloin steak with asparagus, with a dinner salad. The dinner salad was pretty good, the asparagus was yummy, not overcooked. And the steak?? Well i order steak medium well, i know... i know, but trust me i hate blood on the plate. And it was delivered bleeding in the plate, but hey they took it back to the kitchen and finished cooking it, and it was good. So i guess my point is, i will eat there again but i will be cautious and order steak. 3.5 stars windmill. Keep trying, you'll get there

Love this place in Montana! Mmmm! The food is fresh and absolutely delicious! I had the Apple Walnut Salad and it was thee best! Really liked how they put raw walnuts, fresh blue cheese, and the poppy seed dressing is mouthwatering! The portion size is filling as well. I really adored my waitress Shirley. She was very nice, attentive, and on point! Thank you Windmill 51 for a great memory. The pond setting is so BEAUTIFUL!!!

Tried the nachos again! Much improved! Portion size wasnt huge, wasnt small either. Had real melted cheese, no fake cheese. Fresh sliced jalapenos. Not a lot of hamburger though, chips were crisp.

We have especially enjoyed the Club 51 specials. Service is excellent and food has been consistently good!

I am very very disappointed. The food was very bland. All of our party ordered the take out special which was the chicken fried steak. When we got home I first noticed that the beans that come with it there was only two of them in mine and three in the rest. The mashed potatoes had the most taste out of everything. The sausage gravy was tasteless. Will never order from them again!!!!

I love the jumbo prawns here, so for my birthday, we called in an order and picked it up. It was a large order- 2 shrimp dinners, 2 chicken fried steak dinners, cob salad, and a hamburger kids meal. After picking up, we got a call that they had forgotten to give us the cob salad. We were already 20 minutes away, but turned around and went back for it. By the time the food got home, it was barely warm, so we had to warm it up. The shrimp was supposed to have one tarter sauce and one cocktail sauce, but that was left out. I'm still giving a 4 star rating, because the food was good. May not order from Windmill again for take out.

The 3-star rating it currently had at the writing of this review is about accurate. Sat outside to view the pond and be out of the "bar scene". Ordered the food and it came out in decent time and flavor. Service was probably the high note. The real big drawback from returning at this point is the pricing. It just seemed a bit inflated since what I did order was primarily seafood, and I cook tons of seafood at home for myself and demonstations and seemed just off. The service and the food was what kept the 3-star for me.

The food was very disappointing all the way around. We are rib Con-osiers and there is no love put into the ribs or any other meal for that matter It was as if the ribs were slid out of a plastic bag, microwaved and had some sauce smothered in them. Scampi was not all the way cleaned either and that's just gross. 2 thumbs down

Nice place - fairly quiet in the bar section. The rolls were cold and dust dry. We both ordered the cap top steak the same way --rare to medium rare. Mine came prepared perfectly - my sisters came over done and was without flavor. The Parmesan crusted potato wedges were dry and chewy . We did tell wait staff the steak was not cooked correctly and had zero attention from management. Overall disappointing and mediocre