Windbag Saloon & Grill

Great nachos! Limited beer selection. It was pretty quiet on a week day but service was fast and friendly. There is street parking around, free in the evenings.

Absolutely a must stop if you're going to be around Helena. Everything on the menu is great, however I'm partial to the Curd Your Enthusiasm Burger and the Fillibuster Fries. Kids love the variety of different types of Mac n cheese.

First time visiting this restaurant. The staff were very friendly and pleasant. The food was excellent. The place was crowded for a Monday night. Popular place.

Good food. Service has always been great. Ive been here 3 times and its one of my favorite restaurants in Helena. Nice location as well. The giant pretzel is amazing. It really is huge and delicious! Nice drink selection as well. Patio is fun to eat at during the summer.

We had a great experience at The Windbag Restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious — I highly recommend the French Dip and the 3-7-77 wings. Both were flavorful and perfectly cooked. Our server, Jenna, made the experience even better. She was personable, friendly, and attentive throughout our meal. She also took the time to share some great food recommendations for our next stop, which we really appreciated. Great food and even better service — we’ll definitely be back!

The food was decent here. The chicken was OK and the fries are really good and the broccoli was also really good. The Shirley Temple was good and the water was very refreshing and tasty. The service was very good. And the staff was friendly.

This was an excellent choice! The environment is second to none, and the food and service are top-notch. If you’re in Helena, you absolutely must explore this area!

Its always great food here, everything is spectacular. Kids love the cocktails with all the flavors.

Good service and ambience. Food took a long time since it was a weekend, but servers are on point in checking up with you every now and then. Food is decent, I got the chicken enchilada and it is moist and well decent prized. I would come again, maybe during less busy hours.

The food here is really tasty and why they got 3 stars, but if it's busy, be prepared for a very long wait both to have your order taken and to receive your food. I'm hoping Brooklynn is new to the service profession. She seemed very distracted, forgetting to bring coffee after three requests and never returning with a soda refill. Singing "Na Na Hey Hey" as customers were trying to leave also felt unprofessional and out of place. Great food, but the service definitely needs improvement. Do better

Nope. Nope. Nope. We miss the old Bag like a long lost friend. Yet again, the Windbag-turned-sports bar was able to fail in every way. Loud and cold dining room with drinks at highbrow prices that taste like Boones Farm strawberry hill. They'll exchange the drink for a no-fail beer but they'll still charge you for it. C'mon Schmechel, if you're going to turn a prized Helena establishment into a bland sports bar at least get your drinks down.

The Windbag use to be a place to relax, get a drink and some decent food. This is not the case anymore. My huckleberry martini tasted like grape mad dog 20-20. When I asked it to be replaced the waiter said yes and understood because she doesn't like it either. but later I found out I was charged anyway. I asked why and she said that is what we do when this happens. I asked does this happen often and she said yes. The boneless chicken wings and fries were lukewarm and okay with not a lot of flavor. It is sad that the classy vintage ambiance of this place has been replaced with a loud, dinner feel and the bartenders that use to know your name is now staffed with people that are new to the profession.

Definitely a popular place to eat. Special of the day was Fish and Chips $12 Clam chowder $2 The clam chowder was delicious and you could actually see clams. Fish was good but I had to pull the breading off it was soaked in oil. Service was friendly.

Cool place, great food, great service and good drinks! Recommend and I end up hitting that place whenever in Helena.

The is the second time we've been here this week!! We are camping in the area and come downtown for shopping and lunch. The wait staff is funny and personable and very attentive. We had fish and chips and the brothel bites today. So good! And best of all...the house Chardonnay was $7.50 for a 9 ounce pour! We got the same table both days with a beautiful view of the walking mall.

Perfect location on The Gulch. I loved my Greek salad and the burger was enjoyed, as well. Fun interior space and plenty of fresh air seating.

Three of us were here the first week of March....behind in my posting. There were two sides to this large restaurant. We sat in the restaurant section but the other side is a bar. Two of us got a Mac n cheese dish and one got wings. I was really surprised at the size of the bowl of Mac and cheese. It came hot and was very rich, so no way I could finish it. I had a bowl of soup but it was just ok, nothing I would get again. The wings were reported as good too. We got a side of fries and I was expecting something special but I have had much better fries elsewhere. Only ate two. The server was good and supplied all we needed with a smile. The tables were clean and the decor was good. Has some historical items and pictures that was interesting. I would give it a 3.5....more than zero three but not a four. There are other places with a more varied menu.

Great ambiance with good service. Fun atmosphere. The food was average to good. Went with a group of friends as out of town visitors.

Every time I visit Helena I try to hit Windbag Saloon. The food is great and service is second to none.

The wings were amazingly big and delicious. I loved the area and the atmosphere. Tried some of the local brews, very tasty

This saloon is awful. I've complained about my service three times, and the manager has done nothing to make it right. Shane on you! Do better! If someone comes to your restraunt, fix the issue that you messed up. You are not a nice person. Shame on you!

2.5 stars... In town for lunch on the way to Gkacier, and this looked like a hood Yelp joint! Started out with a huckleberry mule and local brew, there were many to choose from! Ordered the gulch burger and substituted pepper Jack for the blue... great smoky sweet burger. Slightly overdone but was not dry. The sweet potato fries were lukewarm and mushy, but by the time we could flag down the bartender it was too late to get fresh ones. Salad was great mix of Southwest ingredients and greens, topped with sliced chicken. The dressing was spicy, so add to your taste. Took a long time for the bartender to recognize us, and every action thereafter was delayed, disappointed. This joint does not make the list...

The food is amazing!!! The service is a little hit and miss but it also depends on how busy and understaffed they get. The atmosphere is amazing! Over all great food with great vibes and family oriented. Brought my out of state family here and they loved it!

Slow service. Meat overcooked ,highly overrated. Typical noisy saloon.aaaaaaaAaszzzz

I will make this quick, WTF is an up charge on a well drink, martini? No one knew except, "it was a martini." Oh, anything else I asked" Nope was the answer. Local boy, J.M Cooper

Still horrible service! A few of us wanted to meet fto have a beer and an appetizer on a Tuesday afternoon. Not real busy. After 20 minutes we finally got someone to wait on us. Took another 20 minutes to get our drinks, Gave it another chance, won't be back!

Great food great atmosphere & certainly excellent service. Our server Taylor was awesome.

Situated in the middle of downtown Helena, this is a great bar and grill. Seems to be a hang out for politico's and locals. Super friendly bar staff served great drinks and good food. Not to be missed if you're in the area.

Service was great here and they had such a large menu. I panicked while ordering and got the brisket Mac and cheese. It was alright, the bbq sauce was great, but the brisket was kinda sparse. They had a lot of local beers from Lewis and Clark brewery as well.

Been wishing you could find the time in your busy schedule to read War and Peace finally? Well go to the Windbag Saloon, place an order, and start a-reading! You'll have finished the book and possibly streamed the movie by the time your order arrives. We went here regularly, then the service fell off a cliff, then it was pretty good when we screwed up our courage and went a couple of months ago. Then however, like Charlie Brown trying to kick a field goal from Lucy's hold - another fail. The people are nice. The food is good. The location is fun. But they have just GOT to get things turned quicker, and I might add, in order: drinks, salad, entree, check. I'm no restaurant professional, but man - if this was a competitive market, they'd strike out on service.

Good service, quick to be acknowledged. Good food, love that they have a smaller option when I just needed a smaller bite to eat. Music could maybe be turned down but other then that. Nice place!

One of my favorite spots! The food is always delicious, the service is friendly and efficient, and I never have to wait long to be seated or served. It's such a great experience every time -- highly recommend!

Grant had wonderful service. Consistently checking on us and having such an amazing positive attitude. He made our experience delightful and made us want to come back again!!

Kimbe rocks!! Food was great, service even better. Thanks for suggesting a delicious cocktail!!

We came in for lunch a couple days ago. Our waitress, Courtney, was amazing. Thank you!

We loved this restaurant! Jenna was the best server we have had and served the greatest meal in Montana!

This place was okay, but it's gone downhill. The brisket is all fat and their soups are so thick they're almost inedible. We used to love their club sandwich, but lately the breads not cooked and the meat and cheese are so cold we just take it home to make grill marks. Not sure what's going on, maybe no one wants to work in the kitchen, IDK. That being said we do like to sit at the bar for cheese curds and a beer.

My friends and I love coming to the Windbag, this day Millie was our server and she was absolutely great she provided us with excellent service. Would definitely recommend the brisket nachos they are the best!

Service was good, ambiance was good. Had the chicken enchiladas--not so good, dry and no chicken it was all a soggy tortilla.

rude staff & rudest so called managers, waitresses are rude crude and unkept, mouthy to customers etc, not a nice experience there - nope not at all ! The place use to be top notch, now its woke attitude is bringing it down & Lol - they fire all thier good waitresses or they quit for justified reasons, Fact is this, This Dive just wants Your Money People !!!!!!!

The giant pretzel is a must-have when you come here, and when they say giant, they mean giant. The service staff are super friendly and attentive. The restaurant itself is very open and therefore gets extremely loud, do not come here expecting to have a nice conversation. Overall I was very satisfied with my food. I got the Brothel Bites, which was deep-fried enchiladas chopped up and served with Verde sauce, sour cream, and salsa.

Great ambiance and service. I know it's HUGE and a bit pricey, but grab the $17 pretzel. It is amazing and holds up well as a leftover.

The weight was not a horrible long time. And the food was delicious. I will absolutely be returning.

Summary: A comfortable spot in an old brick building, Windbag is known for its excellent hamburgers. Windbag was recommended to us for its hamburgers and sandwiches. However, fair prices were also an inducement. I ordered a lunch special of fish and chips, which included a side. Surprisingly, my chosen side, bean soup, substituted for the fries--also a side!That meant my fish and chips became fish and bean soup. I didn't mind. The soup was the best I've had in a while. Flavorful and with ham chunks. A larger portion would have been okay as my entree. The three fish pieces (a 1/2 portion) had a tasty batter but were more like nuggets than filets. Other dishes of fish tacos and chicken were also very good. Our orders came up quickly and service throughout our meal was timely.

One of my favorite sit-down restaurants ever. The service is a little slow, but the food makes up for it. If you can handle the spice, try the wings with the 3-777 sauce. Amazing. It has a club vibe, and the staff is very nice. If you live or are visiting Helena, you must stop by this place.

I've been here to the windbag saloon 3 times in 2 years and my expectations are the same. Mediocre food, lousy service. The fish was battered and cold with a side of cold garlic Parmesan fries that could have been mixed but they just sprinkled seasoning on cold fries. The clam chowder should be called bacon chowder. Service time for drinks is ridiculous. I won't be coming back for anything other than the giant pretzel which is wonderful.

What a great find.... Thanks to Yelp !! Being a "Tourist" in Downtown Helena, Montana, it was time for lunch. Yelp listed what was in our area. The Windbag Saloon.... The fun sounding name alone, got us!! . Fabulous. Stepping inside, it was very pleasantly decorated and very comfortable. Very cool "garage style doors" were open to welcome the nice weather. A couple of TV's we're on with sports and the noise level was just right. We saw a few people on the outside patio, we went inside to eat at the bar. Gunter, was our Bartender and greeted us with a big smile. What a great guy. We had a good conversation about the place being a past Brothel, ending 1973. They have a picture of the last Madam, Dorothy Baker, hung on the side wall. Very cool. Gunter helped me decide my beer selection....a delicious pint of Blackfoot Amber. We then ordered lunch.... the menu had lots of good things, we chose the Fish Tacos with Garlic Parmesan fries. Gunter explained, There are two tacos on the plate. Perfect!! We were sharing. Glad we did because the size of the taco was a very good portion and just enough. My First bite.... OMG..... it was over-the-top delicious !!! We stopped talking and just moaned. Don't know if it was the fish, the seasonings, the grilling of the flour tortilla, or the aioli sauce. Probably all of the above. Compliments to the Chef. Awesome flavor. Service was superb. Gunter was attentive, full of conversations and not overbearing. YES, and yes, I would come back and so worth the stop.

Busy Friday night and we waited about 25 minutes. Service was a little slow but she was very very busy. Burgers/parm fries and non alcoholic drinks were really good. We would recommend and visit again.

The food was very good. We both had the fish and chips and one of their huge, delicious pretzels. Our waitress, Kimby, was very sweet and helpful. We would definitely eat here again.

What has happened to this place?!?! Ordered fish and chips and the deep fried fish came burnt and the deliverer looked at me like I was crazy that I wanted it redone, then she just threw it on the table when she brought back. No sorry no nothing. Got the Wrong beer order and coleslaw was sour. Blue cheese dressing was mayonnaise with a chunk of blue cheese thrown in. Morgan the waitress was great and the only redeeming quality for this visit. Bring back "Big Dorothy's" please! Might help if waitresses start writing down orders instead of trying remember from the table to the computer. Done with this place which is unfortunate as we have so few good place to eat in this town!

Good drinks, good prices, and the greatest mac n cheese I have ever had. No joke the mac n cheese they got here is amazing and I highly recommend this place!

Location and service were great, but what was phenomenal was the food! I did a little research before coming here and I had to try their gigantic pretzel! It really was huge... and absolutely delicious! It comes with two types of mustard and their house beer cheese. It was the only thing I ate and it was absolutely worth it!

Stopped for a quick bite before our 3 hr trek back home. Was here a few years ago and things haven't changed other than faces. Service was prompt, friendly and cute. Food was very good as was last time Great atmosphere and a prime location. I'd return again

A downtown landmark for over 40 years, the Windbag was once a brothel but converted c. 1980 into one of the city's best casual eateries. A very interesting historic building indeed! When I lived here in the 1980s it was among our favorite places for great burgers, beer, rings and mushrooms and its killer mud pie. Returning 10 years ago the place had clearly slipped--service inefficient, food inconsistent, TVs blaring. New owners have kicked the old place back into gear. Redesigned the entire place, installing a more central bar and adding patio seating. The menu discarded old favorites but added many new ones--many solid choices now. Lots of local beers on tap. It's back to being a place to hang with families and friends. Slammed on a Sunday night servers still kept your beer filled and your food warm. Boneless wings with Jamison BbQ sauce were big hit. A group of five got a wide range of burgers and sandwiches. Everyone was happy. The Windbag is back, and I hope to stay for another 40 years

Nothing fancy but always good! It's an easy place to get a burger and a beer. Wine list is not great, but cocktails and beer selection are extensive. I really like their Parmesan fries

Pretty cool old joint. Service was ok. Food is good. Very loud inside. Wait times a bit long. Overall I'd come back. Parking sucks ash. Fish n chips pretty good. Crunchy batter is a plus. A little overcooked imo. Tartar sauce nothing special, kinda like all the rest from a jar. The appetizers Worth a try.

The food was great, the service was attentive, ambiance was better than your average sports bar.