Tens of thousands of people pass through the little town of Gardiner, Montana every summer, and for most Gardiner is simply another milestone on their way somewhere else. Gardiner, Montana backs right up against the backdrop of Yellowstone National Park. From the front patio of one of my favorite Gardiner eateries, Eat Café, you get the amazing view of the park’s foyer, as well as the famed Roosevelt Arch only steps away. As you stroll through the front doors of Eat Café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fresh baked pastries whelms your senses. The modern rustic décor and friendly chatter from both locals and travelers alike, along with the art on the walls, and overall relaxed nature, the café inspires a comfortable feeling, and one not often felt in a restaurant where the food is truly on the next level.
The menu at Eat Café is a blend of comfort food classics and innovative, stylish with a Mediterranean flare. Whether you’re there for breakfast to fuel your adventures in the park or for a late lunch to refuel, Eat Café has got your covered. The pancakes, eggs benedict, and breakfast sandwich are all the best in town, and don’t get me started on their hash browns. For lunch you’re faced with an equally difficult decision between the burger, piled high with fixings, and the crisp salad, bursting with local produce, and (again) not to mention their sandwiches. I struggle to choose here just…one.
The people behind Eat Café too, are great, genuine people, who are passionate about fare more than their food. You can feel the love and care that they not only put into each dish, and sourcing the finest local ingredients, but they care about each and every person that walks through those doors. The next time that you’re in Gardiner, Montana, do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Eat Café. You won’t regret it. And allow time to breeze, slowly like a fleeting wind, sit on the patio and gaze out at the rolling hills and towering mountains, at the elk and bison grazing while trying to coexist with crazed tourists, and the occasional antelope dancing in the grass. Eat Café is one of Gardiner’s premier eateries.