Montana’s Restaurant in YYC Positive Review Surprise

Review of Montana’s Restaurant in Calgary

Stopped in for lunch today at Montana’s Restaurant, a place that I haven’t been to for about 2 years now and not on my usual shortlist of places I think to go to when I am dining out in Calgary. It isn’t that I have ever really had a bad experience at any of the restaurants in this chain, it is just that it has always seemed like more of a “family” restaurant to me, even on the nights when I have sat in the lounge, it hasn’t really had a “loungey” feeling to it so I just commonly opt to go elsewhere. However, today was the day.

The location that I visited was the one in West Hills, as I was shopping nearby at the big Superstore grocery store for my weekly fruit and veggies. There wasn’t too many cars there but at least I didn’t have the place to myself at 1pm this afternoon. Maybe 8 people in the restaurant and 2 in the Montana’s lounge when I arrived, and disappointingly nobody on the Calgary patio at all as it looked like they had already shut it down for the season despite a few more sunny days on the forecast. The interior is the same in every single one of these locations, so if you like the log cabin decor, taxidermy on the walls, and western antiques, then this decor would appeal to you. Personally, I think it is a bit over the top and doesn’t add novelty to anyone beyond seniors who remember living like that and foreign visitors who have never seen such a thing.

The Montana’s menu was exactly what I had expected. It is a fair mix of western style food, a lot of hearty meals, and a lot of meat. They do have daily specials on both food and beverages. Being as it was Wednesday, today was all you can eat ribs for $31. Since I have been hitting the gym and getting fit for the past 4 months, I sure don’t seem to feel like I will ever get a decent value at a buffet restaurant or any place that offers an “all you can eat” option, so today I had a Western Wrap with fries.

The food was okay, the presentation didn’t excite me, served in a fake cast iron pan and on wax paper. The wrap was not the most unhealthy thing I have eaten this week and overall a bit lighter meal than any of the steaks or meatloaf on the menu. The fries were not bad either. Our server was attentive, checked on a couple times, refilled the drinks, and wasn’t overly too chatty. The biggest turn offs for me was the paper straw, plastic glasses, the brown paper on the dining table and on my plate, all of which really contribute to giving any Calgary restaurant a bad atmosphere for me. I know its a cost savings measure and to go with their Montana’s theme, but I don’t enjoy it at all.

Other than the atmosphere it was a decent lunch stop and I’m pleasantly surprised to be giving Montana’s a good restaurant review. The bill came in under 50 bucks for the 2 of us, which is what we expected for a dine-in restaurant, nothing spectacular but average pricing in the current Calgary restaurant scene. The place was clean, service was slightly above average, food was acceptable. I still wouldn’t recommend the lounge for an adult evening out, but the restaurant side is acceptable for a family meal out. I still wish they would have had the patio open, but with unpredictable weather I probably have to head down to one of the pubs on 17th avenue for that experience.

~ King Calgary

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