Winter has finally arrived in Montana and the city of Missoula isn’t exempt. Missoula, is roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes from the Bozeman area. Missoula boasts of cool eclectic restaurants along with a broad-range of clothing boutiques and art galleries. A wonderful city to visit if you appreciate a liberal point of view with charm to boot. Missoula is also home to the University of Montana. One thing is for certain, Missoula has great eateries among many other establishments like Rocking Rudy’s. One excellent restaurant in particular is The Empanada Joint Restaurant located on 123 East Main Street. The restaurant has an unpretentious laid back vibe with small tables that can seat couples and or small groups for quaint in-house dining. While visiting Missoula and strolling downtown, I nearly missed this hidden gem.
Once inside The Empanada Joint you are greeted by a friendly staff member who is not only knowledgeable about the menu but also serves as a host for patrons. The aroma of Argentina goodness envelopes the customer and if you are hungry, sorry, 1 empanada won’t be enough. We’re talking comfort food on steroids. You simply can’t eat just 1. Some of the flavors offered are savory sweet corn, grass-fed beef, pork, ham and cheese, pork sausage, and chicken. But, it doesn’t end there, there are also vegan choices and sweet desert empanadas like blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and mascarpone or Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut. The restaurant has freshly baked Alfajores which are cookies that are freshly baked in almond or coconut. I couldn’t resist the almond flavored treats. For lunch, I selected the grass-fed beef empanada and if you purchase 2 you have a choice of in-house soup, fries, or salad with your order. With plummeting temps and snow on the horizon, along with my upset tummy, I wanted to try their carrot-ginger soup. Each empanada was served hot, savory, and delicious and the soup was simply outstanding. The meal was as comforting as a hot chicken pot pie on a cold day. But, these were not your grandmothers chicken pot pies, these were hand made hearty empanadas. if you are ever visiting Missoula,
Montana it would be unwise not to visit The Empanada Joint Restaurant owned by Argentina born, Solange. Solange arrived in the United States at the age of 6 years old. As an adult Solange was so inspired to bring good local food to Missoula she opened The Empanada Joint Restaurant 9 years ago and she has been offering great Argentine dishes ever since. The restaurant is open 6 days a week and can be reached by taking I-90 West from downtown Bozeman. The restaurant is closed on Sunday. In addition to in-house dining the restaurant offers delivery and catering for events and parties. In the mood for good food? Missoula has one of the best with The Empanada Joint Restaurant. As they say in Argentina “muy deliciosa!”
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