Northern Lights Saloon these days?

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rhughes
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Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by rhughes »

A search didn't turn up much on the Northern Lights Saloon. A friend is visiting Glacier in August and wondered what was going on at the Northern Lights these days.

I remember the days when the Kauffman's (former owners of the Merc) daughter ran the place and it was outstanding. Then she sold it and the place was without a liquor license for some time and I felt the food quality declined as well. That was several years ago and I believe that the place was sold since then.

I'd be most interested in how things were in 2016 and what things look like for 2017.
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by Pizza Bob »

Great food last summer there. Open May 26 this year.

https://www.facebook.com/Northern-Light ... 670215599/
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by Clairesey »

This probably won't help your friends since they're probably home by now but, we went to Northern Lights this summer and waited 1 1/2 hours for a pizza. I'm never going back because when I'm on vacation I"m not into killing time waiting for something. I'd rather be sitting peacefully by the lake.
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by PeteE »

Clairesey wrote:This probably won't help your friends since they're probably home by now but, we went to Northern Lights this summer and waited 1 1/2 hours for a pizza. I'm never going back because when I'm on vacation I"m not into killing time waiting for something. I'd rather be sitting peacefully by the lake.
I live in the area and from what I've seen this year...
I'm not surprised about your wait and I don't blame you for being angry.

The new owner of the Polebridge Mercantile is doing his best to turn Polebridge into a "destination".
And in my opinion---it's working.
The atmosphere in Polebridge now resembles a carnival of some kind.
Way too many people. All those new cabins for rent. Solar panels to electrify everything. Cars parked from one end of the place to the other.
"Tourist type junk" for sale in the Merc. Why not sell "Made in Montana" items?
The baked goods aren't as good as in the past...and my opinion is shared by some other local folks I know.
The old time "feel" of being in a 100 year old "National Historic Place" is gone.

And so I think the Northern Lights has become a victim of all this "success". They simply don't have the capacity to accommodate the crowds now.

I'll still go to Polebridge because it's convenient when out in the North Fork, but I'm not recommending it anymore to people on the chat.

my 2 cents FWIW

pete :wink:
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by glacierfever »

Glacier has been packed with visitors during the main core 6 weeks of the season. Why would anyone expect Polebridge be immune?

The Northern Lights is a great place, in and of itself. The chef there this season has prepped some wonderful dishes. Sometimes the wait staff have been overwhelmed. This is to be expected with seasonal restaurants. If you go for pizza on "pizza night" expect to wait, enjoy the vibe while waiting. I really don't understand people that publicly criticize a business like this, for the wait time, for being popular. If you know it is going to be crowded get there early and then go enjoy the rest of your time elsewhere. Or go there on a night other than pizza night. They have been doing a great job!

"Made in Montana" items usually cost significantly more than the tourist souvenier items. There are some really great Made in Montana products but these businesses have shelf space that have to move products that make them money. They are businesses afterall. They have overhead to pay for so selling items that keep the cash flowing is vital given the very short season.

Too many "locals" refuse to accept that these businesses rely on tourists and have to make their money during those 6 weeks. If they relied on locals they could not survive.

my 2 cents
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by PeteE »

Curiously enough, I agree with much of what you say.
Same with your comments on the Sperry Chalet fire.
I'll explain in a private message when I get back from the park.

pete :wink:
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Re: Northern Lights Saloon these days?

Post by thorn726 »

we liked it. Had a bison burger, and huckleberry pie. good prices and food was good// im very plain when it comes to food so im not a great food critic but sure felt worth the stop to me. Roxana is more of a foodie and her only minor complaint was her beef burger was a tiny bit over cooked, but very good. I think they may have gotten ours backwards and made mine medium and hers medium well, not a big deal.. mine was really really good, i like bison. Love the view. We were there 4pm on thursday July 19, it was busy but there were open tables and service was fast. Seemed like they had a lot of wait staff, more than necessary at the time, so they are trying to be prepared for even bigger crowds. I tried burgers at 3 restaurants and will compare them in more detail in another post./
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