Hungry travelers should note that between Lake McDonald and St. Mary, Rising Sun is the only place to buy food. The Two Dog Flats Grill (406/892-2525, 6:30–10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m., and 5–9:30 p.m. daily mid-June–late Sept., $11–20) serves decent café breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with a little Tex-Mex twist.

There’s a better meal waiting in St. Mary. The best bet is the Park Cafe (406/732-4482, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily May–Sept., dinners around $15), where the hip, friendly staff serves good food (including excellent vegetarian fare) and delicious pies at the junction of Highway 89 and Going-to-the-Sun Road. At lunch, try a curried vegetable burrito.

Up the road, between St. Mary and Babb, it’s hard to miss the brightly painted Two Sisters Cafe (406/732-5535, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily June–Sept., $8–22), another fun and funky place with good food, including some of the best burgers and sweet-potato fries you’ll find anywhere.

The Snowgoose Grille (406/732-4431, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. mid-May–Sept., dinner entrées $12–28) at St. Mary Lodge is more elegant than the other places in the area and features good salads and pasta dishes, buffalo rib eye, and other entrées that occasionally transcend the expected steak, trout, and chicken dishes.