As we all (hopefully) know by now, Hellgate has an open campus for lunch. That gives us Hellgate students walking access to all the amazing food options downtown Missoula has to offer. But because there’s so many options, it can be hard to know the best places to go.
Right, let’s start with the obvious: Bridge Pizza. While it might seem like a good idea, and the pizza and pasta are both really good, some days it seems like most of the student body goes to Bridge for lunch. The line is pretty consistently out the door. Unless you can get out the gate basically right after the bell rings, I would pass on going to Bridge most days.
Right across the street from Bridge is the gas station. There’s not a whole lot of “real food”, but you can get some good snack-type-things and they have a decent drink selection. It’s definitely the cheapest choice, other than just bringing your own food.
Down the alley from the gas station is Taco Sano. While the prices are high, it’s a very popular option, and their tacos, burritos, and especially their quesadillas are delicious. If you get there early enough, the seating area upstairs is a pretty great place to eat lunch with a small group of friends.
If you keep going down the alley from Taco Sano, you’ll get to Green Source. Owned by a Hellgate parent, Greensource has amazing bowls, waffles, and juices, as well as their famous smoothies. It’s a really good choice if you’re looking for a healthier place to get lunch.
Downtown can get pretty busy with kids from Hellgate, so if you’re looking to get away, El Diablo and Tagliare are both pretty good options. It’s a decently short walk in the opposite direction as downtown, and you can get burritos and tacos or sandwiches, depending on which place you decide on.
Whether you’re a freshman or just haven’t discovered all of these restaurants yet, hopefully this helped you discover a new lunch spot near Hellgate. I feel super grateful to go to a school that has all these awesome options, when we could just be out in the middle of nowhere like our blue and yellow friends. Maybe that’s why they lost Goat?
