LIVINGSTON, Mont. – If you drive into Livingston, Mont., from Bozeman, down the road that follows the tracks, you’ll cross the old wye that took passenger trains to the gates of Yellowstone National Park and end up at the brick 1902 station that’s downtown. The old baggage area is now a wine and cheese shop, and the main portion of the depot is a museum in the summer and a special events center in the winter. But the eastern most part of the station is, I am happy to say, still what it once was: a restaurant.
Yes, you got that right, no turning a depot into a restaurant (and just out of fairness, at some point during my life, I hope at least one restaurant is turned into a depot). It’s always been this way.
I was in Bozeman earlier this summer on vacation and a friend had recommended The Beanery as a good place for breakfast or lunch (it’s not open for dinner). I cannot vouch for breakfast, but I can tell you that two lunches taken a week apart were outstanding. Of course, having Montana Rail Link and BNSF Railway trains right outside the window is a big plus.
The Beanery is simple but good cooking. For a southern boy like myself, finding pulled pork barbecue over corn muffins with sweet tea was a true surprise. Even more surprising, the Q was good and the tea tasty. The Beanery is also known for its pies, too, and I can attest to the deliciousness, having sampled the Key Lime. The counter is still there, much in the way it was in the 1950s. And the trains still rumble by from time to time.
The museum inside the depot is chocked full of photos and artifacts from Livingston’s history as a Northern Pacific shop town. Be sure to plan to visit during the summer when it’s open. In the winter, when fewer tourists are in town, the exhibits get packed up and the town uses the space for weddings, concerts, and other special events.
So, not only does a visit here get you great action on MRL on Bozeman Pass in spectacular scenery, but it also can get you a great lunch and a good look at the past history of the area’s railroads.
Next time: Uncle Pete comes to Yellowstone.
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