The 2nd Street Bistro came to life in 2004 when a nomadic philosopher, plying his trade as a chef and sommelier wandered into The Murray Bar and never left.  A plan was hatched to do something quite special in this windy little town that over the years has amazed all of us.  It is all based on the simple belief that having access to great food and wine makes life more amusing, and who doesn’t love to be amused?  We set about amusing ourselves and our community and have never looked back.  We took it upon ourselves to reinvent the model and have arrived at the other side more resilient, passionate and obsessive about how a great restaurant can make a positive contribution to our community, employees and guests. 

 

The Second Street Bistro strives to be among the best restaurants in Montana and in order to be truly exceptional, we operate slightly differently than most restaurants.  Most importantly, we do not try to turn your table and we encourage you to linger and enjoy what we do here in the European fashion. Reservations are strongly recommended as we tend to book out in advance, but walk-ins are welcome at our bistro bar or any tables that have not yet been reserved for the evening. Please disclose any dietary restrictions when submitting your reservation request. We have taken great pains to ensure that we offer a truly outstanding dining experience in the French Gastronomic tradition, taking place in a beautiful dining room with flowing tablecloths, glowing candles and each table nestled away in a little pocket of intimacy. We look forward to sharing our passion for this craft with you.

​

Over the years, we have not only delighted our local community and the never ended throng of tourists that visit us each summer, but have received numerous awards from national and regional publications recognizing us for providing the Best Fine Dining, Best Desserts, Best Martini, Best Wine List, and Best Chef in Livingston many years running. Gourmet Magazine and Food and Wine both recognized the work we do.  We were a James Beard's semi finalist for Best Chef in the American West in 2022. The most important recognition came in 2009 when Anthony Bourdain came to dinner with Jim Harrison and Russell Chatham for an episode of “No Reservations” where Tony said on national television that we “were as good as anything, anywhere in the world”.  That was a pretty amazing compliment from a pretty amazing human being.  We certainly do our best everyday to try to live up to his praise.