Originally from Iraq, Ammar Omar and his family opened Ragheef and Kamoon food trucks in 2021 to serve the flavors of Arabia in Missoula. In addition to the trucks, they now have a small restaurant, which goes by the same two names at different hours. During the day, Ragheef serves manakeesh, flatbreads with a variety of toppings including meat, cheese, vegetables, cooked tomatoes, and piquant sauces and spices like pomegranate molasses and za’atar. Try the labneh and falafel man’oushe, one of Ragheef’s most popular items, or go sweeter with the cheese and honey flatbread. At dinnertime, Ragheef gives way to Kamoon, serving dishes like shawarma, kebabs, and baba ghanoush. Visit the restaurant space, open fall through spring, and find the food trucks at the Clark Fork Market and at community events in the summer.

Imagine Nation Brewing Co. combines a microbrewery with a center for community transformation. While serving beers, hard seltzer, house-made kombucha, and more, the space also hosts community workshops and events focused on fueling social change in Missoula and beyond. Stationed directly outside of the brewery five days a week, Garden City Taqueria food truck offers tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Originally from Tarimoro, Guanajuato, owner Alejandro Regalado uses his mom’s recipes and adds his own twists. Try the quesabirria, folded inside crispy corn tortillas and served with a side of rich consomé broth.

Whether you’re looking for an early-morning pick-me-up or juicy late-night grub, Golden Yolk Griddle has your back. Ethan Siegel and Erin Hale started Local Breakfast Sandwiches as a Clark Fork Market stand in 2009, serving popular sandwiches highlighting locally sourced ingredients. After multiple name and brand changes, the business has expanded its menu and relocated to a permanent, walk-up window. Today, the duo offer a classic Farmer’s Market Sandwich (eggs, cheese, and meat or avocado on Le Petit Outre’s Birdman bread), as well as burritos, bowls, tacos, and a full drink and coffee list. Don’t miss the hardy after-hours specials on Friday and Saturday evenings, ideal after a night out.

Owners Asia Caluori and Dustin Anglen opened Pearl Boba Tea as a Clark Fork Market stand in 2021 after traveling in East Asia and falling in love with the Taiwanese dessert drink. Pearl serves a wide variety of tea-based and specialty drinks in flavors like taro, strawberry matcha, and dirty horchata, to be topped with fruit jellies, egg pudding, and popping boba. Visit the downtown location to order from the full menu and check out the Missoula Makers Collective located in the shop, or grab a drink and some Japanese snacks at the smaller storefront in the University Center. 

While studying at the University of Montana, Tom Snyder wanted to offer Missoula a grab-and-go restaurant that served healthy and flavorful food. Along with his partner, Lauren, he planned to open a Brazilian restaurant, winning a statewide business-plan competition and earning the chance to travel to Brazil to experience the cuisine. Two years after graduation, they opened the first Five on Black storefront in downtown Missoula, offering traditional Brazilian dishes in build-your-own bowls. Be sure to add the spicy coconut sauce and pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) to your bowl.

Cousins Belle Gratton and Trevor Diehl started the Wishbone food truck in memory of their grandma, Patty Sutton, who was known for serving Buffalo wings and subs at Pat’s Wings and Things in Fort Collins, Colorado. In keeping with the cuisine, the cousins crank out gourmet fair food, like made-to-order wings, hand-battered corn dogs, fries, and chicken and waffles. Wishbone strives to source local ingredients whenever possible and makes spice blends, batters, and sauces by hand. Watch out for the Ugly Dog, a rotating special that offers a take on the Korean corn dog: mozzarella and hot dog covered in dough, topped with potato cubes and panko breadcrumbs. You can usually find Wishbone parked outside a local brewery like Draught Works, OddPitch Brewing, or Cranky Sam Public House. Follow the truck on Instagram to find the menu and schedule updates.

Walking into this corner shop, you’re hit with wafts of cumin, coriander, and warm naan, as Masala combines Indian flavors with organic ingredients sourced from local farmers and ranchers. Owner Theo Smith is committed to hiring refugee and immigrant chefs from places like Syria, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, partnering with the nonprofit Soft Landings that supports refugees and immigrants in Missoula. Browse the line of curries, chutneys, and crispy and pillowy sides to build a bowl of goodness, best paired with a glass of the house-made chai. At $8 or $9, the most basic Curry Combo offers an affordable meal with rice and curry to spare. Dine in to watch chefs grill rounds of naan in the open kitchen among paintings of majestic dogs, or scarf your curry as you run down the street to a concert at the Wilma theater.

This bohemian Missoula gem is full of treasures and knickknacks, including patterned kitchenware, jewelry, candles, perfumes, and wrapping paper. The shop boasts a wall of bulk spices and herbs, an old-fashioned candy counter, and a cozy coffee shop tucked in the back, which serves drinks using local tea and coffee blends. Among the bulletin board full of posters and the local art on the walls, expect to find regulars reading the paper while sipping coffee and chatting with the staff. Try a $6 sandwich (chips included), or satisfy your sweet tooth with a signature coffee milkshake made with ice cream from local brand Big Dipper Ice Cream. If you’re ordering from the coffee counter, come with cash or use the ATM inside.

Michi is a go-to for nights on the town. With an extensive menu of drinks, appetizers, and ramen, the underground bar and restaurant is just the place for group celebrations or date nights. Take in the twinkly lights and hand-painted murals while enjoying a cocktail or mocktail, alongside some grilled shishito peppers topped with yuzu mayo, sweet soy, and bonito flakes. Then jump into the ramen and rice bowls, including the yellow curry ramen topped with crispy wontons, lime, shallots, and grilled chicken.

The pastry case at Veera shines with an assortment of intricately glazed and decorated doughnuts. Owner Haniah Sweeney started selling her vegan and organic treats in 2017 at farmers markets around Missoula, before opening a downtown storefront in 2019. The creme brulee doughnut is as luscious as it looks, with a crackly, caramelly shell, fluffy interior, and vanilla custard filling. Along with doughnuts, the shop offers plant-based breakfast and lunch options like burritos, crunch wraps, sandwiches, and tacos, plus veggie burgers and sides on Sunday nights.

John Kordonouris’s great-grandparents opened this iconic gyro shop in 1977, and the family still owns and operates the Missoula staple, located across from Orange Street Food Farm and a short bike ride away from the university. Surrounded by wallpaper showing off the shores of Greece, employees slice fresh lamb off a rotisserie for traditional gyros, which the shop serves alongside crunchy falafel, buttery spanakopita, and baklava. The Special Fries, loaded with garlicky tzatziki sauce, feta, and cayenne, are a house favorite. It’s best to take your food to a picnic table outside.