According to the Intrigue Ink Crew
Nothing brings a team together quite like setting up picnic blankets outside the warehouse and collectively deciding we’re not getting much work done until everyone has eaten a burger.
We gathered around for a little staff lunch this week, soaked up some Montana summer sunshine, and got to hang out together outside of our usual screen printing, folding, shipping, designing, emailing, photographing, and general Intrigue Ink chaos.
But this lunch was a little extra special.
We brought in Best Burger for the crew.
Located just down Huffine toward Four Corners, Best Burger has a pretty bold name to live up to. After a warehouse full of burgers, fries, and a few chicken sandwiches, we can confirm: the reputation makes sense.
But sitting around eating a place literally called Best Burger raised a very important question:
Okay... but where IS the best burger in Bozeman?
Naturally, everyone had an opinion.
So we did what any responsible group of Montanans would do: turned lunch into a full-blown burger discussion.
Here are some of the spots that made the Intrigue Ink crew's list.
8194 Huffine Ln, Bozeman, MT 59718
We have to start with the burger that started the debate.
Best Burger is about as classic as it gets. No elaborate downtown dining room. No burger that requires a steak knife and architectural engineering to eat. Just burgers, fries, shakes, and the kind of drive-thru lunch that has been keeping Gallatin Valley fed for years.
Their burgers are made with Angus beef, and you'll find everything from the classic burger to bacon and cheese additions, plus chicken sandwiches, veggie options, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, and shakes.
Our warehouse verdict after today's lunch?
The name isn't making an empty promise.
125 W Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715
If you want your burger with a little Montana flair, Backcountry Burger Bar belongs on the list.
Their burgers feature Montana-raised and processed beef and bison, with plenty of options beyond your standard cheeseburger.
You can keep things classic with the Backcountry Burger or venture into jalapeño jelly, bacon jam, bison, crispy onions, and other territory.
And while we're technically here to discuss burgers, ignoring the cheese curds would be irresponsible.
730 Boardwalk Ave, Bozeman, MT 59718
Over at The Market at Ferguson Farm, Liberty Burger takes the choose your burger adventure approach.
Classic beef? Yep.
Bison? Yep.
Lamb? Also yep.
They've also got turkey, veggie options, burger bowls, fries, onion rings, and some seriously committed milkshakes.
This is the pick for the person who says, "I want a burger," and then immediately starts adding things to it.
319 N 7th Ave, Bozeman, MT 59715
Cholms Burger is for the smash burger people.
You know who you are.
Crispy edges. Soft bun. Sauce. No unnecessary nonsense.
This little North 7th food truck has built a serious following around Bozeman, and the fries have developed a fan club of their own. When locals recently debated Bozeman's best burgers online, Cholms came up again... and again... and again.
If your definition of a perfect burger involves a smashed patty with those crispy little edges, start here.
5 E Baxter Ln, Bozeman, MT 59715
A newer addition to the Bozeman burger conversation, Dry Fly Saloon is tucked inside the Field & Stream Lodge.
Their menu gives you two very different burger directions.
There's a straightforward griddled double cheeseburger with pickles, onions, and special sauce.
Then there's the Huckleberry Burger with goat cheese, huckleberry sauce, pickled onions, and arugula.
Classic Montana or slightly weird Montana.
We support both.
29 E Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715
Yes, Plonk Bozeman made the burger list.
Because sometimes the best burger isn't hiding in a burger joint.
Sometimes it's hiding inside a downtown wine bar where you originally planned on ordering a cocktail and suddenly you're eating one of your favorite burgers in town.
Consider this your reminder to never underestimate the burger buried on a restaurant menu.
22 S 8th Ave, Bozeman, MT 59715
If you've been in Bozeman long enough, Haufbrau House probably needs very little introduction.
The Hauf has been serving up burgers, cold beer, live music, and an impressive amount of Bozeman history for decades.
It's not fancy.
That's the point.
Grab a burger, get some fries, find a table that's probably been carved into by generations of Bozeman residents, and stay for whatever band happens to be playing that night.
This one is as much about the experience as the burger.
1625 W Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715
You wouldn't necessarily expect one of Bozeman's most talked-about burgers to be hiding behind a liquor store.
Which is precisely why Hide-A-Way Lounge & Liquor Str belongs here.
The Hideaway is a true locals' spot: divey, unpretentious, full of TVs, and serving bar food that has absolutely no business being overlooked.
Burgers regularly come up when locals debate their favorites around town, and sometimes that's all the endorsement we need.
113 E Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715
One of the newer additions to downtown Bozeman, Frugals keeps things refreshingly simple.
Burgers. Fries. Shakes.
That's really all we need.
It's quick, casual, relatively affordable for downtown Bozeman, and open late enough on weekends to become a very dangerous piece of information after a night out on Main Street.
Sometimes you don't need a fancy burger.
You need a cheeseburger, fries, fry sauce, and a milkshake.
SO... WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE BEST BURGER IN BOZEMAN?
We're not touching that one.
We print T-shirts for a living. We're not trying to start a civil war.
What we can tell you is that Bozeman has no shortage of places willing to throw a patty on a grill. From food trucks and drive-thrus to wine bars and some of the diviest dives in town.
So consider this your excuse to conduct your own extremely scientific burger research.
Try the list. Rank your favorites. Argue with your friends.
And if we missed the burger that you swear is actually the best burger in Bozeman, tell us.
Because apparently we're going to need another staff lunch.
BUT WAIT... WILL YOU LEAVE BOZEMAN FOR A BURGER?
We couldn't wrap this up without giving a little love to a couple of our neighbors.
If you're willing to venture beyond Bozeman city limits in the name of burger research, and frankly, we respect the commitment, add these two to your list.
THE MINT CAFE & BAR - BELGRADE
27 E Main St, Belgrade, MT 59714
Just a quick trip down the interstate, The Mint is a longtime Belgrade favorite and absolutely deserves a spot in the conversation.
Come hungry, grab a burger, and consider this your reminder that some of the best food in the Gallatin Valley isn't necessarily hiding in Bozeman.
Plus, calling Belgrade a "road trip" might be dramatic.
But we're counting it.
MARK'S IN & OUT - LIVINGSTON
801 W Park St, Livingston, MT 59047
Now we're actually leaving town.
Mark's In & Out is a Livingston institution, the kind of classic seasonal burger stand that feels like it belongs permanently on a Montana summer itinerary.
Burgers. Fries. Shakes. That old-school drive-in feeling.
If you're headed over the pass for a day in Livingston, floating the Yellowstone, or continuing toward the park, this is your sign to make a burger stop.
Honestly, we'd probably drive over just for lunch.
So yes, this was supposed to be a list of the best burgers in Bozeman.
But apparently our burger jurisdiction now covers the greater Gallatin Valley.
We'll accept the responsibility.
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