Around the world, America is known as the home of the hamburger, and in Bozeman, Montana, burgers are big business.
We’ve put ourselves through the mouthwatering task of sampling the most delicious burgers to help you choose the very best burger in Bozeman. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Recommended Food & Drink Tours in Bozeman
- Tour de Foam · 2-3 hours · Best tour for beer lovers
- Bogert Farmer’s Market · 2-3 hours · Great tour for foodies
- Gear Belly · 2 hours · Fun pub bike tour
- Bozeman Spirits Distillery · 1 hour · Excellent distillery tour
Travel Tips for Eating in Bozeman
- As with the rest of the United States, tipping the staff in Bozeman restaurants is not required, but is generally expected. Anything less than 15% for adequate service may get you some funny looks. For good service, 20% or more is common.
- Your tip percentage should be calculated on the amount of your bill before tax is added, not after.
- The legal drinking age in Montana is 21. No one under this age will be served alcohol with or without food, and if you look anywhere close to this age, expect to have to show a government ID.
- Montana is cattle country, and the state is famous for beef, bison, and Rocky Mountain oysters. If you see that last item on a Bozeman menu, don’t order it expecting local seafood. Instead, it’s a dish made of bull testicles. If you’re squeamish, it’s probably better to stick to a burger.
- Traditionally, vegetarians have been largely out of luck when it comes to finding something to eat in Bozeman. However, that has changed in recent years, and now most restaurants and burger places offer at least some vegetarian options.
- Montana’s Western heritage means that people tend toward rugged friendliness and shy away from pretension. As a result, restaurants tend to be casual, even at the more expensive end of the market. You probably won’t have to dress for dinner here, though there are some places in Bozeman where you won’t be considered fully dressed without a cowboy hat and a pair of boots.
The Top Restaurants to Find the Best Burger Bozeman
1. Burger Bob’s – Main St – $$
Bob’s is a big name in Bozeman burgers – try saying that three times fast (especially with a mouthful of delicious hamburger meat). This restaurant, located right on Main Street, has been in business since 1982 and is still run by the same family that founded it all those decades ago.
Bob’s takes a light-hearted approach to selling food, with a sign proclaiming “Sorry, we’re open” and a menu that features “dishwater coffee” and a “questionable atmosphere”. However, the enduring popularity of this restaurant suggests this may be false modesty.
Bob’s is an unpretentious diner-style restaurant that serves a range of draft beers to wash down their food. But the burgers are the real stars here. The Original Bob is a full third of a pound of fresh ground chuck, while the Big Time Bob contains half a pound of meat.
If that’s not enough, the Cardiac Arrest takes that same half-pound patty and piles it high with cheese, mushrooms, and bacon.
Bob’s also serves a pork chop sandwich, a veggie burger, hot dogs, and salad. But this is the kind of place you come for salad. As the name implies, Burger Bobs is all about the meat.
2. Backcountry Burger Bar – Main St $$
Part of the enduring popularity of the humble burger is its versatility. A burger can be anything from a depressing lukewarm sandwich wolfed down in a fast-food parking lot to a gourmet experience aimed squarely at connoisseurs. Bozeman’s Backcountry Burger Bar isn’t fancy, but they do focus on quality at every stage of the burger-making process.
Honoring Montana’s Western culture and cattle-raising heritage, Backcountry Burger Bar makes its burgers from grass-fed Montana herds.
For an extra charge, you can replace any of their beef burgers with a bison burger for a true taste of the West.
Their burger menu isn’t extensive, with only five items available. But when those items include a kimchi burger and the Calamity Jane with bacon, jalapeno jelly, and scallion cream cheese, you know a broad range of tastes will be catered for.
You can also have any of their burgers with a plant-based patty, making this one of the more vegetarian-friendly Bozeman burger joints.
At Backcountry, it’s not just burgers on the menu. They have a variety of sandwiches and salads, and you can design your own mac & cheese by picking from several toppings.
Their beer selection is also impressive, and they even offer draft wine. If you want a burger place that offers quality ingredients and creative recipes without breaking the bank, this is a good option.
3. University Burger – West College – $$
Located close to Montana State University, University Burger plays up to its student crowd by proclaiming itself a punk rock burger shop.
The chalkboard menu and soda fountain may seem straight out of a classic diner, but this quirky shop sets itself apart with the variety and quality of the burgers it offers.
If you want to take your taste buds on a culinary tour around the world of burgers, this is the place to do it. The First Ballot features andouille salsa and pickled onion, while the King Vinnie uses a patty made of beef combined with ground bacon.
The Ball and Chain feature the unusual addition of peanut butter, while the PHUCKwad combines tomato ginger jam with bacon, jalapeno, and intriguingly named knuckle sauce.
You can sub any patty for a vegetarian version or, if you’re the opposite of vegetarian, for the mixed beef and bacon patty. They also offer milkshakes and a limited kids menu.
This might well be the coolest burger place in town and is certainly one of the more creative. If you’re in the mood to experiment, there’s no better place in Bozeman to do it than here.
4. Copper Whiskey – Main St – $$$
Visit Bozeman’s Main Street, and you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to burger bars. Copper markets itself as a Whiskey Bar and Grill, and the sleek black minimalist exterior sets it apart from some of the other cheap and cheerful locations on this famous street.
Inside, you’ll find the same high-end aesthetic, combined with an extensive menu developed by executive chef John Wallace.
There’s far more than just burgers on offer here, with options like trout sliders, burnt ends, roasted chicken, and the mouthwatering Chef’s Butcher Block tempting the taste buds of visitors to try it all.
What you won’t find at Copper is an extensive menu of burgers. In fact, there’s just one burger on the menu, the Copper burger. But what a burger!