Missoula Southside Breweries and New Restaurants: Fall 2026

On Tuesday, October 6, Nic Pestel stood in a brewhouse at 335 SW Higgins Ave. finishing a few new batches for the grand opening of Old Bull Brewing's second location. The first one has been in Frenchtown since 2019. That same weekend, about two miles away, Great Burn Brewing told its followers that it had lost its lease on McDonald Avenue and that its taproom would become a parking lot.

Two separate businesses made those announcements in the same week. Put together, they show Missoula's southside reshuffling its neighborhood gathering spots this fall. Biscuit Hound Cafe on South Avenue and a grocery planned for the Hip Strip are part of the same shift. Each newcomer says up front that it is staying small and serving the blocks around it.

A Brewery Where the Neighbors Asked for One

Old Bull is planning a grand opening "sometime in late October," according to the Missoulian's David Erickson, in a story carried by the Billings Gazette. No firm date had been announced as of mid-October. The location matters most. Pestel told the paper there aren't any breweries in that part of town near Pattee Canyon, and he said he's been "inundated" with neighbors asking when the doors will open.

He described the plan in plain terms in the same story:

"We wanted another community-based brewery. That's what I mean: we're not planning on doing distribution (of canned or bottled beer). We want to build small."

The building is fairly new. It has outdoor seating, big windows, a stage, and no wall between the brewhouse and the taproom, so customers can watch the beer being made. Pestel built it with Wade Gooden of Gooden Construction and building owner Nic Cole of NC Design Studio, and Wade's son is learning to brew.

The opening tap list, as reported:

• Exit 89, a blonde ale
• Kind of a Big Dill, a spicy pickle blonde aged with jalapeños, habaneros and serranos, with a bit of tomato for color. It is the customer favorite in Frenchtown.
• Bugle Juice, a hazy tropical IPA and Pestel's own pick
• Wallow Water, a "dirty seltzer" served on ice. Customers choose a flavoring syrup and can add a splash of cream, much like a dirty soda.
• Six to eight rotating taps, starting with the Drop Tailgate pilsner and the Barbed Wire Crosser stout

At first the taproom will be open 2 to 8 p.m., with coffee and espresso planned later. Old Bull Brewing Missoula's Facebook page is where opening news will go up.

Great Burn Has Until the End of the Year

The other half of the story is a few blocks off Brooks Street. Great Burn Brewing opened in 2014 as only the fifth brewery in Missoula. Brothers Greg and Mike Howard founded it with their partners and family members. The taproom is at 2230 McDonald Ave.

The Missoulian reported that the Midtown Market development plans a Whole Foods Market at 3333 Brooks St., where the Brooks Street Motor Inn now stands. Site plans show a large parking lot running back to McDonald Avenue, where Great Burn's building sits. The brewery can stay through the end of 2026. The food trucks that park there will have to find new spots too.

Great Burn's owners said they want to stay in the "midtown/southside area." They also said there are "not great spaces for a new brewery in our neighborhood" and that they were assessing one possible site. Their statement also said: "We built this as a community hub for the southside, and it has served its purpose well." No new address had been announced as of mid-October.

The Whole Foods itself is still a long way off. The development team said construction is expected to begin next year, meaning 2027, according to the Missoulian's October 8 report. Montana Free Press found a commercial listing that projects delivery in April 2028. That is a listing estimate, not a store opening date. The developer's tax increment financing request is still pending, and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency board is expected to take it up on October 23. The city has said any approval would require a relocation plan for displaced businesses.

A brewery whose owners call it a southside hub has a firm end date, the grocery store replacing it is years away, and a new taproom aimed at the same kind of neighborhood crowd is opening just up the road.

Breakfast Arrives on South Avenue

Dave Hilliard and Kara Krause opened Biscuit Hound Cafe in early September in the South Avenue building Drum Coffee used to occupy. Drum still operates on East Broadway. In The Pulp's write-up, the spot is described as being on the bus line, near Sentinel High School, in a neighborhood "with almost no other cafe options." Hilliard grew up in Missoula and went to Hellgate.

The menu is built around a scratch buttermilk biscuit baked every day. The flour is mostly organic white flour from Montana Flour & Grains, with about a third Conservation Grains' "old and ancient" blend mixed in. Every sandwich is named for a dog breed, a nod to the couple's years of rescuing dogs. The signature is The Rescue, $12 as of September 2026, with over-medium egg, bacon, sharp cheddar, tomato, local greens and house Hound Sauce. Coffee comes from Black Coffee Roasting and tea from Lake Missoula Tea. The cafe is at 600 South Ave W and opens 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

A Grocery Counter on the Hip Strip

A little farther up South Higgins, Green Source has announced Green Source Local Market at its 617 S. Higgins Ave. location. It will carry meat, eggs, dairy, bread, produce and honey, sourced partly from Missoula County and the Bitterroot, according to the Missoulian. The announcement said only "Opening soon," and no date had been reported as of mid-October.

That gives the southside one large grocery store on the drawing board for 2027 or later and one neighborhood market close to opening now.

Downtown Rooms Keep Changing Hands

North of the river the story is different. Downtown spaces aren't moving south. They're turning over, and the next tenant is usually lined up before the old one leaves.

Taco del Sol founder Dave Beaton told the Missoulian it was simply time: "We've been there almost 30 years. It was great to be a part of downtown." Pipe Dream already runs a food truck in town. Its menu includes a Japan dog with teriyaki glaze, wasabi crema, pickled cucumber slaw, togarashi and crispy seaweed. Taco del Sol's other locations around town remain open.

Seamus Hammond and his partners opened James Bar next to Al & Vic's almost 20 years ago. When it closed, the bar's own post welcomed Atomic Tacos, which serves frybread tacos, chicken taquitos, al pastor and a birria quesadilla, as the Missoulian reported.

Plonk is still pouring. Owner Brett Evje has listed the building, business and license, and plans to focus on his Bozeman restaurants. He told the Missoulian he hopes the buyer will "continue with the brand and keep the staff in place." The restaurant has about 40 employees. KPAX reported in September that The Depot, The Keep and Oxford Cafe are also open and listed for sale.

Linda McCarthy, executive director of the Downtown Missoula Partnership, told KPAX that much of this comes from retirements and higher costs, and that "you're always going to have openings and closings." She also named the places doing well: "You can't hardly get in at Zoo Thai, 1889's really popular, Michi Ramen and Saketome sushi, really popular. GILD, Bridge, Biga, Cranky Sam all thriving."

Dates to Watch Through Year-End

1. Late October: Old Bull Brewing's grand opening at 335 SW Higgins Ave. The exact date hasn't been announced.
2. October 23: The Missoula Redevelopment Agency board is expected to consider the Midtown Market TIF request.
3. Through December 31: Great Burn Brewing's last stretch at 2230 McDonald Ave., unless it announces a new site sooner.
4. No date yet: Green Source Local Market on South Higgins, Atomic Tacos on West Alder, and Pipe Dream on Higgins.

If you're following which southside storefronts are changing hands and what comes next on Brooks and South Higgins, Cameron Hahn keeps track of these blocks closely and is happy to talk them through with you. Schedule a free consultation.