Entry No. 12 — the Missoula file — filed under: speakeasy-bar

Double Front Cafe Basement Bar

Upstairs is a beloved Missoula fried-chicken cafe (the building dates to 1909, with chicken on the menu since the 1930s and the same family running it for 60-plus years), but the full bar is downstairs in the basement, and locals call it one of Missoula's best-kept secrets. It opens mid-afternoon, around 3pm, and is where a lot of nights out quietly begin before people surface back onto Alder Street. The vibe is unpretentious old-Missoula rather than designed-speakeasy, which is exactly why regulars guard it.

The move: Order the hand-battered chicken upstairs, then disappear down to the basement bar for cocktails where most tourists never think to look.

📍 Before you go Basement bar opens around 3pm to close; it's a downstairs lounge, so not obvious from the main cafe entrance.

• 📍 Missoula (Downtown)
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 122 W Alder St, Missoula, MT 59802

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-24