Old Schoolhouse Cafe

A southern Montana I-15 must stop. Discovered this gem on a list of the 15 Montana restaurants to visit before you die and it did not disappoint. What a fun way to experience a 1900’s one room school house. On top of that - the food was amazing. Sour dough beer batter chicken strips are hand-breaded and the best my husband has ever had. Sour dough bread was delicious. Apple cobbler was out of this world. Friendly small town staff!

You must visit this hidden gem. If you are anywhere close to Dillon, Montana you have to stop in. We were lucky to have discovered this family owned cafe on our recent road trip. The food was fresh, made from scratch and delicious. The chicken strips were the best my husband has ever had!! I had the grilled ham and cheese sandwich on homemade sourdough with hand cut steak fries. It was also amazing. And we couldn't leave without some of their homemade strawberry rhubarb cobbler and a jar of the schoolhouse spice they use to season their chicken strips and burgers. The customer service was warm and inviting. If that's not enough, we enjoyed our meal in a charming old schoolhouse.

If you're passing the Montana-Idaho border on I-15 this is a must stop! It's just a few miles north of the border in Dell, MT. We had their roast beef and it was delicious, and with very generous portions! A local couple have recently taken over what used to be the "Calf-A" and have renovated the old schoolhouse and updated the menu. But they still have awesome deep-dish home-made pies and delicious sourdough bread. (You can even buy the sourdough starter.) There's an EV charging station nearby so you can charge up your car and your taste buds at the same time.

Best steak ever.
Cooked to perfection, the right cut, taste!
It was worth not stopping anywhere else and waiting to reach The Old Schoolhouse.
The cobbler is amazing!
Also the ambiance, service, everything.

I travel a lot for work driving 7-10 hours to get to a location (not a trucker) when I stopped for gas I didn't expect to fall in love with this quiet little town. The cafe welcomed me even though I only had three bucks. I had some coffee with the cowboy who made it his business to have some with me; you just dont get that anywhere else. One free donut 🍩 later I felt like I was being spoiled. I will be back and I suggest everyone go.

We’ve had the pleasure of stopping at this cafe twice now on vacations out West. Our first time, about 2, maybe 3 years ago now, the restaurant was under different ownership. While the restaurant was cute, it was quite dirty and run down. The food however, was outstanding. Our second time there just a couple weeks ago, it was a completely different place and all the same, in the absolute best ways possible! It’s been modernized and brought up to the times but not obnoxiously so. It’s still the same, but offers so many cozy nooks and crannies. The new owners are so sweet and nice, we spent about 30 minutes chatting with them. We left with some craft soda, peach cobbler, and sourdough starter. Everything was delicious! We enjoyed our first sourdough waffles for breakfast this morning. They were perfect. This is a hidden gem and I hope the owners see abundant success. They’re putting a lot of work in during turbulent times when it’s very hard to be a business owner and do it well. You’d be a fool not to support them!

Great friendly service. We ordered the burger and grilled ham and cheese… cooked perfect with great flavor. The fries are telephone pole size. Located in a historic school house.

Really cute cafe with a variety of baked goods and breakfast pastries.

This little cafe is well situated in a small schoolhouse and features lots of baked goods and custom italian drinks. A lot of pies and bread are on display, and the dining room feels like a school house, with the menu on a large chalkboard.

Only downside is they are closed Monday thru Wed, and not open for dinner. But if you are traveling through Thurs thru Sunday in the morning, this cafe is worth the stop (and photo op).

We stopped here on a road trip and I’m soooo glad that we did! Our group all voted this the best stop of our entire multi day trip. The place is super cute and unique from the outside. Inside, the food and the welcoming atmosphere just can’t be beat. Our group ordered a burger, pancakes, chicken fried steak, French toast, a grilled ham and cheese, pie and a scone. Everything was so delicious we were all stuffed and happy leaving! They also sell scones to go and some local sodas and coffee. We bought the coffee for souvenirs and tried a couple of the craft sodas, they were so yummy.
The best part was the sweet couple and their little boy who own the restaurant. They were so kind and friendly, and our son went and played with the little boy while we waited for our food.
We had such a great experience I asked the family to let me take a photo to share!

Found this many years ago when I was still a teenager. My dad's friend was a truck driver and recommended the place to us. Although we don't live very far away from a we had no idea it was there. I'm from Southeast Idaho just north of Idaho Falls in a little town called Menan only 10 miles away from I-15 which drives you right past the what was then called The School House Calf-A. I had of course been up into Montana a few times but after my brother went to the University of Idaho we had occasion to drive that way many times. That became our regular stop from then on. I hear they have done some renovations on it and it looks good from the pictures. But I really kind of like the ambience before. It was a little bit shabby looking but it had the feel of a one room schoolhouse that have been well used. It was a regular stop for truck drivers. I also heard stories that people would fly their small planes in and land on the road in front of it. Great little place to go. Unfortunately haven't been there for years and haven't seen renovations but great little place to go in a small town to support a small business that is really cool and keeps history alive. What were you saying