Whitefish · Drink
Great Northern Bar & Grill
Whitefish bar opened in 1919 for railroad workers, still a Central Avenue grill and music room.
The Northern since 1919. Railroad bar that became the town's default, still open on Central.
This place is still going.
The Great Northern opened in 1919 on Second Street to serve Great Northern Railway workers, then moved to Central Avenue in the mid-1950s, according to Flathead Beacon’s 2019 centennial feature. Locals just call it the Northern.
Doug Rommereim and Kathy McGrath bought into the bar in 1987 and later owned it outright, keeping live music and a packed regulars’ calendar. A May 2026 Hagadone News Network report said new owners planned to keep the bar and staff largely unchanged. The official site still lists daily hours from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Whitefish got louder and more expensive around it. The Northern kept being a bar. If you are nearby, stop in and keep them busy.
- Address
- 27 Central Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937
- Town
- Whitefish
- Region
- Flathead
- Established
- 1919
- Locally owned
- Yes
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