Somers Bay Cafe is unfamously famous.
That is, it’s famous to those who know about it – and keep it to themselves since it’s worth not telling anyone else. Indeed, the Somers Bay Cafe is one of the best-kept secrets in the Flathead Valley, as one patron put it.
The Somers Bay Cafe is a place where rich history and good food meet. It’s a place where you can find good, honest food – at honest prices. And it’s a place with great service (and an A+ rating from the Flathead County Health Department).
The Somers Bay Cafe is located off the beaten path just off U.S. Highway 93, and yet right in the center of “downtown” Somers, at 47 Somers Road.
It’s located in the old Somers State Bank that was built in 1905, and an adjoining part that was once the old post office. And the cafe is much like a small museum of Somers. There are artifacts and photos of Somers dating back to when Somers was the town site of the Somers Lumber Company and a sawmill for the Great Northern Railway. And many of the photos and artifacts were donated by local residents who lived back then and frequent the café.
Beyond the photos and artifacts, the Somers Bay Cafe is a place to touch history as well – literally. For example, aside from the century-old brick walls, you can sit at patio tables with benches made from some of the old railroad ties, which have a unique triangle shape rarely seen anymore. And not only looking toward the past, the Somers Bay Cafe helps to raise money for local preservation projects, such as restoring the S2 steam locomotive that once worked the rail yard in Somers.
Putting nostalgia aside, there’s the food – delicious, fresh and hearty food. Aside from breakfast selections like buttermilk pancakes, oatmeal, French toast and biscuits and gravy, there are some outstanding specialties as well, including a breakfast enchilada, huevos rancheros – and an unexpected eggs benedict that’s hard to find or beat. You can also put together just about any combination of eggs, meat, vegetables and other breakfast fixings to your liking.
After a few bites, you’ll get to know why breakfast at Somers Bay Cafe is also a tradition of sorts. Just about every day of the week, you’ll find small groups of people gathering for breakfast after morning meetings, church events, hunting trips, road trips and just about everything else.
With the generous breakfast portions, you won’t be hankering for lunch, but in case you are (or spent the morning felling trees with an ax), the lunch menu is generous as well.
The lunch portions are plentiful, with a choice of fresh wraps, sandwiches and burgers and other items that all come with your choice of a side of soup, salad, fries, or cottage cheese and fresh marinated vegetables (disclosure: this writer, a former BBQ judge, favors both the “Loaded Beef Brisket” and “Pulled Pork” sandwiches).
And the prices are as good as the food. For example, where else can you get a good cheeseburger for $7 from a place without a drive-thru? And $1.50 will get you a cup of Montana Coffee Traders coffee – with free refills.
The Somers Bay Cafe is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m., so you can find out for yourself if you haven’t already. And while the Somers Bay Cafe is a great place for breakfast and lunch – it’s OK not to keep it a secret.