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    The Loose Caboose

    4.7 (6 reviews)
    Open 5:30 am - 4:00 pm

    The Loose Caboose Photos

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    THE LOOSE CABOOSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    You can't go wrong with a local coffee shop. The down side is they are very popular and very busy.

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    12 years ago

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    Basal

    Basal

    4.4
    (104 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    Best salads in town! Fresh ingredients, savory dressings. Nice combination of crisp greens, crunchy…read moreveggies, and a variety of toppings - beans, nuts, etc. Fast service,

    Good service! Everyone was kind and welcoming. The restaurant is beautifully designed and has a…read moregreat atmosphere. They played great music too. I also really appreciated that they offer several vegan options. I ordered the Creamy Blue Smoothie and the Banana Walnut Oatmeal. The oatmeal was absolutely AMAZING--perfectly cooked, flavorful, and easily one of the best breakfasts I've had here. It's the item I'd recommend to everyone. The smoothie was good overall, but the fresh mint was a bit overpowering and left an aftertaste for me. I think it would be even better without the mint or with less of it. I also appreciated that they use compostable straws, although mine was cracked when I unwrapped it. Later, I came back for lunch and ordered the half Brussels Caesar Salad with the vegan protein. The vegan protein (chickpeas and lentils) was delicious, and the half portion was surprisingly large. I also liked that the dressing came already tossed throughout the salad. One thing I found a little confusing was that the Brussels Caesar uses a vegan dressing but is topped with cheese, so I'd be curious what substitution is offered for guests ordering it vegan. The bread was good, although the butter was served very cold and was difficult to spread. A few suggestions that could make the experience even better: * Add a larger "Basal" sign above the entrance to make the restaurant easier to spot. * Install a large wall-mounted menu inside for easier viewing. * Keep tables and chairs wiped down throughout the lunch rush. The restaurant was spotless during breakfast, but by lunchtime several tables and seats needed cleaning. Given the price point, I'd expect a bit more attention to dining room upkeep. Overall: good atmosphere, friendly staff, and good food. I recommend the Banana Walnut Oatmeal.

    Photos
    Food serving area
    Food serving area
    Seasonal Warm Breakfast Bowl
    Seasonal Warm Breakfast Bowl
    Water station

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    Water station
    Good Food Store

    Good Food Store

    4.2
    (224 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    If you're in Missoula and care about food, this place is a must-visit. From the moment you pull up…read moreto that iconic curved metal facade with the rust-colored awnings, you know you're somewhere special. The selection is genuinely impressive. The wine department alone is worth the trip -- they've got everything organized by region with these great little signposts (Chile, Argentina, an actual sake and dessert section), plus a deep bench of natural and small-production bottles. Found some gems I hadn't seen anywhere else in town. The prepared food situation is excellent. The hot bar, salad bar, and antipasto bar are all $9.99/lb, and they've got a made-to-order panini station and wok bowls if you'd rather get something fresh. Solid spot for a quick, quality lunch. What really sets this place apart is that it's so much more than a grocery store. There's a whole housewares section with SMEG kettles, beautiful linens, mugs, and kitchen gear -- dangerously easy to walk out with more than you came for. They even have a sunny garden nook with locally grown succulents, orchids, lavender, and organic seed packets from regional growers. Love that they support local. Clean, bright, well-staffed, and stocked with care. This is the kind of place that makes you want to actually cook. Highly recommend.

    So, here it is. I spent $2.50 on this nectarine on Saturday. It's Monday, 40 hours later and this…read moreis what it looked like when I took it out of the fruit bowl this morning. Ended up tossing it away. What a waste! Why does all of their produce rot? While it's still hard? I'm the grand daughter of an orchardist. My family grew fruit for a living. We would never sell this and charge top dollar. And we would most definitely not take your money and keep it for foul produce. We would call that thievery. But you can see in the above response, these days stores don't really seem to care. They say they do, but offer nothing to rectify the situation.

    Photos
    Excellent international choices, the best of the Northwest, and local favorites made right here in Western Montana.
    Excellent international choices, the best of the Northwest, and local favorites made right here in Western Montana.
    Our commitment to local sets us apart. We work directly with local ranchers and processors to bring you the freshest selection.
    Our commitment to local sets us apart. We work directly with local ranchers and processors to bring you the freshest selection.
    More than 800 bulk items

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    More than 800 bulk items
    Nutrition on Reserve

    Nutrition on Reserve

    4.2
    (5 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    Five thumbs up! The customer service, quality in drinks and pricing here is spot on. The location…read moreis clean and bright in appearance. The ladies in here who are managing the behind the scenes creation of the drinks are kind, thoughtful, helpful and friendly. It was my family and I first try out at the Nutrition on Reserve. We had been meaning to give them a go but kept running into a difference with there business hours. We finally made it here on a day that my little wasn't feeling to great and needed a healthy pick me up. The vitamins they offered literally did the trick! We had a refresher with a strawberry, raspberry and lemonade, a refresher with watermelon, orange and blue raspberry and added H30 hydration and a probiotic. The last drink we got was a peach bellini elevated tea and protein with half the regular amount of caffeine. Everyone loved the size of their drink and enjoyed what was inside the cup! Remember healthy first and flavorful second. Worth getting again! Also, extra shout out to the employees who supported us finding a yummy restaurant to get a legendary grilled cheese! You two are amazing!

    Walked in Saturday around 2:59, there were patrons inside and the open sign was on. I wasn't…read moreacknowledged coming in, the girl behind the counter was actively making a drink and there were 3 people inside. So I looked at the menu and waited. A young girl I thought was the customer whose drink was being made says to the employee "do you want me to turn this one off?" And employee says "it's still on?" It wasn't until 2 more people came inside that the girl with braces making the drink (or, pantomiming, maybe) announces "actually we close at 3". What in the world did she think I was doing there?? It was 3:04, I had been waiting at least 5 minutes. I'm beyond annoyed to be treated like my time is worth nothing. While I was in the shop before closing time, I would have graciously left if I had been greeted and informed of their hours. If there is a manager, could you perhaps train your gen z employees in customer service basics? Brunette with braces has no business being in charge. She was just hanging out with her friends and taking freebie stock, apparently. Never tried nut on reserve and I never will.

    Photos
    Nutrition on Reserve
    Nutrition on Reserve
    Nutrition on Reserve

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    Liquid Planet

    Liquid Planet

    3.7
    (117 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    A finer group of people, a more reliable and consistently great merchant does not exist! LP defines…read morethe Gold Standard, whether you live in Helena MT or San Tan Valley AZ. The best by a long shot! We haven't purchased whole bean coffee anywhere else for the past 20+ years. BRAVO, LP!

    READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH…read more The experience here was highly disappointing. It is not my first time at Liquid Planet but it was new coming to this location. The customer service was less than stellar. My family and I was taking our time deciding on what we wanted and in the process of choosing we asked Chaslyn if the whip cream was made in house (btw the Liquid Planet in The Book Exchange does make the whip cream in house and it is delicious) once she was able to grasp the question we moved on to asking if the whip cream they use have carregan it was in that moment she grabbed the can and shoved it in my face and told me to look for myself (which it did have not wanted ingredient). Obviously, that is a BIG no! With that said there was regrouping involved due to what was desired was not available on the menu. In the meantime a family member went to take care of themself so we let her know that we would wait to order altogether since it was a shared purchase and moved away from the checkout area. It wasn't long after that she began to impatiently and rudely try to demand to take our order as if she had the right to dictate when, what and how we placed an order. It was incredibly low vibrational. We ended up getting a hot 12 ounce lavender latte with two extra pumps of lavender and three honey this turned out to be a tasty treat for our little one. I regretfully got a 24 ounce Italian soda (no cream) with dragonfruit and prickly pear syrup. Great flavors, awful choice! The soda was stale there was zero carbonated freshness, it tasted watery and there was no flavor to be found. I'm not going to lie I definitely felt robbed for a underwhelming and overpriced drink. My family member at that rate was to nervous to get anything from them between the already less than superior service and fifty/fifty chance that quality and the actual drink would be made right. During our visit my nephew wanted to check out the downstairs area. He check to see if there was a sign that stated if he couldn't explore that area and at the time there was none. Chaslyn verbally disciplined my kid nephew. Naturally, my mom kindly and firmly corrected her and let her know to notify his adult family members (as she was aware who he belonged to and that we were in plain sight of keeping track of him) if there were any off limit spaces that she would not like for customers to go into. She was respectful in her response and apologetic and in that regard I appreciate her being mindful after she was communicated with. For future reference it would be wise to put a sign there letting customers know that it's an off limits area as we to as adults we're headed in that direction to check it out because it is apart of the store and not clarified as not being an available space to view for customers. Okay, now as for the store itself this place is PERFECT! Honestly, there is so much space. A great deal of seating areas with a plethora of plugs. Not to mention a book nook for families and friends alike. There is a ton of fabulous art to review and even look into making a purchase! Ultimately, although the initial quality of this visit was below subpar I do believe that the staff whom we met and this space can truly thrive if Chaslyn focuses on finding new techniques on how to interact with customers without projecting her personal frustrations so that she does not come across passive aggressive. I am taking into consideration that perhaps she really is a nice kid and was just having a bad day. So I'll say this... I would give this place another go and would recommend it but bring your patience and willingness to communicate with employees if your drink turns out to be unpleasant due to lack of quality.

    Photos
    Afternoon Americano break
    Afternoon Americano break
    Liquid Planet
    Liquid Planet

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    The Loose Caboose

    The Loose Caboose

    4.0
    (35 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    What a cute little drive up coffee stand! I'm from the Seattle area so I'm picky about my coffee…read more This place has lots of great coffee options, lots of Sugar Free options, which my keto self is happy about. They had Oat milk for hubby, which you don't always find (alt milk options) away from Seattle. For those from the Seattle Eastside, think Mercury Coffee in terms of menu and coffee quality/sweetness, etc. service was so lovely and pleasant - I wish I caught her name! Will make a point to swing by again on our way through!

    Loose Caboose is a perfectly acceptable road-trip coffee stop and one that we were happy to…read morediscover while passing through Missoula. It has a local following (and ownership story), a friendly vibe, a cute logo and stand design that fits the name well, and the kind of welcoming personality that makes you smile a bit before getting back on the road. The menu is broad and should satisfy just about anyone in the car. There are numerous hot and cold coffee drinks, tea options, a wide variety of syrups, and several milk choices to accommodate different tastes and dietary preferences. Service was prompt, cheerful, and genuinely friendly. The coffee itself, however, lands closer to average for me. The drinks tend to rely more heavily on syrups and sweeteners than allowing the coffee to be the star. If you've visited places like Mercury Coffee around Seattle or Dutch Bros, you'll have a good sense of what to expect. As someone who has probably spent more time debating roast profiles than any reasonably adjusted adult should, I recognize that I may not be the ideal customer for this style of coffee stand, so take that criticism with the appropriate grain of salt. That said, context matters. For a drive-through stand in Missoula, Loose Caboose compares favorably with many similar options, and if you're willing to set aside any Seattle or San Francisco coffee snobbery, it's actually a bit above average for what it aims to be. Final Thoughts: Loose Caboose isn't a destination coffee shop that I'd build an itinerary around, but it's absolutely worth pulling over for if you're driving through town and looking for a pleasant caffeine stop. Friendly service, plenty of options, and a fun atmosphere make it an easy recommendation for road trippers. -AC

    Photos
    12oz Mocha
    12oz Mocha
    Sugar Free Mocha Frappe
    Sugar Free Mocha Frappe
    The Loose Caboose

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    The Loose Caboose - cafes - Updated August 2026

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