As you drive around Great Falls, you’ll likely see some new businesses that are open, construction underway for other businesses, and a few "closed" signs, too. Here's a look at some of them:
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom - 1101 Seventh Street South
Old Chicago plans to open on Monday, April 14, in the former Boston’s Pizza location on Seventh Street South. Old Chicago offers pizza, calzones, burgers and sandwiches, pasta, and salads; click here to check out the menu. Mike Malmberg, Vice President of the Johnson Restaurant Group in charge of the Great Falls location, said, “We’ll have 40 beers on tap along with pizza and taproom fare.” Malmberg says with the craft beers on tap, the restaurant will try to make sure as many of them as possible are local beers. The Great Falls location is now open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. There are three other Old Chicago locations in Montana - Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula.
Video from the grand opening - watch:
Soda Station - 1000 10th Avenue South (Unit 1)
The new Soda Station hosted a drive-through only grand opening on Saturday, April 12, 2025, and had strong turnout. The website for the beverage-based business states: "The fizz never stops flowing and the flavors are always delicious. We cater to both soda enthusiasts and casual drinkers with our massive selection of classic and unique soda flavors." Soda Station has several locations in Billings and Laurel.
It is located inside the former Starbucks location across the parking lot from Cafe Rio. A social media post states that they will open for business on Monday, April 14, at 7:30 a.m.
Leslie's Hallmark - Holiday Village Mall
Leslie's Hallmark in Holiday Village Mall is conducting a closing sale, offering steep discounts on many items. The store is located on the ground floor of the east side of mall. They will be open for a few more weeks, and plan to shut down by mid-May at the latest.
Car Wash - 833 Smelter Avenue NE
The former Ryan's Cash & Carry closed about five years and has been empty since.
In recent weeks, the building has been demolished, and construction has started to turn the site into a new car wash.
The Loading Zone and its two associated properties - the Playground and the Buffalo Saloon - shut down in September 2022; they were on the 2400 block of 10th Avenue South.
In recent days the buildings have been demolished, making way for what is believed to be a new tire store.
OTHER RECENT RESTAURANT NEWS
Ocean Star Seafood Co. - 1420 Market Place Drive
Ocean Star Seafood restaurant opened in Great Falls in January 2025. Menu items include traditional rolls and sushi (California, cucumber, avocado, tempura shrimp, etc); salmon platter; Cajun flavor seafood boil; sashimi deluxe; salmon teriyaki; filet mignon teriyaki; fried fish; and more. Ocean Star is open Mondays through Fridays from 4pm to 9:30pm., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 10pm. Click here to visit the Facebook page. At this point, customers order directly from the menu, but Ocean Star plans to offer buffet service in the future.
Station District Bar & Eatery - 119 River Drive North
The Station District Bar & Eatery opened on Friday, January 17, 2025. The facility is next to the Milwaukee Station Tower on River Drive. Among the dining options:
- Yama - Asian Kitchen, an Asian-fusion featuring Thai cuisine
- Barrio Cantina, serving authentic Mexican cuisine
- Cascata, featuring Italian entrees
- Big Sky Grill, with American fare featuring Montana products
- Nook Café with a variety of coffee and espresso beverages.
A social media post states: "Customers will pay and enter their phone number to receive a text when the order is ready for pickup. Craft beer, cocktails, old-school arcade games, and shuffleboard are available to top off the meal. TVs throughout the space show sports and local sporting events."
Click here to check out the menus.
Kellergeist - 111 Central Avenue
German bar Kellergeist is expanding their building to triple the size, going from around 1,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet. The space will be utilized to better accommodate more visitors and live entertainment.
Pizza Ranch - 2515 10th Avenue South
The former Joann location will become the Old West-themed buffet restaurant, Pizza Ranch. Pizza Ranch’s franchise development department told MTN they plan to begin construction on the building early next year, opening sometime in 2025. It will also have an "arcade zone" of more than 5,000 square feet. It will also feature party rooms.
Chick-fil-A - 711 10th Avenue South
The City of Great Falls confirmed that Chick-fil-A has submitted a preliminary traffic impact study to the city, which is an assessment of potential impacts a proposed development project might have on surrounding roads. The study will be reviewed by the City and the Montana Department of Transportation for a potential restaurant location at 711 10th Avenue South. The city provided the following statement on the situation: "Chick-fil-A hasn’t yet filed any paperwork with the City for demolition of the former paint building remaining on that block, nor has it filed any paperwork for the construction of a new restaurant. The traffic study submittal is a good sign the project is moving forward, however." The popular fast-food restaurant specializes in chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, and has more than 3,000 locations across the country, including several in Montana.
Clearwater Credit Union
101 First Avenue North
Clearwater Credit Union will be taking over the former Hardee’s restaurant building at 101 First Avenue North in downtown Great Falls. They plan to begin construction this summer, and will build a net-zero-energy building. Construction is expected to last around 18 months.
