Entry No. 28 — the Butte file — filed under: speakeasy-bar
M&M Bar and Cafe
A Butte institution since 1890, the M&M ran day and night as a saloon, cafe, and gambling house, and survived Prohibition by posing as a cigar store with the booze flowing in a back room. A 2021 fire gutted the original building, but the owners rebuilt next door and reopened in 2023, and in March 2025 the rescued 20-foot neon sign was relit over Main Street. The bar and counter cafe keep the old no-frills saloon spirit alive.
The story
When original owners Sam Martin and William F. Mosby opened this Uptown saloon back in 1890, they kicked off a ritual that subsequent owners maintained for well over a century: publicly chucking the front door keys into the street because the place simply never locked up. Copper miners coming off the graveyard shift shoved into booths next to gamblers and night owls for all-day breakfast and beer. When federal agents shut down the taps for Prohibition, the bar flipped to selling cigars at the front counter while slipping regulars into a discreet speakeasy operating out of the back room.
That unbroken streak ended early on May 7, 2021, when a structural fire gutted the original brick building. The roof caved in, but crews managed to salvage the massive 20-foot neon sign hanging off the collapsing facade. Owner Selina Pankovich set up shop in the adjacent space directly next door, reopening the tavern in 2023. By March 2025, after two years of restoration, the rescued neon sign was hoisted back above Main Street and flipped back on.
You won't find 24-hour service anymore, but the unpolished saloon layout remains intact. The rebuilt interior features a classic lunch counter on one side, a full bar on the other, video poker gaming machines tucked into the back, and griddled burgers made to order.
What it's like
Expect a noisy, working-class joint that refuses to fuss over modern design trends. Stepping into the rebuilt space next to the original burned-out lot, you'll find a clear division between the counter-service diner side and the main bar, backed by humming video poker machines. The air smells of griddled onions and dark coffee. It fills up fast during midday meal rushes and late afternoon shifts, so grab a stool along the counter on a weekday off-hour if you want to eat your burger in peace beneath the neon glow.
The move: Order burgers at the lunch counter under the rescued neon sign at the bar that ran nonstop for over a century.
📍 Before you go Operating from the rebuilt space next to the original site; hours no longer the old 24/7, call to confirm.
- 📍 Butte
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 17 N Main St, Butte, MT 59701
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Old Butte Historical Adventures - City Underground Tour — Follow up your counter burger with a guided walk beneath Uptown's sidewalks to explore the city's hidden subterranean speakeasies.
- 51 Below Speakeasy — Keep the Prohibition drinking theme going by descending the staircase under The Miner's Hotel to find a hidden bar behind a sliding false wall.
- Headframe Spirits Tasting Room — Walk two blocks down to taste local spirits distilled inside custom continuous-flow stills named after Butte's mining shafts.
- Helsinki Bar (Helsinki Yacht Club) — Compare the M&M's rebuilt main-street vibe with another surviving piece of local history in Finn Town that started as a 1911 miners' bathhouse.
Good to know
Where does the name M&M come from?
It comes from the initials of its original 1890 founders, Sam Martin and William F. Mosby.
How did the bar operate during Prohibition?
It posed as a front-of-house cigar store while running a hidden speakeasy in the back room to keep serving liquor.
Is this the original 1890 building?
No. A fire destroyed the original building in May 2021. The venue reopened in 2023 in the space directly next door, and its original 20-foot neon sign was rehung in March 2025.
Is the M&M still open 24/7?
No. While it famously operated 24 hours a day without locking its doors for over a century, current hours are limited, so call ahead to confirm.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: mtpr.org · mtstandard.com · Yelp · explorebigsky.com · visitmt.com
last checked: 2026-06-24