Half-Price Wednesdays at Helena's Coolest Arts Hangout
· Helena · Bar / Small Plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Myrna Loy Pub’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into The Myrna Loy Pub and you're not at a wine bar — you're at the kind of place where someone just finished a sound check next door and the popcorn is free. The wine list doesn't announce itself loudly, which is kind of the point: this is a neighborhood pub attached to a working arts venue, and the wine program fits that unpretentious energy perfectly.
The list leans toward Oregon, which is a smart, regionalized call that puts it a step above the generic steakhouse rotation you'd find elsewhere in Helena. We don't have a full bottle count to report, but the orientation toward the Pacific Northwest suggests someone made a considered choice rather than just calling a distributor and saying 'send whatever.' Don't come expecting Burgundy deep cuts or a Champagne section — this is a tight, focused list built for a crowd that wants something decent before a show. The gaps are real, but the intent reads as thoughtful rather than lazy.
Happy hour wine by the glass runs $5 on weekdays, which is a genuine deal and the main reason to show up early. We don't have specific pours documented, so we can't tell you what's rotating through the tap, but $5 a glass sets a low-pressure entry point that's hard to argue with. Wednesday flips the script entirely with half-price bottles — that's the night to linger.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles on Wednesdays; weekday happy hour wine by the glass for $5
The Bottom Line
The Myrna Loy Pub isn't trying to be a destination wine bar, and it earns real credit for not pretending otherwise. A focused Oregon lean, $5 happy hour pours, and half-price bottles on Wednesdays make this the kind of place worth knowing about — especially if you're catching a show next door and want a glass that doesn't embarrass itself. We'd love to see a proper list posted so we can dig deeper, but what's here is quietly better than it needs to be.
· Helena · Wine Bar
The Hawthorn is exactly the kind of place that makes a mid-sized Montana city worth lingering in — a down-to-earth wine spot with a real point of view, solid food pairings like charcuterie boards and cheese plates, and staff that actually seems to give a damn. We'd send any friend here without hesitation, especially if they're in the mood to explore something Italian or old world without being lectured about it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
East Helena · Helena · Mediterranean
Mediterranean Breeze is doing what it says on the tin — a relaxed room, recognizable bottles, and $6 glass pours that won't break anyone's budget. Skip the mid-tier markups, aim for Jordan or Kim Crawford, and you'll have a perfectly decent night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Helena / Cedar Street corridor · Helena · Asian Fusion
Mustard Seed Helena isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a solid neighborhood spot with a California-forward list that works with the food and won't wreck your bill. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink reasonably well, not remarkably well.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Helena / N Montana Ave · Helena · Casual American Chain
Would we send a friend here for wine? Only if they were already eating here and needed something to wash down the riblets. The wine list is an afterthought, and everyone — including Applebee's — knows it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Last Chance Gulch · Helena · Italian
Lucca's is doing something genuinely ambitious for Helena — a focused, Italy-forward list with real producers and a Wednesday half-price incentive that should have locals showing up weekly. The markups are the main friction point, but if you play Wednesday or stick to the mid-tier Italian bottles, this is one of the better wine experiences in the state.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
West Highway 12 / Near Spring Meadow Lake · Helena · New American Bar
The Wassweiler is doing something genuinely surprising out on Highway 12 — a 115-bottle list with real depth and legitimate prestige names isn't something you stumble into accidentally. The markups will sting on the high end and the by-the-glass program is an afterthought, but if you're in Helena for a special occasion and you know what to order, this list rewards you.
Surprising Depth
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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