A Himalayan mountain tavern in the heart of Bozeman

When I walked into Shan on Oct. 20 I was surprised by two things. First, the tavern is tiny — maybe ten tables with most only being two seats, a small bar and an open-plan kitchen that takes up a third of the space. Second, the smell of the food cooking was almost a meal in and of itself — decadent, delicious, spicy and, most of all, warm.  

Shan, a restaurant in Bozeman opened last April, is the brainchild of Jarrett Wrisley and Candice Lin, who lived in Bangkok for over ten years. They had owned several restaurants in both Bangkok and Hong Kong, but closed them all during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to their website.

Wrisley and Lin flew back to the states and eventually ended up in Bozeman. They started to get the urge to cook professionally again and began to contact local farmers and started to develop a menu. Today, Shan’s menu is inspired by northern Thai and southwestern China. Most of the food on the menu is local and the restaurant interior is inspired by the izakaya in Japan — mountain taverns that call you to take a seat and enjoy a beer or two.

Shan’s dishes are designed to be shared and the decor lends itself to that. Small tables, comfortable chairs, soft, warm lighting and large framed art prints make the space feel more like someone’s home kitchen than a restaurant. The place feels crowded but not suffocating, more intimate than anything else. Bright fluorescent lights bring you into a warm, upscale hole-in-the-wall that feels foreign and still intrinsically Bozeman. 

My companion and I started off with bison larb — a mix of ground bison, spices and garlic that’s made to be eaten wrapped in lettuce leaves. It was a little messy (but in a way that made it all the more delicious.) It seems that finger food is still good after you graduate from dino chicken nuggets. 

After moving on from the appetizers — or snacks as they are called in the menu — we ordered Chicken Khao Soi — a creamy, delicious Thai coconut curry soup. This dish came with two bowls to split the dish into. The noodles were delicious, demanding to be slurped and the chicken was tender.

Next, we ordered the lamb skewers like in Xinjiang, which were charred perfectly on the outside while exuding flavor on the inside. The skewers also came with tangy and juicy tomatoes that were bursting with flavor. 

Shan has two dessert items: a coconut and pandan tres leches cake, and coffee jelly, which we ended up getting. The coffee jelly is essentially coffee jello cubes covered in sweetened condensed milk, and they hit the spot after the relatively spicy dishes before. 

While Shan’s menu is one page devoted to food and two pages devoted to alcohol ranging from 8 dollar draft beer to a 150 dollar bottle of Chardonnay, it’s by no means cost-prohibitive. It’s not as budget friendly as Taco Montes — my roommate and I both spent about 50 dollars — but the portions are large and the food is worth it. 

Most of all, Shan is the perfect venue for a meal to share with someone you care about. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the drinks will help you charm your way through a meal. The food will keep you warm and satisfied on those windy Montana nights.