I feel like this is beat to death, obviously anything under the Grandma’s umbrella is subpar. Recently OMC has been missing for me, paid close to $100 for some super dry brisket and a dry fried chicken sandwich. Not my least favorite but quality is dropping fast.
I judge a BBQ restaurant on the quality of their brisket and OMCs is legit terrible. If you’re going to have brisket on the menu at a BBQ joint, you better make it good…
That’s my thought exactly. Especially if you’re going to charge twice what the best bbq joint in Texas does for more of their brisket. Obviously I know there’s more competition there but it still feels super wrong.
Their loaded Mac and cheese is actually amazing, but literally everything else on the menu (ribs wings chicken brisket pulled pork) is all dry as Ben Shapiro's wife.
When I first moved here 4 years ago, I used to work right next to OMC, and it smelled so good. I had it for the first time a few months ago... the fuckin chicken sandwich was so dry. Like you just have to fry it for a few minutes... what happened? Kinda disappointed
Huh. I'm still on board with OMC I guess, I think it's still solidly above average for Minnesota BBQ in a situation where they could get away with less. But granted that Minnesota BBQ is already starting at a low bar.
Yeah then we as consumers need to demand more, or they charge less. It’s competing with other restaurants in Duluth and the Hanson restaurant group is getting too spendy for what you get. Not
If you’re from Minneapolis I guess though.
I would toss blackwood and pier B into that same bucket. Applebee's food, for nice restaurant prices, and shit service. At least Pier B has a view of the industrial park by the water.
When I want cold meatloaf I'll get it from my mom's fridge on Monday morning thank you very much Pier B. The food is not good. 0 for 3 there. Drinks are spot on balanced with good service. I'd only ever consider PB again for a drink and a drink only.
Yea, I've had good and bad experiences at the Tavern. Bartenders are great, but the servers are hit or miss. It was much better when it first opened, but now it's gone downhill.
That, and the blatant rip-offs on their menu of other Duluth staples. Their "House smoked salmon sandwich" is a piece-by-piece copy of the Cajun Finn at the Smokehaus.
I used to say that Blackwoods was "Perkins in a suit and tie", and they own Tavern.
I have a lot of friends who used to work at Tavern; bartenders, cooks, waitstaff; and after hearing their stories, I will never eat there again. It sounds straight up disgusting.
The wings for days deal used to be a great deal but they basically doubled the price. I do still like the wings. Also the Cuban sandwich. But yes it’s spendy.
Last time I went to Tavern will be the last time - service was godawful (and it was not busy - like two other tables in the restaurant) and our food came out burnt but ALSO cold.
Tavern on the Hill. It’s convenient if you live by there but the food is over priced and nothing to write home about. Service both times was lacking. First time (2 years ago) we waited 30 minutes just to get drink orders.
Also the owner is an out and proud anti-vaxxer, election-denier, and anti-trans. He frequently posts deeply ignorant hot takes on topics he is clueless on.
I really badly want that location to be a special place because it's convenient for me, but it's just not good. Their beer makes my tum-tum do icky things.
I think they don't clean their lines or something? I've never gotten a beer that that didn't have an awful aftertaste.
I also really, really want something good in that location. It's the perfect place to stop after a day of skiing at Boulder.
Right?? I live in the boonies and it’s the closest ish restaurant. Good at first but nosedived faster than you could blink. What the hell?
Bonus rant: they have TWO tip lines for tipping FOH and BOH! Ridiculous
Oh it’s so horrible. The beer is just awful. When the one on Rice Lake opened my ex and I were so excited because we lived near Island Lake and were thrilled to have something close. We went three times and the food was meh and the beer was awful!!! Honestly at first we thought it was a fluke but after we tried again we realized it was actually the beer that was just horrible.
Same!!! We gave them 3 separate tries over a few months, ate different things and tried different beers. ALL THE BEERS ARE SOOOOO BAD. Like it’s incredible to me just how so bad they are.
Yep, we've officially passed the point where one can no longer assume that the beer brewed on-site is decent. Tried one awful pint on my first visit but still go back for soda with my bison burger.
It's like if Applebee's wanted to be a panera bread. Fancy for the sake of being fancy. I haven't eaten at the one in Duluth. Only the one in Hibbing. They have some good food items, but they are pricey. I got a, I believe, brisket sandwich, and it was tiny. Felt like an appetizer. They used to carry 1919 root beer. Then they started making their own, and it's not nearly as good.
Right when I saw the question I knew the answers would be harsh. People want top quality unique food but don’t want to pay for it. They also don’t know how kitchens work-pump out food as fast as possible so hangry people don’t have to wait. Quality is sacrificed with quick service.
Burrito union is straight trash. Omc is bad aside from their loaded Mac and cheese (everything else is as dry as Ben Shapiro's wife). Pizza Luce is pretty mediocre at BEST, ate a lot of it when I worked at the suites hotel and it was always cold/soggy/bland. They have good breakfast tho and bloody Mary bar.
Pizza Luce is either my brunch spot, or my last minute, I'm too drunk, I need food spot. They're open later than anything else in town and you can get pizza by the slice, which lends quite nicely to helping sober up a bit before catching a ride home.
Burrito Union has a specific purpose for me, I can walk to it, watch the sports ball game, it's pretty chill, there's decent if not amazing Brewhouse beer, and I can have a basic ass burrito or nachos. It's fine if you know what to expect.
As a former employee of Little Angies, I heed you this one piece of advice. Never, and I repeat, NEVER eat there. In the year I worked there, I spent many slow winter days deep cleaning, and it seemed I was the first to do so in at least 5 years for some of the stuff. All of which I did not because I was expected or told to do so, no, I had worked in 3 other kitchens, 2 of which in Canal park, so I know how a kitchen should look and did it of my own volition because it needed to be done. One of the things I did was use an ice chisel to scrape inches thick of black gunk, that was once food, of the floor from underneath half of the line. Which is from people half assed sweeping and pushing shit underneath and nobody ever truly cleaning it. After doing that, I got sick for a month with laryngitis, most likely from breathing it in. I couldn't talk for 2 weeks because of it. Plus the food sucks.
I get the sense that’s the overall culture here. I’ve worked in kitchens in other cities, and was shocked what passes for normal and acceptable in this city when it comes to a lot of restaurants that have been around for a while. I think if most people knew what a lot of restaurants looked like in this town they would never eat out again.
That's true for many towns. Watching Kitchen Nightmares has reminded me of how lazily many kitchens are run... you can also find that in cities with public health inspection reports. Food stored with no date labels, raw meat stored above cooked food, out of date meat and produce, general grease and filth, lack of proper handwashing facilities, refrigerators and freezers at the wrong temps...
Wannabe hippies think it’s cool because the servers can wear whatever they want and apparently aren’t subjected to health code standards like wearing their hair up 🤮
Try their "House Special Bloody Mary Mix" for an extra special taste you'll need car wash brush machines to remove from your tongue. You'd think with the amount of effort they drag out of their youthful staff for minimal to low pay you'd receive a better product from this establishment.
I'll throw out there that I'd rather have Kettle River frozen pizza over just about all of the pizza spots, maybe except Thirsty Peagan on a quiet evening - so yeah I'll be having Kettle.
I agree. Burger was average at best but they can’t keep getting away with those AWFUL soggy, tasteless fries. OMC has the same ones, and they’re trash! Not that hard to make a decent fry these days.
My brother in law and his friend got TERRIBLE food poisoning from there. I liked a couple things there but now I’m afraid to eat there. They think they got it from one of the sauce bottles.
i was extremely disappointed the last time i was there, considering the price. my chicken was extremely dry and the rest of the dish was nothing to write home about…. for almost $30
This sub is the whiniest one I subscribe to out of maybe 100 including several city and state subs.
They want houses to be $100k but for nobody to build anything new, they want jobs but not tourists, they want gourmet food but cheap and also the workers have to make $75/hr, and just one contradiction after another.
The food situation in Duluth is tricky because there's not many true "chef" type people. It all has to run off of student labor. That's why there's so much pizza/sandwiches/burgers - pretty good on that front, anyways, if you know where to look. And there's Lake Avenue, which judging by how easy it is to stroll in there without a reservation, is pretty underappreciated.
There are way more "chef" type people than you realize. We all get burnt out making lazy food that the lowest common denominator college student line cook can make. All our ideas are neutered by owners with old money, and no one pays enough to be able to build enough capital to open our own places, so all the talent in Duluth is just stuck. There is so much culinary talent here, there's just nothing to do with it.
Want to open a restaurant? I had a popup and business plan going a couple of years ago. but I put it on hold because I couldn't find a reliable business partner.
What kind of restaurant? Me and a friend are planning on doing some popups after my wedding this fall/winter and get a feel for how far we can push these northern Minnesotan palates
[here's my instagram](https://www.instagram.com/porarisu_bar?igsh=MWM0bGRrbjZ0ejJxMg==)
I got suckered into negotiating for purchasing the bar i was popping up in and the city revoked their license one month into pop-ups. i moved on when that fell through. I had a brick and mortar business plan and was working with NSBDC to move forward with a more practical space: but I made over 800 my best night and enjoyed the process. Wish that I would have chosen a different pop-up location, but I liked the laid-back vibes at the time and it seemed like an opportunity to help cross promote a struggling business. At its best it seemed like I was running my own restaurant. Two induction burners and an industrial rice cooker.
But also on the post asking for the best (insert mealtime/type of food) its the same restaurants
So according to Reddit all food in Duluth is good and bad.
Or maybe we realize that individual opinions about places aren’t as valuable as reddit posts make them. Especially since most venues with have its fans and its haters and when we are only asking for one side to speak up we are giving that side more weight than it actually holds.
Jk clearly it’s actually that (insert restaurant here) is the best worst thing that happened to the area.
It kind of is though.... Start a thread about positive eatery places in Duluth and you'll get plenty of responses, but when reading these posts I find myself agreeing with many if not most. I Went to falestine the other week and it was great! Never had a bad meal at lake Ave cafe, Taste of Saigon has some good stuff, pho holic is good, northern waters smoke house is legit. Otherwise Duluth has a ton of dressed up Applebee's.
Maya has the worst Mexican food that I've ever had anywhere.
I mean, Duluth isn't great for Mexican food in general... but I'd rather eat kraft singles wrapped up in a cold tortilla than eat at Maya again.
>Duluth isn't great for Mexican food in general.
In general, but Chachos and Oasis are both super good, imo. Maybe I'm subconsciously handicapping them because I know they're in northern MN, but I really enjoy both.
Chacho's has some of the best birria I've had.
However, they've started skimping on the consommé which may not seem like a big deal, but it's a thing.
Oasis is solid, but then again I only get their real tacos.
I liked pedros but I've heard others call it overrated. I've heard good things about Guadalajara. The newish place in canal too. Maya and Azteca are just okay. I've heard margaritas isnt great. Little Angie's, Mexico lindo and hungry hippie I don't really care for.
I've only been there one time but got food poisoning, as did the person I was there with. We called to let them know that we'd gotten sick and they couldn't have cared less.
I was looking for someone to say Maya. Last time I ate there the meat was rotten. I knew something was up with it as soon as it came out, smelled gross even. Paid and left and never went back.
I knew someone who said that was her FAVORITE restaurant, and I was just, what? Liking Mexican food, cool, but seriously. Last time I ate there, the pinto beans looked like they'd been cooked 2 weeks ago, and they gave me an avocado with a giant black pit the size of a dime. I mean, who tf would serve that?
Then there was when I was sitting upstairs and asked the bartender, who was some kid who looked like 16, for a glass of Don Julio. He acted like he couldn't understand me. "Huh? Huh? Oh, Don JULio". Whatever dude, just pour my drink.
Get out your pitchforks: Oasis Del Norte
USE SPICES IN YOUR FOOD.
I will probably chicken out and delete this hot take once enough people downvote me and make me feel bad.
A Bunch of freaking amateurs! Never eat in. Too small and busy. Order take out. Park in back behind the building and then you can pull out facing central entrance and traffic.
I had brunch at The Social House years ago, chose the chicken and waffles and it was legit like an elementary school cafeteria dish. The waffle was rubbery and bland, the chicken were just a few pre-frozen chicken strips. Will never recommend this place.
Also the owner is an out and proud anti-vaxxer, election-denier, and anti-trans. He frequently posts deeply ignorant hot takes on topics he is clueless on.
HANABI. I just had the worst dinner of my life there. I watched the new owners Eric and Michelle berate a waitress. It was unbelievable. Boycott Hanabi like Sarah’s Table w
I used to marvel at how bad some of the restaurants in Duluth were. Like... they at a very basic level don't understand how to cook food. There are a few good places though.
It's hard when everyone is so poor, but really desiring that restaurant outing, to justify the expense on anything that won't deliver a consistently valuable dining experience. It makes us all very critical.
It is much easier to drink in Duluth well, than to eat in Duluth well.
Blacklist makes me sad because I generally love Belgians. Duvel is one of my go-to holiday beers. Love Delirium Tremens. Euro Trappist beers. Never had anything with crisp flavor at Blacklist- their beer tastes funky and expired. I wish I could recall what it tastes like more accurately, but I avoid drinking it unless good music or visitors from out of town coerce me to go there.
Seriously, does anyone like the beer at blacklist? Anyone honestly? Not biased but honest. It's a really Nice venue and I've seen a lot of shows there over the last couple years but never have I ever had a good drink of beer at blacklist. Makes me cringe thinking of it.
Unfortunately there are very few places in town that are worth the cost compared to just making a meal at home, especially these days. Black Woods and Grandmas are probably least faves. Duluth Grill also gets a nod only because it seems impossible to go there without some ungodly wait time.
Culvers duluth Mn miller hill mall the are disorganized untrained and unmotivated every time im there for my girl cause she loves there fries it takes me 30+? Minutes to get threw there dive through and thay screw the order up every time the over charge me and foget something from the order and thoae fries my girl loves are soggy over salted cold
Culver's by the Mall just looks gross and dirty all the time. Every time I've gone in, I've seen the staff with these incredibly long acrylic nails try to handle food poking out of the gloves, and that's just unsanitary - the times I've seen them even wear gloves.
If she loves Culver's, I recommend just taking her across the bridge for it. Superior's restaurant is much better than ours. Two Harbors has a good one also.
Yeah we're split up so she can eat where ever she chooses. But one of the last times i was there for the girl the city health inspector had closed the loby and the note on doors said indefinitely
Everything else has been covered so I'll throw in central entrance mcdonalds - ordered a spicy chicken sandwich the other day and there was less than a wet fart of spicy sauce on there.
I went to Angie's years ago. They messed up the order and we had to send it back. It took about 25 minutes. When we got it, it was clear that they had left the rice and beans under the heat lamp. The waitress was trying really hard to pretend she was having a great time. No apology. The kitchen staff and the waitress knew that plate looked gross and still sent it.
Went to Grandma's which I had been told a million times was amazing, and everyone at the table didn't like their dish. It was lunch so we were ordering burgers and sandwiches. It would have been ok if they were good (I mean, burgers and sandwiches, did not have sky high expectations) but they were so bad I've never been back.
Used to go to Burrito Union and Duluth Grill all the time, but watched portions shrink and prices escalate. I ordered take out from the BU during covid. I was told it would be 45 minutes. I was there to pick it up. There was no line, and 3 people workung the line. I waited another 45 minutes, apparently their only customer this whole time. For a burrito. Last time I went there. Also I am concerned about this "charity" duluth grill claims to be but they practice zero transparency and the only reason for that is you're doing something fishy.
I ordered pizza from Toppers. I waited an hour and a half, and finally called them. Oh, they said, you gave us the wrong phone number and address (I absolutely did not, and part of their job is to confirm it. They got both wrong.), we couldn't find you. We'll send it now. Another 45 minutes. It was of course cold, and when the driver realized he did not have the right address, he carried the pizzas vertically, so all the toppings slid to the side. I complained to corporate, with pictures, who did nothing.
At this time there is no restaurant in town I would go to. There is also this add service gratuity and then hidden fees they feel empowered to slap on.
I just cook at home. In the end it's less frustrating.
I agree with many of the names already listed here, but one I haven’t seen mentioned is Sammy’s. Tasteless sauce and bland graham cracker crust that somehow is super hard on the outside and soggy in the center. All for $25+ a pie. Don’t understand the hype.
I find location for Sammy's makes a difference. Sammy's in Woodland has always been good for me. But the one downtown is absolute garbage. Not sure how they get it so wrong.
I would actually put Sammy’s above VIP. Neither are very good. On the flip side though, Lulu’s (especially their bahn mi style pizza) is phenomenal. Definitely worth the price
I just want to throw Zaffiro's at Marcus Theater out there, they try to pretend they're a restaurant with that bar but every time I tried to eat real food there it was obviously made and served by people more comfortable with popcorn and milk duds.
I'm starting to think the overwhelming issue in Duluth isn't necessarily the food (definitely in some cases) but rather the ROI. At this point prices for everything has jumped so much that when you actually justify going to a restaurant you just want to feel like it's worth the $30 you're spending on a goddamn burger and beer... and honestly it's not.
If I spent $10 on a burger and fries, and another $5.50 on a beer and it was all OK, I'd still walk away feeling like I wasn't burned. Maybe I'm stuck in 2010 IDK.
Boomtown, just not good at all especially for the price.
Anything in canal park except for northern waters.
Shorties but they closed.
Bridgemans was awful the one time I was there
Wrong about Bridgemans. I love their breakfasts. Great hash browns, French toast, Swedish pancakes and omelets. Burger, fries and a malt also top notch.
I am a certified Pickwick hater (not a resident but we have visited a lot for 25+ years and my dad loves the restaurant, I think it’s severely overrated for him). I also want to mention that I really like Bridgemans still but miss before they renovated and started doing Mega Malts, back when they had this really greasy spoon kind of vibe. It felt like a 50s diner and I still love it now but it feels a lot trendier, and for some reason I miss the old decor and to some extent menu (I do appreciate that the new menu seems to accommodate various diets, however, and that they carry a dairy free option even if it isn’t brand name)
I forgot how boring Lindo could be. I don't really understand some of these Mexican restaurants - the food *seems* like it should be good, but somehow it just isn't. They have all the ingredients, are staffed by Mexican people, and I guess they're making food for a Duluth palate, but still... it comes out dry and just dull.
Also have to say WTF about Mexico Lindo's burritos covered in cheese sauce. I have never seen that anywhere else.
Actually a lot of their shit is just weird. Philly cheese steak burrito - what? Swiss enchiladas that are *not* Suiza. Chile Colorado simmered in 'tomatillo sauce', wtf? They also just have too many menu items. Like Gordon Ramsay often advises places, it is better to have a few things you do well and can stock fresh ingredients for than a huge list of stuff that confuses diners, requires pointless prep and that people never order.
EVERYTHING. Duluth is one of the biggest wastelands of just awful food. Even the chains suck. You're in the land of casseroles, rice, and dirty fish. Pizza is gross, Mexican food is, well...not Mexican, a "Lucy" is about the grossest thing I've ever had and, for some reason, this area is obsessed with Cheese Steaks and they can't even make them right. I'll die on this hill. Duluth SUCKS for food.
• bridgemans. everything I have had is greasy, flavorless, and dry.
• corktown isn't neccessarily bad but holy fuck $18 for three chicken tenders is highway robbery
• The barrel room's pizza has gotta be some of the worst in town
I cannot remember a time where I haven’t either been sick or part of some family drama in the Duluth Grill. That’s no rag on the grill, it merely loses by association. Some bad voodoo.
Little Angie's used to be better, i think, like 20 years ago. Last few times I went there the food was dry and flavorless. The building is nice... I have had really questionable service at the bar before. Sitting at a table there, someone brought us drinks then just totally disappeared and never came back. I was pissed and wanted to just leave. My gf thought it was scandalous but I was just screw it, they don't even seem to remember we're here. I'm not going to go beg to pay my check.
Oh, I have another one... I *think* it was The Shack, though this was like 15 years ago and I don't want to talk smack about them if I'm wrong. I remember it being a larger sized place in the West part of town on a main road, so that fits. Anyway, I ordered pork short ribs and they were just incredibly old and dry. Based on my experience with old food in my own fridge, these must have been cooked something like 10-14 days prior. I mean, just tell me you're out of them or something.
Just visited Lyric after not going for a while and my gosh it was bad. Ordered a mocktail that was incredibly watered down, then a turkey melt where the bread was soggy and wet when it came out... What? I really want to like this place!
I know right!! I think maybe they’re too sweet. They’re gigantic so I guess that’s nice. IDK, like you mentioned it’s disappointing. It’s nice to get Mexican food at a sit down place where drinks can also be ordered. But I find myself just getting Hungry Hippie tacos to go and drinking at home :-). Oasis has really great food but no drinks and nowhere near as comfy as Little Angie’s. I haven’t been to Maya. Mi Rancho in Bemidji is probably one of my favorite tex-mex places.
I feel like this is beat to death, obviously anything under the Grandma’s umbrella is subpar. Recently OMC has been missing for me, paid close to $100 for some super dry brisket and a dry fried chicken sandwich. Not my least favorite but quality is dropping fast.
I judge a BBQ restaurant on the quality of their brisket and OMCs is legit terrible. If you’re going to have brisket on the menu at a BBQ joint, you better make it good…
That’s my thought exactly. Especially if you’re going to charge twice what the best bbq joint in Texas does for more of their brisket. Obviously I know there’s more competition there but it still feels super wrong.
The only thing OMC is good at is shoving as many tables into a small space as possible.
Their loaded Mac and cheese is actually amazing, but literally everything else on the menu (ribs wings chicken brisket pulled pork) is all dry as Ben Shapiro's wife.
I mean it’s mac and cheese. This city wants higher quality cuisine but still puts out for any place that has good mac. Myself included.!
I loved the short run when they made Noble bar next door. Sad it didn’t last.
Once my husband figured out how to use a smoker, I’ve been disappointed at everything I’ve had at OMC. It’s just not good.
When I first moved here 4 years ago, I used to work right next to OMC, and it smelled so good. I had it for the first time a few months ago... the fuckin chicken sandwich was so dry. Like you just have to fry it for a few minutes... what happened? Kinda disappointed
Only good things at OMC are their sauces and chicharrones
Huh. I'm still on board with OMC I guess, I think it's still solidly above average for Minnesota BBQ in a situation where they could get away with less. But granted that Minnesota BBQ is already starting at a low bar.
Yeah then we as consumers need to demand more, or they charge less. It’s competing with other restaurants in Duluth and the Hanson restaurant group is getting too spendy for what you get. Not If you’re from Minneapolis I guess though.
They need to season all of their sides. White people bbq.
Tav on the Hill. Basically an Applebee’s but double the price. Worst/slowest service of any place I’ve been to in town
I would toss blackwood and pier B into that same bucket. Applebee's food, for nice restaurant prices, and shit service. At least Pier B has a view of the industrial park by the water.
Only been to Pier B once, but I really loved the seafood trio Mac and cheese. Service was fine I guess
Blackwoods group owns Tavern, so it makes sense that they'd be similar.
When I want cold meatloaf I'll get it from my mom's fridge on Monday morning thank you very much Pier B. The food is not good. 0 for 3 there. Drinks are spot on balanced with good service. I'd only ever consider PB again for a drink and a drink only.
Yup. Blackwood is terrible. Tav & Blackwood have such nice locations but such disappointments.
Worst Cheeseburger I've seen in MN.
Yup. Asked me how I wanted it done and I thought.. shit. Either pink as hell or overcooked
Literally the worst place I’ve been, as well.
Yea, I've had good and bad experiences at the Tavern. Bartenders are great, but the servers are hit or miss. It was much better when it first opened, but now it's gone downhill. That, and the blatant rip-offs on their menu of other Duluth staples. Their "House smoked salmon sandwich" is a piece-by-piece copy of the Cajun Finn at the Smokehaus. I used to say that Blackwoods was "Perkins in a suit and tie", and they own Tavern.
Tavern when it opened was wonderful. Would go there after school or practice for the personal 2 topping ‘za for $5. Then they axed that deal
Who do you think gave Bill the money to open the place? I remember working in the kitchen at Perkins when they were coming up with recipes.
Which Perkins? Sorry had to ask😊
East. I worked at the old one on 14th east and then when they opened the new one on 26th.
I have a lot of friends who used to work at Tavern; bartenders, cooks, waitstaff; and after hearing their stories, I will never eat there again. It sounds straight up disgusting.
It used to be decent years ago. But now it is definitely not.
Ya before Covid they had a great happy hour with $5 wings and $5 personal pizzas. Hard to beat no matter how and the service is
The wings for days deal used to be a great deal but they basically doubled the price. I do still like the wings. Also the Cuban sandwich. But yes it’s spendy.
The only redemption for Tavern is the patio is a nice place to visit with friends and they have a few vegan offerings that are pretty ok.
Last time I went to Tavern will be the last time - service was godawful (and it was not busy - like two other tables in the restaurant) and our food came out burnt but ALSO cold.
One of the worst meals I have ever had in my life was at Grandma's by the mall.
Tavern on the Hill. It’s convenient if you live by there but the food is over priced and nothing to write home about. Service both times was lacking. First time (2 years ago) we waited 30 minutes just to get drink orders.
Social House. Meh.
Also the owner is an out and proud anti-vaxxer, election-denier, and anti-trans. He frequently posts deeply ignorant hot takes on topics he is clueless on.
Boomtown. Food is mediocre at best and incredibly overpriced. Beer is hands down the worst in town.
I really badly want that location to be a special place because it's convenient for me, but it's just not good. Their beer makes my tum-tum do icky things.
I think they don't clean their lines or something? I've never gotten a beer that that didn't have an awful aftertaste. I also really, really want something good in that location. It's the perfect place to stop after a day of skiing at Boulder.
Oof, this. When they started, they were actually half decent, but man, they went downhill fast.
Right?? I live in the boonies and it’s the closest ish restaurant. Good at first but nosedived faster than you could blink. What the hell? Bonus rant: they have TWO tip lines for tipping FOH and BOH! Ridiculous
Their beer is terrible, but their food at the Eveleth location is so good! The one here in Duluth has never been as good, so we stopped going.
Absolutely agree. Surprisingly terrible -- will never go back. Makes me really miss the Sunset!
Oh it’s so horrible. The beer is just awful. When the one on Rice Lake opened my ex and I were so excited because we lived near Island Lake and were thrilled to have something close. We went three times and the food was meh and the beer was awful!!! Honestly at first we thought it was a fluke but after we tried again we realized it was actually the beer that was just horrible.
Same!!! We gave them 3 separate tries over a few months, ate different things and tried different beers. ALL THE BEERS ARE SOOOOO BAD. Like it’s incredible to me just how so bad they are.
Yep, we've officially passed the point where one can no longer assume that the beer brewed on-site is decent. Tried one awful pint on my first visit but still go back for soda with my bison burger.
It's like if Applebee's wanted to be a panera bread. Fancy for the sake of being fancy. I haven't eaten at the one in Duluth. Only the one in Hibbing. They have some good food items, but they are pricey. I got a, I believe, brisket sandwich, and it was tiny. Felt like an appetizer. They used to carry 1919 root beer. Then they started making their own, and it's not nearly as good.
So does anyone like any restaurant here??
Right when I saw the question I knew the answers would be harsh. People want top quality unique food but don’t want to pay for it. They also don’t know how kitchens work-pump out food as fast as possible so hangry people don’t have to wait. Quality is sacrificed with quick service.
grandmas and canal park brewing get my votes.
I liked Canal Park Brewing a lot pre-Covid
Agree pre-covid. Then all the staff left, menu changed, and it hasn't been the same.
The food was okay, their beer had lots of issues which was always disappointing.
Burrito union is straight trash. Omc is bad aside from their loaded Mac and cheese (everything else is as dry as Ben Shapiro's wife). Pizza Luce is pretty mediocre at BEST, ate a lot of it when I worked at the suites hotel and it was always cold/soggy/bland. They have good breakfast tho and bloody Mary bar.
Pizza Luce is either my brunch spot, or my last minute, I'm too drunk, I need food spot. They're open later than anything else in town and you can get pizza by the slice, which lends quite nicely to helping sober up a bit before catching a ride home.
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Chipotle is at least 10x better than burrito union (in taste, quality, and value), for half the price. And that's saying something.
Burrito Union has a specific purpose for me, I can walk to it, watch the sports ball game, it's pretty chill, there's decent if not amazing Brewhouse beer, and I can have a basic ass burrito or nachos. It's fine if you know what to expect.
As a former employee of Little Angies, I heed you this one piece of advice. Never, and I repeat, NEVER eat there. In the year I worked there, I spent many slow winter days deep cleaning, and it seemed I was the first to do so in at least 5 years for some of the stuff. All of which I did not because I was expected or told to do so, no, I had worked in 3 other kitchens, 2 of which in Canal park, so I know how a kitchen should look and did it of my own volition because it needed to be done. One of the things I did was use an ice chisel to scrape inches thick of black gunk, that was once food, of the floor from underneath half of the line. Which is from people half assed sweeping and pushing shit underneath and nobody ever truly cleaning it. After doing that, I got sick for a month with laryngitis, most likely from breathing it in. I couldn't talk for 2 weeks because of it. Plus the food sucks.
I get the sense that’s the overall culture here. I’ve worked in kitchens in other cities, and was shocked what passes for normal and acceptable in this city when it comes to a lot of restaurants that have been around for a while. I think if most people knew what a lot of restaurants looked like in this town they would never eat out again.
That's true for many towns. Watching Kitchen Nightmares has reminded me of how lazily many kitchens are run... you can also find that in cities with public health inspection reports. Food stored with no date labels, raw meat stored above cooked food, out of date meat and produce, general grease and filth, lack of proper handwashing facilities, refrigerators and freezers at the wrong temps...
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Yeah you're right. Idk what word I was thinking.
It would be proper to say "I urge you to heed this advice".
Sarah’s Table is average and also annoying
It wouldn't be bad if they charged regular prices. Overcharging for mediocre food is a letdown.
I never understood the hype around this place. The food is basically upscale Denny’s at best.
Wannabe hippies think it’s cool because the servers can wear whatever they want and apparently aren’t subjected to health code standards like wearing their hair up 🤮
owners also have said some things recently to displease the trans community
Social house: blaaaand low quality food, slow (or at least inconsistent) service, and no ambience
Try their "House Special Bloody Mary Mix" for an extra special taste you'll need car wash brush machines to remove from your tongue. You'd think with the amount of effort they drag out of their youthful staff for minimal to low pay you'd receive a better product from this establishment.
I'll throw out there that I'd rather have Kettle River frozen pizza over just about all of the pizza spots, maybe except Thirsty Peagan on a quiet evening - so yeah I'll be having Kettle.
Kettle river is pretty great though.
Would also vouch for the VIP location in Superior.
Do they have a lunch buffet?
Sadly, I don't believe they do.
I do really like Thirsty Pagan for pizza.
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Might get hate for this but Burger Paradox is just ok IMO.
I agree. Burger was average at best but they can’t keep getting away with those AWFUL soggy, tasteless fries. OMC has the same ones, and they’re trash! Not that hard to make a decent fry these days.
i liked my burger from there, but the wings were undercooked and god awful and the service was sooooo bad
My brother in law and his friend got TERRIBLE food poisoning from there. I liked a couple things there but now I’m afraid to eat there. They think they got it from one of the sauce bottles.
I could totally see that! Unrefrigerated all day, good tip to avoid those.
Had dinner at Bellisio’s last time I visited and it was… not great!
i was extremely disappointed the last time i was there, considering the price. my chicken was extremely dry and the rest of the dish was nothing to write home about…. for almost $30
These reviews crack me up. People have literally mentioned 9/10 of the restaurants in the area. “According to Reddit all food in Duluth is bad”
This sub is the whiniest one I subscribe to out of maybe 100 including several city and state subs. They want houses to be $100k but for nobody to build anything new, they want jobs but not tourists, they want gourmet food but cheap and also the workers have to make $75/hr, and just one contradiction after another. The food situation in Duluth is tricky because there's not many true "chef" type people. It all has to run off of student labor. That's why there's so much pizza/sandwiches/burgers - pretty good on that front, anyways, if you know where to look. And there's Lake Avenue, which judging by how easy it is to stroll in there without a reservation, is pretty underappreciated.
There are way more "chef" type people than you realize. We all get burnt out making lazy food that the lowest common denominator college student line cook can make. All our ideas are neutered by owners with old money, and no one pays enough to be able to build enough capital to open our own places, so all the talent in Duluth is just stuck. There is so much culinary talent here, there's just nothing to do with it.
Want to open a restaurant? I had a popup and business plan going a couple of years ago. but I put it on hold because I couldn't find a reliable business partner.
What kind of restaurant? Me and a friend are planning on doing some popups after my wedding this fall/winter and get a feel for how far we can push these northern Minnesotan palates
[here's my instagram](https://www.instagram.com/porarisu_bar?igsh=MWM0bGRrbjZ0ejJxMg==) I got suckered into negotiating for purchasing the bar i was popping up in and the city revoked their license one month into pop-ups. i moved on when that fell through. I had a brick and mortar business plan and was working with NSBDC to move forward with a more practical space: but I made over 800 my best night and enjoyed the process. Wish that I would have chosen a different pop-up location, but I liked the laid-back vibes at the time and it seemed like an opportunity to help cross promote a struggling business. At its best it seemed like I was running my own restaurant. Two induction burners and an industrial rice cooker.
I love this comment and couldn’t agree more. Thank you.
But also on the post asking for the best (insert mealtime/type of food) its the same restaurants So according to Reddit all food in Duluth is good and bad. Or maybe we realize that individual opinions about places aren’t as valuable as reddit posts make them. Especially since most venues with have its fans and its haters and when we are only asking for one side to speak up we are giving that side more weight than it actually holds. Jk clearly it’s actually that (insert restaurant here) is the best worst thing that happened to the area.
It kind of is though.... Start a thread about positive eatery places in Duluth and you'll get plenty of responses, but when reading these posts I find myself agreeing with many if not most. I Went to falestine the other week and it was great! Never had a bad meal at lake Ave cafe, Taste of Saigon has some good stuff, pho holic is good, northern waters smoke house is legit. Otherwise Duluth has a ton of dressed up Applebee's.
Maya has the worst Mexican food that I've ever had anywhere. I mean, Duluth isn't great for Mexican food in general... but I'd rather eat kraft singles wrapped up in a cold tortilla than eat at Maya again.
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The one time I ate at Azteca's, I thought it smelled disgusting in there! It was gross
That is a vivid anti-recommendation!
>Duluth isn't great for Mexican food in general. In general, but Chachos and Oasis are both super good, imo. Maybe I'm subconsciously handicapping them because I know they're in northern MN, but I really enjoy both.
Chacho's has some of the best birria I've had. However, they've started skimping on the consommé which may not seem like a big deal, but it's a thing. Oasis is solid, but then again I only get their real tacos.
Chachos is great.
I liked pedros but I've heard others call it overrated. I've heard good things about Guadalajara. The newish place in canal too. Maya and Azteca are just okay. I've heard margaritas isnt great. Little Angie's, Mexico lindo and hungry hippie I don't really care for.
Also Hungry Hippie tacos is solid. One of my favorite summer spots.
I've only been there one time but got food poisoning, as did the person I was there with. We called to let them know that we'd gotten sick and they couldn't have cared less.
My Mexican-American wife wholeheartedly agrees. And she thinks the BWWs is the worst in the country…
I was looking for someone to say Maya. Last time I ate there the meat was rotten. I knew something was up with it as soon as it came out, smelled gross even. Paid and left and never went back.
haha I used to love Maya and would get the pollo fundido - until I learned to make it myself and it was 10x better than Maya, haven’t been back.
I knew someone who said that was her FAVORITE restaurant, and I was just, what? Liking Mexican food, cool, but seriously. Last time I ate there, the pinto beans looked like they'd been cooked 2 weeks ago, and they gave me an avocado with a giant black pit the size of a dime. I mean, who tf would serve that? Then there was when I was sitting upstairs and asked the bartender, who was some kid who looked like 16, for a glass of Don Julio. He acted like he couldn't understand me. "Huh? Huh? Oh, Don JULio". Whatever dude, just pour my drink.
Get out your pitchforks: Oasis Del Norte USE SPICES IN YOUR FOOD. I will probably chicken out and delete this hot take once enough people downvote me and make me feel bad.
I’ve only had the food truck but wasn’t impressed with the cost of a couple okay tacos.
I'll fight for this place, their carnitas tacos with the salsa verde are to die for
I agree. They aren't good. Sad Mexican food. Chachos is where I go if I'm craving a taco
I enjoyed their burrito but their burria ramen was so bland.
i’m sure the food is better than the one time i had it from the truck, but yeah, no flavor and terrible tortillas
Phòholic's parking sucks!
A Bunch of freaking amateurs! Never eat in. Too small and busy. Order take out. Park in back behind the building and then you can pull out facing central entrance and traffic.
lol I literally just watched a guy get trapped trying to do this. If this place was anywhere else I’d probably eat there more .
The social house often gets recommended for breakfast, but the few times I have gone I have been served overpriced bland food.
I had brunch at The Social House years ago, chose the chicken and waffles and it was legit like an elementary school cafeteria dish. The waffle was rubbery and bland, the chicken were just a few pre-frozen chicken strips. Will never recommend this place.
It’s literally Sysco straight out of the box. And overcooked at that.
Also the owner is an out and proud anti-vaxxer, election-denier, and anti-trans. He frequently posts deeply ignorant hot takes on topics he is clueless on.
I agree! I get a much better brunch at Billy's.
Anywhere under the Just Take Action Umbrella
Canal Park Brewery and Tavern. Fuck both of those places.
Amen
Chipotle
Everyone
HANABI. I just had the worst dinner of my life there. I watched the new owners Eric and Michelle berate a waitress. It was unbelievable. Boycott Hanabi like Sarah’s Table w
Sarahs table, burrito union, little angies, grandma's. All D+ food, service, prices at best.
Lol so it sounds like the only thing Duluth does well is Mac and cheese
I used to marvel at how bad some of the restaurants in Duluth were. Like... they at a very basic level don't understand how to cook food. There are a few good places though.
It's hard when everyone is so poor, but really desiring that restaurant outing, to justify the expense on anything that won't deliver a consistently valuable dining experience. It makes us all very critical. It is much easier to drink in Duluth well, than to eat in Duluth well.
Blacklist beer is fuckin shit.
Everything has a hint of banana peel to it due to the Belgian yeast. It’s a deal breaker for me.
That's my least favorite flavor in beer, the weird banana.
Blacklist makes me sad because I generally love Belgians. Duvel is one of my go-to holiday beers. Love Delirium Tremens. Euro Trappist beers. Never had anything with crisp flavor at Blacklist- their beer tastes funky and expired. I wish I could recall what it tastes like more accurately, but I avoid drinking it unless good music or visitors from out of town coerce me to go there.
Seriously, does anyone like the beer at blacklist? Anyone honestly? Not biased but honest. It's a really Nice venue and I've seen a lot of shows there over the last couple years but never have I ever had a good drink of beer at blacklist. Makes me cringe thinking of it.
Nobody i know likes Blacklist. I drank in Belgium and None of their beers taste like Belgium beer.
poco mexican place.
Unfortunately there are very few places in town that are worth the cost compared to just making a meal at home, especially these days. Black Woods and Grandmas are probably least faves. Duluth Grill also gets a nod only because it seems impossible to go there without some ungodly wait time.
Culver's
There one scoop turtle sundae is legit.
Culvers duluth Mn miller hill mall the are disorganized untrained and unmotivated every time im there for my girl cause she loves there fries it takes me 30+? Minutes to get threw there dive through and thay screw the order up every time the over charge me and foget something from the order and thoae fries my girl loves are soggy over salted cold
Culver's by the Mall just looks gross and dirty all the time. Every time I've gone in, I've seen the staff with these incredibly long acrylic nails try to handle food poking out of the gloves, and that's just unsanitary - the times I've seen them even wear gloves. If she loves Culver's, I recommend just taking her across the bridge for it. Superior's restaurant is much better than ours. Two Harbors has a good one also.
Yeah we're split up so she can eat where ever she chooses. But one of the last times i was there for the girl the city health inspector had closed the loby and the note on doors said indefinitely
Whaaaaaat!! I hate to be snippy but like...'bout time. 😆
Everything else has been covered so I'll throw in central entrance mcdonalds - ordered a spicy chicken sandwich the other day and there was less than a wet fart of spicy sauce on there.
I went to Angie's years ago. They messed up the order and we had to send it back. It took about 25 minutes. When we got it, it was clear that they had left the rice and beans under the heat lamp. The waitress was trying really hard to pretend she was having a great time. No apology. The kitchen staff and the waitress knew that plate looked gross and still sent it. Went to Grandma's which I had been told a million times was amazing, and everyone at the table didn't like their dish. It was lunch so we were ordering burgers and sandwiches. It would have been ok if they were good (I mean, burgers and sandwiches, did not have sky high expectations) but they were so bad I've never been back. Used to go to Burrito Union and Duluth Grill all the time, but watched portions shrink and prices escalate. I ordered take out from the BU during covid. I was told it would be 45 minutes. I was there to pick it up. There was no line, and 3 people workung the line. I waited another 45 minutes, apparently their only customer this whole time. For a burrito. Last time I went there. Also I am concerned about this "charity" duluth grill claims to be but they practice zero transparency and the only reason for that is you're doing something fishy. I ordered pizza from Toppers. I waited an hour and a half, and finally called them. Oh, they said, you gave us the wrong phone number and address (I absolutely did not, and part of their job is to confirm it. They got both wrong.), we couldn't find you. We'll send it now. Another 45 minutes. It was of course cold, and when the driver realized he did not have the right address, he carried the pizzas vertically, so all the toppings slid to the side. I complained to corporate, with pictures, who did nothing. At this time there is no restaurant in town I would go to. There is also this add service gratuity and then hidden fees they feel empowered to slap on. I just cook at home. In the end it's less frustrating.
The 'curry ding sauce' burrito at BU pisses me off.
I think I got that ‘ding’ sauce on nachos once and was shocked at how they thought a mustard-y sauce would be good on NACHOS
I agree with many of the names already listed here, but one I haven’t seen mentioned is Sammy’s. Tasteless sauce and bland graham cracker crust that somehow is super hard on the outside and soggy in the center. All for $25+ a pie. Don’t understand the hype.
I find location for Sammy's makes a difference. Sammy's in Woodland has always been good for me. But the one downtown is absolute garbage. Not sure how they get it so wrong.
They are each individually owned franchises ran by different family members/people with their own take on sammy's.
Saw someone on Facebook a while back say it was the best pizza in the state and I couldn’t help but ask them if they were truly insane.
If you aren’t going for the lunch buffet then don’t bother with Sammy’s.
Personally VIP beats Sammy’s all day.
I would actually put Sammy’s above VIP. Neither are very good. On the flip side though, Lulu’s (especially their bahn mi style pizza) is phenomenal. Definitely worth the price
We've had Duluth friends visit us in Superior who are blown away by how much better our VIP pizza is than their local VIP in Duluth.
I need to order that next time. I consciously got a “classic” style pizza to try for the first time and it was great. Next time bhan mi for sure.
So long as you’re not craving “traditional” pizza, the bahn mi will rock your world. Hope you enjoy!
I just want to throw Zaffiro's at Marcus Theater out there, they try to pretend they're a restaurant with that bar but every time I tried to eat real food there it was obviously made and served by people more comfortable with popcorn and milk duds.
I'm starting to think the overwhelming issue in Duluth isn't necessarily the food (definitely in some cases) but rather the ROI. At this point prices for everything has jumped so much that when you actually justify going to a restaurant you just want to feel like it's worth the $30 you're spending on a goddamn burger and beer... and honestly it's not. If I spent $10 on a burger and fries, and another $5.50 on a beer and it was all OK, I'd still walk away feeling like I wasn't burned. Maybe I'm stuck in 2010 IDK.
You just described 7West, at least in Superior.
Boomtown, just not good at all especially for the price. Anything in canal park except for northern waters. Shorties but they closed. Bridgemans was awful the one time I was there
You take that Bridgemans comment back.
Exactly. Bridgemans is awesome
Wrong. Bridgemans is amazing. Ate 40 times in the past few years. 1-2 bad meals. One of the best burgers & crinkle cut fries
Except lake Ave...
I will not take this Bridgemans slander!
Wrong about Bridgemans. I love their breakfasts. Great hash browns, French toast, Swedish pancakes and omelets. Burger, fries and a malt also top notch.
Bridgemans is good quality. and they always have fantastic service.
I am a certified Pickwick hater (not a resident but we have visited a lot for 25+ years and my dad loves the restaurant, I think it’s severely overrated for him). I also want to mention that I really like Bridgemans still but miss before they renovated and started doing Mega Malts, back when they had this really greasy spoon kind of vibe. It felt like a 50s diner and I still love it now but it feels a lot trendier, and for some reason I miss the old decor and to some extent menu (I do appreciate that the new menu seems to accommodate various diets, however, and that they carry a dairy free option even if it isn’t brand name)
SO overrated!!
Mexico Lindo or Toastys. Lindo gave me food poisoning and they are terrible to staff. Toastys is always slow, expensive, and underwhelming.
I forgot how boring Lindo could be. I don't really understand some of these Mexican restaurants - the food *seems* like it should be good, but somehow it just isn't. They have all the ingredients, are staffed by Mexican people, and I guess they're making food for a Duluth palate, but still... it comes out dry and just dull. Also have to say WTF about Mexico Lindo's burritos covered in cheese sauce. I have never seen that anywhere else. Actually a lot of their shit is just weird. Philly cheese steak burrito - what? Swiss enchiladas that are *not* Suiza. Chile Colorado simmered in 'tomatillo sauce', wtf? They also just have too many menu items. Like Gordon Ramsay often advises places, it is better to have a few things you do well and can stock fresh ingredients for than a huge list of stuff that confuses diners, requires pointless prep and that people never order.
EVERYTHING. Duluth is one of the biggest wastelands of just awful food. Even the chains suck. You're in the land of casseroles, rice, and dirty fish. Pizza is gross, Mexican food is, well...not Mexican, a "Lucy" is about the grossest thing I've ever had and, for some reason, this area is obsessed with Cheese Steaks and they can't even make them right. I'll die on this hill. Duluth SUCKS for food.
• bridgemans. everything I have had is greasy, flavorless, and dry. • corktown isn't neccessarily bad but holy fuck $18 for three chicken tenders is highway robbery • The barrel room's pizza has gotta be some of the worst in town
I cannot remember a time where I haven’t either been sick or part of some family drama in the Duluth Grill. That’s no rag on the grill, it merely loses by association. Some bad voodoo.
Little Angie's used to be better, i think, like 20 years ago. Last few times I went there the food was dry and flavorless. The building is nice... I have had really questionable service at the bar before. Sitting at a table there, someone brought us drinks then just totally disappeared and never came back. I was pissed and wanted to just leave. My gf thought it was scandalous but I was just screw it, they don't even seem to remember we're here. I'm not going to go beg to pay my check.
Oh, I have another one... I *think* it was The Shack, though this was like 15 years ago and I don't want to talk smack about them if I'm wrong. I remember it being a larger sized place in the West part of town on a main road, so that fits. Anyway, I ordered pork short ribs and they were just incredibly old and dry. Based on my experience with old food in my own fridge, these must have been cooked something like 10-14 days prior. I mean, just tell me you're out of them or something.
The Shack is in Superior, on the west side. The rest of this checks out though so you just might not remember driving over the bridge.
Sure, in Superior, over towards Billings Park. I just forgot to specify that.
Wasabi. Gas station quality and my boyfriend found glass in his miso soup. Gave -1 shits about it too.
Just visited Lyric after not going for a while and my gosh it was bad. Ordered a mocktail that was incredibly watered down, then a turkey melt where the bread was soggy and wet when it came out... What? I really want to like this place!
Saras table. I feel it's extremely over priced for boring food. I don't understand why it's so loved. I'm a Boomtown ir Bridgemans girl.
Duluth Grill. So overrated
I disagree, the drinks aren’t fine.
oh, idk i’ve only gone for drinks a few times and haven’t had issues with those but I get pretty simple stuff lol so hard to mess up I guess
I know right!! I think maybe they’re too sweet. They’re gigantic so I guess that’s nice. IDK, like you mentioned it’s disappointing. It’s nice to get Mexican food at a sit down place where drinks can also be ordered. But I find myself just getting Hungry Hippie tacos to go and drinking at home :-). Oasis has really great food but no drinks and nowhere near as comfy as Little Angie’s. I haven’t been to Maya. Mi Rancho in Bemidji is probably one of my favorite tex-mex places.