This place has potential. It's a nice setting in the perfect downtown Eau Claire location. Could…read morebe a lot of fun for groups and couples alike. But there are problems to be worked out. GOOD: The overall concept is well-executed. Wine selections are clearly displayed on the overhead menu, with options for glasses or sample flights. Pricing is transparent and reasonable (more on that in a moment), and easy enough to follow along even if you've already had a drink elsewhere. I also like that you can choose a bottle of beer from the fridge if you don't want any of the wine selections. For me, this made the overall experience more approachable. The lounge area is warm and inviting. Relaxing club seats up front, with some tables next to the bar, and a small store in the back. The feel is late-middle aged cool. Service was very warm. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: * The wine... was nothing special. While the prices were reasonable, even the "premium" wine was not all that noteworthy. If the Rev is going to succeed as a wine bar, I would recommend better selections. (The beer fridge, however, was very nice - and that saved it for me.) * The food menu situation is completely hosed. And to me there is nothing more discouraging than walking into a bar and being presented with a food menu... and an apology that the menu is completely out of date. Our host was apologetic and promised a new menu in the future. We hope so. Overall the Rev is definitely worth a visit for Eau Claire locals and visitors alike. It's grown-up cool, laid back atmosphere is good for a group of fun seekers out on the town. I'd only like to see improvements in wine quality and consistent food offerings.

I want to give a shout-out to the The Rev for being such an AMAZING host for our 20-year Memorial…read moreHigh School reunion, which was held July 20, 2019. To preface: I work in international education, and was planning our reunion from China of all places. As you might imagine, planning an event for 100+ people from abroad is no easy task. Combine this with the extra challenge of trying to communicate with a virtual Firewall in the way, and you can understand what an undertaking this was. The first issue was getting a venue. With the reunion being held during the same weekend as Country Jam and Rock Fest, our planning committee was a little bit nervous about the different venue options available. We were relieved to find that The Rev had availability for that weekend and would happily accommodate our group. We had a limited budget to work with for this event. Working directly with us, the fabulous Kate Haas, owner/manager, went about putting together a catering plan (heavy apps) that went under budget (and more importantly) appeased the diverse pallets of 100+. B/C of budget limitations, we opted to do a cash-bar w/ a complimentary champagne toast at 8:00 (which, by the way, was perfectly organized). A great offering of craft/domestic beers and wine + spirits gave everyone great beverage options. Bartending staff throughout the night were FANTASTIC! Being that we were celebrating our 20-year reunion, music nostalgia was KEY. Kate hooked us up with one of her specially-picked DJs for the night. Let me say: He was the star of the show! Non-obtrusive, but also knew EXACTLY what needed to be played at the EXACT moment. Many said afterwards that they had never experienced a better DJ. Get that man a raise! The Rev, itself, is amazing for hosting a group of 100 ppl or less. Great ambiance, an outdoor space out back - even a small room in back to use as central operations and/or additional space. Best of all, with The Rev being in the heart of DT Eau Claire, attendees can do some bar-crawling in after-event hours. All-in-all, this was an event for the ages. My HUGE thanks to Kate and her staff at the Rev for making this such a wonderfully positive experience. Got a group you're trying to plan an event for? Look no further than The Rev!

Attached to the Lismore hotel by Doubletree makes this restaurant super accessible to…read moreout-of-towners. Service 5/5: we did not make a reservation, but staff did everything to accommodate us and get us seated. I really appreciate how kind they were and once we were seated, our server was attentive, making sure our drinks were always filled and that we were enjoying our meal. Ambiance 5/5: stunning environment. I highly recommend you take a peek and look at the bar because it's a bunch of little pennies and it is the coolest sight to see (I believe I heard them call it the penny bar too). I really enjoy that you could see into the kitchen while the chefs worked and how fluid they all seemed to be in their craft. Food 3/5: I was really disappointed by the food. I ordered the roasted lamb as a big fan of lamb and it was overcooked and very salty. Also, the mint gelée coupled with the root beer glacé de viande was overwhelmingly sweet. The dish was lacking a balance of acid and spice. My fiancé ordered the tater tot hot dish and I am thankful that he ordered that because we ended up sharing that the rest of the meal. Even he could not eat the Lamb and he is must less picky about flavor profiles. The hotdish was a cheesy parmesan dream with sweet corn, peas, mushrooms and I liked the textural mixture of pork and veal. Overall, I'm not sure if I would come back for a meal here. I have seen that their pizzas are really popular because they are woodfired and I wish we would've checked that first, but I wanted a cozy elevated dinner and I'm still really bummed that we did not get that.

Been here before, but it's been a very long time. We were passing through the area and looking for…read morea place to eat. It happened to be a very busy weekend, and the Informalist was one of the few places that did not have a long line to get seated. Got in right away and seated for some brunch. The restaurant is spacious and well designed. It's a bit upscale, but perfectly capable of making people feel relaxed and welcome. We got greeted right away by the server and settled in with menus and waters. Our order wasn't complicated: some of the Custard Battered French Toast, a short stack of pancakes, and two eggs. I also ordered a London Fog Tea Latte (a little lavender, a little vanilla, and extra foam). It didn't take long for the food to come, but the London Fog took a while longer. The French Toast was amazingly good, and the pancakes and eggs were also very good. I was half done with my meal by the time my London Fog arrived, and the server was very apologetic (saying that the coffee shop was very busy). I might have been satisfied with that, but the London Fog was just okay. While there was some extra foam, the drink itself was flat, as if they just heated up the milk and mixed it with the tea. (They need to do a better job with polishing the steamed milk so that it creates a creamy texture, especially if they ar charging $8) Overall, a good experience, and a few tweaks would have made it excellent. Would stop again if I was in the mood for the French Toast.

ooking for something to do on a warm summer day, I saw that they were having a free live music…read moreconcert featuring the Bear Creek Band. The winery/distillery is nestled into a scenic area, right next to the Chippewa River. Behind the building is a large area with the stage, with the vineyard behind that. On this day, they had Happy Trails Pizza serving food. The inside of the building has a large main seating area. There are different areas for tasting wine, ordering cocktails, or buying snacks and merchandise. The entire space is well-designed. We ordered a few cocktails and grabbed a table under the pergola-covered area. There weren't that many other people there (it was a very warm 90°F day), so we had lots of space. My Lavender Collins was very good, and everyone else enjoyed their refreshments. While we listened to the band, we munched on the caramel corn that we purchased inside. If we hadn't already had lunch, we would have tried the pizza. Maybe next time. Would definitely come back again for a drink and a concert.

Tastings are free and then you pay by the glass delicious wine and have a variety of whites and…read morereds. Love how they have vendors come in for food everyone is super nice! And a cute building and outdoor patio! Dog friendly for sure!

We had reservations for brunch. Waited 10+ minutes for a table when we arrived at our reserved…read moretime, and proceeded to then wait *50 minutes* for our food after ordering (fairly simple breakfast items). This was while multiple other parties who arrived after us were served their food, ate, paid and left. It was quite obvious they forgot to submit the order or the kitchen lost the ticket. These things happen and I would never fault someone for an accident when they acknowledge and apologize. But they acted like nothing was wrong when I asked (after 35 minutes of waiting), and I was also quite surprised that they didn't offer any discount or food while we waited. The food was good, but definitely not worth the wait or the $65+ bill for 4 people just ordering breakfast and nothing else. Sadly may be our first and last time here, even though we had heard great things about it.

We went on a Sunday morning. I was surprised they don't open until 9 for breakfast. We made a…read morereservation for 915 and got in right away. The place filled up quickly. By the time we left there were a lot of people waiting for a table. The hostess and waitstaff were very friendly. Water glasses and coffee were kept full. The coffee was a little watery. I had the ham and cheddar omelette. I didn't want the hash browns so they substitute a salad instead. The salad was good. The omelette was very different. The eggs were extremely soft. It had sliced ham which was a little hard to cut through and the cheddar cheese was very sharp. The sourdough bread was good. My husband had the biscuits and gravy which he said wasn't very hot. My daughter in law said the hash browns were very good.

We eat and shop a the Coffee Grounds weekly. The menu has locally-sourced options. They offer a…read moreMeal-Of-The-Week. Will & Megan also have an incredible frozen food selection. We always buy the lasagna, meatballs, and meatloaf when it's available. The service is very good. Will, Megan and their staff are happy to answer any questions you may have about their food, cheeses, kitchen ware (pots, pans, knives, and other items), wine, beer & hard liquor (& coffee & cigars). We don't drink coffee, but it's always highly rated in the Volume One's annual Best Of. They have continued the Coffee Grounds legacy and continue to excel. You can eat in their dining area, outside, or next door at Modicum brew pub. It has a great ambiance all around. Meet friends. Meet new friends. We highly recommend their restaurant.

Terrible service. Waited 10 minutes at counter. No staff…read more Finally left. We even walked around the dining area, never found anyone working.

Friendly staff. Casual. Good parking. Amazing food! Great coffee selection. Goats! Sheep!read more

Great ambiance & great pizzas. Such a great setting on a Friday night. Sat outside with friends,…read moreenjoyed Kane Creek music, pizza, setting. Will return.

Friday, 5-23-2025 around noon. Meat Eaterz calzone was magnificent! Huge; probably 4 meals worth of…read morefood. The bread part was stretchy and flavorful, meats abundant, Marinara just right, and it was cooked to perfection. I will definitely order that again when visiting Eau Claire. Philly sandwich was also savory and tender. Bartender was orienting a new gal to the business, and he was doing a great job. I was a server/bartender for 8 years long ago and appreciate the kind and warm staff. I wish you all continued success.

We are on a cross country trip and ended up at a hotel near by - so glad we stopped in. Ambiance is…read morecasual and bar vibes. Local spot that many people may pass by but the server/bartender was so friendly.. Talked to us all about the area and local beers! Wouldn't get the chicken wrap again, a little boring but otherwise everything was great and we are happy to have found this little bar.

Food was great - Fast Service - Great people - If your looking for a relaxing place to visit come…read morehere

I would skip this place. My husband's 16 oz beer was $16....that is what you pay for an airport…read morebeer! The food was also overpriced considering portion size and quality. The only thing this place had going for it was a patio next to the river walk. For the same amount of money (and less) there are much tastier options in Eau Claire !

Food was very good. Service was very good. Ambiance was a nice restaurant. Reservation recommended.read more

Starting with service, it was great. The hostess greeted me warmly and seated me at a table with…read moremenus. Then my waitress took my drink and food order. She returned throughout my meal to check up on me. Food was good, however the popover she brought out was a bit greasy and tasteless, as was the bread also a bit stale. Other than that the food was good. (I removed 1 star for that and my steak was more medium than medium well. Ambiance was chill, darker due to the Italian theme no doubt. There is a larger bar area with TVs which had ballgames on. Overall a very positive experience.

Incomparable little art boutique featuring a select few local artists in different media. The…read morepersonable owner is a singularly effective promoter of her town and well worth spending a few extra moments for conversation. Every now and then the Purple Turtle Artisan Collective takes its proverbial show on the road for a pop-up store incarnation which is how I first encountered it, and her. So, how I first encountered them, the store and Amanda Scholz, the owner. I'm not sure if I'm clarifying, so I'll move on. If you're within an hour or two drive, or if you have the time to take a little diversion between the Twin Cities and Milwaukee, very well worth your time. However you won't be able to get the unique Sarasvati water color on canvas because I picked up the last one.

So glad I found this great local artist shop. The owner was so helpful in telling me about how to…read moreuse the snippets of yarn. Very inspiring. Lots of pottery, fiber art, jewelry, just about everything.