Food (4/5) | Ambiance (5/5) | Service (4/5) We came here with a large group of about 40 and staggered arrivals so we wouldn't overwhelm the staff. Food was solid--my Tossed & Seared steak salad was tasty, and the Smokeshow burger is a must if you like bleu cheese and balsamic. The vibe was great for a modern bar, and the outdoor patio was super cute. Service was fine overall, though my friend's "large" walleye dinner came out as a small plate of walleye fingers, which seemed like a mix-up. All in all, good food + fun atmosphere = worth a visit. read more

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Come between 2:09 and 5 PM Monday through Friday for half-price apps and drinks. It's a terrific deal and it's not so loud. The food is terrific and served beautifully. read more

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First timer. Heard this was a good spot for burgers. A great sunny day and outdoor seating is available. The inside is also nice. We started we cheese curds that were lightly battered and tasted great Next was the smash burger. We enjoyed our food and our server Ellie. read more

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We absolutely adored our server, Hannah! She was so sweet to our party as part of our group arrived late due to an emergency room run due to an accident. She found paper and the other kids were able to make a giant get well card. She suggested the farmers market and we stocked up on our favorite home foods! The food was also delicious- the peanut butter jam burger was so tasty. A great way to cap off our rocky evening. read more

Bar 209 - Peanut butter jam burger - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

Excellent place for lunch or dinner. Good menu. Salads and pastas are great. Excellent bar and beers. Always good service.

Awful service. When walking through the place most tables were dirty and no bussing was done. My group of 3 were sat by a host right before a large group of more than 12 people and our table did not receive service until I went to the bar and asked for it. After we got the food I ordered on the app, after waiting 15 minutes, before anyone even looked at us, my food was cold. I asked to speak to a manager and I was treated poorly for it by multiple staff. When I spoke to the manager, she was very rude and basically told me I was lying and assumed I was trying to take things off of my bill. I asked her to talk about the meal away from the table as I did not want to include the general contractor I was taking out for a lunch break in the discussion as it was embarrassing to have such horrible service. The Manager came to the table and spoke loudly so people around could hear our conversation. I paid the $90+ tab right there and left. 0star. 0/10. Will never go back to the 209 again. read more

The pretzel and drink were great. Allie's service was spectacular! We no longer live in the Bemidji area, but had remembered 209 as a solid choice for food and drink. We continue to be happy with the 209! read more

The food was amazing and it was easily one of the best restaurants I've had here. Our waitress Hailee was super nice and quick with the food. The music was nice but the only thing that bothered me was that some parts of the restaurant didn't smell the greatest. read more

Awesome Thai chicken dish. Smoked Old Fashion was great super service and food came out fast and hot. DW had Cajun chicken over pasta. Mine was better! read more

Great happy hour and the apps are tasty!! The staff was also on point.. Very clean and well set up bar..! read more

Used to love coming here, everything was always great. As of the last couple months, the quality has decreased overall. My complaint for this evening is that the fries are always inconsistently seasoned. Sometimes fries are over or under spiced, sometimes fries in the same batch even vary in seasoning. This evening we asked for less seasoning on the fries, for the fries to come back with no seasoning at all. Sad :( read more

On a Sunday night, it's not easy to find a restaurant open in Bemidji, esp for a vegetarian. So happy that Bar 209 fit the bill. The YELP description for the restaurant claims lots of items for vegetarians, but one might not know that from the menu which is very meat intensive. After asking for veg recommendations, My server informed me they could make almost any item vegetarian. I took her suggestion and ordered a chili lime salad, hold the chicken add mushrooms and extra black beans. It was the healthy tasty meal I was looking for. My only wish is that they had more veg items on the menu to take some of the guess work out. But let's talk about the top selling point for Bar 209a the drinks! I am really fussy about Margaritas. I love them, but way to many bars and restaurants dilute them with bar sour or sprite. The bartender assured me theirs were different because they make their own miX, and she even let me try a sample. She was right- their Margaritas are excellent! A hint of sweet but the tequila and lime really shined through. I ordered the jalapeño version and it had just the right kick. Very happy with my meal and beverages. read more

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I just wanted mustard for my burger. You serve burgers but don't have mustard. I couldn't believe it.

Not a bad little destination, but neither is it much of a standout. Service was a little off here and there, even right at open before getting busy. In terms of food, their Thai Chicken Flatbread is really solid all-around. Great flavor, nice and light, a definite recommendation. On the other end was the Walleye Tacos which were highly recommended, but left a lot to be desired. Not nearly enough meat as one taco had basically 2/3 of the tortilla left without meat. The flavors were OK, but a bit more bland than I was expecting. The sauce was a necessary inclusion but still felt like it all just lacked that "WOW" factor to leave it as anything better than just average. read more

Bar 209 - Thai Chili Chicken Flatbread - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

Food is good, service is good, I only have one main issue... The menu change. Recently the menu went under a change in theme. It used to be normal names like "appetizers" but this has been changed to "foreplay". I'm all for funny sometimes "dirty" names, but my issue is these names are on every item on the menu. The entire menu has a sexual theme to it. The reason this makes me uncomfortable is for 3 main reasons. 1. Children reading this 2. Accessibility 3. The waitress/waiters dignity 1. Children reading this - The sexual theme in the menu names are not subtle. The name might be "bar" but this to me is a restaurant first, bar second. These could be menu item names I could expect from another bar in town like keg, hardtimes, etc. Families may bring their children to this place and their children may be exposed to themes they should not be. For example the salad "the corn star" clearly in reference to "porn star". I would hate to hear a child order "the corn star" knowing what it was referencing. 2. Accessibility -Although the names have a description, taking away common names for food items makes it less accessible to everyone. Those who may not be able to understand the description of the ingredients might recognize "cheeseburger" but not "curd daddy". As someone with no reading disabilities even I struggled to find what I was looking for in the menu. 3. The waitress/waiters dignity -I feel bad for the waitresses and waiters who may be uncomfortable saying the names on the menu. "cream dream" and "fire noods" is something I would feel incredibly uncomfortable saying to someone while I was at work. "Is there anything else I can get for you or just the fire noods?" I mean come on man... Side note: One of the appetizers being "my girlfriend isn't hungry" feels really weird if not a little sexist. This stereotype stems from women commonly having disordered eating and not feeling like its okay for them to order what they really want to eat. I get the joke but I don't like feeling like the butt of the joke. I'd like to note I am not someone who ever makes reviews or even gets upset about how places run things. But this feels like such a dramatic shift from what it was just a few months ago. I like this place, but ordering off the menu I didn't feel fun or playful I felt uncomfortable. This new menu just feels weird and hard to order off of. I hope the owner seriously considers a change back to the original menu. To anyone still reading this: thank you for taking the time to read this. If you decide to still go they do have good food! It's just a weird new menu... read more

Offensively named menu items and food that is not tasty and is overpriced. Used to be good food in their old location but not anymore since the moved several years ago. Food has consistently gone downhill. read more

Great food and I nice atmosphere. Very nice staff Working there and they were on top of everything so our wait time was not very long. read more

Underwhelming and kind of a ripoff. The horny menu arouses mostly eyerolls. Vastly overpriced for a college town. Waitstaff was humorless. Not a fan of being given a total to pay without an itemized check up front. And then the waitress hovers over you as you decide on the tip. Portion sizes have shrunk since last year. Will not be returning. read more

My sister and I were in Bemidji for a night as my sister had an early morning Drs appointment the next day. We looked at a lot of bar/restaurant establishments before we ventured out, and we settled on going to Bar 209. We could not have made a better choice. The atmosphere was cool, there was plenty of room to sit at the bar, and little did we know how great of a deal the happy hour was - 50% off all drinks and all appetizers! We were drinking wine and we even got the bottles of wine at 50% off. The best thing about our visit though was our bartender, Tyler. He was the nicest young man, he was attentive to all his customers, and had a smile on his face the entire time. He took time to chat with us which made it a very personable experience. Bar 209 is very lucky to have an employee like Tyler. If you are ever in the area, Bar 209 is the place to go! read more

Another great find. Unique burgers, great beer.Service was great as well. Don't skip this gem. read more

Great spot, great service. Cheese curds were one of the best! Strawberries in my salad were super fresh and house made dressing makes a difference. read more

Very fast service ; great staff. Recommend item was delivered with almost perfection. Very tasty! read more

Bar 209 - Mushroom parm Swiss burger with parm fries - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

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I've eaten here a lot. Unfortunately, the menu names have changed to add a sleazy vibe that will likely keep many women & families away now. I mean, would you like to order a couple orders of "Foreplay" & "Busty burgers" for the kids. Too bad. read more

We tried this restaurant after hearing how good it was over several years. We were a party of three and we all ordered burgers. Each of us chose slightly different versions but all of us asked for "pink". It took a long time to get our food and, when we did, all of them were burnt. They were way beyond well done. It left a burnt taste in my mouth all afternoon. The fried cheese curds, however, were very good and worth trying. Overall, the experience of the 209 was one of the worst I have had in years. One star is all I can give this joint. read more

Genuinely one of the most disappointing dining experiences I've had in a long time. It's especially sad because they used to be one of the better places in town, but has fallen to one of the worst. Lots of menu items were removed, as well as (as far as I could tell) monthly specials. While the prices have gone up, the food has gotten significantly cheaper. The fries are cheap and thin, akin to McDonald's fries, and (along with the boneless wings) were barely seasoned. I'm curious to see what other food has gotten worse, but don't want to shell out any more cash to this place. Service was slow, even for a busy night. Had us waiting for a while even to get our water. It was an over-expensive, low quality dinner, made especially sad by the fact that it used to be decent before the owners seemingly stopped caring. read more

Stop by after a long drive. Smash burger was great with cheese curds. And our waitress was really helpful. Great food and service.

Amazing food, atmosphere and staff! We were in town for an event and had the best time here for a large group dinner! Highly recommend & we will be back! read more

I ordered a cocktail from their extensive drink menu, and it was delicious--perfectly balanced and refreshing. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable, eager to recommend drinks based on my preferences. read more

I initially planned to order a margarita pizza but was informed that they had run out of mozzarella which is unfortunate so instead I ordered a curd burger which is a burger with cheese and cheese curds with a side of fries. I opted for no pink on my burger and while that is what I got the outside of the burger was a bit too charred but was still tasty to say the least. Our server was great, she was very considerate and great at checking in on us. We waited about 30 minutes for our food which was expected due to it being a busy Saturday night. We chose to sit outside on a sort of turf patio which was quite cool. We enjoyed the openness and the overall aesthetic of the outdoor patio. read more

The food was very good. Lettuce wrap was spicy as it should be. The service was wonderful, friendly and efficient.

We really enjoyed the "vibe" at this restaurant. Even though it's a nicely designed space, it was the friendliness and enthusiasm of the staff that made it so. The upscale comfort food was tasty and were ample portions. Our only ding would be that they charge for condiments such as 3 tablespoons of finely diced, purple onion. A side container of mayo was the same. Really? read more

I chose this restaurant because of the good reviews, but the place was awful. The restrooms were so dirty. The restaurant was full of flies, so we couldn't eat peacefully. God knows how many flies were sitting in our food before we were served. The food was okay! read more

Came in for dinner tonight drewsaide was a wonderful server! Brisket nachos were great and best happy hour in town (: the environment was nice, and not messy. read more

Our party had a scrumptious lunch. Sunny day so sat outside. Pleasant surroundings with beautiful flower planters to enjoy. Hubs had Cuban sandwich and onion rings. Aioli sauce was an add on but so with it. Delish! I had Cobb salad with great chunks of blue cheese, olives, red onions, tomatoes and other goodies. Tasted fresh and filling. Would definitely recommend. read more

Started bad and only got worse. 3 employees at entrance, asked how many we needed seating for and all went to go clear a table.. .in the meantime a guy walked 8n off the street behind us, went up to the bar and asked what shoe store could he buy cleats for his son. That conversation lasted for 4 minutes and had 4 of the waitstaff trying to help him, as we stood with now 7 other people behind us waiting for a table. That was at 1:50pm. Took our drink order brought our drinks and then we sat for 8 minutes waiting for someone to take our order...when we saw the bar maid walk by, we asked if we could put our Order in and we have been waiting as people that were sat after us, had already put in there order. She got VERY snippy and defensive and at that point we should have left but the place was highly recommended. When the manager came over to take our Order, she didn't write anything down and asked for specific items not to be on one of the sandwiches as there was mayo issue that would cause a violent effect. Food came out, and you guessed it, sandwich had mayo! They did comp the sandwich and they said it was the kitchens fault. In the meantime, there were an excessive amount of flies around, and several people could be seen swatting away flies off there food. Also noticed that 1 of the 2 cooks who had long hair, had no hair net on and the restrooms were in bad Shao and looked liked they hadn't been attended too in a few hours with paper on the floor, 1 toilet clogged, etc... Well, we tried it, but will never be back, which is sad as we have a kid going to the college and will take our business elsewhere. read more

Bar 209 - Cook with no hat or hairnet and rude bartender - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

super friendly service! I'm from out of town but have been in Bemidji a lot the last few months and have gone back to 209 three more times. fried items melt in your mouth, cocktails were good, and especially loved the fish tacos and the onion rings. very fresh! would definitely go back again if I am in Bemidji! read more

Nice space and an attentive staff. Had tacos and wings. Decent bar food quality. The decor and ambiance would reflect a more high end food experience. read more

This place is great. Easy to find and the street parking was plentiful. The place was packed for a Tuesday evening. The bison head over the bar was interesting! I was flying sole so I thought I would sit at the bar. Service was excellent. Greeted and order taken within minutes. I ordered the juicy Lucy with a choice between just hamburger or hamburger and sausage. The hamburger and sausage had an outstanding taste but the cheese inside...was not there!! But not to worry it had plenty of cheese. The menu was served vert prompted considering how busy it was. I chose the cheese curds as my side because they were raved as the best people have ever ate. The batter fried curds were very good and certainly would be in my top ten. This place is a must stop as the menu was full of other specialty hamburgers. read more

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Great variety of food that was well done and delicious. Great warm and friendly atmosphere with a effective waitstaff. My cheeseburger was cooked perfectly and fries were just right.. great place to visit again read more

Update: Our first time back in a while. Lots of outside seating due to pandemic. Thanks to the city for extending seating into the street. Food was outstanding, great friendly staff, loved having the walleye tacos again. 209 we are glad you are back. We will be making the 60 mile drive from home frequently. First time at new location. It is kind of noisy but quite a bit bigger. 209 is a must stop every time we come to Bemidji. At least 3 times a month. We love the Walleye tacos and onion rings. What happened to the Flat Bread Pizzas? Bring them back! read more

Bar 209 - Walleye Tacos w/ Onion Rings. - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota