There aren't many options in this area and I was skeptical about this place, as the menu is huge and that's usually a bad sign. I ordered a steak. My food didn't come with the rest of my family. The server explained that the cook accidentally over cooked it and had to redo it. I've never had this happen. Especially if it were a chain restaurant. My steak came out and it was perfectly medium cooked, perfectly seasoned. It was the juiciest steak I've had in years. But, even though the meal impressed me, the fact that the cook took that level of pride in the cook on a steak was what really made my day. The server was fine, what I'd expect in a small town. But I had to write a review because of that cook. Whoever was in the kitchen on Tuesday, August 17th in the late afternoon deserves a pat on the back. I almost came in again before we left for the Cities, hoping to get another steak. Thank you! read more

Hey, you all do a fine job here in Tower. We were headed from Ely to the cities and you had exactly what we were looking for...a nice quick lunch. Thanks for the yummy Bloody Mary and ice tea, the walleye sandwiches with fresh French fries and tots that were perfectly crisp and hot. Our server was super sharp and we really appreciated her attention to getting us on our way in a timely manner. read more

Benchwarmer Grille - Chill place.. I was too thirsty and hungry to grab a good photo, sorry. - Sports Bars Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

I liked it I had the pizza and another family member had fish and fries. The texture to all of them was really good. I loved it service is really good you can sit right next to where they work and you can talk to them. Loved the restaurant, pizza had a little to much sauce. I liked it read more

Never gave a review before but this one was for the books! We had a table of three servers, one former and one 10 year old. A female bartender was our server. From beginning to the end of our experience she was incredibly rude. There were times she would come to the table and was nice. Then she would come back and be just rude. We ordered a ceasar salad for the ten year old. We thought it would be a side-ceasar. She gave us a the full $16 salad without asking which one. They wouldn't split two different wing sauces on the side for wings we wanted to order. I never experienced that before ever or had been refused. We ordered jalapeño poppers, wanted Buffalo sauce to dip them in. The bartender looked at us funny and said we were just going to use it with our wings and seemed to refuse to give buffalo on the side! Is that against the restaurant's policy even if we did use it for wings?? We canceled the wings, ate what we ordered and left. Also, when we paid our bill she ran the card and dropped it on the table without saying a word. She just walked away. We had never received such poor and rude service, ever. Needless to say she didn't get a tip. read more

Just pass on by (vs. stopping here.). Fairly certain that any inspection dept. would find multiple infractions here. Ugg! We made the mistake of eating lunch despite how dirty everything was...2 out of 4 of us were sick an hour later. read more

We thought we could sit outside on a beautiful summer day and have a drink. They had a patio that did not look at the street. (like every other place in town) Unfortunately they had only 2 little tables that were full. Maybe buy some folding chairs or tables in this age of Covid ! The inside was dirty and worn out looking. Sorry, we went elsewhere. read more

We stopped over for a quick bite. The service was friendly and fast. Place was clean and food was great! No complaints here. Will stop again. read more

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The beer was cheap and cold! Great small town bar with great service! If you're heading to Ely make sure to stop on your way!

We are locals during the summer months. We eat here often, and every time we have had good piping hot food and amazing service. It is a pub, so expect pub food! Actually, getting ready to head there shortly. read more

Food was all way overpriced & tasted ok but Cost me $200 for drinks, few appetizers & burgers for 8 of us one who was a 6 year old. Who charges $9- for a child's burger? Who in the world charges $.50 for extra mayonnaise? Seriously now, I've never ever been charged for a condiment. Wonder what catsup costs? Service was incredibly slow but waitress was new & I let it slide. read more

Dreadful! I've never written a review before, but my experience at Benchwarmer Grille was so absurd I had to share it. I had planned on enjoying the patio for a solo dinner, knowing it would be bar food. The radio was playing the news LOUD (no wonder no one was out there!) When I came back inside to find a different table, I commented to the waitress about the loud radio. She said "Oh" and told me I could take any seat indoors. No offer to turn down the radio or change the station. Next, I ordered hot wings and a beer. After several minutes the wings arrived but no beer. By the time the beer showed up, I had tried to eat the wings and found them to be completely dried out and inedible. When the waitress asked me how I liked the food, I told her is was not edible. Again she said "Oh" and walked away. About five minutes later she appeared with my bill. NOT discounted. This was July 3, arguably a big day in Tower. Needless to say, I found a different place to eat down the street. read more

Just finished having dinner at Benchwarmers in Tower Mn. Fun place with good food and a friendly staff. We dined outside on the back patio and it was nice and relaxing. Good beer selection and lots of drinks as it has a full bar. I got the "Hot burger" and Mary got the Philly cheese steak. Both were quite tasty (see picture) and a good time was had by all. I would recommend if your hankering for a fun bar/restaurant to just kick back at and take a load off. read more

Benchwarmer Grille - What's left of my Hot burger and tots - Sports Bars Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

I understand that the world is short staffed. But that still doesn't give you the right to be very very rude and disrespectful. As the owner you of all people should know that. Being kind and a smile goes a long ways. And being helpful when someone ask about whats a good choice of food and drinks not tell them your busy you don't have time for that just basically pushing us to order and get out . Or a drink gets accidentally knock over. be helpful on picking up and taking away The broken glass and not leave it there the whole time and bring a new drink. We tried to get your attention and we could tell you just ignored us on purpose. read more

I took my two year old here to get ice cream. When we arrived (around 2:30pm on a Wednesday), there was one other person in front of us waiting for service. I was immediately taken aback by the heat inside the store. I have never been in such a sweltering hot ice cream store. There was a hand-written sign imploring patrons to "be patient" with the kitchen staff. After about five minutes of waiting (and not seeing a soul acknowledge our presence), the lady in front of us left. My son and I waited another five minutes or so, which gave me time to observe the environment. It was like a scene out of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Constant use of microwaves by the kitchen staff. Unkept ice cream supplies (e.g., cake cones left out on the counter in open bags), solidified chocolate fudge on a dirty pump, etc. My son and I ended up getting a (fresh) 12-pack of cake cones and a family size container of chocolate chip ice cream from Zup's for less than $6.50 and we were MUCH happier (and, likely, MUCH healthier). We definitely will not come back to this restaurant. They are not interested in our (or anyone else' read more

I love this place, but lets be honest-- it is a small town bar in a small town in far northern MN. The fried chicken is greasy, the pool table isn't level, and the darts are thrown from right in the middle of the bar. It is far from perfect, but that is the charm. It is an absolute requirement to stop there en route to Ely from Mnpls before dumping into the BWCA. Good natured locals with decent fishing advice, cheap beer on tap, and a jukebox with country music and 80s rock. The first time my group went there we ended up sitting with two guys and drinking pitchers. They explained they had just met-- the first guy had picked up the phone to call his cousin for a ride to the bar since he couldn't drive because of his DWI. Well, he dialed the wrong number and got this other guy. Instead of saying "wrong number" and hanging up, the guy said "Yeah, I guess I can come pick you up and drive you to the bar and drink for awhile." We had a great time. Give it a try. If you ever find yourself in Tower MN. read more

This place is OK. Kind of spendy, paying about $6 for a normal burger with no fries and $9 for a "special" burger with no fries. It just didn't feel like the value for he food we got was worth it. At a sports bar where I live we could have gotten better quality food for less. If it was anywhere else I'd say to avoid this place but there isn't much of a selection out here. But I know next time I'll keep driving to the next town hoping to find better. I'd even rather stop at a gas station for food I think. read more

Bench warmers has been our favorite place to go for years. They always had great food and great service. When we went there for a drink and a sandwich in the summer of 2019, we were surprised by the extremely rude service. We thought maybe it was just a bad day, but the next few times in was the same. Now summer 2020, we thought we would try again. Again, not greeted, the bartender acted as if we were imposing and she was rude. We will never go back again. Our business now belongs to Good Old Days where the food is good and the staff is friendly or we'll make the drive to Ely as will our extended family. read more

We stopped for a quick pit stop while snowmobiling in the area... There were only 2 other people in the bar that Sunday afternoon, but what a pair! Brian & Will, where ever you are, thank you for the enjoyable conversation. These two spoiled my 4 yr old by buying her not one, not two, but an entire box of candy bars! She will remember you forever. We had a couple great of appetizers, some great conversation and music and will hopefully be back someday in the future! read more

Went in with my son, the server didn't bother to say hello just asked if were going to eat or go to the bathroom and leave. We left, there are places to eat that appreciate their customers. read more

Stop here every summer because Good Ole Days has a limited menu over the July 4th week. Never really that great. Usually seems understaffed because service is always slow, even when you're the only one in the dining area. Food is good, not great, but does the job! Just extremely slow every time, but if you have an extra 2 hours to kill it's a decent place if you don't mind duct tape seats and a small town vibe! read more

Benchwarmer Grille - Benchwarmers has a small town aesthetic to it - Sports Bars Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

I gave this place another try recently. The quality of the food has improved dramatically. The service was fine this time. I think the place has changed hands and the new owners are committed to improving things. read more

Great service! They make their own seasoning for their pretzel snacks, which is kinds cool!

A great place to stop when snowmobiling or when staying in the area. Friendly servers, a large menu, good food, inexpensive drinks and very clean. Spacious and a separate area set aside from the bar when dining with children. Big screen tv for hockey games or other big athletic events. Thumbs up to Benchwarmers. read more

Beautiful bar & restaurant. Had a great time with family here. Very convenient to have ice cream shop & offsale all at one location. My family's experience was memorable. Our waitress Amanda went above & beyond to make sure we had a great time & excellent service even though it was very busy. We will definitely keep coming back. Excellent food as well. By far the best service we have had anywhere. read more

The new owners are really shaping things up. Great food, good service and company! A great place to stop any day of the week! Breakfast now too!!! read more

Such rude treatment since we are not "from here". No hello or what can I get you. Ordered beers at the bar and wanted to sit on the deck since it's a beautiful Sunday. The waitress said no since she was the only one working, but we explained that we only wanted the beer, no food service. Then she explained that the door was locked, interesting since most doors can be opened! Half way through my beer, some locals came in that the waitress and owner knew....all of a sudden the deck was open and they got the smiles and whatever they needed. It's too bad that tourism dollars are not welcome here......no MN nice!! Won't be back and will be sure to tell all my friends!!! read more

Stopped here for lunch with my wife & two girls on Aug 29, 2017 on my way to the BWCA and had some great food! The service was pretty fast & friendly, the burgers & onion rings were fantastic, and I loved all of the Vikings memorabilia. The owner has autographed jerseys from the Purple People Eater days (Tarkenton, Marshall, Eller, Page, Larsen). Love this place & will definitely stop in again! read more

This place is awesome ! Great food, great service, great people & great times !!! I highly recommend this place is the best in town ! Get there by boat, car or snowmobile read more

Awful customer service!! Had issues with 2 of the 4 meals we ordered, they basically said too bad didn't do anything to try and make it right. High prices, bad salads. Avoid this place. Also bartender made a rude comment about a out of town hat 1 person was wearing, like they knew we were not from the area. Problem is We are from the area and I will be telling everyone about this terrible experience. Honestly this was the worst dining experience my wife and I have had in 12 years. read more

Our waitress was friendly and apologetic for being the only staff there on what is usually a quiet night, but was busy. My salad was fresh, but then came the main course...a "Half Chicken Dinner" proved to be a leg and a thigh, which is not a half chicken in my recollection. The waitress noted she had never served that item before, so she consulted the cook, who confirmed that a half chicken dinner was 2 pieces. At least she was able to come up with the manager's name so my complaints to the Better Business Bureau can be directed to a person. read more

I went here with a large group. First the sodas that we got were warm and flat. After that we orders our food. The waitresses weren't very polite at all. I took them an hour to the first person's food but two and a half for the other people's food. I had their steak burger. It was very over cooked and dry and it was served on Wonder bread that had been toasted, not a "toasted bun". The fries were cold on the inside but burned on the outside, they were soaked in grease and had no flavor. To top it off it took them forever to get us our bill and even longer to pick it up. People in our group ordered certain items but were charged for a different, more expensive item. E.g.: someone ordered the shrimp item but was charged for the fish special, some people's food said it came with fries but they were charged extra for them, and they mixed up who got what. Overall no one in our group was happy with the food and the service. read more