A welcome respite when you've got family at a Mayo Hospital. Very down home and ultra Midwest, Canadian Honker serves up friendly, casual hospitality and solid, tasty food. I was there today to waste some time before a chat with my mother's care team at Mayo, and really enjoyed the place. Lunch was a delicious, crispy, indulgent beef quesadilla and a refreshing gin gimlet. The price was right. The gimlet was chilly and strong. And the quesadilla was perfectly griddled, brimming with melty cheese and seasoned beef. read more

Canadian Honker - Quesadilla and gimlet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

We stopped in on July 4th and they offer a 10% discount for military and veterans. They also offer that on Saturdays. My husband really enjoyed his hot turkey sandwich. I was surprised that my prime rib melt was so good. The meat is well done (not my favorite) but not dry. With great mushrooms and cheesy, it was a hit. The onion rings here are a don't miss. Do you know how when you bite into an onion ring and it pulls out the onion so you just have batter left? Not here! Every amazing bite of the lightly battered rings was perfect. Bunnies coconut cake to go and it was delicious. Service was great too! read more

CAVEAT: This review is from a vegetarian's perspective. The Honker is a Rochester mainstay, and is popular amongst many hospital visitors and locals. Our family came here when we had relatives in the hospital decades ago. I came here with my wife and her older parents. The menu is very classic, old-school diner. My wife and I are both vegetarian. When you go in, you can pretty immediately see the demographic...and it's not necessarily young vegetarian couples! It's a buzzy atmosphere with many older customers. We were served quickly so no complaints there. They also have a clearly labeled vegetarian menu. We ordered the cheese curds -- no complaints. For our mains, we ordered a mushroom burger and a pilaf dish (I think it was Hawaiian)? These were...fine. Mediocre, but serviceable. Our carnivore family didn't seem too impressed by their food either. I will say that the portions are very generous. They also have great senior deals. I won't be coming back, but this is a preference thing rather than a comment on quality, especially when so many great vegetarian options are available in Rochester. read more

Food was excellent; service was great! The plane was busy on the weekend but waiters were efficient. read more

This is a strong 3 rating. First, the staff is great! Very nice and friendly. The atmosphere is ok. The food is ok. I had walleye for the first time in decades and it was tasty. read more

Quick service and delicious hearty breakfast during our visit to Mayo. Easy walk across the street, and the staff was friendly. read more

Canadian Honker - Traditional Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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"Cooking MC's Like a Pound of Bacon" (Vanilla Ice) Honnnnk! That's the sound of your wake-up call to speed on over to the Honker before it fills up with the hungry AM crowd! You'll be welcomed with open wings, a smile, and maybe even a pound of bacon. Some of the best things in life are Canadian...maple syrup, Mounties, Ryan Reynolds, and brekky at this beloved diner in Rochester (ok, so the latter is not technically Canadian). Breakfast here is basic, but you'll get humon-goose midwestern portions cooked with love. If the saturated fat levels send you into cardiac arrest, don't fret your pending swan song! Your goose isn't cooked, because the famous Mayo Clinic/St. Mary's campus is just across the street. As Canada's Linda Richman would tell it, they'll fix up your gonnectagazoink in a jiffy! While we were mostly pleased with our morning meals, Paul Bunyan would be disappointed by "The Lumberjack" as the taste and texture of the pancakes fell flat. "The Feast" is the delicious and filling comfort-food solution, including eggs, hash browns, and perfectly crispy bacon...sans pancakes. It will fuel you up for a full day of axe swinging! I added a Mounds latte to my order, and it tasted exactly as though a Mounds Bar had been blended straight into the coffee concoction. "Me goose-ta!" "Anything less than the best is a felony", but I unfortunately have to shave 1.25 points for the pancakes and somewhat dated vibes. Giving this bountiful breakfast bonanza 3.75 wing flaps. *This review is sponsored by Canadian Ryan Gooseling, Ganderson Cooper, Kevin Bacon, and Robert Matthew Van Winkle read more

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This place serves a very important purpose in Rochester, MN. Comfort food, friendly service and convenience to local hotels and St. Mary's hospital. They actually make an amazing Old Fashioned cocktail if you need one. Over several days I enjoyed the walleye dinner, walleye sandwich and the bunny coconut cake to go. read more

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Very nice place. Friendly staff. We had Katina as our waitress. She was great! Had breakfast and the skillet was huge. I almost couldn't finish it. Reasonably priced as well read more

Canadian Honker - Skillet breakfast and a huge English muffin. French toast in the back. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Good service even had gluten free for my wife 10 stars Our server Wes very very kind read more

Exceptional service and food! Friendly staff. We also ordered the coconut cake and took it home for later since it apparently is their signature dessert. It was so good! Will definitely go back. read more

The employees are really nice! Went in during a trip to the area, recommended by someone who had been here before. Good quality food. The chicken tenders were good. Decent coffee. I'd recommend it and would come back if I were in the area. read more

Parmesan encrusted walleye with salad of oil and lemon juice along with broccoli. Good, quick and filling. I would def come back!

Not cheap but food was great! Open faced turkey with like two cups of real mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Onion rings were good- great. Peanut butter pie dessert was really sweet but delicious. Our server was very friendly and good. No complaints here other than a bit pricey. (Salmon salad was good but light on salmon compared to other salmon salads we've had.) They have walleye special on Friday I'd like to try. Great location to St Mary. read more

Canadian Honker - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Love the food. Have eaten here. Number of times. Spendy, but delicious. I was so sad to hear they're MAGA Trump supporters. I will not be eating here again. read more

Excellent server Lizzie, she was so attentive and explained everything so well. Got the all you can eat walleye and shrimp. Pleased with the shrimp as they were large portions. Food was delicious. read more

Prompt service for us to be seated. It was pretty busy during breakfast/brunch time. The omelette was cooked as requested with additional veggies. Ambiance is loud due to it bring a busy Sunday morning. Coffee was good. They have fresh squeezed orange juice and offers alcoholic beverages as well. Overall, a great dining experience. read more

Canadian Honker - Honker omelette with pancakes and bacon and hash browns - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Wonderful food! It's a bit of a pricey place but definitely worth visiting if you're in Rochester. The restraint is clean and beautiful and the staff is always pleasant and smiling. Location has to stairs so is perfect for handicapped accessibility. And is right across the street from St Mary's hospital. read more

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We visited on a Friday, arriving about 4:30. We parked in the lot immediately behind the restaurant, which has lots of signs (as does the lot across the way) saying that the area was only parking for Canadian Honker and Caribou customers. I can only guess that people going to the hospital across the street have tried to park here all too often. The restaurant was bustling, even at this early supper time. Most of the outside seating along the sidewalk was occupied, and indoor dining was about 2/3 full as well. We were still seated promptly. The dining room had a pleasant noise level, and the decor consisted of large, fun prints of Canadian geese. How appropriate! Service was great throughout our visit. My husband ordered an Octoberfest beer (sadly, they didn't have the SXSE one listed on the special menu, but they did have Schell's) while I got a cider from local Loon Juice. We ordered a half-size appetizer of cheese curds, which was perfect for two people. The curds were from local Little Red Dairy, and they were incredibly fresh, as proven by the intense squeak! My husband ordered the all-you-can-eat Walleye and shrimp special with a side salad and fries. He LOVED this meal. Great fish, and the shrimp were plump. He did get another serving of fish and shrimp, too. Meanwhile, I had the Harvest Chicken salad, which was unique: a cup of very good chicken salad on a bed of greens, with a wonderful amount of blueberry goat cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts. It came with a raspberry vinaigrette that was tasty, but I barely used it, as I really enjoyed spearing the chicken salad and greens together. I absolutely loved this salad! Our server encouraged us to get a dessert, but we were way too full. The offerings in the case looked incredible, though, so I would very much like to try things like their coconut cake on a later visit. We already want to make a return trip here! read more

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Fantastic place walking distance from the hotel. Had hash browns with eggs and stuff. Good service, nice price. I'll be back.

My second visit to Canadian Honker this year despite being an out-of-towner. The host seated me immediately, someone brought me a water within a minute of sitting down and my server visited me very soon after. Every time I looked up, someone check in with me. Needless to say, service was top notch! I had the prime rib melt. It was very tasty although I would have preferred a little bit more rare meat. I was able to get fresh fruit on the side for no extra charge. And I just had to taste their "world famous" Bunnie's Coconut Cake for dessert, which was delicious! When I visit Rochester, MN, next time, I will certainly eat at Canadian Honker again. read more

We ate here bc it was walking distance from our hotel and the kids picked it. I wasn't expecting much. The food far exceeded my low expectations! And they do a great job with groups. It's a large space. I had a chicken wrap and fries. Huge portion, especially considering the price. Would go here again. (If I wasn't getting tacos elsewhere) read more

I was here a couple months ago, and I had the orange juice. And it was the greatest thing that has ever grazed my mouth. And now I came back I had the orange juice again and it was soooo good maybe even better than last time. It is always served cold. It's really sweet and it taste like oranges. It's amazing five stars. read more

The staff and is friendly and the location is convenient for people working or visiting family at St. Mary's. Unfortunately, the quality of the food has gone downhill significantly while the prices increased. read more

Enjoyed a nice lunch on Saturday 2/21. Overall, I would rate the food quality to be above average for the price. The waitstaff was attentive and seem to enjoy themselves as they are interacting with customers. I definitely plan on returning to explore other items on the vast menu. read more

Being in town for a few days we settled on the Canadian Honker for our evening meal. Out of so many choices this was truly a great choice. From the moment we walked in the door we sensed a friendly atmosphere. Lexi with her engaging smile greeted us warmly and escorted us to our table. Before we even settled in ice water was placed and we were welcomed by our server Christy. The menu was explained, beverage orders taken. I ordered the chicken salad on a fresh bed of romaine (hydroponic grown dispelling my fear of the dreaded bacteria making its rounds) and my husband ordered the open faced beef sandwich. Both came out of the kitchen quickly. My salad was fresh and delicious, exactly the perfect amount with the salad dressing on the side. My husband was very happy with his entree and was stuffed. It was obvious throughout the meal that the employees were happy in their jobs, resulting in friendly and prompt service. Having been in food service most of my life I really appreciate the obvious family like atmosphere provided for their staff. Oh and don't forget to order a piece of their coconut cake. We took our to go! Best decision of the day. read more

Wait staff excellent food not excellent I ordered the chicken strips and each one of them had skin left on and other tendon/cartilage it was disgusting. I didn't mention it at the restaurant because I only ate one and took the rest back to our hotel- what a disappointment to find they were all like that read more

This is a nice place, we didn't find it until our last day so we stopped by for lunch on a Friday. I was very pleased to see that they support our troops by wearing red and having we support our troops on the work shirts. I asked and they also support veterans by donating 15% on Fridays I believe. As a veteran Ill support you back. With that said we will be back next visit. Service is top notch, Cassie was great. The food was a bit blackish for me. I ordered then Golden age burger and I got bread, cheese and bacon. No condiments or anything else. Might be my falt for not asking or reading better. The cheese curds are needing a bit of spice, not much flavor profile but yet still good. We like this place and recommend I just could get to 5 starts today. If I could do 4.5 I would. read more

Great service. Enjoyed the cheddar cheese curds, melon ball martini, walleye fish sandwich and bunny cake. read more

Canadian Honker - Battered cheese curds - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Fabulous the walleye is some of the best I have had. Coconut cake is the best! Did not disappoint.service great. Ambiance is friendly.

Food was great, server was attentive, dessert was amazing! Location is fantastic, directly across from Saint Mary's Hospital, even with the construction. They're open. A great lunch! read more

We decided to go here to try the all you can eat walleye and shrimp on Fridays. The place was packed and the hostess said it was a 15 minute wait. This was at 5pm. She was about 15-20 off on her estimate. Most people had reservations, I didn't know they took reservations and we will get one next time!! Once seated the service was outstanding!!! Waitress attended our every need and the meal was served extremely fast. My guess is most ordered the fish special. Shrimp was plentiful and large. Walleye had good flavor. I ordered mashed potatoes and gravy. It's served with a beef gravy. Chunks in mashed potatoes, I prefer smooth mashed potatoes. They had very good flavor and were certainly fresh made. The waitress returned several times to as if we needed more fish or shrimp. I reordered twice and left full. Salad and garlic toast was also served with meal. Good amount of salad and the French dressing was sweet, the way I like it. Overall a great meal and this is a premium lent fish fry. $25 bucks ea but that's a good price for walleye. read more

Canadian Honker - Walleye and shrimp w/ mashed potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

A solid standby. Canadian Honker was the first place I dined at when I first visited Rochester to interview as a brand new nurse. In a new and unfamiliar town, this place offered up the comfort food. The food is always good, with reasonable prices. The service is also always good with friendly and attentive staff. Family friendly ambiance, and occasionally has live music. Good for out of towners but also popular with the locals. read more

Canadian Honker - Bunny's Coconut Cake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Came on a Sunday, it was busy but the line moved quickly. We were seated within 5-10minutes. You have to try their turtle latte which was very comforting on a cold day. Their breakfast options are all delicious, I loved their traditional omlette with ham and veggies. read more

Canadian Honker - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Ate here twice today. Breakfast was cream cheese stuffed French toast and dinner was Prime Rib sandwich. Both were amazing! Servers were both great. I'll be her another 5-7 days and most likely will be eating breakfast there every morning. Was decorated so cute in there for St Patrick's Day. read more

Canadian Honker - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Katie was our server - and she nailed it. She kept the drinks full, got the order exactly right, was attentive enough to make sure that we had everything, but not intrusive or overbearing. We shared a giant cinnamon roll, which was fantastic. One person had a breakfast burrito and said it was terrific - my wife had chicken fried steak and eggs...she said that it was almost as good as homemade (high praise!) I had salmon Benedict and hashbrowns - and it was perfectly done. The service was excellent, and the food was just as good - we've always enjoyed the Honker, and taking out of town guests there is always a safe bet! read more

I came here for that Coconut Cake. In town for a short few days, looking for the unique places or things to get, and I'm always a fan of a good Coconut Cake. Stopped in here really quick to get some to go. The young dude at the register was pretty cool, I saw the showcase of desserts and asked what the best thing was - and of course he said the Coconut Cake! That chocolate cake with jam looked awesome too, but I don't want to end up across the street in the ER due to sugar overload. I asked how much? He said $7. I was like - gee whiz dude - and then he says "well it's currently on sale now, 2 for 1, because we got too much Coconut Cake". Well hot diggity damn dude let's do this! He got me packaged up and those Coconut Cakes are large marge and super soft too. I gave the extra one to my dad and his wife, took a couple of bites when i got home - and wow - yes, I can confirm, it's really good Coconut Cake and I was even more happier getting such a great deal! This place is quite busy, and I would make this a regular visit if I lived in the area, but hot diggity if you're in the mood for some good Coconut Cake - look no further! read more

Food was delicious Loved sitting outside Fun with husband and our dog!! Our waitress was very sweet. read more

Canadian Honker - YUMMY the Onion Rings were truly great!!! I also had a Lemonade Cake Martini that was delicious. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

We ate here because it was walking distance from our hotel. Our server was very nice. We ordered steaks. They were ok. The cheese curds and salad were really good. The restaurant was very clean. I would eat there again and not get the steak. read more

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Stopped for lunch this past Thursday after clinic appointments. We had a very good lunch and an outstanding service. The chicken corn chowder was fabulous! I will repeat when in town at this time again. read more