We had such an amazing experience our first time we went back again. Waitresses are super friendly and bus boys are kind. Prices are reasonable. Food is delicious!! Love the cheese curds and pickle fries. The wasabi sauce is great and not overly spicy. They have indoor and outdoor seating. We have enjoyed the patio both times we were there. We would highly recommend. read more

Cowboys is always a hit. They have the best burgers and their monthly specials are always delicious! The staff are all so friendly and make every visit feel like a special occasion. It is the ultimate local hangout as well as a place for visitors to get a great meal. Here are photos of the April specials. read more

Cowboys - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

See all

We've been coming to this are of MN for 30+ years for vacation and always eating at our favorite standbys (Ernie's, Rafferty's, Bar Harbor, etc) and while we still do like and visit these places regularly, we finally found Cowboy's this year after buying a cabin nearby and it has become a total go-to for us. It's a very no-frills vibe as others have mentioned. Their food is so good (I am addicted to their beer battered fries!), the service is always prompt and friendly, and their prices are super-reasonable. This place always seems to be hopping with locals and for good reason. I need to branch out and try a few other things on their menu, but my current faves have been the grown-up grilled cheese and their meatball sub! read more

Service amazing! Our food was delicious to the last bite! Always make this our annual go to! read more

Cowboys - BLT - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

See all

Great hidden gem! One 9f the best burgers in the Brainerd Lakes area! Excellent, friendly service. The kind of place you like to keep a secret, but want to tell others so they thrive! No frills on the inside, just a great up north, come as you are vibe. read more

The inside is pretty small, but they have a huge deck space, which would be really nice in the warmer months! We ordered pickle fries and cheese curds as appetizers and both were great! The pickle fries had a small hint of spice and the cheese curds were perfectly battered and the accompanying dipping sauce was delicious. For my main I got the Inferno Burger with sweet potato fries. Again, both were super good! The burger had a nice kick to it and the marshmallow sauce that came with the sweet potato fries was heavenly. The only complaint I have is that our server was a little pushy and then absent after taking our order. They didn't come back until we asked for the bill. read more

Cowboys - Inferno Burger and sweet potato fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

Spent a fall weekend in beautiful Brainerd and went out for dinner and drinks one night at Cowboys. We were totally looking for a dive, and we found exactly what we were looking for at Cowboys. It was a little busy, but the wait to get a table (at 7pm on a Friday no less) wasn't bad! Very typical dive set up and ambiance (simple tables and chairs-- easy to wipe down, move around, etc. Not a lot of decoration, but no real need for it.) For FOOD: Caprese burger (weekly special) The burger was really good and I would get it again! Came with mozzarella cheese, tomato, and a balsamic sauce. I upgraded my chips to the Mac and cheese and originally was going to get the beer Mac and cheese, but the waitress said their normal Mac was better. It came out and was literally kraft Mac and cheese... not sure what the beer Mac would have looked like! Overall this is a friendly dive, and you get what you expect, besides the kids Mac maybe. read more

Cowboys - Caprese burger with (kids) Mac and cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

My family stayed at a local resort and stopped here for dinner. The ambiance was cozy; seems like the locals come here often as the wait staff interact with them. It was dinner rush when we arrived and our waitress was able to check on us often. The food was good. We shared an 18 pieces mini corn dogs. I ordered the Dave's Outlaw burger. The hay sticks/deep fried onions on the burger was good. We also had a 6 & 10 year old kids with us and I was appreciative that they offered refills for the kids drink since our 6yo down his chocolate milk before food was served. read more

Cowboys - Mini Corn Dogs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

See all

Poor service! Seating for 2 people is basically non existent if you want to sit outside! We left without ordering dinner! They need a new manager! we arrived before opening and proceeded to the line for check-in. There were already people on the patio that had placed themselves in the dining area area on the patio. It was just two of us and we were told we needed to sit along the wall with high top seating. The seating was uncomfortable, and there was several tables with three and four places for people to sit that we were not allowed to sit there. Staff was rude when we asked if we could sit at the table where there was three chairs, I was told no. When we left there was still two tables with three and six chairs available on these seat seats. Long story short, no one was having dinner at these seats. OK, we understand the seating arrangements are complicated. The waitress was extremely rude though when we asked if we could have accommodation on these seats outside!. We will not be back. We left and went to Ernie's on Gull! . It's always a great atmosphere and the service is wonderful. read more

bluegill great!! know this a local business owner and local sports bar - staff need education on how to listen a little better - MN Prep Football weekend but staff don't care read more

This is a great little find with a delightfully eclectic menu. It seems to be meant for the fan of a hole in the wall who is also looking for something more than a greasy burger and fries. We took a chance and sat outside, the weekend after Labor Day, and were rewarded with some nice sunshine and a quiet street of people watching. I ordered the chicken avocado sandwich with sweet potato fries, the Mr the pulled pork sandwich with beer battered fries. I was expecting some ranch or sour cream for the sweet potato fries, instead, there was this crazy mish mash of marshmallow, tobacco, ketchup, and magic. It was like thanksgiving in the summer, with a little kick. Yes! The Mr said his sandwich had a great sauce and the fries were seasoned well, cooked well, and crispy. He said he beer batter on them was excellent. Our server was sweet and attentive, checking in at all the right times. We are glad to come back again and try some other tempting menu options. read more

See all

Cowboys, hands down makes, the best burger and fry combo I've ever had. We go here at least twice each annual vacation with our family. Today for the first time, I ventured away from the burger and went with the walleye sandwich and was just as impressed. My only complaint/advice is not to go to Cowboys with the plan of eating lunch around 11-12 on the weekend. They serve breakfast until noon and we didn't get our food until 1:25 PM. This isn't a criticism more so just a word of advice if anyone was thinking what we were thinking. read more

Cowboys - Walleye Sandwich with beer battered Fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

Totally worth the drive. Great arcade area for kids that is separate enough to not interrupt other patrons. Their burger we had was great and the sweet potato fries were awesome. Large drink menu and enough of a variety on their regular menu to be sure to have something for everyone. read more

Cowboys - Arcade - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

The ambiance at Cowboys is good. It is a smaller restaurant so it can feel a little crowded when it's busy. It was very busy on a Saturday night. The service is very good. They are very friendly and accommodating. They changed the TV station when my husband wanted to see the World Cup. The food is great. I had the walleye sandwich with battered (crispy) fries. It was delicious. The prices on the menu are higher than the prices online, which is a little misleading. Minus one star for that. Otherwise it's great. read more

This was the worst service we have ever had. We were told from the start there was a 45 min wait and we were ok with that. At that time they also said 45 wait time on food. We were ok with that too. But, that wasn't the case. Food took 2 and a half hours to get appetizers. We believed in the server Ayla when she continued to tell us 15-30 min more for our dinner. We were dining with 3 kids and by the time we hit a little over 2 hours for our food we decided to cut our losses and get our check. At that point we were told our food was up next but after staying and being told 15-30 minutes over and over our belief in them diminished over time. There were never apologies. There were never offerings of raw veggies to hold us over. Nothing. So disappointed after being recommended to try them out. If you are short staffed don't seat all the tables. If you are short staffed in the kitchen, cut capacity so the kitchen can keep up. Instead you allowed horrible service for the entire restaurant. read more

One of my favorite local places to eat with kids but especially without. Always great food and great service. THE BEST CHEESE CURDS!!!! read more

Cowboys - Mrs. D's Salad, house with ranch - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

See all

Good food, great service, nice atmosphere. We had a 9 month old with us and everything was quick. We had sandwiches and all were very good. read more

Great burgers and tasty food but I'm disappointed. If only they would allow substitutions on the sides without charging an arm and a leg, I would probably eat here regularly. Overall I think it's a little over priced, especially with such in flexibility in pleasing the customer. However, the servers are wonderful! read more

The cheese curds are awesome! We also enjoyed the meatball sub. Highly recommend this place.

Had breakfast here a few times and I think it really comes down to who the cook is and if it will be a hit or miss the omelettes I just have to say I wouldn't recommend HOWEVER getting chocolate chip blueberry pancakes i 100% would you might feel like a bloated whale after eatting it all but it's highly delicious!!! Dinner food is always great you never can go wrong with a good burger and fries! A bit over pricey in some areas just to add bacon or more cheese I can understand charging but I think they overcharge a bit in those areas ‍ The sweet potato fries are great more sweet than a salty flavor Ive had before in sweet potato fries comes with great dipping sauces. My grandma however comes here quiet often being a local and has had some more unfortunate times with rock hard bacon and flimsy old looking lettuce so in those cases im really not sure all restaurants are bound to have a bad night but Its not going to keep me away I dont think. I saw they added an impossible burger and avocado fries for vegetarians and even though im not vegetarian I plan on trying next time! read more

Cowboys - chicken avocado BLT with sweet potato fries! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

Love this local haunt. Great friendly staff, fantastic burgers although I am a true fan of their sunshine salad with grilled chicken! Food is fresh and made to order so even the little wait is so worth it. They pour great drinks too! Noel and Crystal are among the great staff!!! Always great service with a smile read more

Cowboy's was my favorite restaurant we ate at in Brainerd. They have a great selection of apps, salads, burgers & sandwiches. We ordered the cucumber appetizer which is just what it sounds like; a plate of (really good) cucumbers. I ordered the Cowboy's Catch which was tilapia. My girlfriends ordered burgers which smelled even better than they looked! My sandwich was fresh & delicious. For dessert we ordered fried ice cream. I'd never tried it before but I most certainly will try it again! Our service was fantastic & the owner even stopped by our table to give us beads for mardi gras. I'll definitely return when I'm back in Brainerd! read more

My burger bun was so soggy it was nasty and fries were even worse not good. I even asked for my fries to be crispy they couldn't even get that right,this is not the first time this has happened can't even get what you asked for. That's not good read more

When traveling, it is good practice to ask where the "locals" go. As for Cowboy's, it is the place where locals go. (I am one.) Went there tonight to have my favorite fish sandwich. Delicious as usual. Enjoyed a pint of Gull Dam Scotch Ale, which is a local beer from Gull Dam Brewing that Cowboy's has on tap. Goes perfectly with any sandwich or burger that Cowboy's has on their menu. Love this place as well as the staff! Cheers! read more

The food is AMAZING at Cowboys and drinks are Off the charts good! My kids also choose Cowboys for their birthday meals...love it!

Very nice place! Friendly easy going atmosphere. The service was great and the food was fresh and really good. We had boneless bbqued wings, (so yummy!) cheeseburgers and fries. Prices were average. Glad we found this little place. Definitely worth the stop. read more

Always great! Try the fish sandwich! The fish sticks are great as well. Everything is very well done here! read more

Cowboys - Summer shandy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Shore, Minnesota

Favorite spot to visit when I'm home. Crystal is the best! Great pours in drinks and good taps. The breakfast is great too.

Tired from our flight and hungry. Waited 1:15 minutes to be served and then the food was just "ehh". Don't bother...other choices.

Cowboy's is a must stop whenever I'm up in the Brainerd Lakes area. The food is excellent, but the reason for my five star review is the unbelievably fantastic service. I have never encountered a staff more friendly, courteous, and accommodating. Luke, especially, is a joy. No matter how busy they are, he maintains a smile and rapport with every guest. I can't speak highly enough about this place. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will leave you more than satisfied. There can often be a little bit of a wait in the kitchen, but it's 100% worth it as they ensure every plate comes out perfect. They value quality over speed, and that's how every restaurant should operate. read more

Just stopped for a drink. Very small inside, but friendly crowd. Nothing exceptional.

Our four-year old wanted mini corn dogs and Cowboys was the only menu in the Nisswa area we could find that had them. Although Yelp said not good for kids we went anyway and we're so glad we did. Cowboys had a great kids menu, a game room and the dining area was perfect for kids. We met some kind locals as well that gave us some ideas on how to spend our weekend! read more

I have been coming to Cowboy's for over a year and have never been disappointed . The half pound burgers are awesome, the best in the area. My wife loves their pulled pork sandwich and we both get the beer battered fries. The staff is always friendly and attentive, usually meeting you at the door when you arrive. Very large selection of beers as well. They have a nice outdoor patio and our friends were able to bring their dog who sat under the table and enjoyed whatever crumbs fell his way. I have to try the rest of the menu sometime but love the burgers too much! read more

Food was sub-par, $100 tab for 4 people, 2 beers and the rest was main item on the menu

Had lunch there today food was good and great service. Had there're Blazin burger very tasty along with sweet potatoe fries, will be back.

Possibly one of the best restaurants in the Gull Lake area! Its a great place to stop for a bite if you don't like the hustle and bustle of places on Gull Lake. Great staff, a beautiful dining area, and a great patio. Not a huge menu but its quality over quantity. They have the best sandwiches around. Every time I come up north I always have to stop at Cowboys! read more

Nothing special and overpriced - Burgers are run of the mill at best. Fries are of the frozen variety. Drinks are overpriced.

Great food and service! We had the Cowboy's Catch sandwich (Talapia) and sweet potato fries and it was delicious.

Ryan S. is a classic example of the phrase "you can't please all of the people all of the time". I have been a customer here since they opened. The burgers are the best in the area, the fries are FRESH CUT, and the staff are super friendly. As far as the prices go, they are average for the area. If you don't want to spend $8 for a half pound hamburger, then go to McDonald's. Eat here, and you won't be disappointed. If you're disappointed, let the owner know when she greets you at the door, and she will make it right. read more

Food is tasty but considerably over priced. Cowboys is not a supper club and I am now eating at places that offer better value for my money.