We just arrived in town and a local recommended this restaurant. Wow! It was fantastic! The coconut shrimp were huge, the wild rice soup was delicious, and the walleye was cooked to perfection. They also bring you a freshly baked loaf of bread & butter with the dinner meal. We would definitely go here again. read more

We had lunch today at the Forest Lake Restaurant. My wife ordered the coconut shrimp salad. It was a nice mix of greens with breaded and deep fried and was crunchy, not greasy and delicious. It also came with a yummy garlic bread stick. Dressing was very light, could have used more. I ordered the walleye sandwich. It was a nice size walleye filet breaded and deep fried and served on a bogie style bun. The fish was great, the bun was stale and I didn't eat it. I had a side of baked beans which appeared to be home made. They were dark, had a distinct molasses flavor. Just delicious! I think I'd have to try the burgers. Saw one go by, looked good. read more

Never been to the steak house which is located just below the restaurant. We went to the host stand. We were greeted and seated at our table by the window overlooking the lake. Our waiter was Trevor and was amazing at recommendations on for selections! He made my husbands and I'd first steakhouse trip there a blast! I started off with a Malbec wine and my husband and I started off with seafood stuffed mushrooms. The mushrooms were good but not excellent. We did get complimentary bread and butter. The bread and butter were very good as a starter a well. The steak Gorgonzola on the other hand was hands down amazing. Only thinking I would just get some crumbled Gorgonzola; I received a very good size slice or chunk of cheese on top of my steak. My steak was cooked perfectly! This is an entree I would definitely recommend! My husband had a ribeye and upgraded to have fettuccine with his ribeye. The steak unfortunately was more like a sirloin and cooked a little to long for liking. Overall our experience was made great with our server! He definitely made the experience worth while. Very attentive of our table! read more

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If you are staying the night in Grand Rapids and need somewhere to eat you will leave Forest Lake sated but not impressed. Menu items have mediocre execution, decor is outdated, and service is passable. I wasn't disappointed overall, but the whole experience left me with a feeling of mediocrity, My wife and I were in town for a wedding, and we wanted to grab some food at a local restaurant. The steak house in our hotel seemed pricey and didn't have the best reviews so we settled on Forest Lake. Upon arrival we were seated right away in the basement. The area was dimly lit with dark carpeting and a log cabin feel Our server came by to take our drink orders. The tap list was fairly limited and what I would expect from a small bar (the "big classics" Coors, Guinness, Blue Moon). The most interesting tap beer was from Alaskan Brewing, which I settled on. I ended up ordering the Northwoods Canadian Walleye, which came with a soup or salad. I went with the French onion soup, which was served at an extremely hot temperature and was over-seasoned with salt. My Walleye was under seasoned and had no detectable salt on it what so ever. I ended up doctoring it with malt vinegar (which I asked for) and salt. For some reason the plate had a flower on it as garnish. In general plating should not include inedible items (no I didn't try to eat it). By far the best part of my meal was the twice baked potato. It was cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of cheese and meat in it. I think venturing out to Forest Lake if you're in the area is worth it just for this perfect potato. For the most part our service was acceptable and attentive enough. At the end of the meal our check was dropped, and we didn't see the server again for about 20 minutes. read more

Forest Lake Restaurant - Northwoods Canadian Walleye - Nightlife Near Me - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

As soon as we walked in, I was excited to try the food. We came in for lunch and the busy parking lot was definitely a good sign. The restaurant side of the business has a rustic, cabin vibe and the kids loved it. Service was super as our server was knowledgeable and helpful with recommendations. We got mozzarella sticks for an appetizer and they were out fast. 10 came on the plate! The portions are definitely large. One of our kids had a burger with crinkle fries (actually waffle fries) and the other ordered plain wings with ranch. Both ate well and said their food was good. My husband had the pulled pork barbecue sandwich (which was on a big hoagie bun) with fries and I had the pulled pork burrito. The pork tasted amazing but was dry. I could have used more sauce poured over the burrito. The dry pork mixed with rice and the flour tortilla made for a chewy bite. My husband said the barbecue sauce helped his sandwich. Neither the burrito or sandwich was warm. The kids had a good lunch but we were disappointed in our meals. It's an OK place to go and outside of chains, it's one of the only options downtown. read more

After a long day paddling your kayak, you can really work up an appetite. Why not satiate it at Forest Lake Restaurant & Lounge? You can order a big steak or huge ribs or walleye and get a gigantic side of the famous twice-baked potatoes or one of their soups. Beer cheese soup maybe?! The food is straightforward. It fills you up, that's for sure. And it's mostly pleasant. No, I suppose there's not a lot of finesse or subtlety, but didn't you say you were looking to satiate the hunger you worked up out on the lake? Mission accomplished, right? read more

Forest Lake Restaurant - Half rack and walleye - Nightlife Near Me - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Great restaurant and strongly recommended. Some of the best ribs ever, and excellent steak. Don't miss the creamy Minnesota wild rice soup if available. Taylor was our wonderful server, and she was as professional and courteous as she is lovely. The only disappointment was that the desserts were not homemade, but we didn't need them. Beautiful view out the back (see photos), especially if you can get a window table. read more

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The downstairs dinners are absolutely amazing. Especially the Prime rib - we miss seeing it open . But we do get to see the staff upstairs & they are always so sweet & nice . Prices are on point . Wish they'd have the hot prime sandwich back again ! That was one of our whole families favorites . We have been going here now for 11 yrs . 1st place we ate at when we arrived . read more

It is a great place if you want a good local place in Grand Rapids. They have really good breakfast. If you go there try the hash brown omelet read more

Was hoping their was more lake selections! What I had was good, would recommend. One issue was food and appetizers came out together!

Delicious lunch! We were sat immediately. Our server was really attentive. I had the walleye sandwich with a cup of their fantastic chicken wild rice soup. They were both excellent. Hubby had a burger that he said was delicious. It looked really good! We are looking forward to stopping here again when we're in the area! read more

Not many good, comfortable sit down restaurants here in Grand Rapids, but the hotel staff recommended it. The brisket was moist and delicious! The Walleye fillet was obviously prebreaded and frozen. It was just okay. The strawberry butter kicked it! If you don't try the homemade Au Gratin potatoes, you're nuts. Best ever! Warm atmosphere. Great waitress and service! Not overall fantastic, but you gotta try it! It's hard to give anyone 5 stars. read more

Super friendly bartender. We are here for unlimited pork rib night for $11:95. We did not reorder. See photo. read more

Forest Lake Restaurant - First course! - Nightlife Near Me - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Love this restaurant! Never had a bad meal here! Their twice baked stuffed potatoes are delicious, the ribs and steaks are very good too. They have a strawberry butter for the bread that I so love! Love the woodsy atmosphere and you can look out at the lake when you eat downstairs which is where we almost always go. Also they have delicious breakfast meals upstairs and lunch items. Great restaurant, one of our favorites for all meals! read more

Stopped in again for dinner. Disappointed in both the food and the service. I had the 'signature' ribs and they were dry and the homemade sauce not tasty at all. Price point was ok, but the salad was not fresh and the 'fresh bread' was soggy and cold. Service was inattentive and very slow. Could have been an off night, but I won't be returning since there are much better options in town. read more

We stopped here on our drive from ND to MN based on the Yelp reviews. Im out here on a business trip from NJ and been to some good steakhouses. Let me tell you the reviews didn't do it justice. We had the potato skins and boneless wings for appetizer which were very tasty. For dinner I had the 6oz sirloin and brisket combo. The steak was cooked perfectly and tasted fantastic. However, the brisket might have been the best I've ever tasted. If I ever get back to the area I will certainly stop in again. read more

Food has went down hill and so has the building save your money and go somewhere else i wont be back

We had soup, which was homemade and hot (temperature) which was welcomed since it's so cold today! We also had salads. Chicken Cesar salad was okay. Mine was the raspberry wonton shrimp salad. This was fantastic! Huge portions and super fresh. Would recommend for sure. The kitchen was cranking out lots of great looking food in huge portions. read more

Stayed at the motel (same name - recommend that too, btw..), but ate breakfast here 3 x's - highly recommend. Great service, had a thermos mug of Jo within :30 of sitting. Breakfasts are fast and good value. 2nd floor view of woods and lake. Had the smoked sausage special - also berry pancakes - both awesome! Go here. read more

Forest Lake Restaurant - Nightlife Near Me - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Their food rocks. Best smothered chicken I have had. So far at here three times and each time was great. My only complaint is no baked potato before dinner menu. read more

This IS my favorite steakhouse in town. Good Food, Good service! The only issue is it is difficult to get a reservation at the last minute. I know, I know I should plan ahead but sometimes it is just not possible. However, I DO recommend it to travelers all the time as the best place to eat in town (love the BBQ ribs) and will continue to do so. read more

Food and service are great, the downstairs Steak House is really good if you don't mind spending some $$$ read more

Forest Lake Restaurant - Nightlife Near Me - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Delightful Sirloin steaks with yummy baked potatoes. The salad dressings were homemade thousand island, ranch, and blue cheese dressing....which was delicious!!! The waitess was so accommodating with fresh coffee and extra creams. And she was so sweet about our "service dog" who accompanied us to dinner on a busy Monday Night...right? Yup....packed on Monday Night!!!! We. Actually turned around on US2 to eat there as the parking lot was absolutely packed! Great rustic up north atmosphere...and decor...and very clean NOT grungy. I am picky and this was winner on US2! read more

Love everything about FLake. Their food is amazing. I would recommend it to everyone@

Fast breakfast service. Biscuit & gravy skillet was flavorful but smaller than I imagined, so I ordered an additional side of their smoked sausage, which was was also very tasty but not heated thoroughly. A great establishment with delicious food that is popular with the locals. read more

Tip top service, excellent food, and reasonable prices. The top floor restaurant is my favorite. Always satisfied with my meal. Breakfasts are good too. read more

I have never had anything go wrong in my experiences going there. Nice thing is they accept Apple Pay. For the price the food is good too. I don't really have much to say other than that. read more

This used to be my favorite upper scale steak house in Grand Rapids. The last time I was here for a meal it wasn't great. Tonite for my bday dinner it was worse. Tough chicken in the chic teriyaki salad, over done and chewy shrimp. The salad was fine. The free bday cheesecake was to die for. As was our server. She was efficient and friendly and very good at her job. Upstairs. 9/20 at 6pm. read more

After eating here quite a few times for lunch and dinner over the past few months I think I need to slightly downgrade my previous review. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, but it looks as though their "cheapness" in failure to upgrade/update has started to rub off into the food. The German Reuben used to be my favorite! Now they have clearly changed the ham... and probably the pork and cheese and the quality and flavor are just not there. It was my mainstay and honestly I probably will never order it again. Tonight was also terrible. I ordered the pulled pork burrito... also one I keep going back to because it's always good. It came out on lettuce surrounded by raw red and green peppers (yuck!) This is NOT what the menu says... I and many in my family have ordered this before and it is served over cilantro lime rice. So the waitress says she'll get a side of rice then comes out and tells me they have put the rice inside. I cut it open and yep... there it was. NOT where it was supposed to be so I'm stuck with my rice inside and disgusting peppers all over my plate. So I refused to to eat it and just shared the meal of another at our table. Honestly she handled it terribly... I do think she was fairly new, but it was terrible. I did not get what I ordered, I got crap I hate on my plate and didn't get so much as an apology, instead I'm told the rice is on the plate ... inside the burrito so it's all good.... ummmm you don't understand.... it's not all good, but you stick to your story and I'll just write a review. Then we ordered a kids meal and didn't get our ice cream... probably could have asked for it so not what I'm basing my stars on here... but we weren't spending any more time there this evening. Poor show tonight, sadly just another in a somewhat more regular line of poor shows. :( read more

Perfect for a dinner out on our stay to Grand Rapids area. We scoured yelp to find a place to eat and this place looked fun. We had the nicest server I think I have ever met. I kind of wish she could have come on the rest of our vacation with us. Menu had everything you could want at a great price. That coupled with very affordable drinks made for a fantastic dinner. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we will be back on our next trip! read more

This is classic Northwoods dining. Dinner is good, breakfast is good, and lunch is good. The service is good, and Minnesotans don't call just everything good. There can be a wait, but I think it's worth it. read more

We stopped overnight in Grand Rapids and were looking for a good place for breakfast. We came across this place and what a fantastic choice. The atmosphere is great. It looks like a lodge with big windows overlooking the lake. The service was fantastic. The waitresses were all walking around at a quick pace and taking care of of everything very quickly. It is not too often you see such hustle great customer service. This food was great. I had a ham and cheese omelet with hash browns. The omelet was good and the hash towns had a nice crisp on them. The other people at our table had a regular egg platters and a smoked sausage scramble. The smoked sausage scramble was really good. All and all, this is a great place for breakfast. The good is great, the service is amazing and the prices are very reasonable. I would recommend this to anyone looking for breakfast. read more

How can you run a steakhouse if you don't know how to cook a steak? My steak was burned outside and raw/cold inside. I am not a professional cook but I'm sure I can do better. If you ever experienced a real steakhouse you will be frustrated with this place. read more

Best place in town! Friendly service, food is A+, not that expensive, has full bar & romantic tables if you prefer. Downstairs Steak House is more spendy but well worth it!!! Group Rm Upstairs also. read more

Only go to this place if you don't want to eat!! We sat for 20 minutes waiting to order & finally got up and left, it wasn't that busy!!

We lived in Grand Rapids a few years ago. Forest Lake Restaurant was our go to restaurant if we wanted great food with a wonderful dining experience. Recently when visiting the area with a group of friends, we suggested dining at Forest Lake. Unfortunately, things have really changed and not for the better. The food was not worth the price ~ everything from burgers to steak. *Meals were cold, flavorless, small portions that were poorly presented. The meals ordered look nothing like the photos on the website. *The ribs, which we highly recommended, were dry, more bone than meat and the sauce looked like a glob of tomato paste that was added as an afterthought. *A small colorless chicken breast was served alone on a huge plate. The side of a gratin potato's was not on the plate. *The chicken wild rice soup was a thick white sauce with barely any wild rice or chicken. *Those that requested Ranch for their salad received Blue Cheese *Two friends ordered the exact same meal because they both love mushrooms. One plate had so many mushrooms you couldn't see anything else and the other plate had only two small mushrooms. The service was also very poor. *Only a couple salads and soups were brought before the entrée, others once the entrée arrived and some not at all. *The waitress brought everyone strawberry butter (even if bread was not included with their meal) saying how delicious the warm small loaves of bread are, and then never brought ANY bread to the table. *Sides (rice, French fries, baked potato's) that should have come with the meals had to be asked for and like above some did not get their sides at all. We will ask once when something is "forgotten but not twice. *Those that ordered steaks were told they would have to wait because their steaks had been used on other customers orders. This explains when the steaks finally came, the medium well and the medium rare were very rare. * At the very end, when the waitress was passing out checks was the only time she asked if we wanted something else to drink. Why even ask at this point? Apparently, the hostess knows not to ask how everything was. I expressed that things have really changed since our last visit. Her reply, it's hard to find help. We will not recommend Forest Lake to anyone after telling others of how wonderful it is only to be embarrassed when actually dining there. read more

Great place for lunch. Get the walleye sandwich! Nice view. Downstairs dining--steaks, chops.

Stopped in for lunch on our way through GR. Our server, Britt, was excellent- so attentive but not in an annoying way. Food was delicious and a total bargain. Portions were huge. Beautiful view of the lake out of huge (and clean!) windows. Would definitely go back! read more

We enjoyed our lunch and had great service. We were seated at a window overlooking the lake which I'm sure would have been a much nicer view once it thawed! We loved the Asian Chicken Wings appetizer! It came with a cabbage slaw that was also appealing. My husband thought his stir fry was outstanding. My butterflied shrimp were obviously from a frozen food box but still tasty--just nothing special. The french fries were better than average. All in all we wouldn't hesitate to try it again when we're in the area. read more

I can't believe I ironed a dress shirt for this place. The chicken and wild rice soup was pretty good. The ribeye unremarkable. The whistling waitress gave us the bums rush with the check. read more