Insula is our go-to night out spot when we come to Ely, we love it! We first visited in 2015, just after they opened, on my first (and my husband's millionth, haha) trip to the BWCA. It was great then, and as we have visited every 1-2 years since then, it's still great! We love the food variety, the presentation, the creativity. We've always had great service, whether we come alone or with the kids we've had since 2015. Highly recommend dinner here! It gets busy in the summer, regardless of the day, so just a heads up to be prepared/flexible. read more

Delicious and so cute! I tried their forager burger and it was fantastic. I'm not usually a fan of homemade chips, which was the side for the burger, but these were so delicious. Whatever seasoning they put on those chips is perfection! My partner ordered their truffle Mac and cheese and that was also fantastic. The perfect amount of truffle to cheese ratio. The staff here were extremely kind! I would definitely come back here. read more

Delicious food, warm and inviting atmosphere. The fried chicken was the best I'd had in ages. My daughter got the chicken wild-rice pot pie--also excellent. Husband had salmon and wild rice side. Highly recommend this gastropub! read more

The food was good the wait staff was not that friendly maybe she was having a bad day. The place was not that full so the food did come out fast. My wife really likes the Japanese fish stew read more

This is always a place I try to hit when I'm in Ely, and this year we ended up there twice, once for dinner before setting into the Boundary Waters and one for lunch when we came back. It's got a reliably good beer list both tap and can, and some of the best food in Ely, not afraid of spice and unusual flavors. The burgers are where I tend to end up, they're well cooked and always substantial after a long day. At lunch, this is the only place in town to get a decent salad, and my partner liked her Reuben. The one bad piece of news is that the cocktails have gone downhill from two years ago. They're just not as creative or interestingly flavored. Those we enjoyed better at the supper club down the street. read more

What a pleasant surprise in Ely! Service is great, food delicious and cocktails superb. We enjoyed a dinner and a lunch there recently . Dinner entrees included the ribeye, pork chops, chicken pot pie, and the fish entree. All excellent and great flavors. Our lunch selections were the bison burger with sweet potato fries and the turkey club with sweet potato fries. Both were so so good. Restaurant was busy for both visits. Wait staff is efficient and noise level about moderate. If you have not tried this restaurant yet, my question is WHY NOT? Food is great, staff is efficient and cocktails are perfect! We will be back on our next trip to the Northwoods! read more

Insula - Bison burger with sweet potato fries - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

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In town for a golf trip. Came up from Giants Ridge after seeing the reviews for this place. As usual they were right! Very busy and a small wait on a Friday night which is a good problem for them to have! We sat at the bar and ordered the chicken pot pies which were highly recommended along with the Fried Chicken. The pies were excellent. Came out in a timely manner for as busy as the kitchen was and the crust was perfectly flakey and came out warm and not so hot that it burns your mouth for 3 days. Ambiance is nice to enjoy the food and still have a good conversation. Highly recommend if you're in town. read more

Which bartender puts a shot of water in a Manhattan? Nasty. Food was okay, drinks were expensive and watered down. Yuck. $72 for a quick lunch! Well, not quick... service was very slow despite the place being half empty. read more

We had a good experience at insula. It was a nice to be able to get something besides burgers and greasy food. I had the soup of the day which was amazing. My Waldorf salad was okay. Great presnstatin lion but a little too much dressing for my liking. I would defiantly come back and get something else a try. read more

Insula - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

Ordered burgers. They were so salty my wife was unable to eat it. Complained without satisfaction. We will not return.

Great food. Great service. Getting there early is definitely the ticket. Wait staff was amazing

Delish! We were glad we went to an early dinner because shortly after we got there the place started to fill up! And with good reason. We both had burgers and they were so good! It was a great place to eat while visiting Ely. read more

If you're on the fence about where to go for dinner in Ely, go here. You will not regret it. They make so many of the components in house. The Disputed Island burger was honestly one of the top two burgers I've ever eaten...ever! The housemade kimchi can't be beat, and I loved the tangy Korean bbq sauce. The chips looked overdone, but they weren't at all. They were perfectly crunchy. I also enjoyed the bonus side bread & butter pickles. My finicky husband loved the pulled pork tacos. While here, we ordered: Spritz cocktail, Bent Paddle pale ale Pulled pork tacos The Norm Disputed Island read more

Insula - Disputed Island burger w/ housemade chips, Housemade bread & butter pickles. - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

Our family ate here on a recent visit to Ely. You forget that you're in Ely when you step inside. The service and food were very good. I highly recommend! read more

Whoooooo, this place was excellent. The French Onion Grilled Cheese LITERALLY tasted like a bowl of soup in a hot sandwich. I didn't add bacon, but I'm sure that is like an additional flavor bomb. I really enjoyed the baked goat cheese app. I can take or leave goat cheese, but I wanted to take allllll the goat cheese at Insula. And there was the perfect amount of goat cheese to liberally spread on the crusty bread. The things I didn't love (but it wasn't bad enough to give less than five stars): Their house-made pickles were bread and butter, I was hoping for a sharp vinegary dill. The house-made chips could have used a lot more seasoning. The seating was confusing, they said they don't take reservations and it's "first come first serve"; but then the hostess was calling people letting them know their table was ready. I don't get it. I do not visit Ely regularly, but if I did, I'd stop here every time. read more

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Good food and sandwich was tasty. Didn't care for it served hot vs when they served it cold but homemade chips were great. read more

Insula - Muffuletta sandwich - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

This place has some hype. People say it's good. i'm not saying it's bad, but I don't see the fervor. The menu is typical - artisanal salads, burgers with fries, and some specials, which were a ribeye and fresh catch on the day we were there. I hear the wonton tacos are fabulous. They have a limited cocktail menu which rotates. That was cool. I had the Ely-fied old fashion. It was tasty and it had that large square ice cube. Nice touch. For beer, they have quite the menu. Unfortunately, they did not have the beer I wanted. While it was on the menu, I guess it was sold out? So i settled with only the one cocktail. We saw a bunch of food coming out, for guests nearby us. Nothing really caught my eye, other than the new york style cheesecake topped with blueberry sauce. I would totally get that, and I'm not a big cheesecake person. But the thought of local blueberry sauce goes a long way! The bar is in the middle of the restaurant and gives a great view. There were plenty of tables as well. We did not have to wait to be seated. Service at the bar was quick. Was difficult to understand the bartender through her mask. The restaurant can get quite noisy. Parking is on the street. read more

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Great atmosphere, service, and food. I would recommend this venue to anyone coming through Ely. read more

Insula - Disputed Island Burger - burger, pulled pork, Korean bbq, kimchi, and jalapeños. Fire!!!!! - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

This is an absolute must if you are in Ely. I highly recommend stopping either before or after a Boundary Water trip. You do not want to miss out on this gem! Staff are wonderful and so friendly! I've been here a few times over the years, and I'm always just impressed by the prices, drinks, and food quality. I just love this restaurant so much. Every time I go there I order something new, but here what I've tried so far: *Taj Mahal Burger *Bison Burger *American Dream You honestly can't go wrong with anything here. Notes: -It does get busy, ESPECIALLY during holidays/summer. Try to get a reservation or go early. Seriously, don't miss out on this gem. read more

We were looking for a place to celebrate my birthday. A group of 7 with varied likes (parents needed fish Friday, midwestern taste, anti inflammatory diet, etc.) Insula did not disappoint! We all loved our food. I got fried chicken which sounds like nothing special, but it was delicious! Crispy with great mash side. Lily's burger was good, juicy not hard overcooked. Walleye sandwiches were big portions. Flatbread pizza with balsamic is a treat. My only change I would make is beer. I don't know they had draft which I prefer. Go here. It's good! read more

The food is amazing. In all fairness I had just canoed all day and was starving, but I think I could have eaten two+ of what I ordered! I highly recommend the forager non-burger and their Mac. Both were delicious. I also really liked the atmosphere, just an overall chill place with cool decor. Our server and host were also great. Go check them out! read more

Insula - Mac - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

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I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken and some wonton tacos with the soup of the day. The chicken was badass and juicy but as I dug deeper into the to-go bag I was disappointed to find out there was no soup in sight. The lack of the beautifully aromatic cilantro that usually rests upon the tacos was disappointing to say the least but they were still okay. Aside from the almost 40 minute wait during a slow time at the restaurant this was overall a decent and nostalgic experience for a former Ely resident. read more

Visited in July from NY and was happy to have a great walleye (what else?!) meal here. Wonderful service, yummy creative drinks. Will be back! read more

Great food options for all dietary requirements in one of our favorite towns. Service was the right amount of attention. Loved the cocktail offerings - including the seasonal ones. Highly recommended. read more

This is a great spot in Ely. We ate there the night before canoeing the Boundary Waters and the afternoon we came back and loved it both times. On our second visit we ordered the Disputed Island Burger (burger topped with pulled pork, kimchi, Korean bbq sauce, and jalapeño), the Great Northern Pike Sandwich, the Chicken Breast Sandwich, and a kids burger. The fries and house made chips were great, the soup of the day was chili - perfect appetizer after a week in the woods, and the beer selection was solid. Highly recommended. read more

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Chicken pot pie was next level. Great salads too. Great atmosphere and service. Best restaurant in Ely!

Idk bro it's been like a year since I've eaten here. Food was good. Took a picture with a lime in my mouth. FazeClan out. read more

Insula - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

Great food, big menu, quick service. Make sure to try their blueberry blond beer. It's delicious! read more

Insula - Walleye with wild rice - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

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I ate lunch here based on reviews on Yelp and it did not disappoint. I ordered the Walleye battered fish fillet sandwhich with sweet potato fries. Jen, my waitress, was great and I will definitely go back again. It is nice when personal experience actually matches the ratings. read more

Insula - Insula Restaurant - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

Waitstaff is good. Beer and Cider selection is ok, the craft cocktails are really good, and the food is some of the best around. This is one of the 2 places to checkout if you are seeking plant based dining options in Ely. Their breakfast is next level good. My only gripe is that the ownership STILL makes the servers wear ineffective masks. read more

Such a delightful find on our trip to Ely! First of all, they did such a nice job with the space, and there's a really cozy loft feel that captures the historical aesthetic of these downtown buildings. And the food was delicious -- probably more like 4 star food, but I'll round up because of the awesome vibe. The very best things we ordered were actually specials. The sweet potato bisque -- omg, this is one of the most comforting bowls of soup I've ever tasted. It was served with goat cheese and had this great curry flavor going on. We also had the trout special, which was perfectly cooked and so fresh. The mock duck pot pie was good, if a little ordinary. Nice to have a good vegetarian option on the menu like this (and there were other good options as well.) The steak frites got mixed reviews: very flavorful but way too chewy. We also got the baked brie appetizer, which I definitely recommend if you're a cheese person. Portion sizes were giant, especially considering the reasonable prices. Are huge portions the expectation in Ely, with hungry BWCA campers in mind? Not that we minded, but since we were doing the lake cabin version of the Ely experience, we had a lot of leftovers. read more

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I've been back a couple more times since my review in 2017. The service is good, friendly but slow. Food 2 thumbs up! read more

I came to Insula for one food item, the hand cut fries. I did not get hand cut fries! I paid $10 for a basket of frozen fries that were the bits & peices of the bottom of the bag. Insula's hand cut fries were amazing when they first opened now I see this restaurant going downhill fast. we were sat at a filthy table-had to ask for the tables & chairs to be cleaned-got attitude from our server who left us with a wet table & a flimsy excuse. Getting our bill took longer than the entire meal as our server was busy talking to her friend. I will not be spending my money at Insula ever again. read more

This is my preferred dining establishment. Always friendly staff and free WiFi. I recommend you try the Old Fashioned burger. But, beware, the French fries tend to be over seasoned. There's also a fair selection of local libations. Extra points for utilizing local produce as well. read more

Great accommodations for food allergies. It had a good variety and fun drink menu. I will go there again. Very friendly waiter. Fun no modern vibe for the ambiance. I had both mock tails and two of the ones with spice. Disputed Island Burger was what I ordered. It had a little kick but soooo good! read more

Love this place! Great food, great ambience and great service. I had the wild rice chicken pot pie and it was delicious. Flaky crust, chicken was tender. My husband had the buffalo burger with the sweet potato fries. He loved it. Had the boldly Mary that come with a beer chaser. They make those own Bloody Mary mix. It was well made. You can tell that the ingredients are all high quality. read more

Insula - Bloody Mary - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

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The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was really laid back and relaxed and our server, Sami, was AWESOME! We asked a ton of questions and she answered everything perfectly. I would highly recommend!! read more

Another great trip to Insula! It is a great spot to get quality food with a menu that changes often. I haven't had anything that wasn't excellent and the staff are always friendly and provide great service. read more

Insula - Walley sandwich with housemade fries. - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

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Great Ely town restaurant to meet friends and family! Such wonderful food and even though they don't take reservations, it gave us all a chance to reconnect and learn more about this iconic place! Hope to be back again soon. Loved the pot pie and service was great! Atmosphere was top notch ! read more

Had a great recommendation from friends. Walked in to hear the staff discussing who would take what table. Waited to even get water, nothing. A couple came in and sat down and were immediately brought water. We walked out and went to a restaurant down the street. Would have liked to try the food, but don't like being ignored. read more