This place is awesome. Unique menu. Great food. Very nice atmosphere. Good service. Not the cheapest, but also doesn't break the bank. Breakfast is very good. Interesting menus items include Wild Blue Yonder and their viking-inspired Bloody Mary. read more

Went for breakfast, good coffee, good food. I think I had the French toast. The menu options were like an organic type food restaurant to me. It was a clean restaurant and the service was quick and efficient. read more

Great place! I had the meatloaf and mash potatoes with fresh steamed veggies. Husband had a steak and fries. Both came with soup or salad. They make their own salad dressings and they were delish! Our main course was perfect. My compliments to the chef. The service was also very good. Prompt and thorough and friendly. The house cab was really good too. I forgot to ask was it was. read more

Mmm good food! My husband and I came at lunchtime on a Thursday. It was pretty busy but we were seated within 5 minutes. We both had cider and I ordered a cup of wild rice soup to start. Drinks and soup came out very quick! Next, we had a pulled pork sandwich and the prosciutto flatbread! Very yummy and came out fresh and hot!! Good fries too. Our service overall was good. It seemed like our server rushed us a bit but I think she was just stressed - because it was busy so she was in that mindset. We would recommend and visit again. read more

Insula - Prosciutto flatbread mmm - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

See all

I felt it was unfair that there were so many 5 star reviews on Insula's FB page before it even opened that I formed a slightly negative view before even trying it. Insula is the new restaurant in the old Vertin's building (where I once worked). I loved Vertin's giant booths, giant donuts and atmosphere very much while growing up. Even walking into the entrance brought a good feeling. First impressions: the layout is similar but except there are tables instead of booths, no smoking and non-smoking sections (good thing), 100 pendant lights hanging everywhere and a large bar. I guess I'd call the look "industrial woodsy." It's a pretty decent look and there are higher and lower tables which seat up to 7-8 people each or less. The menu is decent and not too pricy, maybe a $$. I went with a different kind of burger-the Taj Mahl. It has a curry mayo which I wanted to try. For an appetizer, I ordered the wanton tacos. The tacos went in my stomach very quickly. I loved the crispness and the flavors weren't very strong but good. The burger's mayo was amazing. I'm a huge fan of curry and it was spot on. It'll definitely be something I look into making myself. The fries were dry and it'd assume this isn't common. Another dish I was able to try was the eggplant Florentine. I thought it had a nice natural flavor to it. The eggplant was breaded and thin but the portion looked good. The sweet potato side was my least favorite. The rosemary really took away from the flavor I anticipated. My fiancee said it tasted like she just ate a flower. Overall the experience was a good one with props to the wait staff for being attentive! The only real complaint is there wasn't any air conditioning. There are 2 propeller-style ceiling fans but they felt like decoration because they weren't felt. read more

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

See all

Great service! Great food! Reasonable prices! We visit every year from California, and we've been waiting for the "new" Vertins...Insula does not disappoint :-) 3 of us had the flat iron steak special and 1 the burger. LOVED the steak and Rosemary butter sauce with sautéed mushrooms. The steak was grilled very well and the fries were awesome. I'll be back for s burger before heading back to CA. The only reason I gave 4 (not 5) stars is because there were no fresh veggie options. Overall, this place rocks!! read more

Insula - The flat iron steak special--excellent! - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

Ate at Insula on October 10, 2019 with friends. Ordered the Great Northern Pike sandwich for $11. Received a hard, leathery crust of deep fried tempura in a white bread bun, with almost no fish inside, certainly not enough to counteract the heavy crust. Whether due to carelessness or deliberate deception, the waiter led me to believe a side I ordered was included in the entree, so when I went to pay the bill I discovered I had ordered virtually a la carte and there was a bit of a sticker shock with the overpriced sandwich and a charge for the side. Insula is the only restaurant I have even visited, good or bad, one or five star, that manages to be ambiance and decor-free. It's a brick box with four walls and an island bar in the middle. No charm whatsoever, not one memorable thing to see inside the place. I won't be back. It was not a place I found conducive to an evening of good cheer with friends. read more

So good! There is a reason why this place gets such high reviews! The margarita was fantastic, along with my Binh Mi. My husband had the chicken sandwich which he enjoyed. The fries are fresh and so good, eat em fast! We will definitely be coming back. The service was great too, we got our drinks (including my margarita) and food fast. The waitress was very nice and attentive but not annoyingly attentive (I can't remember her name but she had fantastic red hair). We want to go back just to try the other menu options. read more

Great culinary addition to Ely (which lets face it, was sorely needed)! We loved the pork tacos and the baked goat cheese appetizers, both were delicious...but the goat cheese didn't have nearly enough bread to go with it (I'm curious if they ever try sampling it in the kitchen to see how much would be appropriate). For dinner we had the BLT and a burger, both the best in town by a long shot...but skip the fries, they're an up charge, which for dry and withered potatoes is hardly worth the $2. All in all, a really nice meal with good service and a modern atmosphere! read more

First time visiting for Breakfast and both my wife and I loved it! The French Toast was killer and the breakfast burrito was also great! The Bloody Viking is a must!!!! read more

Wonderful selection of vegetable dishes and a very good chicken sandwich. We had the tempura vegetable appetizer which was very tasty. I selected the quinoa stuffed zucchini and loved it. I chose the Ratatouille side dish which was a good choice. I would definitely come here again. Yum! read more

Insula - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

The website says to call the restaurant to order take out. No answer. Went to the restaurant itself and they said they are not doing take out and not answering the phone. Why couldn't they update the website or have a message on the phone saying that? Won't go again and won't recommend it. read more

Excellent food! We were in town for a night on our way to the BWCA (during Covid) and wanted to grab dinner. Insula was serving takeout with curbside delivery. Our teenaged boys got the Norm burger (I know, boring) with fries. I got the Disputed Island burger with fries. and my wife got the Niçoise salad with tuna and a side of sweet potato fries. Everything was absolutely wonderful! And inexpensive. We grabbed the food and headed East down Sheridan to a local park with picnic tables. Again, it was delicious. A perfect send off before 4 days of freeze dried food. read more

The good: nice wine list and the food was decent. The bad: service was terrible and the prices were too high for the quality and amount of the food. We waited forever for a server to come over & of course, they waited on two parties that were seated after us before coming to our table. It took a long time for the food to come, and when it did, I wasn't impressed. I ordered a meal-sized salad, and while it was on a meal sized plate, the serving was tiny--more like a side salad than a meal-sized salad. The salad had seared tuna, which was slightly fishy tasting. At a price point in the mid-teens, it was a major disappointment. My daughter's kid-sized pizza was good, both the sauce and crust were better than most kid menu pizzas. All said, I won't be going there again. Salad, kid pizza, and two glasses of wine were around $50. If the food and service had been better, I wouldn't have minded the bill, but as it was, two thumbs way down. read more

Our crew of three adults and six scouts went here after nine days in Quetico; we had the pulled pork wontons, a pizza, and goat cheese to start. All were a hit. For the main course, we ordered a mix of burgers, fish, and chicken and waffles. Service was great and the food was enjoyed by all. read more

I had the pasta plate on the menu and it was wonderful. Nice salad to start with homemade dressing. The pasta was absolutely delicious. Nice light sauce, great Italian sausage, fresh veggies, and wonderful pasta ( I am guessing homemade). Great drinks too! I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Great nouvelle place right in downtown Ely. Excellent Chicken Pot Pie, burgers and fish sandwiches.

Great service. (chris was our server. He's awesome) food was fantastic. Everything that came out of the kitchen was beautifully played and huge portions. Wish I had time to try it all. Line was down the street so they are doing it right. A must while visiting this wonderful little town. (Ely Minnesota Ya-u-betcha) read more

I did not expect such great food in such a small town. It was awesome! The pork chop was so well done and the Waldorf salad was exceptional! The duck was huge? Not sure how one person is supposed to get through it! Definitely a great place to eat. read more

Great food. Limited seating for big groups, but overall happy. Fantastic Bloody Mary. Not crazy about sausages, but breakfast burrito, French toast, waffle and pancakes were great. read more

Solid food, great drinks, friendly service. There are a few go-to items I always recommend (forager burger! Pulled pork wonton tacos! Bánh mi! Spinach salad! Baked goat cheese dip!), but when I decide to dip outside of my comfort zone it's always a great choice. It's a great addition to Ely! read more

We went there an hour and fifteen minutes before they closed and they told us they weren't taking tables anymore or bar seating. (We had two people) read more

Stopped here for dinner our first night in town. My husband got the Thai Lime whitefish special with the ratatouille and was quite pleased! I settled for the Walleye Picatta which was also delicious. The portions were large. My only gripe was that it was just a bit pricey and the service was a touch slow. If you're looking for good locally sourced place to eat this is worth the trip overall. read more

Our local friends brought us to this place Unusual to find such a good kitchen in a small town town know for canoe expeditions into the boundary waters. We enjoyed bison ribeye, fresh walleye, great short ribs and much more. Good food good service highly recommended read more

Insula - New American Near Me - Ely, Minnesota

I felt very welcome here and the food was delicious. Very happy to find this gem. Wonderful restaurant!

Great restaurant in Ely. Had the pulled pork banh mi and it was excellent. Also good local beers, both on tap and by the bottle. New favorite in Ely. read more

Visited Insula before heading into the BWCA. Loved the variety of foods on the menu. We all ate burgers and enjoyed them. Mine was the Korean burger with Kimchi and it was very good. Looking forward to coming back and trying the fried chicken or a steak. read more

Great example of new movement of sustainable and taste forward food. Menu has the staples of steak,fish and pasta specials but then goes well beyond that. Great house ground burgers with unique toppings, flatbreads and apps. Try the pulled pork wonton tacos. read more

went off-menu for eggs benedict, which was good, except for the mustard in the hollandaise.- a sauce with such a subtle flavor is not enhance by adding mustard. stoopid. read more

New interesting restaurant. Beautiful wood on tables and at bar. Service friendly and attentive. Had the walleye which was very good but wild rice was tasteless. Had to add sllot of salt and pepper but still was watery. Was by the far the mist expensive item on menu. My husband had the short ribs and they were delicious. Rich and flavorful. Enjoyed dinner. Think it is great addition to Ely read more

Very good! Literally everything we had was great. So refreshing to have something a little different in Ely. The food was truly great, the walleye, short rib and lamb shank highly recommended. We will be back next time we're in Ely. read more

Great flavor for Ely, MN! We really enjoyed our lunch there especially the kids fish meal! Superb!

We were quite surprised to come across this lovely dining option in Ely. We sampled a nice cross section of options: a cheese tray with a balanced options and accoutrements, crisp vegetable tempura, a tasty gruyere and caramelized grill cheese sandwich, and a very nice version of a wedge salad(the Blue Moon with bacon larder, blue cheese and Boston lettuce). They were well executed, and we could tell the ingredients were of high quality(and many reportedly locally sourced). We will come back next year when we pick up our sons from Widji-lucky Ely! We also appreciated the Current as our dinner soundtrack:) Please note that this would be a great place for all purposes or date night, family meal, night out with friends etc. read more

I didn't eat dinner here. I would say that we had some really good drinks and the service was awesome. Brett was knowledgeable about the MN liquor and beer. Clean place and the dinner menu looked awesome. I will be definitely back for drinks and probably dinner vs. our old time favorite Ely Steakhouse. Give it a try next time your in town. Sheridan street sour drink was awesome. read more

Delicious Eggs Benedict and Corned Beef Hash. The mimosas and bloody Mary's were also a delightful way to start our Sunday. Highly recommend!! read more

Love coming to this place. Great variety of drink and food options on the menu. Feels like higher end dining through and through. Large bar and many table to be seated at. Would defiantly recommend this place as the best joint in Ely. read more

Went here for dinner during my last trip to Ely and it was probably the best meal that I've had in that town . It was on par with a restaurant in uptown service was also quite nice they also have craft cocktails which were so purple read more

Wow - great place in Ely and good vegetarian selection. Had the sweet potato-based forager veggie burger - delicious!

My son had eaten at Insula before, very good food. So on Sunday Labor Day weekend) we decided to take the beautiful drive to Ely from Two Harbors to eat there. Arriving at 12:50 PM with an open sign in the window we enter the restaurant. Tables are full but no people standing waiting for a table. Soon the hostess comes up and says it has been busy and they close at 2 PM so there is no further seating. We said we'd driven from Two Harbors to eat here, but that made no difference. When we walked outside the open sign was changed to closed. What restaurant refuses to seat customers an hour and 10 minutes prior to closing?!?! read more

The best place I've dined at in Ely. I really wanted fried chicken before our trip into the Boundary Waters, and this is the place to get it! The seasoning is on point and the breading is light and fried to perfection. My wife's bison burger was the best I've ever tasted and the hand-battered onion rings were amazing. To top it off, the servers were very attentive and super friendly. Everything here is way above and beyond... The perfect place to eat for our 5th wedding anniversary. read more