My wife and I were in the area looking to buy a car and stopped here for lunch. The menu looked pretty good when I Googled for food in the area, so we decided to give this place a try. I will say, the decorator for this place did one heck of a job. Lots of neat little northwood touches. Old beer cans, rustic wood trim, and old hunting and outdoor equipment lined the walls. Gave the place a really nice touch. The menu also had a great northwoods theme to it. We came right at noon but the place wasn't too packed. We were quickly seated and waited upon. Our waitress checked on us multiple times and was thoughtful and kind to the group. One of the neat things at this place was their kid's play box. Our son liked picking out a couple of tiny toys to enjoy during our lunch. It kept him busy and us sane. Great idea! The menu offered mostly bar and supper club fare (which is exactly what we were looking for) and we decided upon burgers. I ordered the Bourbon Burger and my wife decided upon the State Fair Burger (get this - fried pickles, onion rings, and cheese curds all on top). The burgers were cooked perfectly, I asked for medium rare and it was perfectly medium rare. The burgers were moist, juicy and filling. My wife said she liked her burger but all of the fried toppings made it very rich. For a burger you enjoy with beer, it would be a great pairing. There are not many choices in Nowthen but this place would be a great spot for a bite to eat or drink, no matter if you were in town or in the Elk River area. read more

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So nice to have a decent restaurant just a few minutes from home. Food is usually pretty good with decent sized portions. New ownership is still figuring things out - our only concern is the lack of low tables - sooo many high tops for an aging clientele. We are lucky if we get a table where our feet can touch the ground on bingo night. And our friends with walkers/canes are out of luck. Those who like high tops can still sit at regular tables but those of us with knee or leg problems have no option but to go home when there are so few regular tables. I'm hoping they figure this out before all the tables are high tops. read more

New owners recently and a lot of new menu items. Everything so far has been amazing. Burgers come from the Anoka meat market and are huge! Great food and service. My orders have always been quick to come out even when they are busy! My new favorite place. read more

Our server came over as soon as we sat down and asked us what we would like to drink. We ordered cheese curds for an appetizer, I had a build your own salad and my husband had the jammin bacon burger. I ordered a strawberry margarita which was a good price for happy hour and my husband had a beer. The food and drinks were decent, service was good. It was busy on a Friday evening. It has a kind of outdoorsy decor. read more

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Nice north woods atmosphere and Minnesota decor all around. The green eyed monster and cowboy burgers were excellent. Prices were very good for the quality/amount of food we received. Service was on par with a northwoods bar. They have weekday and weekend bingo, as well as various monthly events and specials. A fun place to visit in the Ramsey/Nowthen area. read more

2nd visit -- good food, cold beer, and friendly service. This time I arrived at lunch and I happened across all-you-can-eat ribs for Tuesday. What a pleasant surprise! Of course, I had to try them. They were pretty good. I tried the sweet and the spicy. They weren't the best ribs on the planet but the price was super reasonable. My first visit (about 2 weeks ago) I tried a spicy burger and the "Timber Logs" appetizers. They were interesting...spicy sausage "egg roll" type gut bombs. They were kinda weird but I'd eat them again. Sorry, my battery was dead so I wasn't able to get photos of the food from my first visit. FYI, I found out that they offer breakfast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I have to definitely check this out. It's a nice little, north woods cabin style place, conveniently located in the town of Nowthen, close to Elk River and Anoka. I wouldn't hesitate to visit again if I'm in the area. Thanks, North Woods! -Daddy Maxx Retro read more

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Good food, their burgers are HUGE, be ready to eat a lot. However, it can be pricey. As you would pay $2.50 or something like that to swap chips with french fries. Service is nice and friendly, so you are up for a good experience. Cheers! read more

My favorite place to have a drink, hang w/ other 'regulars', be treated like family, get help with a problem, help others with a problem, laugh at the bar banter, and have some great food with family & friends... There's just no other place I'd rather hang out. If you're Paleo, try a Trish-a-rita..! read more

The staff is not friendly or tentative. You only get good service here if you're at the bar and even then it's spotty. Used to be my favorite place in town but now the service and food quality has gone down hill so far I don't ever want to go back. The food is almost as if they precook everything one day a week and just microwave it to serve it. This place needs a serious reality check. read more

Food was not good. Drinks were great. Waitress was also great. Probably won't go back unless it's just for drinks.

Great food, always a treat. Excited for when I am able to go back. I have never been disappointed by my meal here or the service. The wait staff is always very friendly. Have the ribs! You won't regret it. read more

I went here a few months ago with my girlfriend at the time. We went on a Wednesday, I believe, which was bingo night. Played a few games of bingo and played some pull tabs. It was a pretty fun atmosphere, and it seems to pull a nice crowd for the middle of the week. As for the food goes, I remember it being pretty tasty. I got a burger of some type, which was good, but didn't necessarily stand out. I had a few light beers which were nice and cold and served quickly. After dinner and bingo we played a few games of darts. They have a nice and large dart section, which I enjoyed. Overall, I liked this place. If you happen to be passing through, it's definitely worth stopping in. read more

We love coming to Northwoods. Nice staff and great burgers. Happy to see a couple of desserts added to the menu. read more

I have been a regular diner at Northwoods for well over a decade, nearly two! Last week I was less than pleased with a drunk customer walking around visiting every table without his mask "because he had a drink in his hand." I didn't blame staff and continued my support for this business. This week we showed up for lunch and the bartender/server wore her mask under her chin and the pull tab gentleman also was without a mask. I did my best to avoid her breathing in my face, but what a lack of concern for patrons. I shouldn't have to ask her to pull it up. Our table followed the rules but it does no good when employees have a total disregard. I am trying to support local businesses but also need to be mindful of what I may catch and share with loved ones at home or the employees I work with. Sadly I won't be back, even after things return to normal. read more

Went there for the first time tonight, was excited to try something new but was sadly dissatisfied. The appetizer was tiny not enough to share and the burgers had clearly been sitting out for a while. They also asked how we wanted our burgers cooked, we responded with medium and they came out looking and tasting like a leather boot. That was our first and last visit there. read more

I walked in at 9pm on a Thursday with a February breeze at my back. There was a poker tournament under way with about 18 people hunched over their cards. The bar was well lit but not too well lit, which can be a problem for some people, depending on how they prefer their bars. I bellied up to the bar to find the MN Wild game I had been listening to in my car playing on all of the televisions. The bar was fairly empty(about 35 people total, including the poker players) but service was a little slow. It probably had something to do with not being a regular because the staff seemed to know almost everyone else in the place. In an acceptable amount of time I was ordering an Goose Island IPA on tap. As I took my first sips and glanced around at the "up north" decor it occurred to me that this place was doing exactly what it intended, which is to serve as a hometown style bar/restaurant for the area. I eventually ordered from the appetizer menu some steak bites on a bed of fries. These were advertised to be a little spicier than normal steak with a chili dipping sauce. In a short amount of time my food arrived, along with my second beer(a Coors Light). The steak was seasoned well and cooked decently, considering it wasn't a great cut to start with. The dipping sauce was a nice addition to the steak, allowing for a little more heat with its pepper flakes but also cooling with its (assumingly) mayonnaise base. The crinkle fries were average and unnoticeable. The men's room was standard for a bar/restaurant, not very dirty but not sparkling clean either which again is part of being a hometown bar. The juke box was too quiet but perhaps that was for the poker players benefit. Over-all, this is a place to go with your family or friends when you would like a friendly atmosphere with above average bar food and average service and pricing. What you see is what you get and can expect. While I would prefer slightly faster and friendlier service, it wasn't bad. Food pricing was a little high but there is a good amount on the plate to compensate for that. The beer selection was above average for this style of place but the glasses it was served in were warm or room temperature which does turn some people off. For what this place is aiming for it accomplishes. I would go back. read more

Their menu changed since we ate here last. It's now primarily burgers and sandwiches with only a couple dinner entree choices. There was 7 of us in our party and none of us were really impressed with the food. It was average. I asked the waitress out of their 5 signature marked sandwiches which would she recommend and she actually said none of them and suggested a turkey melt so that is what I got. One member ordered the sirloin with shrimp on the side. The salad came out after the steak and they forgot the shrimp. Had to ask for it. Another party asked for their sour cream dipping sauce but it never came out and they still charged for it. The waitress offered no apologies. Won't be back for a long while. read more

My girls (6&8) and I love this place. Wait staff is always super kind and attentive. They have a toy box for kids to pick a couple of prizes which is super kind of the lady who does this. If you are in the area it's worth a stop. Food is a step above bar food expectations. read more

Came here on NYE for a few hours. We ordered some bar food and drank many pitchers of beer. While we were snacking and boozing, we spent more money than I knew we had on pull tabs. It was a lot of fun and ended up winning a few hundo. Overall, I probably won't be coming back for the food. The success I experienced with the pull tabs, however, has me considering a new career in gambling. read more

Good local bar, service is always friendly. Have good burger selections. I usually have the Smoke jumper burger. While my kids like the spud burger. Enjoy the free popcorn while you have a few beers. The one complaint I have is the draft beer is not ice cold. I just have bottle beer instead. Meat raffle on Saturday afternoons are always fun have been there dozens of time and almost all have been great. It is also only done the road from my house, keeping it local. read more

Tried this place for the 1st time.. The decor was nice in the place. Ordered drinks (Captain Coke Tall & Bacardi Coke Tall. Drinks came to the table in some cheap plastic Miller Lite cups, with straws. For an appetizer; we ordered the Timber Logs, which were very good. We then each ordered the Cowboy burgers; one with Fries, and the other with Tots. The burgers were juicy and good. The tots were crispy, however the fries were a little soggy. Service was reasonable, however a little slow getting the drinks to the table. The only major disappointment for a bar & grill, were the drinks being served in cheap plastic cups. I prefer drinking from the rim of a glass, not from a straw. Also, not sure how they wash their plastic cups; however glass is much more sanitary. For this reason, we will never go back. This is probably why this place has a fraction of the business as the Bootleggers Saloon next door to Northwoods. read more

Arrived at 4:30. 3 other tables entered at 4:40. They got drinks and salads before I even got waited on! I went to the pull tabs lady( who was super nice) and told her. Then I got served, it took approx 18 min to get my beer. Now the main reason I went was because Thursday's they have all you can eat fish, so I ordered that, fish tasted great, however in order for me to get more fish I have to wait for my server...... Needless to say I didn't get all you can eat fish I got 1 plate then was fed up with waiting forever so I just asked for the tab and took off. The food seemed legit but I'm convinced that the waitresses are brain dead. I won't go back just because I felt disrespected and I don't give places like that a second chance read more

Great place to eat. Tuesday's all you can eat Ribs. Great

My boyfriend and I come here often ( it's close to home) and we always have great food and great service! 10/10

We had 2 really good burgers there! Loads of tater tots & onion rings. The service was good and food came out timely. Price was reasonable especially for the quantity provided. Will go back again and use the Entertainment coupon. read more

Excellent food! Fun bartenders. I recommend the French dip. Or the sportmans burger. Pull tabs and a relaxed atmosphere. Family friendly too! read more

my wife and I have been stopping in to eat at this place off and on since they opened their first location next door before moving. the burgers have generally been quite good. my wife usually orders Chile. all too often we have had to send her chili back for not being hot by the time she receives it. this is odd since we specifically request let it be very hot when they bring it out. I think the challenge for the separation is that they seem to have quite a bit of turnover between waiting tables and cooks. there could be little other reason the challenges we have experienced when dining there. Last night we stopped in again around 4:30 p.m. I had ordered for one of the logger burgers. when the food came out my burger was pretty much room temperature and there are no fries on the plate. immediately the waitress told us that the fries were cooking and she would bring them out as soon as they were ready. this seems really odd since when we came in there was approximately only 20% of the table with people seated. I finally received the fries after I was done with my burger so that made no sense. good luck if you go I hope you're there on a night they have it together. read more

Good if you are going for fried food and a drink. Regular menu food is terrible. Could use a deep cleaning and new booths.

My husband and I went to Northwoods for supper with out-of-town friends on Friday night, 4/25/14, and had the WORST service and food we have ever had. We arrived at 7:30, our order wasn't taken for at least half an hour, and our food still hadn't come at 8:55. I went to the bar myself for a drink refill because our waitress would bring one person's refill at a time for a party of seven and not check with everyone at the table. We saw our server three times: when our order was taken, after the food was delivered, and when she came to ask if we wanted take-away containers. I told her no because the clam chowder was the most godawful thing I had ever tasted and was horribly salty. Out of seven meals and an appetizer ordered, there were mistakes on four of them. One was burnt, several were cold, and one order was forgotten completely. One person ordered the steak sandwich special. He wasn't told the kitchen was out of this meal until all the other meals were at our table. So he had to wait for his "new" meal while the rest of us had our meals. The clam chowder was so salty, two of us couldn't eat it. A third ate it just because he was so hungry. Everyone else ate their mediocre and cold meals because they'd been working outdoors all day and were very hungry. It wasn't worth possibly waiting another hour for new food. My husband asked to speak with the manager -- twice -- and she never came over. After 15 minutes, our server finally came over with our bills and some comps. REAlly?? Some discounted food was supposed to make up for two hours of disappointment, bad service, and bad food with out-of-town friends? I don't think I'ver ever been so disappointed and disgusted with a night out. I can guarantee you we will never go to Northwoods again, and I will be sharing our experience. read more

Went for dinner, drinks and bar bingo - it was so cold in our section that everyone had to keep their coats on. We asked a server if they could turn up the heat. She looked at us and said "Really?" and walked away. I guess they cater to their staff and not their paying customers. Needless to say, we left and probably won't go back. read more

Love this place! Everyone is so nice there and it's just down the road from my house which is even better! Keep on being awesome!

HORRIBLE Service!!! My parents have been going to Northwoods for a while now, so it was no surprise when my Mom wanted to go there tonight for her birthday. There was 6 of us total, the place wasn't overly busy. Right off the bat though we had an issue with our server Kim. We told her we were on separate tickets and that it was my Mom's birthday. My brother ordered the all you can eat ribs and asked if he could substitute the soup (it was 90 degrees out) for a salad instead. Kim said no and without any explanation went on to the next table. Our food came and it was good as usual. My brother placed an order for another serving of ribs but asked if he could get it plain and ordered another beer. Kim took the order and left. Another server (who was VERY friendly) brought out the ribs, but they were not plain (no sauce). When my brother asked about this that server, said that was the order put in but she would get the plain ribs out right away, which she did. Another 10 minutes goes by and brother STILL had not gotten the beer he ordered. Finally tracking down Kim and reminding her, she dropped it off at the table without saying a word. After finishing our meals, I ask if we could get our tabs from Kim. She said she didn't put them on separate tickets so it was going to take her a few minutes. She comes back with just my tab only. We had to track her down again so that the rest of the table could get their tabs as well. She dropped them off and this time my Aunt had to track her down so we could pay. She took everyone else's money from the table, but every time I would try to hand her mine she would walk away. Everyone else had paid and waiting on me. Kim was no where to be found. I finally went to the bartender and paid there. As we were leaving Kim came up to me asking for my tab and I told her that she I tried paying her several times and she ignored me so I paid at the bar. She then rolled her eyes and walked away. read more

Great rustic northwoods atmosphere. Kind but slow service. Didn't give us silverware until we asked. Cleanliness is probably a 2 or 3 out of 5 judging primarily by the bathroom. Reasonable prices. Don't go expecting a 5 star experience but overall a good value and I would go back. Oh the food was good and the crowd seemed very local. read more

Hopefully the management will monitor the reviews for this site. On this cold evening I decided to go out and have a burger and fries. Ordered my drink, was sitting at the bar, and asked for a menu. A half hour went by and in the meantime the bartender that was waiting on me left and another took over. I was never asked what I wanted to order off the menu so asked for my tab and left. You people need to have a chat with your help. Terrible service. Will never return. read more

I don't care what the other reviews said, I've always had a good experience here. If u like a burger with some kick, go for the jalapeño burger! My favorite burger here, hands down! read more