Over the past 3 years we have taken my mother there for a big family birthday dinner. It is always impressive! For a group of 11, the food was fantastic, the service attentive. From the nightly specials (which were great) to the nicely crafted cocktails, it was all great. I would recommend the Chislix and the Philly CheeseSteak Lavosh for appetizers. I had the Portabella Ribeye, and it was fantastic. A great place for a special time in lake country. Well done! read more

Awesome find! Service was superb!!! Food was unique and great! View was incredible! Chef Josh even came out to check on tables. Loved it!

What an excellent night! My wife and I were joined by another couple to celebrate our anniversaries. We were greeted with a smile by our server Sidney. She took the time to explain the specials and even offered suggestions. Our food arrived promptly and all of it was done just the way we ordered. Our water glasses were never empty and our server was back to check on us frequently. If you are looking for a place with an amazing atmosphere and excellent food take the time to drive to Spankey's you won't be disappointed. read more

The food was five star however the service was 0 star. Came in Tuesday night with my family. Visiting from out of town and they spoke highly of Spanky's. Atmosphere the food and Cocktails were phenomenal. We had about 20 in our party. My girl and I we're treated very poorly bye a server who is rude to us but friendly with everybody else at the table. She skipped us when placing food orders even though we were in the middle of the table and then came back to us. The drink orders were the same. Everybody got refills on their drinks except for us. When they brought the big trees out with everybody's food they said it next to my girl and I. They took two plates and set them on an empty table behind us. Everybody got served out their food and then the server took the food off the tables that she originally moved to get to everybody else's and gave it to us. Once the dessert menus came out she handed each person ate dessert menu except my girl and I. She came out and took dessert orders and skipped us on the orders again. asked if we would like to order dessert. When I responded Yes she turned around and walked off. 11 minutes later the desert came out for everybody at the table but us. Dessert looked to be good but I would have no idea. read more

Three people in our party had very different requests for food and all needs were well accommodated. One in our party required gluten, soy and dairy free meal and was delighted to enjoy their broiled walleye! My 90 year old father enjoyed his Hawaiian chicken but felt the portions were large. I ordered the " trust me" entry which you trust the chef's creativity. What a delight! I enjoyed tender and tasty flank steak with chimichurri sauce which was absolutely perfect! read more

Had dinner at Spanky's last night. Everything was great until the live music started! It was uncomfortably LOUD! We asked our server to see if it could be toned down but no luck. You had to strain to speak loud enough to have a conversation. This is a dining room that you go to to enjoy a meal, not a bar! At the very most the music should be kept to mellow background music. read more

The only problem was that stuffed walleye is not a regular menu item as it should be.

I love this place! It's one of the top places to eat in lakes country in my opinion. I had the walleye and ribs. Both were very good. Most items on the dinner menu looked to be between 15-30$. You may pay a little more for a meal here, but the quality of food and service are worth it. read more

Update: I did receive a gift card for $10 from the owner which was appreciated but would have been better offered along with an apology at the time. Would recommend better training for front desk staff. read more

I was visiting my boyfriend's family from Ohio and on the last night we went out to dinner at Spanky's. The restaurant environment and view are great. We started off with the mussels and they were just OK. I have had better before. I think they were overcooked and the sauce was not outstanding. I ordered the Hawaiian chicken with hash browns, seafood pasta salad and wedge salad. The wedge and seafood pasta salad came first. These were both pretty good, nothing amazing. The Hawaiian chicken was decent too, nothing too special. The sauce on the chicken was super sweet. The salsa that came with was not very good and I did not like it at all. My boyfriend ordered the "Trust Me" which is a meal prepared by the chef as a complete surprise, so you have no idea what you are getting. We thought it was going to really fun and exciting, but his meal was pretty boring and he regretted ordering it. It was just beef ribs and broccoli. If you are ordering "trust me" you are pretty adventurous and would expect a bit more of an out of the ordinary meal! That was a real bummer. read more

This is a long review, but important to read if you're planning on having Spanky's cater any type of formal event. I had been to Spanky's several times and have had great experiences. The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is great. We decided to have Spanky's cater our wedding a few summers ago and the experience was terrible. The initial meeting was scheduled and went as planned, but subsequent attempts on my part to connect were not returned. We actually started looking around for other catering options, as we didn't hear back for weeks on end. Once they finally did return our calls/emails, things went semi-smooth until the wedding day. We met with Anthony Soland (manager) and he and Jill (event coordinator) even came to our wedding venue, which is when I was told Jill would be at the wedding to make sure things ran smooth. Two months before the wedding day, we were told that they had a price increase and since we only put down the deposit, our price would increase on the remaining portion. Had we known this would happen, we would have happily paid everything up front. This close to the wedding, we had no choice but to pay more. Poor communication on their part. Spanky's provided bartending services for our wedding, as well as the food. We provided the liquor/garnishes and were told they would provide bar glassware. We were told to leave a detailed list of anything food/liquor related for the bartenders to do and they would happily help. When the bartenders showed up, they were dressed very unprofessional. We found out later that Spanky's didn't have enough bartenders on staff, because it was the end of the summer, and Anthony asked friends of his to bartend our wedding (this came from one of the bartenders himself). This was very apparent all night. The bartenders didn't know how to make many simple drinks, used red solo cups in the bar cupboards to serve drinks- instead of asking Spanky's for more glassware, winked at guests as they poured 75% liquor drinks (calling them 'vacation style') and disregarded our short to-do list completely. Spanky's chose these bartenders to represent themselves and we received service that would never be acceptable at Spanky's restaurant. The event coordinator I was told would be there never showed up. The worst part of our experience came after the wedding took place. We connected with Anthony a few weeks after the wedding and honeymoon, ready to give some feedback on our experiences and where we were displeased. At that point, we had been told by family/friends everything that happened behind the scenes. We wrote a tactful email, stating where we were disappointed and where we felt Spanky's did not meet our expectations. Anthony responded with the most unprofessional email I've ever received. He fought every piece of feedback we gave and pointed out where we were wrong. He said we should be grateful that Spanky's provided bar extras (we provided everything-he was misinformed), that calling the 'bartenders' unprofessional was harsh and that the bartenders didn't see the to-do lists. Furthermore, he went to tell me that we should be grateful they provided extra food because many of our guests chose the wrong option. I used to cater weddings and planning for guests to choose the incorrect food choice was standard practice. His answer on why the coordinator wasn't there, 'She was there on and off'. Nobody ever saw Jill. He was unapologetic and as a manger, did not take feedback on the services his staff (and he) provided us at all. The one positive thing about choosing Spanky's was the food itself- very good. We told him he missed the point of our email and we were simply providing a manager feedback on the services provided to us, assuming he'd appreciate it and want to hear from customers/learn. Very unprofessional behavior for a manager of a nicer restaurant. I would not recommend choosing Spanky's to cater your event. If you do, be very clear on your expectations, ask if the staff they're sending to your event are true Spanky's employees (and if they have experience working events) and ask whether or not your price quote can fluctuate. I've been to Spanky's since our wedding and have continued to have the same great restaurant experiences I had prior to the wedding. Our catering experience is an entirely different story. read more

It would take some extreme pressure to force me back into this restaurant again. I eat in MANY restaurants and this was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have had. When we arrived two of the four found our assigned table to be far too cold. We asked to be moved. Either customer service is REALLY not their thing - read on - or they thought we were trying to get something they did not think we deserved. They refused to move us, but said they would turn down the air from the vent blowing directly on us. but the temperature did not improve during the entire meal. I asked for a blanket multiple times, but with no results other than that they had to cool the entire building for the others. I guess we were far less important, to them, than the others. (When I walked to the washroom I found that most of the restaurant felt at least a few degrees warmer than our area, but we could not move.) I ordered duck, to try something different. The waitress assured me that was a good choice. it arrived cooked like ahi tuna - seared on the outside and totally raw in the middle. I sent it back to be cooked. it arrived again seared on the outside but still very pink through a one inch diameter in the middle. I sent it back again. By this time the others had finished their meals so I ate a bit of it. There were NO APOLOGIES for serving the raw food. Another of our party had beef which was at least 1/3 fat and gristle. For dessert I ordered an ice cream Sunday. It arrived quite melted. In the pool of liquid I thought I could see a little of the sauce. I had ordered chocolate and caramel and could taste a small amount of chocolate. The ice cream itself was anything but high quality. I ate maybe 1/4 of the puddle. Maybe that was just as well considering the temperature at our table remained frigid. Not sure how they even managed to get the ice cream to melt. They must have melted it in the kitchen while they prepared the other desserts. By this time my entire body was shaking from the cold, so I left the dinner and stood outside in the small remaining sun while the others finished. I was still not warm enough to stop the shaking my the time they came out. I notice that many others have given a rating of one and two stars. These reviews do not seem to have any impact on the service. My recommendation is to save half the money or more and eat a much more pleasant dinner at almost any other local restaurant. read more

My wife and I have eaten at Spanky's now about 6 times in the past year. If you like Beer Cheese soup theirs is top notch! The Log building and location are just what we enjoy for a northern Mn atmosphere. The view from the window or patio is very calming and serene. We have between the two of us ordered most of the menu options with varying degree of satisfaction. Once our appetizer (Walleye Fingers) was mistakenly given to another table, my Fillet Minion was ordered medium rare and delivered Crisp! The large jumbo Shrimp had the distinct chlorine flavor! However we have never had a bad order of Walleye cooked both of their options, and the Salmon has been delicious. Same goes for the Pork options. Rib Eye steak, and Prime Rib tender melt in your mouth wonderful! Have not tried the Duck, but then I do not eat Duck! The beverages are well made, not burnt or watered down. A very descent wine list to fit most pallets. Potatoes (yuk) runny, over powered Garlic just pass on them, you will be glad you did! If you like deserts, go find a place that has some. The menu is limited and frankly not very tasty. The help. Well let's just say unattractive, inattentive, tacky uniforms, unfriendly, discourteous just to give you an idea of what to expect. Definitely expensive, but always busy. Customers range from extremely casual to runway couture! Best call early for good seating and 7 days a week it is busy. Lots of room for improvement, but definitely has the potential of a great resturaunte! read more

Nothing bad to say about Spanky's. Food wonderful, service excellent if a bit pricey. My new favorite!

Fast service in a fairly informal setting. I always order ribs which come tender and NOT dried out. They are seasoned lightly but not smothered with sauce - great. Order the hash browns crispy with a Caesar salad and you will be a happy camper. read more

Service and food is excellent. As mentioned in other reviews the fish is perfection. Our group also had chicken and pasta and these meals were also very good. Atmosphere is hard to beat, very very beautiful. I did get in once without a reservation, before I realized it was a good idea to make one! This would certainly qualify as a fun date night restaurant. But very busy and full of customers so not too romantic. Wear jeans and a nice shirt guys and you will fit right in. read more

Google got us here. The awesome food will bring us back. New York quality in the middle of nowhere Minnesota!!!

Talk about disappointment, don't waste your money, we and 26 of our friends most first timers but all are locals had a Christmas party or hoped it would be. The fire place filled the dining area with smoke and I do mean filled, our pictures showed a haze. The flue did not work and management decided to put the fire out by pouring water on it, 2 fire place doors were missing and the other 2 were broken (the place burned down years ago but I guess they didn't learn). The wait staff was confused,disorganized and there was no communication with management. The food at the price was mediocre to say the least. I was the only one that was offered hash browns, they were fantastic, the best part of my meal. After receiving our bill there were overcharges, when we questioned this to management (Josh) started, the he said she said game, nothing was wrote down and some how this was our fault! They forgot the customer is the customer and with out us they will be sitting in a empty smoke filled building wondering where everyone is. I nor any of my friends will ever go back They definitely are buying into there own hype and think they are more than they really are. read more

My wife and I have been coming to this restaurant for 15 years. We are from Florida and have a cabin in the area. We enjoy eating out and we love the atmosphere this restaurant provides. We enjoy sitting at the bar for a couple drinks and then getting a table and having supper. I probably have eaten at Spanky's 50 times and usually once a week or so while we are at our cabin. The owner, Josh, always will say hello and is attentive as he can be to his patrons. He is just a fantastic guy. The food is quite good and we have our favorites. I love the fried shrimp, and like I said, I am from Florida! The Walleye is fantastic. The ambiance is, by a good margin, the best in the area. The view of the lake is outstanding. The prices are reasonable for what you get. The bar has a few beers on draft, my favorite being 1554. Overall, I just enjoy my visits to Spanky's and highly recommend it. You may want to make a reservation for early in the evening (5:30) as this place does get busy. read more