Came here twice. Once I came during business hours and they told me their kitchen would close soon. That time it took over an hour to get my food. Stopped in yesterday for dinner and was told I could sit and order at the bar. Once I got the bartender's attention he said I could only order appetizers. I left without even ordering. It's too bad because the place looks nice, but the service made both experiences unwelcoming. read more

Very cool atmosphere. Excited to see such a fun drink menu. I went with a mule and it was wonderful. The food menu had a nice variety. I ordered the blacked mahi-mahi salad. Though the salad was good with nice fresh ingredients , the "blackened" was a little off. I would definitely go back and try more off both menus. read more

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10/10 experience overall. There is no other restaurant within miles that can compare. Food was excellent. The menu options are off the chart. Gluten free options were amazing. Best GF pizza crust I have ever eaten. Service was outstanding. Drinks were on point. This is one gem of a restaurant for a small town..... support this small biz owner. They are putting in incredible effort. read more

Service was slow, overpriced food. Liked the atmosphere. We had been here previously and had better service and food. We will try again because of that. read more

Our favorite dinner/drink spot in town! Always delicious food here. Cheese curds are tasty and come in a large portion. The burgers never disappoint. I recently tried the pizza with sausage and fresh mozzarella, highly recommend! The pizza is a perfect portion for one or maybe two people. They serve "American fries" which are diced red potatoes. They are probably the only disappointing thing they serve. We opt for the side salad with their delicious ranch. The cocktails are delicious and creative. Be sure to get a drink with cherries in it, they use some type of delicious real cherries (not your average maraschino cherries). Besides the good food, we come here to play ping pong and pool. We love the atmosphere here and can't wait for summer for some outdoor dining. read more

The Craftsman - Cheese curds with ketchup and ranch - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Eagle River, Wisconsin

Best restaurant in Eagle River. We have been coming up for years! We have always been looking for new places. This is a favorite we will go back to each year!! read more

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We were visiting in the area we was going to catch 22 not knowing they've been closed for a while.. we search for another place to eat came across the craftsman great outdoor seating just a little cold for me this time of year thou people was out there When we got there he told us 20 minutes for a table so he decided to sit at the bar Most tables are all high tops ( FYI) We order drinks ps they was out of my wine but so was the liquor store We asked for the menu at this point the bar is a really cool set up so we figured we would eat there But at the bar you can only have appetizers ‍ .. so I ask why ? With this i think the owner said it was fine .. so we order great service food was delicious But ... couple of gentlemen the man sat at the end of the bar and they also wanted to have dinner at the bar .. she turned them down .. then shit hit the fan .. our food came out and they got pissed .. ask us if that was an Appetizer I told him no but if he asked him maybe he would sit at the bar to eat also .. with that being he told them no just. Appetizers .. So they left mad never ate didn't even finish there drinks not sure what the difference is pushing the button for an appetizer or putting in a dinner plate ‍ Not sure if that was a great call on his behalf. Am sure the men was locals Sorry we Upset the apple cart. This place is a great addition to the area read more

Nice place, good beers. BUT, they have discontinued their Friday fish special. Kind of un-Wisconsin! Shrimp instead?? Great service from Janet. read more

Drinks were great, food was overpriced & not very good. Bourbon burger was very dry, had barely any pulled pork on it, and only a teaspoon of the bourbon sauce. French onion dip was good. Laughed out loud when I saw they had a section to tip the kitchen staff. read more

Me and my family all had a wonderful time here, an absolutely beautiful place with some of the best detailing and craftsmanship I've seen here in Wisconsin. The appetizers were all authentic and special, with each being something completely different than anything I've eaten before. Definitely recommend the cheese curds. read more

The menu was great, atmosphere was outstanding, and a great beer list too. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding.

Ok, review #2! It's obviously good enough that we returned ... and honestly, looked forward to our return!! Food continues to be the high point-- fresh, high quality ingredients with a very competent cook on the kitchen. Service continues to be the head-scratcher. Our waiter, complete with baseball cap, (and this is an elegant setting), pretty much ignored us. Returned from his smoking break to deliver the check. We didn't mind so much as we were enjoying the people watching. Including the bartenders, which were better in that they did occasionally smile at the patrons. (They should take lessons from the hostess -- who was totally welcoming, smiling, and out the other waitstaff to shame.). However, as the witching hour of 9pm came, the bartenders shifted from drink making to serious focus on locking up the bar. They obviously are serious about wanting to be home for a 9:16 TV show. Net -- great food, great ambiance, waitstaff / bartenders still deciding whether they want to be there ... and don't come in for a late dinner and expect to be comfortable. I'll post after trip #3 (yes, definitely worth a return--in spite of my whining, still the best thing in the north woods. read more

Food was absolutely horrible. I ordered the 1848 (I think thats what it was called) and it was super dry, the bacon was so hard I almost chipped a tooth, and there were 2 cheese curds on it which were nasty soggy (like deep fried 2hours ago). I upgraded to chips with fresh onion dip and the chips were cold and stale. My husband orders a steak sandwich and it had no flavor. He upgraded to tater tots and we truly believe they bought them in the frozen section at Trigs. Don't waste your time on over priced shit. A local owed business who screws over life long locals. We will never go back and will definitely get the word out. read more

The food and atmosphere were excellent!! Very friendly waitstaff!! Would recommend to anyone near or far!

Love this place! Long wait on Memorial Day weekend but plenty to keep a family busy with foosball, ping pong and an awesome Shuffleboard table. Food was excellent and service terrific. For big parties, I'd suggest locking down the 12 person table or splitting up the group. read more

Dropped in while tromping through Eagle River's Wall Street. Had a few Old Fashioned while we waited for food. Santa Fe chicken salad and tenderloin blue cheese salad were a great change from heavy vacation food. Had some cool games on the patio to kill some time. read more

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We've been meaning to try this place for a while. So glad we finally did. Excellent space inside and out! Menu is great. Liked the food. Prime rib sandwich was really good and came with a side of horseradish sauce that was really nice. Tenderloin sandwich done medium rare and really flavorful. Beer menu is expansive and temping, focusing on local breweries. Friendly knowledgeable server. Only complaints: chairs outside are uncomfortable. Onion rings looked terrific, but lacked flavor. Could not taste the onion and the batter was tasteless. Great crunch though. Recommend this place! Hope to get dessert next time. read more

Food menu was good american bar food. The beer selection is also decent. The complaints I have are around the service. I come from a tourist town myself and I can honestly say that when large groups of people walk into an establishment that doesn't appear to be busy (several open tables at 2pm on a Saturday) the servers/ hostesses should give a warm welcome. We were not greeted for a few minutes and when we were, and I explained there would be 10-15 of us, the servers eyes literally rolled, as if we were an inconvenience. We intended on having separate checks, which she explained wasn't possible and this made it even more inconvenient, but understandable. After she left we realized there was a larger group coming and it was as if she disappeared for 5 minutes so I approached the bartender who was extremely rude and snippy. Aside from the decent bar food and fancy bathrooms, we won't be back, we've had better service at a gas station hot bar than this place. read more

The tap selection was great. The cocktails were extremely good. The club sandwich was so damn good! Finally, you will not walk away hungry after eating the hamburger! Great job on food, bar and staff. Now, on to the non food review. Can a bathroom make you say "damn" I want this at my house? This one does. The bar is very well done. I am just plain IMPRESSED by this place! read more

Excellent food, drinks, and atmosphere.. If you're looking for something different around Eagle River this is your place.

Had dinner there last Saturday and looking forward to going back tonight! Outstanding service and the food is amazing

Food was bland and overpriced. Service was awful. Don't waste your time or money. The barbecue sauce tastes of pure whiskey, if your looking to get a little tipsy from pulled pork this is your place. read more

We went to the Craftsman last night and were seated right away, which was great! Unfortunately, no one came to talk to us for 10 minutes. We had to go up to the hostess station and ask if we had a server. We were told we did but then then manager came by and got our drink order which was great. A couple minutes later our waitress showed up and took our food order and then promptly brought our food in about three minutes. However what she brought wasn't what we ordered but she did not stop back until we were done eating. We tried to flag her down several times, but she seem to avoid us. The burgers were pretty good, but I won't be back to pay $56 for two hamburgers and two drinks with poor service. read more

One hour 15 minutes our dinner finally arrived. Pizza was cold. Tortillas were so dry they crumbled. Service is good. Decor is wonderful. Food... not so much. No paper towels in Women's bathroom read more

This place is, literally, a hidden gem in Eagle River. Lovely, relaxing atmosphere. Beautiful and immaculately clean space. The old fashioned(s) were delicious! I'd also highly recommend the cheese curds and anything that comes with their home made ranch dressing. read more

If Louie's Resurrection #13 is out we would greatly appreciate a like for like replacement for that. Great food as always and service was even better than normal. read more

No hyperbole here. Might be the best bar I've been to, in Wisconsin. Lizards cherries garnish a real Wisco old fashioned. The game room is out of this world. The beer garden is gorgeous. And the food is very good. Matt is a great host and the bar is absolutely gorgeous. Live music plays on Fridays. read more

Interesting and delicious drink and food menu. The sliders, shrimp tacos and strawberry salad were all yummy. The blueberry mule was refreshing. Great place! read more

On the advice of a "Local", my wife and I ventured into The Craftsman on Friday evening. The owner, Matthew, and bartender, Andrew, treated us well and told us the whole story of the long journey to create the establishment. Great atmosphere; Great craft Cocktails and even a great selection of draught beers! While I do love the typical up-north tavern, this is anything but typical. Do yourself a solid and take your sweetheart here... I can't say enough good things about it. read more

The drink menu is above and beyond the norm for this area. Kudos for trying to be different and exciting. Great atmosphere! I really appreciate the effort to not be another place that just serves light beer and deep fried frozen things. The food is very good -especially the cheese curds. Service can be slow, (however, it was very fast for us pre-snomobile season during our visit) but consider how difficult it's must be to be busy for 2 months, dead for 4, busy for 2 again... And so on. Very glad to see new ideas happen in this town. read more

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Our experience began with a bright smile and warm welcome from the bartender, Jack. The blueberry old fashioned looked and tasted amazing. The fish fry is the best we've had in years. Our waiter, Alan was friendly, efficient and attentive. Food, drinks and service were superb. Highly recommended! read more

We saw this eatery while exploring the town and after looking at the menu gave it a try. We got here at around 6:45 pm on a Thursday night. A stressed/harried appearing hostess said it'd be a 55 minute wait. No problem, we walked around town and then sat at the bar for a drink. Had great service there, plus an interesting cocktail menu (which I love). Got seated around 7:35 which wasn't bad. We sat outside and it was LOUD. Foosball table outside by the seating is a great idea until shrieking kids take it over. Ugh. The menu has tons of options, mainly meat-forward. Brittany provided EXCELLENT service. We each got a burger + tots. Food arrived quickly and was hot and fresh. And delicious! Would definitely eat here again. The only minuses were the noise level (inside was loud too and was only half full) and the hostess. She looked so stressed and was not friendly. Would definitely go back! read more

This place is nothing short of awesome. Super clean - super cool. Food is really epic - candied bacon is over the top -try the craftsman burger amazing. Come here cool game room read more

We are so excited that this place opened in eagle river! They are great and responsible about food allergies, and their cocktails are excellent. The service is responsive, and the vibe is great. They have fun bar games and great outdoor seating. We will be back! read more

Great place, amazing food, friendly staff, Awesome atmosphere, quick food. Cool game room and good patio. A little expensive but worth it.

We went twice this last trip to the north woods...both times had Brittany as our server, she's awesome! Food both times was outstanding, great drinks, service wonderful, warm and friendly people. i read reviews that prices were high. they are inline with ever other restaurant in the area, inflation has hit food industry hard. We'll definitely be back! read more

Great escape on a rainy day in the North Woods. Plenty of bar games to keep kids busy and parents happy while we enjoyed cocktails and apps. Hope this place is around for awhile. Great stop! read more

Party of four walk in Tuesday evening around 6pm. Plenty of open tables. Most of the tables that are sat are well into their meal or even done. I specifically saw an open table that seats six. The host comes up to us and tells us he has to see if one of the two servers will be able to take us. We all look at each other like "did he just say that?" We watch the host go up to one of the servers and it's obvious she doesn't want a new table to be sat in her section. Nobody wanted us. A family of four, two of which who live Up North. One who is born and raised. And I have been coming up here for 30 years. So basically we would be repeat customers for a long time. We even bought gift cards from them for our families right at the beginning of COVID because a new restaurant/bar in town that opens up at the start of the pandemic/shut down is not a good time to start. We end up just walking out. It was very obvious that it was a struggle for them to seat a party of four when they had open tables. Wanting to see the business thrive and not blast a horrible experience, someone in our party messaged the business/owners directly on social media. The incident was explained and told in a way to hopefully train the staff and inform management what happened. We would rather do it constructively than bash publicly on reviews. Well, we got a reply from the business and they proceeded to basically lash out at us and make us feel like we didn't just experience what we experienced. He carried on an argument in response to our message. It was already a horrible experience and then to get that response from the business after trying to help them? Train your staff. If you have open tables, every party that walks in should feel welcome and be sat with a smile. Choose wisely who responds to your messages/reviews. Customer service needs some work here. One positive for them, the interior décor is pretty cool. read more

Attemped to dine with an adult party of 4 at 5:45pm on a Tuesday. After waiting at the Host stand to be seated a female employee greeted us with "I'm not the hostess" and left. After some time passed the Host came up to us and stood there. No greeting. So we greeted him and said we had 4 and would like to dine inside. He says "eww well... let me see, we only have 2 servers and they're busy". We did observe there were plenty of tables and everyone we saw had food. All the seats at the bar were taken. The Host left us to talk to the Bartender and a server. We saw what we perceived as an arguement with arms waving and no smiles between Bartender, Host and Server. With that we decided we didn't want to cause the staff at Craftsman any more trouble and we got out of there. It's a service industry people! At least fake be nice to us, have us get a drink and then maybe we can forgive the slow service later. read more

We loved the atmosphere here! The homemade cocktails are amazing! I loved the cranberry mule! The cheese curds are a must!