My husband said it was the worst dining service he's ever had at a restaurant. The place was not busy but everything was slow and staff could not be found at half the time. No refill of drinks were ever offered at any time. Staff didn't come to check on us. I asked for napkins to wipe up a mess on three different occasions and no napkins were ever produced by the staff. The mess remained on the table until we finally could get someone to let us pay and leave. We've been to this place about a handful of times before but this is the first time it's been this bad. The potato skins were forgettable, but one of the few things I got to eat because my pork chop arrived partially raw. It took over 20 minutes to finally flag someone down about it. I tried to flag a different waitress than ours and was completely ignored. Flagged her again a second time she walked by and she was completely uninterested but said she'd notify our server. The server finally came back and said she'd take it back. I wasn't upset at this point,as dismissive and slow as their service was, as I can understand that ensuring a stuffed pork chop is fully cooked may be difficult, even if they claim this is their award winning recipe (how that is, lord knows), but when she did return with a different pork chop (would've been fine with the same one cooked five or so mins longer) it was a pork chop that had the opposite problem of being incredibly overcooked - which I cannot accept as an accident or cannot accept its fault because you already messed it up the first time and messed it up again. Both chops were inedible-just absolute awful. You can see in the picture the split between the two chops because they sliced it in two and then they skewered it together to "close" and stuff it. You can also see how dry the chop was by looking at the striation of the meat. The stuffing inside, also dry. The only thing I enjoyed were the vegetables but they were also the only thing I could eat on that plate. This place used to be a quiet but decent restaurant but the service and food we received today really shows me why the place was so dead. There is no pride or joy in their work or food-you can see it in the glum faces of the employees (except ours did look friendly, others did not). Our waitress was friendly but absent over half the time. It took us over 3 hours to complete our meal because more than half the time, no one was around to do anything like check to see if our food was okay aka cooked or provide a refill or run the payment. My husband said not once did someone apologize for the raw food which I don't recall if they did or not but I did get a confirmation of "oh yeah I took it back and he looked at it and said, yeah that's not cooked". Overall, I could not recommend this place to anyone anymore. read more

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We were 9 people group with kids. Kristi was our waitress and she was very accommodating. She engaged with our kid and made her feel special. The food was great with the exception of one issue we had with the pot pie but Kristi was able to make it right. Desert are HUGE and AMAZING! Definitely would come back again. read more

Solid spot for 3 meals, breakfast is the star here. Lots of hearty breakfast options and the Cinnamon rolls are really good- as is the Cinnamon Roll French toast made out of those same cinnamon rolls (without the frosting). Service is solid and they keep your coffee filled. They also have a breakfast buffet on the weekends, which is generally good with some hiccups here and there (had some waffles that were like bricks, but we mentioned it and they brought fresh ones to our table). Ambiance is fun, farm chic without feeling trendy, more of a rustic but refined feel. Not sure why the reviews are so low overall. This is a classic type of spot, truck stop diner esque, but more refined and a bigger menu with classics. read more

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Good homestyle country cooking with really large portions. The waitstaff is usually very friendly and attentive. Gives home for thr holidays vibes that's good for families or large groups. read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - Cinnamon Roll French Toast with a side of bacon - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota

Very homey, family restaurant. Meat was a bit fatty but tasteful. Staff was friendly. Prices reasonable.

You enter through a store just like Cracker Barrel. Attached to bar and hotel. Great service from the host to the staff taking orders. Big booths and tables (though there is an annoying ridge in the way when getting in and out of booths.) Small salad bar available. Prices very spendy $$$. See photos for rankings of food ordered on most recent visit. read more

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We gave this place a second chance last night. The place picked up a star and a half! The service was much better and it was the same waitress. It almost appeared that maybe my review was shared. Waitress took our water order and shortly thereafter our dinner order. The food was delivered within 15 minutes. I ordered the chicken fried steak and it had great taste. The portions were plenty and was served hot. Much better. read more

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Group of 6 met for breakfast at 9:30am on Saturday morning. We were seated quickly, but it all went downhill from there. The waitress finally showed up after 20 minutes of waiting. At that point, we were all ready to order drinks AND breakfast, so that's what we did. Our drinks (coffee and orange juice) came out 10 minutes later, but creamer was requested for the coffee, which took 2 more requests to passersby wait staff to get - at that point coffee was cold or empty. We finally received creamer 20 minutes after the coffee came out. A full 45 minutes after ordering, our entrees finally arrived. Food was fine - not great, not bad, certainly nothing memorable. Anyway, when the entrees were delivered, we asked if we could get some silverware, as that wasn't on the table. Same story on ketchup...had to request. After sitting there for 5-7 minutes and 6 people staring at food that couldn't be ate because we didn't have silverware, I finally went and grabbed silverware off other tables. Ketchup remained the final challenge. On a positive note, the ketchup finally showed up just as everyone was finishing their meal...at least it showed, I guess. All-in-all, the food was mediocre and the service was horrendous. I don't anticipate going back anytime soon. Keys Cafe is just down the road...go there instead for breakfast. It's hard to F up breakfast, but Machine Shed proved it's possible. If you're still willing to give it a shot, I probably recommend the buffet - I wish we would have, but were never told about the buffet option...we noticed it on the way out. read more

I thought the food was going to be fantastic, unfortunately it was not. Went for Father's Day meal, disappointing.

We decided to go here for dinner and a brew and we were so glad we did. We ate in the bar and liked the bar environment better then the dining room area for sure. The chicken was outstanding. This place is underrated! Left happy and very full :) read more

Pleasantly surprised for sure. The employees were great from the moment we walked in, food came out quickly, and omelette portions were substantial (make sure you say you love eggs). The pancake side was a lot bigger than I expected too. They did forget the meat in one of our omelettes, but they were apologetic and quick to fix the order. The new omelette that came out was gigantic so they more than made up for the mistake. Prices are good too. read more

Very lack luster. Service wasn't very good waitress was frazzled and rushed us for our order. She also got the orders wrong. Food came back cold. My 12 year old got the French toast off the kids meal. It was literally one piece of bread. All in all not good. I've been to a few machine sheds and this one was the worst by far. read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - Working man breakfast - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota

Wow, what a treat! I've driven by this place for years and never stopped. Pecan pancakes are awesome, better than my own (which are really good!) Great service, reasonable prices, make sure to check it out! read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - Pecan pancakes - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota

This was a disappointment. I knew what to expect from ambiance, but I expected the food to be better than below average. We had a sticky roll, which came out hot like molten lava. Anything that hot is usually from a microwave. Sure enough. Within minutes it cooled down and the bread started crystalizing and getting hard. Our breakfasts were just the opposite. Most of our plates was barely lukewarm. I was a certified food safety manager, and I fairly sure the food didn't meet the standard. It all tasted fine, but was either too cold, too hot and quite expensive. read more

A lot like Cracker Barrel, but better. They, like Cracker Barrel, have a gift shop just inside the store that sells greeting cards, kitchen kitsch, decor, etc. If you're looking for a hearty, home-cooked style meal, this is the place. They offer pork, beef, chicken, salad, sandwiches, and desserts. I had the fried chicken on my first visit. My beloved had the salad bar. We both enjoyed the extras that were brought out prior to the meal: a large yeast bun with whipped butter, two pieces of pumpkin bread, warm apple slices, and coleslaw. It's always nice getting things you didn't expect. The meals were terrific, fresh, not, and delicious. Both my beloved and I commented that the hot food was so hot, you almost couldn't eat it at first. I was glad to have ordered the 2-piece chicken meal, as it was enough food for me. Our server, a petite gal, was so friendly and smiling. It was a pleasure being served by her. The manager came by the table to make sure that everything was good. That was nice, too. The salad bar had a nice selection of salads, fruit, and fixings. My beloved could also order soup with the salad bar. She had the French onion and enjoyed it. This is a large restaurant, and if you're coming with a group, they have many large tables. We saw many families during our visit. We love how the theme is carried through the entire restaurant, from the old farm decor, to the red checkered shirts that the wait-staff wear, to the mason jar glasses, the varied metal pitchers, and more. I would definitely return to try something completely different. They do offer daily specials (Friday was all you could eat cod), and a Sunday buffet. I appreciated the ambiance, the freshness of our food, and the wonderful service. Thank you, Machine Shed! read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - Dining room. - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota

My goodness... not sure where to start. Mr. Picky and I meet his sister and Brother-in-law for a meal while they were in town visiting. We went here about 4 years ago, in our mind we were thinking about the amazing service and food we had in Iowa at their Machine Shed. Once we sat down, we started to remember the last time we dined here.... we should have gone to 5-guys is all I need to say. The young gentleman greeting us was polite. We explained we were meeting someone in a booth. He let us pass. We sat uninterrupted for what felt like 10 minutes, looking at the menu. Mr Picky wanted breakfast. I went back to the same young ma, he checked with the kitchen and indeed, we could order the limited breakfast. He then gave me the new menu, asked if it was just one diner and he tried to seat me. I again explained we were seated in the booth. Service although she was polite, was very slow. We think she was the only one waitressing. When ordering, my sister-in-law orders a Diet Coke, French onion soup, and shrimp of some sort. Her husband... potato skins and French onion soup. Mr Picky had 2 eggs over hard, crispy bacon, has browns with cheese melted on top. I ordered mashed potatoes with gravy on the side (Baked was not available). 6 oz steak med well. The waitress brought me the Diet Coke. I thanked her and passed it across the table to the rightful owner. Shortly after the potato skins came... 5 or so minutes later... she brought extra plates, thinking we would share what my brother in law was eating.maybe 10 minutes later the remainder of the food came. I received my steak and a French onion soup... I politely passed it across the table. Man o man! Mr picky looked the best. The French onion had unmelted cheese hiding under a 2" mound of crispy onions. Soup was cold. I cut into my little steak with high hopes.... Raw, broccoli- cold, potatoes and gravy... flavorless... onto Mr Picky. His eggs looked beautifully over hard like he ordered. Bacon looked super crispy just like he liked it.., potatoes beautifully browned cheesed melted perfectly. Rye toast.. had butter bonus! He ate an egg, part of the bacon and a piece of toast.... Hungrily he dipped into the glorious hash browns, only to discover the greedy remains of yester year... dripping from his fork. He tried it like good sport. Then decided it might come up. Both plates went to the end of the table After awhile the gal came back. She agreed it was atrocious said she was going to take a photo and send it to her GM. She went to get her boss... wouldn't you know it! It was the young gentleman from the front. They did wipe the bill and took off the French onion soup.... we parted ways... Mr Picky and I drove back across 494 closer to home and went to get a burger in Hopkins. read more

Good food and lots of it! We had the turkey dinner, pot roast dinner, chicken sandwich and everyone enjoyed their food.

I will say first and foremost, the food was great. Whole family enjoyed it. What is like to highlight the most is the staff. We did take out because the kids didn't want to leave the pool to go out to eat. Long story short, there was a goof-up. When I called and talked to them they immediately fixed the situation, plus added a bonus (they were getting pretty swamped at the moment as well). When I said that was unnecessary, they politely smiled and told me not to worry about it. It is rare to get such great hospitality, especially when they had other pressing concerns with the number of people there. read more

Being new to the area we try to find new places to eat or grab a coffee once a week. Coming from Vegas our local options are limitless so it's for sure been an little effort to find "neighborhood" vibe type places in the area. My husband once again set out on a mission to find a good breakfast spot & what a pleasant surprise The Machine Shed was! Similar to a Cracker Barrel or Perkins. Food was good, coffee was hot & staff was super kind! Very much the type of place I feel like I can roll into in super comfy joggers, let my kids get a sugar rush in this giant cinnamon roll thing and not feel rushed at all. The store in front is full of cute nick nacks as well. Hidden Gem!! read more

I used to go to the Machine Shed in Urbandale, so I was excited to try. The portions are large, but they aren't that great. We were the only people in the whole place which was very strange. If you like having restaurant leftovers, you will have them here. I do not believe that a single item was made in house. Unless they can. Also, not sure what is up with a Michelle S. using the Brand managers email, Lesley Sparkman, in her responses, but that's very shady and strange as well. The manager doesn't have her own email? Also they use an autoresponse for reviews, so anything less than 3 is automatically updated with a canned response from Michelle/Lesley, (or some bot). The whole place is a financial nightmare. read more

The food is always good, service excellent. The Décor is fun, and the restaurant is clean.

I recommend this place for large groups because the service is excellent and the room they use for large groups is pretty quiet - even with another group in the same room. They have a diverse menu so everyone should be able to find something they like. The restaurant is clean and the staff is fast, very friendly, and accommodating. Parking is a huge surface lot that is free. It is close to I-494 and I-694 and right off of I-94 so it is very convenient to get to. read more

I like the food. It is what you should expect - middle America comfort food prepared reasonably well, served promptly. A bonus is you can get a beer, mixed drink or wine. This location serves the same consistent meal The decor is what you expect - if it irritates you, don't stop in. It's there gimmick. However, as other yelpers have noted, food is n the floor stays on the floor, even if staff steps in it. Bill presented before they asked about desert (yes, we want desert). read more

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The family fixings are amazing. The bread and butter is great. We had chicken fried steak and meatloaf. Most things seem to be scratch made. One thousand percent awesome. The gravy for the potatoes and the steak were especially good. Our fixings were Apple sauce -- which was basically deconstructed apple pie and cole slaw. My wife was amazed by the apple pie dish. She was surprised we brought any home. read more

Zero Stars really should be an option or negative stars is a better way to sum this up. In today's society we tend to lie to not make somebody feel bad. It would seem like the polite and socially acceptable thing to do. Is this productive? I am not going to lie anymore. This place sucks. PERIOD . !!! I don't care whose feelings are hurt. They need to know this so they can possibly do better if they are capable. If not shut this place down. No one should be subjected to this. So said I! The service was fine. I do not blame the servers for the terrible food. Pulled pork sandwich: Dry, hard, chewy, tastes horrible. (Like eating shredded wood chips with really sweet bbq sauce) Fries: Tasted like eating long skinny wood chips (apparently the kitchen has no seasoning whatsoever) Iced Tea: I don't even know what to say but that wasn't tea. read more

Honestly this place should close. If the food they served us is their standard they should NOT be in business. I do not understand how anyone could say it is good food. Definitely NOT award-winning! I recommend that you do not eat here. Trust me your belly will thank you. The only reason I gave this review 1 star is for Kristi our server. Otherwise I would have given -5 I feel so bad for her. She did her job and as a fellow server I know the struggle. We were part of a very large group she worked this evening. She knew the specialty drink (the autumn sangria) I wanted to order with out the menu in front of me. I will say it was good, I had a 2nd. Other than that, I have NOTHING ELSE GOOD TO SAY. Honestly food was mediocre at best!! Very small portions for the price. Much of the food tasted old and or sour. The spinach and artichoke dip was runny and tasted like sour milk. The ribs tasted like week old meat that sat in the fridge. The amount of sugar on the sweet potato fries made them inedible. I sent more food back than I ate. My husband ordered the pork combo and it was cold and sour, just gross. We wouldn't even take the scraps home to feed to our dog. My daughter had the brisket Mac and cheese that was so bland. No seasoning at all. Even the chicken tenders that my teenage son had were blah. The French fries were probably the best thing we had. Pretty sure they came frozen from a food provider. Pretty sad. I can not stress how bad the food was, obviously not worth half the price we spent. Of course the food quality is not the servers fault. I feel bad (for Kristi, our server) leaving such a poor but honest review, but I am being honest. I would never recommend this establishment and will never plan to eat here again. read more

The service here is indescribable! They are SO friendly and personable. My mom and I typically go here every Sunday and we LOVE sitting in Stephanie's section!! She is the BEST!! She's tentative to our table and is so friendly! The manager is also amazing! Him and Stephanie recognize us and welcome us whenever we come in and have grown to know us on a personal level. We will continue make this our breakfast place for many years to come! They make it feel more than just a spot for breakfast. Oh and the food... AMAZING!! We have never ordered something we didn't like. The casserole hash browns are the best hash browns I've ever had! If you haven't been here.. you are missing out! read more

Ate here a couple weeks ago and was not impressed. The water glass was dirty and I said the glass is dirty I don't want it. So no replacement just a little side eye. Food took at least 25 minutes and the restaurant was not busy, we were within seconds of leaving when it arrived. Prob should have left, the food was not something worth coming back for. read more

Over $80 for a chocolate "ganache" cake with no "ganache and a fresh strawberry pie that is not edible! Not to mention, the pie was not marked down when the order was placed. My husband waited 1 hour and 15 minutes for the pie to be made only to discover it's all gelatin, barely strawberry and detached from the graham cracker crust (not pie crust) . If it weren't Thanksgiving, I would add a lot more to this review. read more

Me and my boyfriend walked in and were greeted pretty immediately. The food wasn't bad but the service was terrible. Our waitress, Lou, spent maybe 30 seconds total at our table our entire visit. It was rude and rushed especially for how expensive it is. Will never come back. So disappointed. read more

I went there late Sunday morning with my daughter for their brunch buffet and couldn't have been more disappointed. The only options were: a soupy hash brown casserole, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, some kind of questionable egg bake (hardly anything was labeled), waffles that were hard and dried out, biscuits (also hard and dried out), and gravy. The food was barely warm and not even good. Both me and my daughter aren't picky eaters and we couldn't find anything that we could actually finish. Luckily the waitress didn't charge me for the the bloody Mary that I ordered which I couldn't even drink. I'm not sure if the bartender has even had a Bloody Mary but you would think that since it's on their specialty drink menu it would've been a lot better. It's also worth nothing that the buffet are looked trashed. The serving utensils were sticky, the handle on one of the buffet covers broke off and there's was food all over the floor. I hate posting negative reviews but after paying $40 (pre tip) for 2 buffets and a lemonade is outrageous when they food isn't even edible. read more

Not bad! My eggs and bacon were good. Shredded potatoes were pretty salty, but good! Pancake was OK at best. I liked the coffee. The waitress was very kind. She was pretty busy as I think she was the only one serving food so yes service was slower than it could have been. In today's society I cut slack for both the business and server. I will come back! Be kind about service folks. Be kind. read more

We came for breakfast for Fathers Day, we were a party of 8, had reservations and were seated promptly. We all ordered off the menu, no buffet for any of us, it seemed over priced for getting breakfast. Food came was a little cold. Waitress spilled my butter on the floor off my pancake. Left one pot of coffee for the table was empty before it got around table. When I was do, she picked up my plate and dropped my knife on my back leaving butter stains. Had to spend rest of the day that way. No offer to do anything about it. Very disappointed about whole experience. read more

We chose this place for their advertised "World Famous Potato Soup" and learned why at least 10 other people told us - afterward - it was a terrible restaurant they only tried once. The soup was horrible and the people at next table complained to waitress that it wasn't the soup they always got. Then we ordered steaks and had the worst meal of our 28 years of dining out together. The food was cheap packaged and marinated meats and seasoned with strange flavors I couldn't identify. I forced myself to eat two of the four icky shrimp on the side because I couldn't believe they could taste so awful. Bread was one bun to share. The bar is a joke, don't bother either. Run, run, run away. We paid $90 to feel sick and hungry on NYE. read more

My husband ordered the 10oz Ribeye. No sear on it, looked like someone boiled it. I got the stuffed pork tenderloin, medallions, and parmesan crusted pork. The Parmesan pork was edible but was sitting in a thick paste of some weird mustardy tasting stuff. The medallions and stuffed pork loin were definitely reheated. Dry, so so dry...terrible. Corn on the cob was gummy and cold. So disappointed. $70 for our meals. Manager discounted mine $6 for the inedible items. Unfortunately, I think this meal will be our last there. read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - Ribeye??? - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota

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Went as a group 12, The service was great! food was delicious. Our Waitress Kristi was phenomenal with service! would recommend to eat there Again. read more

The food is ok, slightly better than a Perkins or a Denny's. Nothing to go out of your way for, but decent. But UNFORGIVABLE is the fact that I have already heard the third loop of the same 90s music since I arrived. My dining partner asked the wait staff to address this egregious oversight, and was I formed that they are forced to listen to this same replaying of music all freaking shift. This is ridiculous, I should not have heard the same songs 3 times since I sat down for a normal dinner. Owners, listen to your customers and your staff, and fix this. I am wanting to scream and leave the room as soon as possible because of this. My ears deserve better. read more

There aren't a ton of options in the Woodbury area for breakfast, so we wound up eating here. Typical midwestern americana theme-y restaurant with the old farm tools on the walls, a store and that midwestern flair of decor that I often see at thrift stores. We were seated by a nice young gentleman who also wound up being our server. Very attentive, helpful and all around delightful. He brought us a pitcher up water. While the steel pitcher probably keeps the water cold, the water tastes gross. I ordered the cakes and everything meal which consisted of 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon or sausage. Pancakes were good. Eggs done just right. Bacon perfect. I ordered a side of the cheesy potato casserole which was kind of meh.. J ordered the scrambled omellettes with chicken which he said was good. The chicken was done just right. Biscuits and gravy he also enjoyed. Cherry lemonade was good. It was better than the water. I don't enjoy drinking out of jars. Its a bit hokey and some place clients from 3M might eat if staying at the hotel. They had a salad bar that was being set up which looked fairly fresh even with the green astro turf looking cut outs.. I agree with other reviewers; the service is excellent.. read more

We brought my 101+ Mom here for lunch today. The manager was awesome helping us in and getting us a good table. The waitress was outstanding - she was the only one there but she managed the job without any hint that she was the only one with a little help from the manager and wait staff assistant. The food was OUTSTANDING! They just opened up on Mondays and Tuesdays following a business cutback due to Covid. The portions were huge, food was hot and delicious. Highly recommend the potato soup. We're going back again!! read more

Midwest cooking at it's finest. Huge portions of down home, farm style food. Pork features heavily here, as does beef and some chicken. Maybe 1 fish dish. It's food just like grandma would have made- hearty portions, simple ingredients, simple dishes. Nothing too complex here, just piles of comfort food. Sort of like Cracker Barrel, but 1/2 step classier. The turkey dinner is great, as is the pan fried chicken. My favorite thing is the Burnt Ends dinner. They take the ends off of all the pork roasts, pot roasts and briskets for the day and put them in a barbeque sauce. Get it with mashed potatoes, then dump the bowl of Burnt Ends over the potatoes and enjoy! They do have a full bar, and lots of extras that come with the meal- cottage cheese, coleslaw, giant buttered rolls, and spice bread. Sometimes it's banana bread. For dessert- can't go wrong with their classic Apple Dumpling with cinnamon ice cream. Or if you ran out of room, just get a small dish of the cinnamon ice cream. Servers are always friendly, and they leave pitchers of water so refills aren't a problem. Check out the cute little farm store too before you leave, great gifts, cookbooks, nostalgic toys and candy. read more

The Machine Shed - Lake Elmo - The Meatloaf - American Near Me - Lake Elmo, Minnesota