food was ok but not great and the noise level was so loud that we could not talk. people were talking across the restaurant so loud it sounded more like a sports bar during a football game than a nice restaurant. some of the language would not be appropriate for young kids. I was disappointed with my visit and probably won't go back. read more

Love the Bird! My two favorite dishes are the black and blue steak (filet) and the linguini with garlicky shrimp and lobster. The salads are fresh and tasty, with really good dressings. The bread is another treat that my husband especially loves, served with garlic oil and butter. And of course you can't go wrong with a pina colada or some type of tropical drink while you're dining! read more

Food was great and the atmosphere was fun. This would make for a great date or group outing. All of the following were prepared and presented very well: Jamaican Jerked Mahi Mahi (served with sweet potato mash) Bacon-wrapped shrimp (tough to go wrong here, the menu said jumbo and they were good size) Mahi Mahi fingers (although slightly dry were served with awesome dipping sauce) Black n Bleu Sirloin (waitress recommended this and it was cooked to medium rare perfection) Coffee (was surprising how good it was) I will undoubtedly return to the Whistling Bird! read more

It really is sad this place closed. Great food in the beginning. Hopefully another tenant will pick up this restaurant. For now, if you're looking for good ethnic food, try Saigon Cafe in Virginia. The Mongolian Beef and Sesame chicken are surprising good for a Northern MN restaurant. read more

Sad day on the Range when the Whistling Bird closed. Great Caribbean food and fun atmosphere. An amazing gem for Gilbert!

Great tropical oasis in Northern Minnesota. The food (jerk pork loin) and drink (mai tai) seriously brought me back the tropics.

This was our first time back at the Bird since it reopened. We were pleasantly surprised. The service was friendly but slow and we waited awhile before they took our drink orders. In fact the table next to us had to find someone claiming they'd been waiting for a half hour. It wasn't busy so there really wasn't an excuse. Our drinks arrived. We ordered three Miami Vice. They were missing the blue and the and they did not use ginger beer for the dark and stormy. The drinks were still tasty. We ordered the conch fritters and they were amazing. The coconut and conch soup was to die for and the jerk pork tenderloin was fork tender. The meal was fantastic and the price was good. Basically $100 per couple including tip and two additional Red Stripes. It's a fun break from ordinary. And the drive was nice. read more

A group of 9 of us went in to the newly reopened whistling bird. We did make reservations in advance. First I want to say do not get the water....in an area where we have very clean water, this water tastes like bleach and chlorine. Everyone at the table ended up ordering pop just because the water was not drinkable.. I ordered the jerk trio (includes jerk chicken, jerk pork medallions wrapped in bacon and jerk shrimp.) The shrimp was very disappointing and plain, the pork medallions were plain and way over cooked making them extremely dry and not very good. My chicken was very dry and overcooked and very plain. I also wondered if the chicken was freezer burned or had rib meat in it because the texture was just not right. The only positive was the jerk sauce that comes on the side was really tasty. I wish the food was marinated in it to give it real flavor. The service was terrible. Starting with my cousin who asked the waitress about the mahi mahi. he asked what kind of fish was used. she answered that the mahi mahi is tuna. My cousin asked, "isn't mahi mahi dolphin fish?" and the waitress told him "it is dolphin fish but it's the same thing." Google tuna and google dolphin fish, these are NOT EVEN CLOSE to the same fish. They have different tastes completely. Our entire party had to ask the waitress multiple times for refills on our drinks, and sometimes she forgot. The bread wasnt enough for the whole table and we asked for more and they only brought out 5 more slices. The waitress didn't remember who ordered what and had to ask everyone what they ordered to place it on the table. The restaurant was not very busy and it took almost an hour for us to get our food...waaaay too long. Overall it was just a poor experience. For the amount of money asked for the food, it's really not worth it. I can cook much etter pork, chicken and shrimp without drying it out. Hopefully they will figure things out soon and turn things around. Edited to say I really do not think this review is that bad. This is an honest representation of our meals. I do hope for the best because with a few easy fixes this could be a great restaurant that will be unique for the area. read more

Loved this little gem of a spot! I'm sad we could only try a few dishes this visit, because the menu was diverse and showcased lots of Caribbean flavors and I wanted to sample everything! We can highly recommend the calamari with honey ginger aioli dipping sauce as an appetizer. Loved the coconut shrimp with wasabi orange marmalade. The 4 shrimp were giant and filled the plate. So crispy and tasty. The very generous portion of Ahi tuna (blackened with Thai peanut sauce) was some of the best I have ever eaten. I can't say enough about the mashed sweet potato side. Just try it. So rich and comforting. And even the side salads (Caesar and house) were delicious and served with a thick slice of cake-like warm bread and herb garlic butter. I only took a star away because we couldn't get the mushroom cap appetizer I had heard about and they were out of Red Stripe. That was Ok because it led me to order the Caribbean Martini (so good with St. Germaine). Would love to make it back here again when in the area. read more

The food and atmosphere is always amazing here but I have no idea why it should take over an hour and 45 minutes to get our food when the restaurant was not even half full. It took over half an hour to even get our order placed. The other servers seemed to be very efficient and other tables appeared to be eating before us so I'm going to assume that it was just our waitress for the night. We had the wontons and bacon wrapped shrimp skewers for appetizers (amazing) and we had the top sirloin and linguine with shrimp and lobster for entrees. The food was perfect. I believe the drink my daughter had was a Hurricane and she loved it. Maybe the waitress had a bad night but she never even apologized for the wait so not sure what was going on. read more

We did not expect to find restaurants other than sports bars and chain joints in the area. The Whistling Bird is unique in that sense, and a wonderful place to eat. The service was prompt and efficient, the food is excellent, and the music is lively. Give it a go! read more

The Whistling Bird is a true diamond in the rough. I was impressed with the variety of dishes offered and the beer selection. As an avid fan of caribbean fare I had great expectations. I started with conch fritters and a Surly ale. The fritters were a little on the chewy side, but good. The Negril platter meats were grilled properly but tasted bland. The crock of jerk sauce couldn't save the platter. I asked for veggies, was offered green beans, but was served asparagus - which I love, except when they're over-salted. I would give them a 4 for ambiance, 3 for menu, 2 for food execution. Maybe it was an off day. I plan to go back because they try to be different - and that is how you stay on the edge. read more

Delishious! Everything we ate was fantastic! And full of flavor. Friendly service, and great environment. read more

See all

Exceptional food and service. Our family of 5 was staying at Giants Ridge for a ski getaway and looked around for a place to eat out. This far exceeded any expectations we had. It felt like a touch of the tropics in the middle of winter! Kids were able to order all blended cocktail drinks without the alcohol. Every dish was amazing!! Thank you Whistling Bird! read more

Wonderful establishment with great holiday deals as well as ladies nights on Thursday's!

Plaintains with a Raspberry Mule and German Potato soup and a side of bread and garlic infused butter, a nice party in my mouth. Can't wait for the Jerk Chicken. Finally the 1/2 chicken with spicy jerk sauce showed up. Not quite a 1/2 chicken but enough to fill you up. The sauce could be 27 degrees hotter, I like it hot where you sweat a little. The rice and beans were tasty. I will eat here again. read more

The Whistling Bird - Caribbean Near Me - Gilbert, Minnesota

See all

This is one restaurant I will never visit again. Tonight we waited 45 minutes for our first drink and 1-1/2 hours for our meal. Finally, after raising our concern to the manager, we received our meals in a few more minutes. The food was fine, but way too late. We've eaten here many times over several years, with mixed results, but this was positively the last time. Life is too short. read more

One of the best meals and dining experiences of our lives. Would highly recommend this place to others and will drive through this area just to eat here again. read more

Good food and atmosphere. The dessert was great. Service ended well but started slow. Not sure what happened.......overall the evening was great and we loved our meal. read more

Tried it again and was pleasantly surprised. Was probably the best meal I've ate anywhere in the past year. If you haven't tried it since it reopened give it try. Food and staff was the best. read more

The Whistling Bird - Caribbean Near Me - Gilbert, Minnesota

Called ahead on a Friday evening. They were busy but not swamped. Ordered three entrees for three people and two appetizers. The food was fair to good. The potsticker appetizer was not good. The plantains were real good. The jerked chicken was ok but not flavorful. The lobster and andouille mac was served cool and I'm not sure what the lobster was but it's not lobster. The third meal was flavorful however the lobster substance was used in that one too. The fellow eating that meal said the substance tasted like dirt. The best thing you can say about the lobster substance is that there isn't much of it. The mac meal was small. Not much to it. Andouille was good. The bill came to $100 for three people....no drinks. Have been there a few times in the past. Not frequently but that was probably the last trip. Service was good. read more

Would give them a negative 10 they canceled my door dash order for no reason why wouldn't you take easy money? The order was almost 70$ I called and was told they weren't affiliated, but the same people own boomtown which is affiliated, so why not make the order? Waste of time I have been in the restaurant 3 times and the food wasn't that great my steak was purple when ordered med rare the food was bland and lacking flavor and it takes FOREVER to get your food which would be fine if it tasted great but it sucks.. Good luck whistling bird you've lost alot more than 70$.... read more

This is my favorite place for a tropical experience. If you want high quality great drinks this is the place to go

So happy to see the Whistling Bird reopen. Hope that time helps get them back to prior reputation for fine food. Ordered coconut chicken that was a bit over done. More than willing to give them some time to improve. read more

Our family dined at the bird Saturday the 24th and had an excellent meal, all around. Stuffed mushrooms to begin with was superb! Linguini with garlicy shrimp and lobster, to die for. Cajun shrimp was hugely tasty. And portobello mushroom raviolis was like manna from heaven. Rounding of the meal was a delicious assortment of deserts, and we tasted the lemon torte, key lime pie, and rich chocolate cake. Take the time to go and be transported to the islands, even if only for a short time. Definitely worth a visit! read more

C'mon Carribean on the Iron Range...what better combination. No seriously, turns out it's still awesome. Especially if you're in town for a couple days, this place has to be one of your stops. While it might not be 5 stars down in Mpls, I always make a point to drop in when we're up north. (If nothing else for a great cocktail...) read more

1st time going to The Whistling Bird and wow what a great place. All four of the people in my party had different dishes and all of them were excellent. Great food and good service. Highly recommend this restaurant for a great dining experience. read more

The Whistling Bird - Caribbean Near Me - Gilbert, Minnesota

I'm giving Whistling Bird a 4/5 mostly based on passed experiences. I've always had a great time. However, I ventured there on New Year's Eve and had arguably the most awful restaurant experience I've had in a long time. Most of this was due to the waitress, who I want to give the benefit of the doubt and say she was new and not ready for the holiday crowd. She forgot our salads and bread before the meal and needed to be reminded when we received our entrees, which we no longer wanted. However, she insisted. We also placed another order for drinks, which came about 45 minutes after we ordered them and 15 minutes after we finished our meals. For some reason, she brought the drinks, which we didn't even want anymore. Some of my food was cold. However, there was good amount of Gorgonzola on my steak, which I appreciate. My sister received no butter with her lobster tails. People were complaining all across the restaurant about how long the food was taking. I would rethink having a special menu next year, if it compromises the experience. Ultimately, I'd say give this place a shot... it's one of the better places on the Range, but maybe try to avoid on busy nights. read more

It's unusual to find a Caribbean-themed restaurant like this in a hard-working little town on northern Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range. Very pleased with my dinner. Reasonable prices. Eclectic, funky atmosphere. Definitely worth dining here. read more

Was SO worth the drive...from the refreshing cocktails, engaged servers, The entire meal was awesome..we loved the Stuffed mushrooms, flat bread appetizer...the conch soup was light and I heard the nummy sound at our table many times...my husband loved the pork tenderloin with Mango Chutney....our friend loved the Black & Blue steak....perfect way to start the weekend! read more

If you are up in the Iron Range area and looking for a decent restaurant, this is one of your best bets. I love how out of place this little restaurant is, right in the middle of a quaint little town (Gilbert), and once you step inside its a splash of some serious tropical flare! I always get the plantains because they are delicious. They usually have some nice specials, and decent fish and seafood selection considering the location. I had a great steak with chimichurri sauce recently. Beware of some spooky dim lighting at times and on occasion the service is a bit slow. Overall, there are reasons I keep going back when I'm up north! read more

The atmosphere is festive. Seating feels thoughtful. We had the sirloin and pork medallions. The sirloin was excellent. The medallions were tender. The sauce was overly salty though. Drinks were very good. Main tai and cucumber Cooler. Service was good. Would go there again. Nice menu. read more

We went over here for my daughters birthday. Food was very good. Would have been better if they would not have over cook her boyfriends steak. But who eats steak here?? The Curried mussels were to die for and the jerk was as good as in the islands. read more

Decor was great, service was great, not crowded on a Saturday night (great), and easy to find. I had the Jerk platter which had chicken, shrimp, and pork; the best jerk I have ever had. The rice that came with had a hint of coconut milk-delicious! The crab wonton appetizer actually had crab and you could taste it- delicious! Luckily, this place is an hour from my home or, I would quit cooking and eat here all the time. read more

The Whistling Bird is the best restaurant in the greater Virginia area. If you are in town for only one night this is the place you want to go. The Stuffed Mushrooms and Caribbean Jerk are recommended, but I don't think you can really go wrong! read more

We went to this restaurant a few years ago and had excellent food. We returned a few years later for our anniversary and we were extremely disappointed. My husband had some raspberry inferno wings and they were not nearly as good as the previous time we ate there. Our meals were mediocre at best. I had Coconut Chicken and it was dry and pretty tasteless. People had raved about their coconut cake. Guess what? They no longer had it and told us it was too expensive to buy???? Seriously? They charge a lot for their food and it's just not worth it. My husband and I go out frequently and we've tried many restaurants but we won't be returning there. read more

Sampler dish with chicken, pork and shrimp. Everything was awesome. Worth checking out.

I actually wasn't that impressed. I usually love this place but the meal I usually order went up in price $4-5 which is a pretty big increase since we were last there in September. I ordered my steak medium & it was pretty rare. It was also a lot smaller than normal. The service was great, as usual. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. read more

Ordered the red curry mussels. Over half the order was not open and could not be eaten. Jerk chicken was not grilled and the jerk sauce was nothing like I have had on the island and it was served on the side. Two of us ordered Rasta pasta. Hot order came with the same sauce used in the mussels. Medium order was in a red sauce and hot. Ordered the same thing last year and they were great! This year when we went it was the worst meal we have had in a long time. Won't be rushing back read more

I used to go to the whistling bird when Jo Pat and Tony ran things I would have to say the food used to be stellar I would go there about 3 times a month didn't mind spending $100 + on dinner because the food was just that great.. But now bland bland bland!!!! I don't know how anyone could recommend this place 4 stars yeah right !! The service was not bad but dang the food used to be so good!! Authentic no way you should have had the food 4-5 years ago !!! You couldn't beat it!! Get a chef""who knows Jamaican !!!! A note ** eaten here three times in the last 5 months hoping it would get better but nope still bland also have tried different meals each time but I'm super disappointed!!! read more