Fantastic concept all around! Located just 45-minutes from the Twin Cities, Nordic Harbor is a gem…read moreof a find offering overnight rooms, a market, rooftop patio and even pontoon rentals. My very first visit here was for Mother's Day when my mom suggested we check out the market and rooftop patio. I am so glad we did because I was instantly hooked by the entire experience from the cleanliness to overall transformation from a former beat down motel into a luxurious space. The market contains gelato, espresso drinks, cases of drinks from boozy to normal, Nordic Harbor apparel, frozen pizzas, little snacks such as cheese and meats and an opportunity to make your own charcuterie board. Think of the market as your home base or check in if you plan on renting a room. There is also a very nice bathroom in here. My favorite part? The intimacy. Nordic Harbor isn't trying to be the loudest, most overpopulated spot on the lake, rather, everything is crafted with intention and the Nordic theme of cozy and quiet in mind. I came back for Memorial Day weekend and did a 1-night overnight with a full 8-hour pontoon rental and everything was seamless. I booked every component of this trip online and it was even given a personalized call from the owner, Nic, when I had a few lingering questions. A special code will be provided via email to access your room on the lockbox as opposed to a key. Each room amplifies the Nordic "Hygee" concept mentioned above which includes a quaint space with no clutter. The room even comes with a binder book that helps describe the room layout with the goal of keeping clutter out. I appreciated the slippers, eye masks, Nespresso machines, dish wear, patio, coffee mugs, electric fire pit and quiet hours. Additionally, the entire bathroom was a vibe from the heated floors to the LED mirror to the hanging eucalyptus to the luxurious shower head and shower spray with full products available to use. This has been my favorite shower to date!! The market, outdoor patio and pontoon rentals are open to the public so there is a good chance that people you encounter might not necessarily be spending time overnight and that is the beautiful thing about this place! Our pontoon rental was seamless - zero issues. We had great assistance learning the ropes of the boat and then it was all very independent once the keys were given which we appreciated. Needless to say, I will be returning again for sure. Thank you, Nordic Harbor!

This was our first visit to Nordic Harbor as we'd heard about it from a few different people and it…read morewas great; we'll definitely be back! The roof top vibe was very fun and inviting. We enjoyed the blankets strewn throughout and the stunning view of the lake and sunset. The bar tender was very friendly and we enjoyed talking to her.

This far is a must stop for anyone who has the love of motors cars motorcycles memorabilia love…read morelooking at history fun for everyone of all ages great staff very friendly

This place is awesome.... if youve never been here, I promise you've never seen anything like it…read more It's a bar ( with food) in a junkyard of vintage Fords and a lot of other finds... it's like a real life episode of Pickers except mostly Ford related. Lots of bikes , old signage. And the bar and food are great with friendly service. If you're in the area, check this place out

Great food! We had a cup of soup broasted chicken and a hamburger. Everything was really good. The…read morewaitress was very attentive and very nice!

Classic bar food and some good food for a decent price range. They always have homemade soups and…read morechili, I've never been disappointed by any of the options the beef and veggie and chicken dumpling are my favorites. The fuse steak dinner and broiled chicken are definitely my go tos for dinner entrees and if it's ever lasagna day you better get it because it's delicious

We stopped by the Shafer Bar and Grill for a quick bite to eat. Turns out, it was not a quick bite…read moresince we waited over an hour for our food (which was a few tacos and a burger). It did look to be pretty understaffed and the server was friendly, but she never checked in on us after we ordered and there was no transparency about the delay. When we did get our food, it was pretty good but there was no apology or anything about the wait. It was also a very small place with only a few customers in it so I was a little confused about the whole situation. It was disappointing, but maybe it was just a one-off experience. May try again!

We ate here for the first time on a Friday night. While the bar and restaurant were clean, and the…read morefood was very good, the service absolutely sucked. I don't know who if anyone was managing but whomever it was wasn't doing their job. We joined our friends for dinner there. We sat down, and no kidding, after 15 minutes of not even acknowledging our presence we had to ASK to put in a drink order!! I mean the place wasn't busy at all, and there's no way they didn't see us. It took another 10 minutes for them to take our food order, and then after 30 minutes, and watching others who came in after us getting their food, we asked about ours...they forgot to put our food order in and blamed it on the printer in the kitchen. If it was the printer then why did others get their food?!? So they lied on top of it. Then the four people who ordered burgers got their meals, but they forgot me because I ordered a bacon chicken ranch wrap. When they brought my wrap after I had to ask for it, there was NO CHICKEN in the wrap! I was so hungry I ate it anyway. But really?!? Where was the manager? More importantly where was the owner?!? Neither one gave a damn about us! We won't be back. Even if the food is good, and the place is clean, awful service ruins the entire experience. BTW - we tipped our server well anyway...

Embracing my Swedish/ Norwegian side checking out the lovely town ofLindström today. Well known as…read morethe town with the teapot water tower just north of Forest Lake. Along with a tasty lunch in Chisago. @thenorthernlaketavern wrapped up our visit with a tasty lunch. We enjoyed the chicken and garlic flatbread, and a mushroom Swiss burger with tots. Uffdah what a fun day! Hoping everyone can find some Hygge in your days.

Sis and I took a last-minute Thursday late afternoon roadtrip up Hwy 8 due to a FB Marketplace…read morepickup. It was dinnertime and I asked the Seller a restaurant they recommend in the area. She told us The Northern and to make sure to order the cheese curds. Looking at the menu before hitting the road again, sis and I knew the place was for us: burgers, sandwiches and wraps. Pulling into the parking lot was easy. Even though looked full, we were still able to find a spot. I want to note the gorgeous view of the red barn/farm across from the pond when pulling in. I noticed a patio on the North side of the building, which would put this farm in your view. We did have about a 20 minute wait for a table for 2. The restaurant looked busy from what I could see. Once we were brought to out table, I then noticed that the bar seating was pretty much open. Had I known, we might have elected to just sit at the bar. However, I asked for menus right away so that we could at least ponder it during that 20 minutes. We were sat at a high top right near the kitchen door. Being able to see all the food come out, I changed my mind on what I was going to order almost 10 times. We asked for the cheese curds as soon as we were greeted by our waitress. OMGosh! They were in the shape of cubes, deep fried to golden perfection. The outside had perfect firmness from the fryer. The inside was gooey, salty white cheese. Perfect just by itself. It did come with a ranch dipping sauce that was just so yummy. It reminded me a seasoned sour cream. The waitress didn't know the brand of the cheese curds (ie. Ellsworth) but did say the ranch was homemade Sis ordered the Great Northern Burger with French fries. She's a fan of BBQ sauce, bacon and onion rings on a burger. Fries were nicely seasoned, long, soft and semi-skin-on (not crinkle or steak fries). Burger was huge and worth the $15.99 price tag. I settled on the BOTM, the Nacho Burger, with tator tots. Toppings included nacho cheese, Fritos chips, bacon, diced/sliced jalapenos. The tator tots were one of the best I've ever had. Again, seasoned nicely. And the perfect ratio of hard outside crunch to soft inside potato. The Nacho burger was huge too....and messy with the nacho cheese. The Fritos did get a little soggy at the end. The bacon was under the melted cheese. And there were plenty of jalapenos hidden under the meat patty. Those were easy to discard so I could control how many fiery peppers were in my mouth at one time. Was service slower than normal? Yes. Was the service friendly? Yes. Was it worth the wait? Also YES! I would definitely recommend (I already have to my coworkers.) for anyone who loves gourmet burgers. They also have a nice variety to the sandwich, wraps, tacos and flatbread menu. I will just have to take the 40 minute drive again to try something else.

We really love & enjoy going to meisters! You're in a SMALL town so the expectations should be that…read moresmall town vibe which they fully fulfill. They are a scratch kitchen which is rare to find and the prices are hard to beat when the foods always good! The wait staff is always kind and remembers you if you make your way back a few times.

The Friday "All you can eat" fish fry was very disappointing. There was more breading than fish to…read morethe filets. In addition, the fries were soggy. My wife commented that the fries looked like they were steamed in the microwave.

This place was no good when me and my family were there the waiters have no experience and all of…read morethe food at my table was no good except for the chicken salad sandwich which came out 20 minutes before everyone else's food came out

When you walk in at 7:10 PM on Saturday night and the big round table in front of the fireplace and…read more90 inch T.V. is open,, this should be your clue to turn around and run. Went there with another couple, it was not busy but the service was still average to poor. The waitress seemed disoriented, forgot here tablet then brought out food we did not order. When our food did come the presentaion was terrible, the garlic mashed potatos looked as if they were shot from a cannon onto the plate.Do Not Order Steaks at this place,, I don't know how anyone can mess up a ribeye,, but they found a way. The sandwiches I guess were good.

Stopped in for fried chicken lunch at the Stone Inn on a Wednesday. Had a long drive afterwards so…read moreskipped the beers on tap. Fried chicken was excellent. Good enough so that I changed dinner plans and skipped a favorite restaurant so I could eat my chicken leftovers for dinner instead. Off my beaten path but if even sort of in the neighborhood will return.

I'm always on the hunt for something a little different, normally when I'm in Minnesota I'd get the…read morewalleye but my friends suggested this place and wow! They have this chicken that is simply amazing. The place is typically Minnesota lake restaurant, the service was fast and friendly. I would eat here again and again.

Great service! Tif is a great bartender. She's fun, friendly and knows what her regulars like!…read more Lots of activities! Lots of TV's, sports, darts, pool table, pulltabs, juke box, drink specials, games, patio, plenty of seating Cribbage and cornhole tournaments Food was delicious! I had the grilled chicken ranch wrap with fries. Ordered the grilled chicken and it was perfectly grilled to add flavor. The ranch was really good! The cheeseburger with a side of baked beans was great! Everyone loved the Clam chowder soup and crackers and the baked beans! Deep fried mushrooms with ranch were a hit! They had Downeast Cider- black berry or mixed berry. Either one is tasty and sweet! Lots of drink specials for wild games! This is the spot to be!

The service is great, friendly and the food is great. Have a huge burger done perfectly and the…read morebroasted wings...can't go wrong!

Meh! We so wanted to love Gustaf's coming for Mother's Day. My rating is neutral as I didn't hate…read moreit or love it. Perhaps we have to blame it on the holiday, however, the service and credit card fees are a reflection of this rating. My mom reserved a table for 3 and we felt rushed to order and weren't told about the special Mother's Day menu that would end at 1 pm and not begin on the secondary menu at 2 pm with a noon reservation. We got our order placed in time and I had no issues with the meal as the portion size of the egg bake was was perfection. Our server disappeared once our food was distributed which was a bummer as my mom wanted more coffee. When we went to pay, we were all surprised with the debit/ credit fee of (I believe almost 3%). I have to argue that in today's market as a business, you have got to find ways to omit this fee or very clearly advertise cash only. Lastly, mothers were to get a flower at the table and my mom did not. I understand it said "while supplies last", however, with reservations, this should have been easy to count and distribute accordingly. The ambiance of this old historic building are my style as I appreciate any place that has been preserved. The city of Lindstrom is also such a special place. Proceed here with caution as there are good and bad.

This place is amazing! We tried pickled herring for the first time, and IT WAS GOOD! You should try…read moreit! Perfect crepes with lingonberry sauce, whipped cream. Sweet, kind, prompt service.