We stayed ai the cabins in Itasca State Park with limited amenities. On our last day we were…read morelooking for a breakfast spot. Using Yelp I saw that the Great Northern was reviewed with favor. Our experience was terrific. The cafe has a small town hometown friendliness. The wait staff were low key friendly and we felt like we were being served by our neighbors. So comfortable. The food was really good. Great value. My grandson ordered a hotdog and no one batted an eye . Great Northen is a piece of Northern Minnesota Pie

$-$$ CASH ONLY My sister and I went to this establishment…read morefor breakfast on the last day of my visit to Park Rapids, Minnesota. This is definitely a locals place for breakfast. You have to be careful if you are visiting Park Rapids, as this breakfast place is 'cash only'. The ambience was wonderful with all kinds of nostalgic memorabilia regarding the Great Northern Railway and its history. The breakfast itself was not something to write home about, and our server was so busy that she forgot my sister's orange juice, leaning towards a "understaffed" situation that was apparent. I plan to visit my sister in Park Rapids multiple times in the future, but do not plan to revisit this breakfast place.

Good Life Cafe is truly Park Rapids' best-kept secret! This incredible, modern spot has quickly…read morebecome my absolute go-to whenever I'm downtown. Whether you get their Crispy chicken, or Falafel pita, Chicken Wings or chips & dips ...YUM! If you appreciate quality food, genuinely great service, and amazing drinks that are made exactly the way they're supposed to taste, do yourself a favor and go here! Everything feels elevated, fresh, and thoughtfully done, while still having that welcoming small-town feel. Once you discover Good Life Cafe, you honestly won't want to go anywhere else in town. I call it my little slice of heaven in Park Rapids -- and it deserves so much more attention! An absolute must-visit.

Truly wonderful service from start to service. Hostess takes you to your table, delivers menus and…read morewater, and waiter handles the rest. Our waiter, Mitch, made sure we didn't want for anything the entire time. We started with the chips & dips. The smoked Gouda cheese dip and guac were memorable--the chips and salsa were not. The BLT with thick cut peppered bacon was scrumptious, but the chips were blegh. I had the beet and basil salad and all I can say is I was looking forward to the goat cheese but because the lettuce wasn't torn/cut enough, you tussled with it on top (and that was after hacking through the beets) while you eventually discovered they rubbed the goat cheese on the bottom of the plate like a dirty little secret. The music, booths/tables, and ambiance were great, so we'd probably give them another try.

The Logging Camp is a must-visit every time we're in Park Rapids visiting family. We make it a…read moretradition to come here every year, and it never disappoints! They serve breakfast until 12 PM, which is perfect for a relaxed morning, and the pancakes are hands down the best I've ever had. What makes this place even more special is how family-friendly it is. Kids absolutely love it! There are chickens, ducks, turkeys, and chipmunks wandering around the property, creating such a fun and unique experience. For just 25¢, you can buy animal feed from the feeding stations and let the kids interact with the animals, it always becomes the highlight of our visit. Great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and wonderful memories every time. We can't wait to come back again next year!

Our family vacations in Bemidji, MN and has been coming to the Rapid Rivers Logging camp for over…read more50 years. The food and the service is fabulous! We usually have about 20 of us that come in June every year. We did miss the trip this year due to a Grandchild getting married. I just logged into their website and see they closed for the year on Labor Day): We are coming this year in late September, so will miss this great place until next summer:) Beem family - Godfrey, IL

Oh , Clancy. You started off strong but petered out early…read more We were looking forward to our meal in the lakehouse restaurant, charmed by the rustic decor and multitude of taxidermied critters on the walls. We ordered curds and beer (as one should) which were delivered promptly by a friendly server. The curds were hot and delicious, and we had a Drekker red ale, a War Pig hazy IPA and a Bemeji pale ale -- all excellent! 5 stars if we had left at that moment. We ordered our entrees, and waited....and waited.... Friendly server began avoiding eye contact. Uh oh. One hour and 15 minutes later, after several pointed prompts, our food was delivered. Broasted chicken platter was delivered with wrong components (dark meat and mashed potatoes instead of white meat and Cole slaw). Two plates had regular fries instead of "fresh cut fries". Two burgers were extra well done. Walleye sliders and onion rings were good. No explanation was provided for the delay, though our server was highly apologetic. We inferred there was an issue in the kitchen -- maybe overwhelmed by the number of diners? Or someone didn't show up for work? The manager in duty did make amends via a % credit on the check. We are visitors to the area and our local hosts who dined with us said they had previously had a good experience at Clancy's. Based in our combined experiences, I recommend Clancy's for a beer and appetizer, but odds aren't great for dinner.

Clancy's has a great spot right on the lake. The inside is casual and inviting. They also have…read moreoutdoor seating and events they put on. There are only about 3-4 dining options in and around the lake so Clancy's is usually busy. That's the good stuff. Unfortunately the food does not impress. We ordered 2 fish and chips. What we got were decent fries and 4 tiny fish nuggets. We paid $17. For each order. I was shocked when we got these tiny little fish nuggets when we're right here on the lake where fish is bountiful. I was so disappointed. I gave one star for the location and one star for the nice guy that took our order. But that's all I got. Clancy's need to focus on improving the quality of food on their menu. Sadly, I don't think I will go back.

The so-called owner is a cheat (plays his own pull tabs, no Bonus on the Bonus Hole, pours rail as…read moretop shelf) and he is verbally abusive to staff and customers. If you see his big red truck, just keep driving to Clancy's. More interested in the "Irish pub" aesthetic than actually getting the food in stock or doing any work. 5 stars tho because the rest of the staff is amazing.

Visiting for the week and we did some Bloody Mary tasting. That brought us to Foxy's. The place…read morewas clean and vibrant. There were games everywhere. Video betting stuff. The service was top notch. We were asked several times if we needed anything. Not all places have good customer service these days so I appreciated that. Fries were good, crispy and a lot. Half basket was $5.00 and we shared it and size was perfect. I would definitely go back to this place. In fact I heard their pizzas are fire so will be going back, before I leave, in two days to see for myself.

I've been around hilltop for quite some time they hold their name. They're usually pretty busy but…read moretheir quality food is always the same every day I liked and enjoyed having them in town.

At the end of Long Lake just to the South of Park Rapids sits a treasure...this was a very good…read moremeal at this roadside bar. We were sat pretty quickly in a spot where we could see the lake. Beers were local MN {mine} and brought pretty quickly. Order was taken quickly too. We started off with the Cheese Curds and they were very good with the raspberry sauce or just plain. I had the Pecan Crusted Walleye (baked with Parmesan and Wine), and my wife had the special Crab Stuffed Walleye. Lots of side choices, but I had the cole slaw and she had the Garlic Mashed Potatos {they were really good}. Food was brought fresh and hot, and was delicious. Getting the check paid took a little time, but it got busy just at that moment...so we walked up to the counter. Prices are appropriate for the quality of the food we got, and we'll be back for sure. Great Northwoods ambiance and a very good experience overall.

We've ordered their All Around the Kitchen pizza many times over the past few years and it was very…read moregood. We ordered tonight and it was horrible. Hardly any toppings, 12" pizza with 5 pieces of sausage and pepperoni, black olives on only half, few mushrooms. Pointed it out to the server and her comment was "don't make it very often" with no apologies or attempt to rectify. We won't be returning even though we're locals.

Stopped for ice cream a couple of times this summer '23. Very busy place but they keep up! Kemp's…read moreice cream! Very good. A bit expensive! Did not eat any food but the pizza looked very good at guests tables. Plan to try a pie next year!

For a middle of no where eatery ... it was ok. On a warm day the place only could provide minimal…read more A/C with a portable unit. Humidity was high though there was a dehumidifier off to the side not running. Now the food - thought that a pulled / chopped chicken sandwich would be good , not so. All dark meat and reheated blah.. Rueben was ok. Two staff members we met, one was very friendly and helpful giving us history of the area and directions because of road construction.

Walleye bites are fresh and very tasty. Blueberry bread pudding...beautiful presentation and…read moredelicious to the last bite! Our waiter was friendly and efficient. Great place!

Charlie's is a favorite place for my husband and I. I love their fish, salad bar and cheesecake…read more We've never had a bad meal there. Staff is friendly and place is clean. They know their stuff.

Quick stop for dinner the place was moderately busy and we decided to eat inside. This is great is…read moreyour looking for a salad bar . I ordered the rotisserie chicken with vegetables and au gratin potatoes. I'd say it's more fried chicken than rotisserie. Hmmm . The potatoes were the best thing on the plate . My family enjoyed there meals And my daughter had the shrimp Alfredo had but it only had 3 shrimp in total for $28 ? We'll be back