Considering the ambiance this restaurant is a nice place to stop if you are traveling from the Twin Cities to Wausau, WI, or points east (Green Bay). There are two fountains bubbling away in the middle of the restaurant and this is quite relaxing. I didn't feel as though I was in a truck stop by a motel/hotel. I've eaten at 29 Pines twice. Once was for breakfast and I'd give it 4 stars. On 8/27/11 it was for lunch. I had the chicken bacon ranch wrap which was A-OK. I asked for the sweet potato fries which were good. The price: $7.99. Coffee with refills was $1.69. I wouldn't expect a gourmet meal here but the staff is friendly/efficient and it is quite relaxing with the fountains, vaulted ceiling, etc. read more

The food has been good the few times I've been here, this poor review is regarding the state of the dining room when we were there today. I counted ten tables around me that were not cleared from previous visitors. It's not a pleasant experience to stare at other people's leftover food and dirty dishes while you eat your own food. I don't know if this is a regular occurrence or just today, but it was pretty gross. read more

Food was mediocre and undercooked. How do you make waffles bland? Which wouldn't be bad if the service was ok. I actually had to go hunt down a waitress to even place our order. Don't bother. read more

Great food and service. Nice and clean with friendly staff. We were a group of 18 and enjoyed our breakfast.

We are traveling so since this restaurant was attached to our hotel and we had a 10% off coupon, we thought we'd try it. Especially since it's Friday and they do fish frys!! We had the beer battered cod and it was large, flaky, and tasty. The Man had seasoned fries-kinda spicy and I had a baked potato. Coleslaw was fine. Rolls and cinnamon butter a'la Texas Roadhouse were delicious! Soups were chicken & dumpling and cheeseburger. Both were very good. The host who was a young man with a huge head of blonde hair did a wonderful job of attending to the needs of the dining room. Our waitress was very new and inexperienced but overall the food was very good and we had a good experience overall. read more

Staff needs to communicate with each other, as after being seated and told our server would be right with us, we waited and waited and waited until finally asking three employees just standing there if they would take our order. Once we finally had a server, she was attentive and helpful, but the food took a long time to arrive, and the place wasn't that busy. Food was ok. Fries were crispy. Variety on the brunch buffet isn't worth the price. Dining room and bathrooms were clean. read more

Pretty gross buffet. Food wasn't very fresh. Service was average. I shouldn't have been so lazy as to eat here. Only a few miles into town and I could have had a decent meal. read more

For a small town and a big truck stop I thought there would have been better food. This place didn't seem to serve up anything "homemade" or "special". I was hoping for something more 'small town home made'. The food was about the same as Perkins. I had a grilled cheese and fries for $5, nicely cooked but nothing special. My boyfriend had a wrap sandwich and onion rings for about $9. The prices were fair but the servings were on the small side. We sat in the bar to eat and watch the game, service was nice but the food was slightly sup-par. read more

Wanted to try somewhere new. Party of 5. 3 of us chose eggs Benedict which came on Texas toast that wasn't really toasted. Won't rush back again. Seems like more of a truck stop. read more

We went there for the Easter Buffet and we were very disappointed. For what we paid, they did not have very variety at all. We would have been much better off at Old Country Buffet. In addition, they added an 18% gratuity. For a Buffet. We won't be eating here again. However, gas station is really nice and they have good ice cream. I'm glad they are there but I wouldn't go there again on a holiday. read more

We like stopping here for Sunday brunch (travels from St Paul to Appleton). The cooks seems to be doing a good job cooking things from scratch- Chicken, biscuits, eggs, sausage - fresh salad bar and homemade soups read more

The place is fairly average in every sense of the word. It's nice to be able to eat right at the hotel without having to drive anywhere. The portion sizes were decent, the service was friendly, and the prices were reasonable. The quality of the food wasn't impressive though. Would probably eat here again if I was to stay at this hotel again. read more

they NEVER answer their phone. so good luck trying to get a reservation. the food is alright, service depends on who you get.

Good fresh food. Nice salad bar. Warm and clean atmosphere. Huge portions. Nice and quite, great place to bring kids. Very attentive staff! Good food, first time there but everything out party ordered was good. Huge portions with a fair price. read more

They have a really good Thanksgiving Buffett. I would highly recommend trying them out.

The food was okay, The service was okay. We always leave a cash tip on the table for the server. My husband likes to tip with $1 coins, and we always tip 15-25%. We paid our bill with a Discover card. But when the Discover bill came, it showed the server added another 20% tip onto the charge! I don't think that has ever happened to us before. Maybe you should pay your bill was cash too. read more

Attached to the gas station/mini-mart is this full service restaurant. Setting is a cut above the traditional diner, but the food isn't. I prefer the Thorpedo in Thorp, WI (30 miles down the road) when we make a stop on the way to Appleton. A lot of choices on the menu but none of what we were served was anything more than diner quality food. Prices are reasonable and there's nothing wrong with the place -- just prefer the next place down the road. read more

This is the worst restaurant I've been to in a long time. If you are vegetarian, don't go here. They have a salad bar, but they won't let you buy just the salad bar-- you have to pay for the salad bar AND the soup, but all the soup has meat in it. Don't eat meat? Too bad... you have to pay for it anyway. They'll sell you a side salad, but that's hardly an actual meal. When I explained to the staff that I don't eat meat and would simply like the salad bar without the soup, I was told that simply wasn't possible. Aside from the side salad, the only actual meatless option on the menu is their vegetable stir fry (and who knows if the stir fry sauce is actually vegetarian.) I ordered this, and was deeply disappointed. First, it was served with chicken on top, even after I had made it clear to my server that I don't eat meat, and the menu doesn't state that it is supposed to come with meat. Once it was replaced with a meatless stir fry, I found the meal left something to be desired. It seemed like they had simply heated up a can of stir fry vegetables in sauce and dumped it over minute rice. It was very salty. I would be disappointed if I made this meal at home, and I certainly did not think it was worth actually paying for. The stir fry was listed on the menu as one of 29 Pines "Specialties," which just makes it sadder. We also ordered the cheese curds appetizer. The inside of the curds was cold. On top of the disappointing food, the service was quite slow, and not very helpful. I would never eat here again. read more

Stopped in here while roadtripping, and honestly wasn't expecting anything special based on it's location (in a Travel Center) and appearance. But we needed to grab something to eat, and it was convenient. What a surprise! While the service was friendly but not especially prompt, the food was much better than we expected. The club sandwich was clearly mad with fresh ingredients. The portion sizes for the appetizers and the club sandwich were very large, so it's a good thing we shared. When looking up the restaurant to write this review, i also discovered that it's owned by a local co-op, which is even better. There are plenty of bad or even mediocre places to stop and grab a bite to eat while your driving long distances on the highway. Don't let the appearance of this one fool you: it's a tasty, well-priced stop. read more

This is a great little gem on an otherwise sparse stretch of highway. We were looking for coffee and breakfast after spending the night in Stanley, and this was just a little ways up the road in Eau Claire. It's right off the highway, and turns out to be a great one-stop traveler's area. Food, gas, convenient/gift store, bar, arcade, salon, showers, etc. They serve breakfast all day (hooray!) and it was both delicious and affordable. I ordered the french toast, which was made with caramel apple bread. It was incredible! The waitress was really nice and attentive, and the coffee was endless. Skip the exits with the McDonalds and seek this place out. read more

I am staying at the hotel it is attached to. Last night I had the meatloaf special. It was listed as their famous. Could only eat a quarter of it. Dry, kept under a warmer all day I suspect. Tonight I had their burger special. Their very good server apologized for the long delay. She said they were waiting on fries. Fifteen minutes later a lukewarm dry burger was served with hot fries not worth waiting for. Don't eat here. read more

We stayed at the attached hotel so ate here twice. First night, terrible over-fried shrimp. Too hard to bite into!! Would have sent back if we had dined in, but we did take out. Second time, burger was waaay overcooked. They need a new chef. Excellent customer service and staff but way short on the food preparation. Disappoined. read more

Would only recommend going for the salad bar. Food is pretty good, but for the amount, the price is a tad high. Nothing too special about the items offered, but the salad bar is always fabulous! read more

Have had several small Christmas staff parties ( 12-15 people ) The selection of appetizers was excellent and the pricing was very reasonable. Attention to detail in preparing the room and the decorations were well thought out. Service by one of the staff during the party was beyond expectations. read more

Have had several small Christmas parties (12-15 people) with appetizers and drinks. The menu selection, quality of food,prices and attention to detail was excellent every time. Excellent place for get together. read more

Surprisingly nice, and right off the side of the highway. The interior is very modern and cozy. The staff was quick to help and very friendly. Our food got out to us right away and was very good. The cheese curds were excellent. Overall a great place to eat if you're traveling. read more

A group of us went there quite a few times in 2017 for the Friday night fish and buffet. Food was good and the salad bar even better, the price was $11.99 for the meal including the salad bar which was a fair price in my estimation. our group went there December 29 and found that they have decided to gouge the customer by eliminating the salad bar as part of the Fish dinner and for a mere five dollars you could add it in making a basic two piece fish dinner with salad bar $16.99. Needless to say our group will not be returning as there are many places in Eau Claire that serve great fish on Fridays for significantly less. Being located a few miles from either Eau Claire or Chippewa Falls I can say with confidence this place is not worth the drive! read more

We were waiting to be seated , we were a few parents with some of the kids from our hockey team. The kids wanted to sit together and the parents were sitting together in another room, the manager said he was not babysitting the kids he said that several times! The kids are ages 14-15. They were well behaved and his commit was uncalled for. Kitchen was slow and the wait staff confused ! This place could be excellent with the right training and supervision! Clean the windows too! read more

The Easter Buffet was very disappointing. It was very disorganized and the food was tasteless. The food was only lukewarm at best. One of the featured items on the buffet was not ever available during the 45 minutes we ate there and it was the item that made us choose this buffet. The small sweet rolls were still froze. I was embarrassed for my invited guests anticipating a great buffet and only to be severely disappointed. I will not recommend 29 Pines to anyone. The best advertisement is word of mouth but this place left us all with a lasting bad taste. read more