Small town restaurant, with attentive service and a full menu. Appetizers were delicious and prime rib was decent. Good prices. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - Prime rib - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

We were indoors at Birchwood for a mid-week (late) lunch. With plenty of the "regulars" holding down the bar, we relaxed in the then-empty area adjacent where we enjoyed a few TVs and a prompt greeting from the pleasant bartender who took our food and drink indoors. She visited the table to check on us...much appreciated! My Fish & Chips (see photo) was just ok. Oddly, Birchwood's idea of "Chips" are potato chips...a new concept to me and my lunch makes. Typical/widely accepted "Chips" will cost you and additional $2.00 the fries. Meanwhile, the fillets were on the small side and clearly from the frozen food truck. The sweet tarter sauce was an interesting surprise. My buddy's Cilantro Rice Bowl was drenched with dressing. Way over done. It might be a good idea to offer the dressing on the side. That would certainly improve consistency of the dish. Anyway, a bit disappointing and below our expectations. Likely the best in the community but the value is questionable when considering the lack of house made offerings. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - Fish & Chips...far from "fresh" or sizable.You can find the fillers at your local market. Nothing special. - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

Food, service, everything was not great. Will not return. Need better staff training.

Enjoyed a delicious meal on the way back to the cabin. The ambiance was relaxed and comfortable. Staff was great and Linda made it feel like we were part of the family! read more

We went for an early dinner. The night before we heard the restaurant was slammed and people waited a looooooong time for food. Not our experience. Emmy our server was so friendly and attentive, loved the pop overs and walleye. During July 4th weekend be patient for service or plan to go earlier like we did. read more

This is our usual stop on our way "up north" for Memorial weekend. Always super friendly staff and quick service. Their burgers are some of the best--hand packed and juicy and delicious! Give them a try--you won't be disappointed! read more

The ribs were good. Baked potatoes should be hot, soft and fluffy not cool and hard. The cod fillets were not fully cooked. the fish was cool, very firm and a little "slippery", definitely undercooked. Service was OK. A read more

Stopped for lunch at this hidden gem in Hackensack (population 294) and had the best Bloody Mary, burger, and coleslaw I've ever had. The atmosphere is welcoming, with friendly locals, music bingo, darts, and pull tabs adding to the fun. The owner truly cares about the experience, making sure every guest feels at home. If you're passing through, don't miss this spot--it's small-town hospitality at its finest! read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - Bloody Mary - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

Maybe the worst food I've ever had. They complain about being short staffed and I'm ok with that if they're trying. They weren't. Besides the service, the food was disgusting. I ordered clam chowder for my appetizer and the spoon literally stood up. $35 prime rib? Come on. I don't understand the lack of trying. Do not eat here. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - I did not order raw. - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

Nor responsive to concerns. Wants to post political ads that offends me when I don't want to deal with their opinions when I'm paying to b there. My wife fell through their deck and not even a concern or apology: read more

Food was very good. Steak was cooked properly. Service was very good. Wine options limited. Walleye and steaks were enjoyable.

Went after a bike ride, and I was pleasantly surprised, great service, food was great, we had the tatchos, way good.

Food was delicious, staff seemed overwhelmed with how many people were in the restaurant but the restaurant is a little dated

2 of our party got pan fried walleye. mushy and inedible. I had ribeye-very cheap, tiny cut. ordered side of mushrooms and onions for steak-onions were literally raw, not cooked at all. the atmosphere and waitress were nice-just felt like they had a 12 yr old in back cooking. read more

Bottom Line First: Good, not great, food at a price commensurate with quality and locale. So the value for me, like much else at Char House, was middle of the pack. I stopped in for lunch after discovering the Thai joint a couple blocks north is only open Wed-Sat. Immediately noted Char House as typical one-room setup (no seperation between bar & seating area) with usual Up North decor theme and muted tv's in bar area showing sports & country music videos. Also noted space as being loud in spite of dropped acoustic tile ceiling. This partially due to eight elderly bicyclists in gaudy stretch knit loudly recounting two-wheel adventures around the country. Okay, free entertainment. After they left the space was a lot better, but still seemed on the loud side with only about ten people spread out in it. Service was okay - nominally friendly & proficient if not particularly fast. I had a couple different waitresses deliver different parts of the meal. They very graciously brought me a plate I requested to eat the meal that came in a basket. I asked if they had brisket sandwich, a standard item for a BBQ joint. Waitress said they were out. So I ordered $10 rib lunch special, bowl of Cajun potato soup, & a 16 oz glass of craft porter (Inside Brewery maybe?). Cajun soup was white sauce based with potato chunks, minimal mixed veggies, & peppery sausage very thinly sliced on the bias. Base tasted like it had received a shot of hot sauce, which gave its rather flat taste a little kick. Ribs were 4 bones in a basket with fries, Texas toast, & plastic cup of cole slaw. Ribs tasted okay. Not great, not extraordinary, but okay. They came with a bit of rather sweet sauce draped over them. Some smoke flavor in the meat but not particularly pronounced, which I prefer. Also not particularly meaty ribs. I guess they butchered the skinny pig for this batch of ribs. Straight cut fries were okay. They came hot with decently crisp outside & tender middle. Texas toast & cole slaw were utterly ordinary. The glass of porter had good roasty flavor & a somewhat lighter body than many other porters I've tried. As noted above, price was in line with quality of food & quantity. Rib special lunch, soup, & pint of porter came in a hair under $20. Overall, I'd say a decent place for lunch & I'd eat there again no problem, but with expectations set for middle of the road experience. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - Rib basket lunch special - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

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The prime rib and whitefish were phenomenal. We sat at the bar and the bartender was also amazing. Great experience.

This is what dining should look like. Professional staff, amazing food and the owner was as nice as could be. Highly recommended!!

Another day - another experience. This time it was exceptional! Tried the award winning Birchwood Burger. It's mighty big & mighty tasty. We chose to share it, and it was a sufficient enough portion for my husband and me. Grilled to perfection, juicy and flavorful. Worthy of a try on future visits to this place. We opted to upgrade for onion rings. Grand idea - super, duper tasty and deep fried to perfection. Winner! Sadly, I didn't get the name of our server - but she was outstanding. Smiley and attentive. The patio is so worth the visit. The flowers are a pleasant addition. Give it a go!!! read more

Friendly service, and they have a great patio during the summer months. Their cowboy burger is huge! Great French fries. They have prime rib night, be sure to check that out. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

We come up every year to Hackensack and usually eat here once a week. We had a party of 15 and the waiter did awesome. He was very organized and kept drinks filled. My wife asked for no blue cheese on her salad. Still came out with it. I ordered the walleye sandwich it came out very greasy and barely any breading on it. Just decided to eat with fork because the grease was soaked through the bread. All-in-all this place is pretty solid. Good beer selection and decent food. read more

Great food! I like their steak sandwich and fries are hot and crispy. Friendly atmosphere.

Wife and I decided to try this place out because it always looks packed. We were surprised at how bland the food was and how overpriced it was. We started with their signature homemade tater tots which tasted sour for some reason? I had the walleye dinner which was soggy and flavorless. My wife got the Cajun pasta that also seemed to be lacking flavor. The sausage that goes in the pasta tasted like it had gone bad. This place is probably a good bar, but not a good restaurant. It's a bummer to spend 75 bucks on dinner here when you can get a much better meal down the road for under 20.... read more

Stopped in Birchwood Char House & Bar for a quick lunch. We sat at the bar. Bartender was quick and friendly. I had a taco salad. Basic but delicious. Never seen a taco bowl shell like theirs before. It too was tasty. Had a draft beer from my favorite Gull Dam Brewing. Great place with that great small town flare! read more

We found Birchwood a year ago when we bought property in the area. We been back several times. Taco salad was good, wings are good, the prime rib roll-ups weren't fantastic, but others rave about them. The popovers are fantastic! We sat at the bar and our service was great! And the pull-tabs were hot! We will return. read more

They changed the Cajun pasta dish so it is no longer that good, but last time I was there I tried the chicken Alfredo flat bread and it was wonderful! So both disappointed on my first visit this year and pleased on my second visit! read more

We are up north for a mini-vacation and decided to stop for a quick lunch. We walked in and no one would serve us. We tried to get the attention of the server and she purposely ignored us and seemed frustrated. I would understand if it was busy but this was a Monday at 2 pm and there was maybe 7 people in the place. We did leave and went to a different bar. Disappointed read more

Stopped here for lunch today with my teenage son while the local repair shop was fixing his mower. We were the 2nd table of the day. Already seated was a family of 6. Quickly decided we wanted 2 waters, beef nachos, fish tacos. Waitress said its cash only, internet down so no credit cards. Fine we say. Ordered. Got our waters and waited. More tables and bar filled up and all other parties getting their food timely except family of 6 and us. Waited 50 minutes! Waitress kept head down, not seeing me trying to get her attention. So from our table I called the restaurant. Bar maid answered. I asked how long a wait would be for food if ordered. She said the usual 10 to 15 minutes. I asked, "Would you please tell the table sitting by the tv- they ordered nachos and tacos 50 minutes ago and still are waiting, unhappily now." Bar maid confers with manager and states our order was never put in. I said "Don't bother" and walked out. But I needed an answer from mgmt. I called again from my car and the Mgr, Dana, answered. I expected an apology when I told her who I was. But no apology was offered. Instead she said our order was lost because the internet went down. (This wasn't true because internet was down prior to order.) I asked how in 50 minutes our waitress, the bar maid, or herself the Mgr, did not see we were still waiting and address us. She responded that the girl at the bar was busy and she herself was busy doing her Mgr job. So the answer I received from mgmt was they were too busy doing their jobs. But serving our table IS the job! And wouldn't the Mgr ask staff to take paper order tickets for the cook when you can't order online? I've eaten here many times. It's never been good enough to write a good review- just mediocre food truck quality menu. Now with a tuned out, dismissive manager who lacks common sense and staff who can't follow through I will not be back. That goes for the Mexican joint in Walker as well, same ownership. read more

Burgers were okay prime Rib sandwich as the server said was leftover prime rib from the night before. The French dip was thickly sliced prime rib which was overcooked and tough. Pasta's were fine made with bag sauce and burnt bread. Pork tenderloin was left on the plate we did eat the bread server forgot the fried onions and sauce. DO NOT ORDER THE ONION RINGS OR TATAOR TOTS as a side $4 up charge for 5 onion rings and 5 TATAOR tots! Beer was warm glasses not clean no head on beers. Had to ask for sugar and condiments. Will come back and try the chicken that looked okay. First experience with food service okay just okay but will try again if they are still in business. Bar area looked like a nice place to hang out. read more

I don't understand all of the bad reviews! My girlfriends and I came up from the cities for a girls weekend and had planned to come here in spite of the negative reviews. (And because I hadn't read the reviews until after it was decided.) We chose this spot specifically because of the amazing prime rib special that two of them had their hearts set on all day, and it did not disappoint! Heather, our server, was fantastic, as was the manager! We didn't get there till nearly 8pm, after the big rush, and they cornered the last two prime rib for my friends before they went to someone else. I didn't get to taste it, but my friends are both red meat connoisseurs and said it was amazing. I did taste their garlic mashed red potatoes and wished I had a side of that all to myself! Two of us had the fish fry. It wasn't too bready, heavy or greasy. It was flaky and perfect. The tarter sauce was sweeter than most I've had and very good. Frankly, everything was good, though! The baked potato, coleslaw, baked beans, all of it. Another friend order a whole rack of ribs, assuming a half order would be 3-4 ribs like one might get in the cities, but she ended up with twice as much as she was expecting. The look on her face when they set the plate down in front of her was priceless. She loved the BBQ sauce so much, she bought a jar to take home. The portions were enormous, everything was prepared to perfection, the price was extremely reasonable, and the staff was friendly, attentive and had great senses of humor. What more could you ask for?! We decided from now on this will be our annual stop on the way to girls weekend. read more

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I was in there with a group last night and the food was way overdone. The service was horrible, the food that was not eaten was brought back to the kitchen. The appetizer with cheese curds and gravy was horrible ,the chicken dinner was either yesterday's or completely overdone. Our Margarita came out with celery salt, I will never come back to this restaurant again. This is the third cruddy experience here. My advice is take pride in your work! Also I've worked in the restaurant business for 25 years. And I was given a ten dollar discount on a 400$ tab. read more

Stopped in on patio for dinner for four last night! Excellent beer choices and the Cuban was just as good as ever! Started our meal sharing the fried green beans! Yummy! Our son enjoyed the cowboy burger, and I ticked the table next to us to order it too. They confirmed they also loved it! Husband enjoyed the 1/2 chicken meal. Appreciate the great service and awesome food! Great job Birchwood! read more

Well this was an interesting experience...had great service, good food..played pull tabs and had tipped on some of the winnings. The owner (we assume) came over to our table and was basically belittling us about not having tipped well enough on out tab winnings. How rude can you get? We get COVID has effected you, but guess what, it's effected is as well. We are here as a treat and you have the guts to gripe about what we tipped? We WILL NOT be back and we WILL be sure to pass your crappy message on to others who may have thought about coming your way. read more

Food was ok. Nothing to write home (or yelp) about. Service was friendly. We tries the homemade tatertots and the idea is great, but tastes like uncooked hasbrowns. The wings were cooked great. We tried BBQ and buffalo for the sauces and both were a little too sweet. The homemade soup was good. read more

Birchwood Char House and Bar - a variety of appetizers - Bars Near Me - Hackensack, Minnesota

Stopped in for a burger and a beer today but changed it up and had the Reuben and Philly cheesesteak. Both were excellent!! It was a rainy day and the place was very busy. We figured we would have a long wait but we were wrong. The kitchen rolled out a lot of good looking food in short order. We have been here for broasted chix several times and love that too.! read more

The most unfriendly spot up north. No greeting when we walked in and no thank you and when we walked out. Didn't even want to think about staying for dinner. read more

Went there for my first time and think it'll be my last. Dinner salad was average, popovers were aweful, service was questionable. Prices were high. Only went there as the Thai Restaurant was closed for a couple evenings. Oh well... read more

Food was good. Service was slow. Took at least 10 mins to have a waitress come out to us. We started out sitting on the deck but moved inside due to drunk idiots that were harassing everyone and swearing like sailors. Another couple ended up moving inside also due to this drunk group. It really ruined the place for us. Staff didn't seem to care that these drunk idiots were harassing customers. They were well aware of the situation read more

Char house burger with BBQ pork on top was really good Wife's steak sandwich was over cooked when ordered medium But still really good This place is the best in Hackensack and great people run the joint read more

Visited on 7/1/15...So far not so good. Been here for about 45 mins and they are "out" of salad and forgot to bring the app we ordered. Sending the app back as it is no longer wanted. Overheard the waitress apologizing to another table for "forgetting" their app as well. On to dinner...I hope...scratch that back to the nachos....basically about 15 chips and a pile of lettuce, yes lettuce and cold melted cheese. Now on to dinner...I guess the bright side is they gave us free drinks and half off food. The burger and broasted chicken was pretty good. The prime rib steak sandwich and ribs were aweful. Overall service was really poor, half the food was really poor and complete experience was one to remember...for the wrong reasons. read more

One of the worst restaurant experiences ever. I was there with my 13 year old son. Where to start.. First off the service was slow it took around 10 minutes to get the server to stop by. All the while there were extremely drunk and loud people sitting 2 tables away from us dropping the F bomb every few words. And this was in the afternoon. After we ordered our food which included some appetizers and salad we waited for sometime it was slow. Anyway that wasn't so bad but when the main entree came my son took a about 3 bites of his cheeseburger then mentioned it wasn't very good and seem mushy. We looked at it and it was not even cooked. I am not talking rare here or under cooked it was like raw hamburger and only the top and bottom were browned. I brought this up to the waitress and she took it in and came back and asked if we wanted another one. (this was fine service) but at that point my son was sick to his stomach and has been previously hospitalized with e-coli. So we said no. When the server then came back with the tab she said they were taking half off the burger because he ate half of it????? To me this was almost an insult because we were given a potentially dangerous sandwich and it was not even cooked nothing should have been charged for it. This is the principal of it for me. So I protested but that was the explanation. So I took the other half off the tip. And then to cap things off the waitress was yelling at us as we left. Across the parking lot. So Bad service, bad food ,, rude and drunk patrons, and rude wait staff and sickening food. read more