I have had lunch at 'Bites' twice while in Pine River. I live in Laporte, MN and I have told my husband that "we need to go to Bites in Pine River for lunch". The Manager/Owner has been pleasant and very welcoming. The food is fabulous! The service is wonderful. I find that Bites is definitely worth the drive to Pine River. read more

Stopped in for lunch as part of a road trip. I had moderately high expectations based on the reviews. I tried the pot roast sandwich. Wow was it salty. I was expecting an actual sandwich, but this was served over a large slice of French bread with gravy. The pot roast was not really what I would call pot roast, more like sliced roast beef. The tots were good and the beer selection was a pleasant surprise. read more

I'm always so happy when I find a little restaurant like this while traveling. It's got a comfortable north-woods vibe, with log beams and a fireplace, and a menu that is heavy on the standards necessary for a restaurant to survive outside the big city -- ribeye, walleye, pot roast -- but still is interesting. We started with a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, $3.95, then shared a couple of the tapas-inspired "bites'' for which the restaurant is named. No olives or octopus here, but the little $3 dishes were generous; we got four pulled-pork tostadas topped by avocado and queso blanco. There are larger "sharables,'' too, $8-$9, including seafood-stuffed portabella and walleye and wild-rice cakes. For an entree, I had a fantastic penne pasta with tons of shiitake mushrooms in a ginger cream sauce and a huge hunk of grilled mahi-mahi. It was so rich that even after I finished, and my husband ate some, I still had enough left over for two lunches. For dessert, we split a caramel-stuffed brownie with a dollop of whipped cream drizzled with caramel. My husband loved it; I thought it was just okay. There's a little bar, too, with a decent selection of beer on tap. Bites is right on the Paul Bunyan State Trail on the south edge of Pine River, so it makes a good stop if you're bicycling or snowmobiling. In fact, I think it's probably the BEST restaurant along the trail -- there's a cafe, pizza place and coffeehouse in Nisswa, and a couple of other bar-cafe type places, but nothing as nice as Bites. read more

Beautiful log cabin restaurant. We had the prime rib special. It was delicious and the service was excellent.

I ordered the Cuban Sandwich. It was TERRIBLY greasy, that bright orange grease in a huge pool that covered my entire plate. I hade to flip my sandwich over, obviously the grease had already completely soaked the bottom side of the bread. I had to stack my pieces on the edge of my plate, (side of the pool). I tried a bite or two and couldn't stomach the amount of grease coming out of the sandwich as well. My server explained that "this is what Cuban Sandwiches are like". To forgo major stomach upset and possible clogged arteries, I stopped at a bite or two. Will not return. read more

I like the idea of this place more than what our experience was. Food wasn't very flavorful, service was slow... I would stop again in hopes that it was just an off day. They do have very unique menu items, but when we tried some of the "bites" it was nothing to write home about. read more

Awesome service and the homemade desserts were unbelievable! I will be back next time I'm in town! The owners are really nice people I'm happy to have visited with them! read more

Nice setting with a clean bar. Greeted with friendly and prompt service. Burger was perfect fries were crispy. Definitely will be back to try more. read more

My hubby and I went for my post birthday dinner. They posted they were open on Facebook on my actual birthday but weren't! We decided to try it out anyway for dinner. We had been there for lunch a couple of months earlier. I had the meatloaf bites which had good flavor but were barely warm when they arrived. My husband enjoyed the sandwich he ordered. Our dinner experience was fun. They have weekly whiteboard specials Thursday through Sunday. For a restaurant "in the woods", it's pretty amazing the items on their menu! We started with the spinach arancini, rice balls. They were actually good! I was skeptical to order something Italian but it was actually good. My husband had the half chicken (he's quite a chicken guy) and he loved it. I had the chicken whiteboard special that had a mushroom cream sauce. I had the mashed potatoes instead of the rice offered. Everything about our entrees were great minus the veggies! They actually used the baby carrots and cooked them to death! They were mushy and NOT flavorful at all. If they are trying to be a little more upscale, they need to evaluate the veggies with their entrees. I also would recommend a more extensive wine selection by the glass. It is limited but was okay. Overall, our experience was good. I would rate it a 4.5 if the veggies were better. Thanks Bites! I hope you continue to do well! read more

It was tough for me to give a four star rating for 1 meal that was very good (purchased on a earlier visit) and one that was tasteless that this reviewer ordered. However we were a group of eight and seven of the group were extremely pleased just like I was the first time visiting this restaurant. Service was excellent, menu extensive, weekly special (Octoberfest german theme), minimal wine list and good prices. However the Seafood Stuffed Portabella mushroom was inedible due to what I think was freezer burnt crab and shrimp that come from a can. As a "Bite" appetizer (for one), on the German Menu was a pretzel, sausage and Muenster cheese Bite fired under the broiler for $2.95. Five (5) minature pretzels covered by a1/8 inch slice of sausage topped with the cheese (nicely browned) each being the size of a nickle. Well live and learn. Will I go back, yes I don't feel my bad meal was the norm for "Bites" Trust me on the Crab as being bad as the reviewer is from the Florida Keys and we trap our own! read more

While visiting the area for the weekend, we ate at Bites last night and it was very good. We also went back for breakfast. Although we arrived during the normal dinner hour, they were already out of a few menu choices. My husband didn't care for his lobster stuffed walleye, but he loved his Hungarian Mushroom soup. My prime rib was very good. The breakfast choices were very tasty. If we visit the area again, we will be sure to eat here. read more

When I lived closer, this was a fave stop for my boyfriend and I. Food was always great, even the side salads and rolls. For the bites I recommend (highly) the brown sugar steak bites. Tender steak chunks (4) wrapped in bacon with brown sugar and served with their house steak sauce, which was creamy and unique, but could never quite articulate the flavors. Chicken version available also. Ribs and steak dinners were always cooked well, and quality was consistent. Worth the stop. read more

Visited twice with friends. Food is awesome and menu is innovative. But, both visits were marred by slow, inattentive, and lackluster service.The first time, the owner ended up waiting on us. He was accommodating but being a waiter wasn't exactly his strong suit! On the last visit, the server only checked back with us once during the meal and we had to flag her down to request beverage refills. The place wasn't busy enough to cause service delays. Go for the food, be prepared for poor service. read more

We held our Rotary Christmas Gala Event at Bites on Dec 8, 2015. We had 49 guests that signed up. The room that our event was to take place in was wonderfully decorated for the season. We were supplied with plenty of tables and even when we 'surprise' needed more the staff was quick to accommodate us. Wendy was so knowledgeable and helpful. She had items on hand that I didn't even think of. The staff was wonderful, checking to see if they could get us anything, from an extra marker to hot tea. The food was delicious, hot and taste when served. We loved the adorable little desserts, they were just right. Thank you all for helping to make our night a success. read more

This place probably has the worst service I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing. The waitress was incredibly rude. SHANEIL was so bad that I thought this was a joke. My wife found a waded up paper in her mushroom soup. When we told her she said "yeah" and then walked away. My wife asked if it was being taken care of and she responded with "since its actually part of your dinner, it's pretty much impossible to take it off your bill" She then walked away again. She returned and said the best she could do was $2 off. My wife did not agree and asked to see the manager. Shaneil storms off and the manager Wendy returns. She seemed uninterested in the situation and ended the conversation with "I'll take care of it." Our food came, it was OK, shaneil didn't come back to the table until our food was gone. Our drinks stayed empty the entire meal. in the end, the manager only removed $5 from our bill. I don't really even care about the money. The fact that no one cared or ever even apologized is the reason we will never come back. read more

Pretty typical bar and grill. Beer menu is limited. Service was good the few times I've been there.

Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's terrible. Presentation is overall lacking on the plates. Really, what Bites excels in is salads, burgers, sandwiches, and overall lunch type or light dinner fare. Pastas, seafood, and higher end style dinners are where they really fall short. But it's not a high end restaurant, and is more expensive than high end restaurants for what you are given and how poorly it's presented. For example, you could go to Ivens or Prairie Bay and get better quality seafood dishes with more food and better service for under $30. Ordered a seafood dish at bites for $32 and got one small lobster tail, 3 scallops, and 3 shrimp sparsely spaced on a plain white plate. Let the server know (respectfully) that it was disappointing and she just said "oh" and slinked away without saying anything else. It was cold and awkward. Moral of the story: come to bites for basic food. Drive to Breezy, crosslake, Nisswa, or Baxter for higher end food. read more

the food may appear well prepared but this is not the case. I have gone to this restaurant many times and all i hear is the microwave beeping over and over again. After further inquiry i found that most all foods such as the pot roast, meatloaf, and even noodles are indeed heating in the microwave before serving. Which mad sense because the meet always seemed tough. From what i have been told the only items prepared fresh to order are the specials. Knowing the old owners John and Marry, everything was managed much better. It seems the new owners Roger and Wendy arent as well attuned to the restaurant business. I have seen Wendy on multiple occasions screaming at her employees and even on one occasion customers. The wait staff is the only reason i go back. I wouldnt provide business for bites otherwise. read more

Great restaurant we will be back again and again! Everything we had was excellent! We loved the menu it has a great variety of items and the prices are reasonable. We had the pork sandwich, patriot burger, chicken philly and a variety of bites. Our waitress Jody was super helpful and full of great information! We will be back for dinner on our next stop. read more

Excellent food and great service sets this place apart from others in the area. Very nice atmosphere. The staff have been friendly and helpful every time I've stopped in for a "bite"! Love this place... read more

I agree with the other reviewers. The food is delicious! I had the walleye sandwich and cole slaw. The fish was very fresh and I loved the pecan coating. The cole slaw was delicious (all great cole slaw has celery seed in it!). My husband had the crab cakes, pot roast bites and fried bread pudding bites. All yummy! We went on a Friday mid-afternoon and the dining room was about half full. The waitress greeted us and took our order promptly. The food was slow getting to the table... we didn't order anything too complex so not sure why it took so long. The dining room could use a little more light. I appreciate that they did a little landscaping out back so you're looking at something out the window. I was impressed that the owner came around to each table to make sure everybody was being taken care of (he must be paying attention to the previous reviews). Although this restaurant is a little off the beaten path, it is worth the drive. Great food!! read more