We just had a fabulous lunch. I had fish tacos, loaded with great fish & guacamole, warm flour tortillas. My hubby had Wagu Philly, loved it . Bethany, our waitress was so pleasant & on the ball. read more

Block North Brew Pub - Fish tacos!! - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

As a vegetarian/pescatarian, it can be very challenging to find restaurants outside the twin cities Metropolitan area. Even the ones I find usually have few choices to eat from and the food isn't that good. That's why I absolutely loved my visit to block North. It's something that could've been located in my own neighborhood in Saint Paul. Starting with the beer, they have an excellent selection of styles. I chose the Saison, which is far less common in Minnesota breweries than I would like. It was excellent. For lunch, I chose the ratatouille and added shrimp. They were served with the vegetable of the day, green beans. The serving size was enormous which can also be inversely related to quality, but not here. The green beans were cooked and seasoned to perfection. The ratatouille was lovely with chunks of eggplant and zucchini plus a mushroom on the side. This meal was just delightful. I was by myself, so I sat out the bar. The bartender was friendly, but not overbearing. There were many other items on the menu I would've loved to have tried. I will definitely stop here again in the future. read more

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Tried their elk burger and it was phenomenal! My friends tried their Philly steak sandwich and steak poutine and gotta say the poutine was the best over ever had. Everything was delicious, and I'll definitely come back when I'm in the area! Great service and loved the vibes inside! read more

Block North Brew Pub - Elk burger - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

This is the best place for dinner in Aitkin, hands down. The menu has something for everyone- from foodies to kids to those that just want a good burger. Order apps, a meal and dessert. Nothing has ever disappointed. And we love the craft beers and drink menu. The head chef is awesome. Lucky to have this gem in Aitkin! read more

New to the area and very excited to learn this is nearby! Warm, inviting environment for a cold Minnesota night. Wide variety of options on the menu, you could make a lot of visits and try something exciting every time. Solid beer options, friendly staff, pull tabs, and a place for kids to play some games downstairs if you need a quick distraction for little ones. Didn't get pictures of it all but we ordered everything from burgers to steak frites to chicken tenders. We greatly enjoyed the nachos, and the pretzel that is GIGANTIC (pictures don't really do justice to the size). The brisket street taco was my favorite of the three in the offering- so much so that next time I will likely order the brisket sandwich! read more

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Fabulous choices..had walleye Oscar and rissotto wild rice ..great meal and service ..apple crisp w vanilla ice cream dessert ..

Cute interior and very trendy. Appeared to be a stocked bar, but I really enjoyed their beer selection. The food was great! Chicken wild rice soup was more flavorful than most. The fish and chips were crispy and peas as a side was a nice addition. Would definitely come back! read more

I stopped here yesterday with some buddies, and I'm so glad we did! Even though it was busy, we were seated right away. We found parking right away and closeby. We loved our waitress, who gave great recommendations! I had the BBQ brisket sandwich. Overall really good, very filling. Prices were great for the large portion sizes. It was honestly hard to choose what to eat - there were so many options. I also had a bite of my friend's BBQ salad and I absolutely regret not ordering that. I'm excited to go back and try more things! read more

Block North Brew Pub - a plate of food - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

We had a party of 14 on a Monday night and we all had amazing food and the service was top notch! I called at noon on the same day and Sue cheerfully said yes, come on in, we would love to accommodate your group for 5 pm. It was so nice to hear a welcoming voice. A few of us stopped in early to enjoy a cocktail at the bar. We had a super fun bartender, Ericka. Happy hour drinks were great! We were seated promptly at 5 pm. Cody, our server stopped by and introduced himself and took our drink order. He also told us the specials. We proceeded to enjoy our drinks. We all ordered, and everything was delivered at the same time and delicious! Not one complaint from 14 people says everything!! It was a fantastic experience We can't say enough about the experience Cody provided!! He was an amazing server! Thank you Cody!! read more

This place surprised and delighted everyone in our group! The food, the drinks, the beer selection, all top notch! Not vacation land top notch, but anywhere in the Midwest top notch! Seriously great pastas, sandwiches, high quality ingredients and excellent sauces. They have created a chip/fry hybrid that is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. So good! Good atmosphere and attentive staff. I cannot recommend highly enough! Next time we're getting the poutine! read more

It could have been so good but we waited an hour and a half for food that never came. We ended up paying for our drinks and leaving. It was our server- I am pretty sure - as all the tables around us were getting food except ours. Their food looked good. read more

I have eaten here many times - their beers aren't too bad either. Pick a meal from the menu or wait to hear what their specials are. I highly recommend Block North. read more

Good place in Aitkin! Always a friendly staff, food is great, the inside itself is really nice, can't really complain!

I had the duck and it was delicious, cooked a perfect medium/medium rare. The grits were delicious, a rare find this far north. The green beans are delicious!!! Also had a brisket sandwich and it was super tender. Service was great, it was inexpensive. We enjoyed our beers. We will return. read more

Block North Brew Pub - Smoked duck with perfect green beans - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

The food is mediocre at best. We've tried eating here a few times and we were underwhelmed. I really wanted to like this place but it just didn't meet our expectations. read more

I absolutely loved Block North. From the second I walked in the door I was greeted with kind and friendly staff. On top of great service, the dining space is big, open and bright. This is an easy place to come and meet with friends and family or just hang out at the bar with an in house brewed craft beer. Overall I enjoyed the food significantly more than the beer. I had the "world famous" fish sandwich which was legit one of the best I have ever had. An over sized very lightly battered and perfectly fried on a fresh baked bun. The fish was light and flakey and wasn't lost in the batter. The server recommended a slice of cheese on top. This is something new to me for a fish sandwich so I tried it. While it was good, it took away from the amazing fish and I wouldn't recommend it. My girlfriend has the lobster grilled cheese sandwich. Wow. Just wow. My favorite part about this sandwich other then the nicely buttered and grilled bread and the ooozy cheese pull is the overly generous helping of lobster. Yum! We also tried the shrimp stuffed jalapeño poppers wrapped with bacon. The jalapeños were lightly grilled and stuffed with cheese and shrimp and then wrapped with crispy bacon. Delicious I tried all the beers. The menu was full with a blonde, a pale, a brown, kolsch, red ale and a few other fun season style beers. I really enjoyed the kolsch. A delicious and refreshing light beer with notes of toasted bread, corn and oats. Block North, although not even a year old, is doing things right. From the service to the food to the beer it's a must stop! read more

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Very cool atmosphere, beautiful inside! Great food and service! Will be back for sure!

I'd been here right after they opened, and it was good, but this most recent trip elevated the score into the "great" zone. The difference is the food. The food was good before, but the Ruben I had was delicious, and the FRIES. OH EM GEE. SO AMAZING. A fry technique I had not seen before, fresh cut but in slices - they were thicker than kettle chips, but not too thick. Simply amazing and I have been thinking about them, sort of a lot? Like it isn't a problem or anything, I just find myself remembering them, and then sorta longing for them? I mean, that's normal, right? Also had the sweet potato fries, those were good, but more traditional in preparation. The beer remains okay. A significant improvement from my last visit, they are hitting their stride, but not amazing. This place is 100% worth checking out. Highly recommend. read more

What a cool little brew pub! We stopped in for.the beer but, left liking the beer and obsessing over the food. Nancy was a hoot behind the bar! Great service! We got a full flight with all 8 beers. I enjoyed the lager and the kolsch the most! They are new to the beer scene and still have a lot of room for improvement. Huge space with an upstairs and downstairs. Food. WoW! Sounds like owner chef Peter used to cater movie sets but, wanted to own a restaurant back home. Well the food is great. We had bacon wrapped jalapeno shrimp poppers, lobster grilled cheese, and their fish sandwhich which they claim is the best in the world. It was definetly up there. The one thing I will say is they need to clean the glasses they are serving beer in better...or rinse quick before. They were noticable not clean. read more

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Wow, really enjoyed this place! Great service, good, and beers. Steak poutine was fantastic. Would highly recommend the shrimp and lobster poor boy. Nitro beer was on point. 5/5...would travel for it! read more

Block North Brew Pub - Steak Poutine - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

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Nice environment great food easy location to get to and plenty of parking. Large dinning room very clean read more

Food was surprisingly good for having such a large menu with no real theme. I had the pork bahn mi and my cousin had the brisket sandwich. We both raved about our food. Nice atmosphere as well. read more

I found this new brewery/restaurant searching Apple maps for food/restaurants when leaving Duluth before heading over her to Aitkin. Now usually your choices for good beer and meal are a bit more limited when in the small norther MN towns. Well that just changed! The places is new (2 months), is bright, clean, friendly staff. I ate at the bar and had a Rip Rap peanut butter porter by Excelsior Brewing. Mmmm if you like a porter and love PB...give this a go. (They didn't have to their own beer on tap yet, they just started brewing on the new equipment). I had the fish & chips...and you will be heartily satisfied. The fish is a plate filling, golden crispy deep fried piece of cod...hot, fresh and served with a taser seasoned tarter sauce. The jojo potatoes are big and filling, alongside steamed peas. This place as a LOT of seating, 30+ tables upstairs, a bar and many more downstairs from what I could see. Seems like they could handle a good size event. Grab a craft brew and a bite...and enjoy the north. read more

Block North Brew Pub - Fish & chips - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

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This place was a happy surprise, especially in small little Aitkin. The food was fresh and tasty, with a unique variety of options on the menu. I got their steak, which was cooked to perfection. Side salad was very fresh. Each of us got something different and no one was disappointed! When dine in was open, covid guidelines were well followed. The service was as expected, the staff, meh, could've been friendlier. But overall it was a positive experience, I'd return if I was in the area again. read more

Block North Brew Pub - New American Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

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What a wonderful surprise! We decided to stop in at our beautiful new restaurant in Aitkin. Not only delicious food but also a brewery which will be open soon. We started with the Truffle Parm fried cauliflower . Yum! My husband had a Pub burger with bacon. He asked for medium rare and that's what he got! He hasn't had a burger that good in a very long time. It came with their fries which were deep fried tiny whole potatoes. Very unique and very good. I had the shrimp and lobster stir fry on wild rice. Again unique and very good! Ended with bread pudding, OMG! DeLiCIoS! This is a must! PS.... the margarita got a two thumbs up! read more

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I think people are just very surprised and happy that there is a place like this in the area. They have dinner specials and a big menu. I have been several times and tried several items on the menu. I will not order the fish or the poutine again but the ribs are good and the walleye cakes are the best and a must. The sauce they have on the side the should bottle and sell. The atmosphere is big open clean and modern. The prices are on the high side for the area. read more

Been going to the same 3 bars in Aitkin for years. Stopped in to try out. Only had 1 beer, i chose the creme ale and my bro had the Neipa. Both were decent. Looks like the menu is fun and things looked very appetizing. I had the Mac and cheese, that was top notch. Bro had pub chips and they were fun and good too. The prices though! Holy high priced! These are not Aitkin county prices! Very overpriced. Hope to be back and try a burger but not looking forward to the bill. read more

Awesome experience! Service was great, so was the food. We came as a group of 5 and got the street tacos, cajun pasta, firecracker chicken sandwich, steak frites, and balsamic vinegar brussels sprouts. Everything was AMAZING. Very clean and food came out very quickly. 10/10 experience. read more

This is a gem in what many would consider an unlikely location. The beer is just amazing. If you're a foodie, you won't be disappointed. This may be one of the only places in this part of the country that is handling the pandemic by the numbers. Do not miss an opportunity to dine and drink here! read more

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We are repeat customers, 1-2 times a month and stop in for a bite on the way to our cabin. Highly recommend the Bon Mi sandwich, brisket sandwich and skirt steak with the mushroom/blue cheese sauce. Cauliflower with the truffle oil is generally great unless the kitchen is over zealous with the oil. Service is generally good and I've been enough times that the lunchtime bartender recognizes me. My only complaint is that sometimes I get a set of cheap silverware, I know they have nicer cutlery so I always ask for it. read more

Great American bar food with a fantastic menu and excellent beer selection. Highly recommended!

Solid place for good food in Aitkin. We appreciate the specialty food nights. Thanks for a great option in town (just a couple blocks north of the traffic lights) read more

We have been here several times. We have never been disappointed with the service or the food. The food is absolutely unreal. Truly something you will enjoy. The help had always been courteous and prompt. The business it's self is very very clean. read more

Fantastic little gem in Aitkin! I had the Truffle Mushroom Ravioli with Shrimp....so good, great portion size! Hubby had a pasta with andouille sausage, my friends had the carbonara and the pork chop....everything was simply great! Drinks were all tasty. Prices were really great for the service and quality! Sat outside, inside was a bit noisy, but lovely evening for a sidewalk dinner! read more

First time visitors. Banh Mi sandwich and a Cuban sandwich. Outstanding! Very good service. Lots of menu choices. Will require a return trip to this neat restaurant. read more

Well, from the outside, I expected more of a dive bar feel, and boy was I wrong. The interior was was done very nicely and had a lot of thought put into it. Well done. I had the Parmesan cauliflower, which I'd definitely have again. My sisters were also stealing off my plate. I had their IPA and a few sips off my sister's flight. The IPA was done well. Definitely my favorite but I'm a hoppy beer guy. The others were also good. No complaints. Our bartender, Christy, was very friendly and personable. She was quick with drinks and offered water when I declined another beer. Tab was prompt and wished us a good weekend. read more

Great food with small town atmosphere. Nachos (w/ addition of brisket) and fish tacos are superb, as are the specials.

Excellent food, even better service! The staff went out of their way to accommodate our needs (party of 10 including young children) on a very busy night! I had the scallops and fettuccine, and the sauce was amazing. Our friends let us try some of their balsamic Brussels sprouts and they were incredible! Everyone in our party was raving about how good their food was. Could not be happier! We will be back soon! read more

I want to start by saying I've had some really excellent food here and usually have a good experience, but I want to share my disappointment in my last experience in hopes management reads these reviews. My friend and I came in on a Monday at 5:50pm and were seated in a high top in the bar. We sat there for 10 minutes and multiple servers walked past us and the bartender even made eye contact with us a few times. We finally got fed up at went at sat at the bar. When we tried to order the happy hour special the bartender told us it was past 6:00 and was no longer available. I told him but you saw us over there for the past ten minuted we were here in time. He said he would ask the kitchen and then he came back and said they can't do it. I understand it's hard to find help these days, but they had plenty of wait staff this was simply poor customer service. read more

We were Up North for our annual Scamp Trailer rally over at Kathio State Park. The weather was iffy, so we took off to look for antique shops. Whilst traveling we found this absolute gem. Newly opened, The Block North is worth a day trip from The Cities. It is that good. As is our wont, we split two appetizers between us: Walleye Fish Cakes and a Sausage platter. Both dishes were served on a bed of shredded cabbage with a minimalist dressing that emphasized the crunch and earthiness of the cabbage without drowning it in mayo. The fishcakes were perfection. Light and incredibly flavourful instead the the leaden hockey pucks you often see. A house-made (hey... superfluous... EVERYTHING is house made!) spicy sauce was the just-right accompaniment. And now... the sausages. THREE, count 'em THREE different sausages. And we're not talking the "oh look, three German sausages" mix. These were (wait for it!) house-made duck, bison, and elk. Natural casing gave them just the right pop and crunch. Minnesota on a plate! It's been a long time since I've such good fare. There's a great selection of beer. The first batch of on-the-premises brew will be coming out soon, and I'll bet it's every bit as good as the food. Oh. And there is desert. There. Is. Desert. I had a dense and moist brownie topped with a chocolate/pecan/bacon(!!) frosting. The Beloved had an apple crumble. Ah... the joy. Don't miss this place! It's worth the drive from the Twin Cities! read more