This place is an absolute gem! The parking lot is small, but it's conveniently located at the top of the hill. There's also some additional parking on the other side of the restaurant. We've never had any trouble finding parking, but we usually arrive around 5 or 6 PM. If you're a fan of red meat, this is the place for you. I've tried both the ribeye and the prime rib, and both were absolutely fantastic. The portion sizes are generous for the price, so I always end up with leftovers. The prime rib is perfectly seasoned with a nice crust. I usually order my steaks medium rare, and they've always come out just right, except for one time when I got an end piece that I sent back. They quickly replaced it and agreed that it was more medium than rare. The jalapeño poppers are delicious, and the house salad is equally tasty. I always get the hashbrowns as a side, while my friend usually gets the brussels sprouts and the au gratin. I've never tried anything else, but I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you order. But the pie is the star of the show! Get the French Silk pie, made from scratch by the owner. The crust has just the right amount of saltiness to complement the rich chocolate mousse filling. The mousse isn't too dense, but it's not as light as meringue either. If you're a chocolate lover, you absolutely must try it. Pro tip: If you're there on a busy night, it might be a good idea to order your pie when you order your food. I did this one night because I was dreaming of the pie all week, and I'm so glad I did. Unfortunately, they ran out by the time the rest of our table ordered dessert, but my waiter had set aside my piece just for me, so I was able to enjoy it. read more

Oh my gosh, the view is the definition of a million dollar view! This cute pace is nestled among the bluffs in the most adorable small town- it gives old timey super club vibes with delicious food options! The server was friendly, the food came out at a leisurely pace, the menu had plenty of options without being too much, and the bathrooms were very clean! We had the rainbow trout (5/5 stars for sure!) with Brussels sprouts (did we die and go to heaven? They were scrumptious!) and fries. Then, the PB bacon burger- which was very delicious as well! The starter of duck wontons did not disappoint, they were cooked perfectly and a nice way to begin our meal on a tasty note! We will definitely be back whenever we find ourselves meandering through the bluffs in search of Amish baskets and a relaxing weekend! read more

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Worth the drive from Rochester for a vintage supper club ambiance and meal. Nice little bar attached to it also. Nice view from window seats over the town and the food is 4 out of 5. Very friendly staff. read more

The roasted Brussels sprouts are the best I have ever had including my mom's Brussels sprouts. I could go to the Branding Iron and just order the Brussels sprouts. I also enjoy all the other entrees I have tried. I have never been to a restaurant and order the wrong adult drink and the server graciously replaces it with the drink I wanted. Wow! The decor has not changed since my first visit in the 70's. It is very comfortable. The views are spectacular. read more

Branding Iron Restaurant - Broiled walleye - Steakhouses Near Me - Preston, Minnesota

Only a short drive from Lanesboro where we were staying, this supper club offered an opportunity to have a steak and enjoy a view. We had a reservation and were seated at a beautiful picture window overlooking the bluffs. Shawn was our server and he was great. He had a huge table in the back and was still present for all the other smaller tables. I ordered the NY Strio medium rare. Husband had the fillet. Both were cooked a bit more than we typically see in a restaurant. While cooked a little more than the medium rare I'm used to, it was still very tasty. Juicy, flavorful and a large portion. My sides were green beans and brussel sprouts and they were a perfect side to a large steak. Sprouts were roasted. So good. read more

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Stopped for lunch on the bar side recently. Good service, great food and throwback supper club vibes throughout. This is one of those places you hope never updates to trendy modern decor. read more

You can't go wrong with the cut batter fried cod meal on Friday nights. It's a great spot for a drink and a good reasonable meal. The view is breathtaking and the staff are very friendly and accommodating read more

Food was good although the acoustics were not. Very noisy atmosphere. Main meal and salad was very good, apple pie desert was partially frozen yet. read more

Local supper club that needs a refresh. Food was not the best. I had the fried shrimp and there was way too much batter on it. The baked potato was barely warm. Husband had a steak that was cooked more than the medium rare he requested. French silk pie was good. Service was ok. read more

This is my first time here. We came for lunch and they had a small salad bar that is included with an entree except for burgers and sandwiches. The place wasn't too busy and we were seated right away. I had ordered a pork chop and it came with a side so I requested green beans. The pork chop came out looking like a charbroiled steak that was dried and had no seasoning or flavor to it. I added salt and pepper but that wasn't enough so I ate it like a steak and dip it in A1 steak sauce. I like the chicken rice soup on the salad bar and they had great fresh pineapples. The grapes were not fresh as it seemed old. The salad bar seems to be stocked pretty well as everything was full. My husband order the 7oz sirloin steak. He said his steak was good but the pieces that I had tasted from our daughter's plate tasted dried and no flavor like they just took the piece of steak and put it on the grill without anything on it. His came with fries. My mother in law ordered a hamburger and asked for the sandwich to be topped with lettuce and a tomato. There burger came out with pickles on the side and no garnishments except that the server has gotten some pieces of tomatoes and chopped lettuce of the salad bar and brought it to my mother in law. She got a generous portion of fries. The service was quick and the place is nice and clean. They were pretty cool with letting us share our food from the salad bar with our girls and was ok with them playing by the window. The bathroom is clean and they had a changing table so that was nice. The restaurant sits on top of a hill so you could see down below in the town of Preston. My husband thinks food is better for dinner but I'm not sure. Will probably not be back in awhile as it was a trek to get here. If we weren't going to Forestville, I don't think we would have stopped here for lunch. read more

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The last time I was visiting my in-laws we went to the Branding Iron twice and two days. We went on Saturday night for the prime rib special and that was absolutely incredible. I loved my prime rib although it wasn't cooked enough. My medium was closer to medium rare and that was a bummer because some of it wasn't cooked enough for me to eat. And, it had amazing flavor and so I still ate a lot of it. We also got the mushrooms which are one of my favorite appetizers here. And Sunday night we went back again for the two person date special and ended up getting a half order of the onion strips and I got the shrimp with rice. The shrimp and the rice were so so so so good!! And I loved the onion strips even more than I love their regular onion rings. The meal was super Duper delicious and I would go back again the next time I'm in town and the time after that. Added bonus to the amazing food was we had incredible service both nights!! Love this place! read more

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I so badly wanted to give this restaurant more then 3 stars but in fairness I can't. The salad bar was good but a small selection. The chicken noodle soup was homemade and very good. My significant other had the triple cheeseburger. Nothing special to write about it. It was a burger. I had the steak with baked potato. The baked potato was luke warm. The steak was chewy. Could have been an older cut of meat. I have steak pretty often when we dine out and this was definitely subpar. Might give this place another try in tge future. read more

Branding Iron Restaurant - This is the view from a window seat at the Branding Iron Restaurant. - Steakhouses Near Me - Preston, Minnesota

What a view! Great service and the food was good. We had the shrimp and cod. Our salads were very good and we love the garlic toast. The shrimp and cod were good. The only disappointment was the au gratin potatoes, they were not cheesy and had a strange flavor. Our drinks were well made and strong. It was a great supper club experience! read more

A good old, small town supper club kind of place. The place for locals to go to have a weekend steak and shrimp dinner. Nightly specials, and daily noon specials. Very reasonable. No salad bar since the plague hit. Hopefully, it will return. Nice location on top of the hill. read more

My Filet was wonderful, salad not so much, very little portions. Green beans were good , but needed the ends cut off, they were dried out. Waitress was great! Beautiful view. Appetizers, had the onion petals, they were good and cheese curds, I expected home made but weren't. read more

Breakfast was good and Cindy S., our server was very good about seeing to our needs. Kept coffee full. We enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant that day. read more

This place has its plus and negatives for sure. The location is cool and the overall atmosphere is unique. But we had a long wait and the salad bar was a bust. Overall it was overpriced and underserved. Glad we chose it as a safe option but would not return. read more

Branding Iron Restaurant - Steakhouses Near Me - Preston, Minnesota

My steak was perfectly grilled! A little odd that our salads were served prior to the appetizer. Nonetheless, everything was delicious!

Really good food at a family birthday party yesterday, and the birthday boy was given a free dessert (he loved the pecan pie)! Chicken kabob is wonderful, very tender and juicy chicken breast, with perfectly cooked green beans and delicious fried brussel sprouts (we will order them next time as a separate side dish to get more, they were that good, and I generally do NOT like brussel sprouts). Service was excellent, the view is great, this is a winner of a place to eat, in a pretty little SE Minnesota town. We will be back! read more

Greater was good, set outdoor reservation. Limited menu but tough times. Loud unmasked server spoiled it. Never got the point that her mask is for us. Left her a note and told greeter. This stuff matters when there is a pandemic and restaurant wants business. read more

This is a four stars in Preston four stars. In a larger community with more choices, I would give it a three. We have been here a number of times and is predictable. It reminds us of the supper clubs of our youth. On a Friday or Saturday night we expect the place to be busy. And yet we have always been seated and served quickly. Burgers, steaks, and whatever is the dinner special are solid choices. read more

Stopped for a burger. Was disappointed with the heavy pretzel type bun. What happened to light fluffy fresh bakery buns. Was also disappointed with the "seasoned fries". I prefer a fresh potato fry without the batter . Overall disappointed, I like the old standards and that is why I stopped at super club. read more

We had a very enjoyable dinner at the Branding Iron. Food was very good and service was excellent. We would return to this restaurant.

The service- outstanding The view- worth the drive My steak and my husband prime rib- amazing My son's chicken strip- would beat out Chick-Fil-A any day My favorite place to eat in town- of course! read more

Had not been to this restaurant for almost 20 years until last Friday evening. It has changed hands fairly recently and we were generally pleased. The view from the large windows is still spectacular. The restaurant decor seems the same as it did 20 years ago. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is like a trip back to the 70's. We were there for dinner about 5:30pm and the crowd seemed to be on the older side, with just a few folks under 60. Salad bar was good, but rather limited. The items seemed fresh and the salad bowls were restocked frequently. Our meals were served promptly and tasted good. Both of us had seafood items. Only fly in the ointment came when it came time to pay. I was going to use a credit card and the cashier let me know there would be a surcharge for using the card. I used cash. Perhaps I am not up to speed, but I have never come across a restaurant with added charge for plastic. read more

Oh, Branding Iron, you are...not really that good. I mean, not terrible, you won't starve there. But I would not go here of my own accord. Being taken here by one's in-laws, however, is another story, so there you go. It's a very standard American-style restaurant; meaning steak, some pasta, salads made with lots of iceberg lettuce, etc. Pretty much all the food here is mediocre in the strongest possible sense - not bad enough that you wouldn't eat it, but not good enough that you really enjoy it, either. That goes for everything we had from the salad bar and side dishes to the entrees (fish, their allegedly famous ribs, etc.). There is one exception: they do, in fairness, know exactly how to cook up a steak. I would not order anything else here, though. Once again, if you're hungry and driving by and it's late at night, you will do fine here; the food is okay and the portions are solid sizes. Wait staff was nice enough. But don't go expecting a great meal, either. read more

I've been to this restaurant on more than one occasion and really gave it three chances to impress me. It failed every time. The place is always busy and that's probably because there aren't any other family restaurants anywhere near here in Preston that are open this time of day. The best thing about it has to be the location - it sits on a hill and overlooks the town of Preston. There haven't been any reviews recently, so I'll try to shine a little light on this place since apparently nobody has eaten there since 2011. The parking is horrible and you might be forced to park down the hill and walk up to the place if it's super busy. The décor is really, really dated (60s-70s). They have a "salad bar" in the middle and it's your basic lettuce, dressing, croutons, toppings, soup & crackers. Nothing fancy. The service is not too bad, I guess that's a bonus. The food is nothing at all to write home about. I would totally avoid the steak (yes, that's right... I am asking you to avoid steak at a steakhouse). It is very overpriced and the one time I did order it (my cut of meat was about twenty bucks) it was fatty and gristly. The sides came cold. The second time I was here they had a Friday night "all you can eat" fried fish special (yep, during Lent). It isn't really "all you can eat" since they don't come back around and ask you if you want seconds. They are probably hoping it's only one plate. The fish was overcooked and bland anyway, so I didn't want a second helping. It's still nice to be offered. There's nothing really all that special about this place. They are overpriced and the food is alright (you'll go home full) but it's nothing exciting, that's for sure. It's crowded because it's the only place to eat in town on a weekend night, but I've definitely had better experiences before. I don't recommend eating here, but I can't recommend another place in a town where there really aren't too many other restaurants. If you like Mexican, there's a nice place just up US 52 about four miles north of here in Fountain... they serve up pretty good food. Just don't go to the Branding Iron... waste of money. read more

We've eaten here twice in the past few months and the food & service was excellent both times. This is old-school Supper Club fare with expertly prepared steaks, Lobster tail, hashbrowns & Au Gratin potatoes. Even Frog Legs with the Seafood Platter. Classic ambience with great views of the valley. The Kentucky Mule drink special was over-the-top good! read more

Went for a dear friend's rehearsal dinner. Parking was much to be desired. Walked in, lovely hostess greeted us and personally escorted us to our private party and assisted us to our assigned table. There were gorgeous bouquets on each tables. As well as tortilla chips with salsa and mixed salted nuts. The apps (chips/salsa/nuts) did not appear to be part of the restaurants usual menu. They also were lacking in culinary art and flavor. The salsa tasted like tomato paste and the chips were stale. The salad although fresh, was rather plain. The walleye was top notch "lake". Lightly battered on the outside and flaky texture on the inside. No overkill on the grease! The steak was a little dry for my liking, despite my request for MR. Monstrous potatoes. Service was a key component of our merriment that evening. Pleasant, on task, always flashing a smile and a moment away with the beverages! I would definitely return for another round of "lake" and drinks but I'll pass on the beef. read more

We stopped by this place after a trip to the Mystery Cave. The service and food were good. The food came out quickly and the portions were a good size. Everyone left full but not overly stuffed. They appear to have a family side and more of a bar side, so they can easily host both families with kids and folks who want more of the bar experience. read more

This place is classic! It's like a movie scene where the script says "man walks into 1970s supper club". It is everything that you expect it to be. If you're looking for a Michelin three star restaurant, you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for classic supper club ambiance and attentive septuagenarian wait staff, this is your place. To the foodies out there, yes the salad bar is fairly pedestrian but everything was fresh. Yes the prime rib meat quality was not likely aged USDA prime, but mine was cooked perfectly and the spice rub and au jus were spot on. And the au gratins were a little stainless steel bowl of heaven that would shine at any potluck dinner. The reason that this place gets five stars is that it executes "70s supper club" absolutely perfectly. If you're expecting haute cuisine that utilizes molecular gastronomy, you'll be disappointed. But if you want to go back in time and have a meal that reminds you of celebrating grandpa's birthday when you were a child, this is your place. PS to the reviewer who busted on the "Melba rounds slathered in butter". Bread like wine should be properly paired, and the buttered Melba toasts perfectly paired with the tasty beef soup broth in which we dipped them. Some fancy bread like artisan ciabatta would have been a gastronomic non sequitur here. Yes. We did it. We dipped bread in soup. And we're still card carrying members of the foodie club. read more

My brother, wife, friend and myself dined on Saturday, February 17, 2018 sharing dinner to celebrate my brother's 60th birthday. Everything was fine, except my food. I ordered a walleye dinner--salad bar and soup was very good, hashbrowns were great, but the walleye was terrible. One puny piece, that had little taste, seemed possibly old, and was just not up to par with everything else. Culvers walleye sandwich and dinner are far superior!. I suggest you spend a little money to offer a choice piece, actually 2, of walleye for the money. I grew up in SE Minnesota and had been to the Branding Iron years ago...............I will likely return, but certainly will not order the walleye dinner again. read more

Everything was delicious! Best cheese curds I've ever had and the French silk pie is to die for! The food was out pretty fast and the cook did a great job. Our waitress, Miranda is the best! Loved my experience read more

Don't go to this restaurant! Had reservations for mother's day and they totally blew it! Waited 10 minutes to get our table then 15 minutes after that to get menus, still not even a glass of water at this point. Waiter finally came and took drink orders then came back 10 minutes later and took our food order. Waited 35 minutes for a simple basket of cheese curds and then after waiting an additional 30 minutes with still no food we decided to leave. We paid the bill and was told the owner was going to come talk to us but then all is got was the bill and no owner. We were told the owner was in the back "pulling her hair out".....HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE all the way around! read more

Quick review here. Stopped through on the way to visit the in-laws in Iowa. At 61, I was the youngest person in the place! Hehe. Got the pull tabs but didn't win, so I docked a star. Hehe, just kidding. But I'll give ya four, very nice experience and a great view!! read more

Midweek, passing through Preston, stopped for dinner. Didn't go well. Had an unremarkable, generally poorly prepared meal. And we were assisted throughout by a tired, taciturn waitress whose reluctance to offer menu advice resembled tooth extraction. The entrees - pork ribs and battered cod - were barely fast food quality in both taste and presentation. An au gratin potatoes side order had to be forcibly scraped off the tin it was baked/burnt onto. A green beans side order was an overcooked, rubbery mass that could NOT be cut with a steak knife. (The waitress admitted green beans weren't requested often.) I gave the establishment one star for their location (great view!). I would have given another if they served real bread. Note to restaurant: nobody serves convenience store bread sticks and Melba Rounds, even if they are slathered in butter. Few of your customers are teething. read more

Poor service! Grumpy, unpleasant waitress. No signature garlic toast anymore!! The salad bar that this restaurant was known for is no longer the same, limited choices! Fish sandwich used to come on a nice bun now served on a hamburger bun. Cooks dishing up the specials with no gloves on or hairnets over their beards. Overall very disappointing! read more

My family and I came here for dessert only. We all ordered a variety of cheesecake and the brownie sundaes. I had the chocolate mint cheesecake - very tasty and enough to share! The brownie sundaes were all big and covered with chocolate, caramel syrup and ice cream. So it was verrry sweet! The desserts were so good we wish we came for dinner earlier! Hopefully the next time I'm in town we can do that! Thanks for the tasty food and friendly service! read more

I am from Rochester and used to come to this restaurant frequently. This is the first time we've been there with new owners. We were all very disappointed. The waitress was extremely rude, didn't check if we needed refills and overall came across like she didn't want to be there. We sat near the cooks and I watched one of the cooks preparing the specials of the day and repeatedly touching the plates and the food.with his bare hands. He had no hair net on his beard. Three of our party got specials and said they weren't very good. The fish sandwich came on a small hamburger bun. The salad bar didn't have many choices and no garlic toast. We waited over an hour for our food and restaurant was not very busy. None us would make the drive to go there again. read more

After reading the reviews posted I was apprehensive of trying it. We were staying in nearby Lanesboro and there was not anything open so some locals said to go here. Nice salad bar great Beef mushroom barley soup. I had a Chick-k-bob it was a grilled chicken breast with mushrooms cherry peppers and onions on a kabob. I had it with rice. My husband had ground sirloin and a baked potato. They had garlic toast in the bread basket that was SO good! I would go here again. Also the parking was fine I thought. read more