Stopped in on a whim and DANG I'm glad we did. INCREDIBLE Bloody Mary's and such a cool, laid back…read moresuper friendly vibe. Pool table, football on tv, pull tabs and super clean bathrooms - but honestly, I'd go back for the bloody alone. Cash only, but that's not a problem because an ATM right there. Thanks you wascaly Wabbit!! p.s. it sure sounds like one star Andy is a dickhead.

First note : CASH ONLY!…read more It is an entirely classic Minnesota dive. Pull tabs, darts and pool, tavern pizza, beers and shots. The beer is cold, the pizza is hot, and it is exactly what you need to fuel before a BWCA adventure or celebrate finishing one. I actually enjoyed this more than Boathouse, mainly just I've not gotten into Boathouse's beers. Service was perfectly friendly bar service, they welcome your money regardless of who you are. Cute Goth bartender didn't hurt either. The fifth star because many dives don't have a good IPA and they have two, Bells and Warpigs.

Zaverl's is a great dive bar that has an amazing karaoke night…read more While I was visiting, Ely, my cousin said we all had to experience the karaoke night at Zarerl's. I don't know what blew me away, more. The fact that, Ed Ely the host was 80 years old, or some of the incredible voices that performed. Karaoke was out on the spacious patio. In addition to the monitor that the performer used, there was an addition big screen for the audience to follow along. There were many times that it was more like a sing-a-long, then a single performance. What also made it fun, was that the crowd applauded and cheered every performer, no matter how good or bad they were. We ordered a supreme pizza to enjoy while watching all the singers. It was delicious for a dive bar pizza. I fairly certain, it was frozen, but it was damn good. The inside of the bar was the original vintage decor, which made it a classic dive bar. Another nice touch, the owner herself was serving the tables out on the patio. She was a delight to talk and laugh with. In Ely, I recommend you stop by and have some fun.

Nice small town place - but served beer in a plastic cup .... really. Also, no customer wi-fi…read more Bartender showed me their network and then said she would not give me give me access. Weird. Oh well...see ya...

Soooo yummy. Cozy spot downtown Ely that is filled with homemade pastry's and handmade items by…read morelocal artisans. I visited twice & the service was fast each time. I ordered an iced lavender latte & their monthly special, a blueberry lavender Arnold Palmer, and they were both amazing! Their lavender syrup was really good and tasted homemade to me. - street parking, but plenty - indoor seating - small outdoor sidewalk patio - homemade pastries - handmade pottery & other merch

Very solid coffee and pastry spot in a charming little town. Will definitely be back for more! I…read moreeven bought a mug to take home with me. Things can get a bit slow but there's only so much counter space, and you are supposed to be on vacation here!

Other than this place having a bit of an identity crisis, I think it's great. Some of the time it's…read morelabeled "Bar and Grill", sometimes "Eatery" and sometimes "Beer Garden". The way I'd describe it is this: Think of one of those places that you go to because it's got great drinks and lots of places to sit (especially outdoor on a nice day). Now that place also happens to have some tasty snack - not a lot, but they are good. That's Rockwood - except they've got more food than normal. I wouldn't call it a "restaurant" as its primary focus, but there is plenty to eat and you would do just fine going there for just a bite. Our food was, as noted, quite tasty. The divine swine sandwich had some great and tender pulled pork. The smokedburger was a standard burger, the patty looks machined formed - that's not to say it's bought in bulk or something (I don't know) - just not an "OMG AMAZING" burger. The sweet potatoe fries were fantastic, well seasoned and some nice use of larger salt flakes. The Cucumber Salad was interesting, basically cucumber and onion in a quick pickle - probably wouldn't order it again, but it wasn't bad. The menu isn't huge, but its perfect ok to focus on what you do best. While we were there primarily for the food, we did get the Ely-ade drinks. They were quite tasty and would certainly enjoy again. Rockwood has a full bar, so you can get just about any drink you want. The prices for their signature cocktails are also quite reasonable. This is probably a great place to bring kids. They can get hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese... all the staples. And the adults can partake in the finer fixings from the bar. Everyone was very nice, the kept the place well bussed. No complaints.

I really loved the overall vibe of this place. Their happy hour for drinks was awesome - 50% off…read morebeer, house wine and rails. The bartender Gem was a super cool guy who we enjoyed chatting with. Their food was okay. The menu was a bit limited. We ordered a falafel burger, a bbq chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries. The prices were reasonable, but the falafel burger desperately needed more sauce and flavor - it was a bit dry and bland. When you go in, be prepared to order food at the counter and drinks at the bar - no table service.

Decent sandwich but nothing to write home about. Not a lot of options in town so if there is space…read moreand you're hungry, go for it. Very nice servers and great view of Lake Shagawaski.

Yummy, kind staff. I had the wild mushroom ravioli and my…read morehubby the broasted chicken.

Locals bar with amazing friendly people and family feel. Lots of pool tables and darts and as a…read morepool player from England who owns a table I can say that the tables are great and the pool sticks are some of the best in the United States.

Great place for locals to come have a drink and play some pool. Plenty of tables. Owner is the…read morebest. Aux cord.

I recommend everything about the frisky otter, except perhaps the fish tacos…read more Which of the frisky otter because we were traveling with a dog to Ely and needed a place where they could join us for dinner. Frisky Outar allows dogs on the patio. We are a little bit worried about sitting outside because there was an air quality at work, but strangely in the Enclosed outdoor patio it was fine. The patio itself is adorable. Beautiful plants tasteful decor. We started the meal cocktails. They have a well curated selection of martinis. I sampled the cucumber lime one and it was divine. I don't typically drink martinis, but this tasted like summer with hints of lime and cucumber. I also tried the lemon drop martini, which I would be cautious about choosing. It's supposed to be a combination of three liquors, including lemon cello, but the lemon cello flavor was so dominant. I couldn't drink it. My friend and I both ordered the walleye fish tacos and point frankly were very disappointed. When they arrived, we practically had to dig into the tortilla shells to even see what fish there was. It looked like it was a chopped up leftovers from something else. Even worse, the fish was cold. We both sent ours back to Get warm fish. I think they might've just microwaved them or something, because what they brought back out was barely warm. But we just ate it anyways. Normally I would expect in a fish taco to have larger visible pieces of fish. These really just felt like leftovers from somewhere. We chose the sweet potato fries as our side, and they were excellent though. I am guessing they were pre made elsewhere and tossed in a fryer. There were many other interesting options on the menu, so I don't want to discount this restaurant. Give it a try, but just avoid the fish tacos. The servers were excellent. Very attentive, refilling our water responding to questions and also being gracious about us sending our tacos back. I should also mention they have a dog menu !! we ordered a side of chicken breast for our little goldendoodle and she absolutely loved it. There were multiple items to choose from. This really is the place in Ely for bringing your dog.

My first experience with the frisky otter, we arrived and we were greeted by a young lady. She was…read morevery nice. She asked us if we wanted to sit on the patio outside we said if there's availability for the patio, we would enjoy that. She gave us our menus seated us and said someone will be with you shortly While we were sitting there. One of the waiters took his time and cleaned off a table and provided the guest with their check. He continued to clean off tables and even as I raise my voice and said, could someone wait on us he immediately turned his back to us and walked as fast as he could in the other direction ! We had numerous employees walk past us, and even the manager or she could've been the owner walk past us numerous times 25 minutes later we still have not been greeted by a waiter or waitress. No one had brought us Water and no one has acknowledged us! My husband and I have been coming to the Ely area for over 45 years and we have seen restaurants come and go! I am going to predict that this restaurant is going to be one that is going to go in short order! maybe a better name for the restaurant instead of frisky otter is the lazy otter! One you have to offer something different unique that people don't usually get but in Ely, you can get a hamburger and fries at pretty much every restaurant in town! I was super disappointed after having to wait 25 minutes and realized I didn't wanna have to wait another 25 minutes for my meal to come and having to pay $20 for a hamburger! So we chose to get up and leave the restaurant not being acknowledged by anyone on our way out, but the owner or manager was hustling herself about to set up a table for a large group of people when she couldn't even take time to serve two people who had been waiting in her restaurant for over 25 minutes! Shame on you! Looks like the Dairy Queen is a better option at least when you go through their drive-through they acknowledge you immediately and their food cost about the same! If I could give this restaurant zero stars I would!