We always have a good time coming here! In the summer they usually have live music and it's a great spot to have a drink by the water and relax. The prices are a bit high but I feel like you pay for the ambiance. They have vegan burger options which was great and we tried their green drink! Parking can be a little but limited on popular nights but it's free which is great. read more

Ernie's On Gull - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Overall good experience, busy Saturday night yet everything went well. Cheese curds & tuna appetizers were great. Walleye tacos for dinner outside of being a little messy only because they were stuffed to the max, which was fine by me. I wish I could remember our servers name as she was the star of the show! read more

I visited Ernies for the first time yesterday. It was very good! I got the walleye sandwich, which was delicious. My friend got the turkey salad sandwich, which she also enjoyed. The service was also excellent. Overall, I strongly recommend Ernies and will definitely return! read more

Ernie's On Gull - Turkey salad sandwich - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Overall I'd like to give a 3.5, but will give a 4. We went at 5 pm on very rainy Wednesday and got right in. There is plenty of parking, but overall can get very busy, so the overflow lot is nice for extra space. Many people come by boat on nice days, but this is back in the neighborhoods if you've never been before. Trust your directions, it pops up out of nowhere. Food 3/5: The highlights were the coconut shrimp tacos and the peanut butter burger. The tacos had the perfect balance between the coconut shrimp and the green onions. Would highly recommend. The burger was a good balance of flavors and would have been made better with some bacon. The fries were very crispy and just how we like them. The cheese curds were okay, but definitely come from frozen and not fresh. The marinara sauce was ice cold and would have been much better if it was at least room temp or warm. Service 4/5: Overall our waitress was friendly and our food came very fast. She was quick with food and drinks. Ambiance 4/5: It was a rainy day so the outside patio was closed. We've been here many times on hot days and know the outside can be crazy, so be patient with food if there are a lot of people. Something to note if you've never been here before, there is a different menu outside at the bar vs inside. Overall the ambiance is an elevated bar scene (not a dive bar). They have a play ground and sand volleyball court for the kids to play on which is great. One thing that has been consistent in our many visits here is there is always an over abundance of flies inside and feels like you're constantly having to swipe your head or food. Outside there are many birds trying to capitalize on food scraps. Overall some of the food was great and some could use improvements. This is a fun place to stop just for drinks or bite to eat as well. read more

Burgers not the same a flat top were the grill ! Way too much money for food quality ! Service ok not the best ! I can dam near go to bar harbour for same money! Lobster bisque not as great as it used to something off about Taste not good at all ! read more

We are on our Great Northern Adventure vacation. We left Cincinnati about a week ago and got as far north as Ely, MN. We were headed toward Nisswa and Brainard and used YELP to help us find a good, local restaurant. We decided to try Ernie's on Gull Lake. Little did we know it would be packed because Ernie's was hosting an Octoberfest Celebration that day. The restaurant was packed, both inside and out. There was a special menu to celebrate Octoberfest and there was live music and lots of revelers dressed in costume. Our waitress, Aftyn, couldn't have been nicer. My wife is handicapped and has some difficulty getting around and everyone there was Minnesota Nice while helping her. We were celebrating our own special memory so this Octoberfest discovery couldn't have come at a better time. The food was wonderful, but the TIGER CAKE was over the top. In years of traveling I don't think we have ever had anything quite like this!!!! read more

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Excellent food and service. Order the pretzel bucket app, Swedish Goat Burger, Lobster Bisque soup, salads, and Saturday Prime Rib special. SKIP the Greenie drinks. We had a late dinner so it was too dark to enjoy the lake view scenery, but the interior decor was okay - definitely a cabin vibe. Our daughter's basketball team was there for a weekend tournament so we had a very rowdy and large group of 36. Not only did our waitresses flawlessly take our orders, serve our drinks, apps, soups, salads and entrees timely, but she also figured out our separate checks per family despite the fact that the team sat separate from the parents. She deserved that big tip! Here's what we tried: Soft Pretzel Bucket (4/5) $16 HUGE bucket shared by the entire table of 36. Great pretzels and cheese sauce. Didn't try the mustard sauce but I wished for a bit more salt. Swedish Goat Burger (5/5) $17 This sucker lasted me 3 delicious meals! A must try if you like goat cheese and lingonberries (like small cranberries). The caramelized onions and large bacon strips made the burger perfect IMHO. Lobster Bisque Soup (4/5) $4 very flavorful, filling, rich and creamy. I had no detectable slivers of lobster though. Saturday Prime Rib special (5/5) $29 for the large 16 oz portion. Best meal at the table. Everyone's steaks were cooked to order perfectly. The side salad was LARGE and fresh. 3 at our table ordered the Greenie drink since we heard it was their drink specialty. I could feel the alcohol but couldn't taste it. Good lemon-lime flavor but it was SO sweet, it gave us tummy aches. None of us finished the Greenies and we all switched to other drinks. Our daughter and her friend shared the chicken strip bucket and the classic burger. She said both were good but nothing special. read more

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This is a very popular restaurant on Gull lake. Many people come by boat while enjoying the lake. you got a beautiful view of the lake while you're enjoying your dinner. My pistachio crusted walleye was delicious along with all the other food on their menu. we had a sweet young waitress that took care of as well while I was visiting my family. read more

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Love this place and always like bringing new people there when I am in town! Great food, views and staff!

Excellent setting with the prettiest view of gull Lake. There's a playground for the kids and a casual burger restaurant right next door if you prefer that to the sit down restaurant. We always get the walleye either as a sandwich or the pistachio crusted walleye. The food is good, but not great. We really enjoy the fish, but feel like they don't have their seasoning down quite right. The broccolini especially had little to no flavor. It's really the setting that makes it amazing. We go every time we are in town! read more

Easy to get to by boat, dock help is awesome, sat us outside pretty quickly and service was great had a large group Spread over 3 tables and they did an awesome job. Food was very good apps were good, meals were good, my only complaint would be I'm a homemade chip Junky and asked if they were homemade and the waitress said yes, they were clearly from a bag...disappointment. But everything else was to description. read more

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We went for lunch September 4th. The north wind was to cold to use the outdoor patio but got a window table inside. Great view of the lake! The menu was your basic bar menu. Same one for lunch as it is for dinner. Our server was super nice and quick with our order. The food and beers are a little pricey here. For that reason we each only went with a burger -$17 plus more $$ to add a few French fries instead of potato chips. Albeit, the burger was very good. I would recommend giving this bar/grill a try. read more

Awesome spot inside whether it's for a group of people or table for two. Awesome energy & food is delicious as well!

Good food and service for a quick lunch. We had Chicken wings and a burger were very tasty. Sitting on the patio was a great ambiance.

I was so impressed with my experience here this busy memorial weekend! The waitress who took our order was great, attentive, and did so with cheer. An appetizer of cheese curds was enjoyed by all and the walleye sandwich seemed to be the hit of our table with three orders of it. I thought it was a very delicious walleye sandwich with great flavor to it. It's great that you can enjoy some time on their patio or inside in the air conditioning. We decided for indoors and the views of gull lake, the boats, and area did not disappoint! Can't wait to be back and try more food! Thank you for a nice dinner! Tip: especially in the summer, come around 4 to beat the dinner rush! read more

I absolutely loved going to this place. It's very hidden. It's right on the lake and actually has good food. Great service and great drinks. The ambience is perfect especially on breezy afternoon outside. It would be really cool to watch live music here , make it feel like an island theme ! Just ideas .. read more

Restaurant looks recently updated which was nice. Had either bar or high top seating or further back booths. It was seat yourself when we went and waitress came right away to greet us and was pleasant and even tried to help my son when it was his turn during a game we brought to play. Drinks and food both came out quickly and were double check on multiple times which was nice. We got pictures midway through our food as we were so hungry. Lots of chicken strips with the basket and upgraded to the curly fries which were great. Also got a classic burger and kids cheeseburger that went do in no time. The onion rings were fried to perfection. When we left they offered a Rice Krispie bar for my child. Nice stop on a trip up north. read more

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Always has very tasty food. Great views and Wisconsin cheese curds. GoPackGo! Apparently I need 85 characters to post so now I writing random sentences. read more

Walleye tacos were great! Came with 3 small tacos, and I got the cheese curd upgrade to go with them. Yum! If you order the fries as a side, they are very thinly sliced steak fries, which I haven't ever seen before but they were tasty. Sit outside if you can because it's got a great view of the dock, lake, and people having a great time. Service was quick, they have the buzzing devices for you to come grab your meal when it's ready. If you order drinks with your meal you can bring them back to your table while you wait for your food. The berry lemonade adult beverage was sweet and refreshing. read more

Weird thing happened just now at Ernie's that makes ZERO sense! We were seated outside under an umbrella and just ordered our food. A small rain cloud (no wind) came through and they started pulling all the umbrellas down leaving all the customers and their food wet. Why? Because the umbrellas aren't water proof‍. Kid you not! We got up and left. Don't go to Ernie's if there's a chance of rain! Makes no sense at all! read more

Had a great time visiting friends in Brainerd. So happy Ernie's was open even though it is getting into the fall season very soon. Beautiful view of the lake! I had the Walleye sandwich and it is delicious with the citrus sauce. Service was great. I would love to return in the Summer when there's more happening! read more

Beautiful location with fantastic views. Some pretty fun menu items featuring seasonally appropriate choices. Service has always been appropriate. Pretty good wine list, house special cocktails and a fair draft selection. Prices aren't the best, but I factor in the quality of atmosphere. read more

Ernie's On Gull - Chicken meatballs $26 - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

10/10 experience. The dockboys were a plus when showing up to help get the boat docked. The service and atmosphere was awesome and super fun. It rained a bit so we didn't get to enjoy outside much, but from the little bit we did it was really fun. get the pretzel basket app for sure. i had the elote burger and it was decent. the burger was cooked a little bit too long otherwise it would have been amazing. will definitely come back read more

Ernie's On Gull - elote burger - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

My family went here on our vacation this summer. There was no wait when we arrived around 5:30ish so we were quickly seated. The food is solid - the group got the ahi tuna salad (YUM!), burgers, and salads. The kids meal chicken fingers were also excellent! Also enjoyed a few of their cocktails! The restaurant is right on the lake, so I'd try to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. We also saw a little play area with swings, slide, etc that seemed to be on the restaurant property. Would be great for kids to play while waiting for food to arrive or after eating while adults finish their meals. read more

We were camping at Gull Lake Recreational Park and wanted to find a place to eat and watch Monday Night Football. The menu is pretty great and includes some vegetarian and gluten free options along with other amazing food. I had the Papaya and Kiwi salad, unfortunately they were out of papaya but the salad was delicious! My husband had the Walleye tacos and loved them and his brother had shrimp that they both loved! The menu is a little pricey but that's everywhere now and the food was excellent so well worth it! The only complaint was that it was super noisy, they could use something to make it muffled a little. We had to pretty much yell at each other! Decor was very cute definitely a restaurant on the lake! They also have piers for people to pull up from the water and enjoy a nice meal. read more

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Ernies is fabulous! I love stopping here after a long day on the water for a delicious drink and great food. The grab and go bar is fantastic, but the restaurant is even better. The burgers are 5/5, but shockingly the Ahi Tuna & Soba Noodle Salad is the best thing on the menu. You wouldn't think tuna would be what you're ordering on a dockside restaurant, but you really have to try it. As for drinks, we love the greenie, margarita or a beer. Plenty of space on the dock to park your boat. Each time we've stopped here, even with a bigger group, they've been able to get us a table with short notice out on the patio. I'm impressed! read more

Beautiful views from this restaurant on the water. Has its own dock system for patrons to pull up on their boats/pontoons. The place is casual but the patrons appear to be the well-to-do crowd looking for a lakeside lunch. Indoor and outdoor options to sit at. Fries were good (thinner crunchy style), worth the upcharge from chips. Caesar salad ($10) was more of a house salad w/uninspired Caesar dressing. Bloody Mary drink came with a little sample/shooter of beer. Service was very so-so, likely being short staffed and also staffed with less experienced team members. Don't let that cloud over your nice visit though, just be kind and understanding. So many businesses are having staffing issues. read more

Ernie's On Gull - Reuben Sandwich with the upgrade ($ )to fries -originally comes with chips - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

Great setting just overlooking Gull Lake that seems best setup for a nice summer day. The food was decent, starting with the Duck Confit tacos. The duck was tender, but almost needed to be strained a bit as the toppings created a bit of a soggy bottom in the soft taco. Would definitely come back on a nice summer day for a drink! read more

Ernie's On Gull - Duck Confit Tacos - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

Easy access by water or land, freshly remodeled (A+ on the cute bathrooms) and basic menu to order from on a hot summer day. We love stopping here when on the water with friends. The dock crew is always eager to help and polite, the staff is friendly and whipping up drinks/food as quick as they are able. The wing baskets are perfect for a quick bite during a boat day and perfect to take to-go or to enjoy on the patio in the sun. Great margs and basic menu drinks + bites to eat. Rain or shine, Ernie's is a good time. Bring the crew and grab a volleyball court for some friendly competition! read more

Good little resturant. Be ready for a bit of a ride to find the place. When you think your lost...bamb there it is. On the beach with great views of the lake. Outdoorseating is available during summer months. read more

Friendly service, great tasting salad and wonderful atmosphere! Reasonable prices too! I'll be back!

Food and service was great! Went there with a large group of 13. When we got there two other large parties plus ours plus the regular tables were filling the restaurant. Once seated our server informed us she was 1 of 1 and asked us to be patient because she was swamped (no issues from us, we appreciated her setting the expectation). Even though she was 1 of 1 her service was exceptional. The kitten kept up and all our food was out in a timely manner, hot and fresh. No one had any complaints about the taste or quality of their food. Well worth it, I will be a returning customer! read more

Ernie's On Gull - Cheese platter - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

I normally get the ahi noodle salad because it's fire, but today I got a side salad and the peaches and cream bruschetta. It was incredible! It's served with arugula, and the bitter green paired well with the sweet peaches. The service was prompt, we had a great table outside. read more

Ernie's On Gull - Lovely view - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

We randomly found this restaurant on Yelp when we were mini golfing at the nearby Pirates Cove. What a treat! They are taking masking and social distancing very seriously and felt like they were being sanitary during this time. We ordered a variety of foods from tacos to burgers to sandwiches and they had an awesome assortment of drinks such as the Prairie vodka spritzer's and some delicious mimosas. Everyone in our party enjoy their food very much and the service was prompt and friendly despite being obviously busy during a summer weekend day. The food was so good we went back the next day! read more

Ernie's On Gull - Chicken & Bacon Melt - Bars Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Staff is great! Unique food. I loved the chicken meatballs and spaghetti. My husband was not a fan of the walleye but he does not like unique. read more

Amazing atmosphere, and a large selection of food that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. I, however, found most dishes to be too salty. Outdoor seating on the lake, and games were great (bag toss, swings, volleyball) read more

This was my first time here and I was excited to see what the hype was all about. To start off I would rate my overall experience (food, venue, and service) a 3. The food was slightly better than mediocre at best. For the price and location I expected more. The chicken tenders were not worth the price. And the fries were slightly over cooked. For an additional $2.50 for the fries I would say it's not worth it as well. I would rate this a 3/5 overall. The grilled chicken sandwich was okay. I asked for grilled onions instead of raw and it felt like they put extra raw onion and no cooked onion. I think the waiter should try writing down our order instead of trying to memorize the whole thing so small mistakes like this won't be made. The bun was soggy from all of the sauce and onion juice YUCK! The chicken tasted good, could have been cooked a bit more. 3.5/5 overall. The bruschetta was very good! It is a different flavor that is indescribable. The presentation was beautiful as well. Flavor wise I would rate this a 4.5/5, however it took almost 35 minutes to come out for an appetizer. Therefore I give this a 4/5 overall. The workers were very friendly, however in a business attentiveness and attention to detail is important. The waiter stopped by twice to check on us and, as mentioned earlier, tried to memorize our whole order and messed it up slightly. But a mistake is a mistake none the less. I felt that they should have checked up on us more and I don't like having to wait and then call down another waiter to get our check because it was taking so long. Service: 3.5/5 overall The venue was really nice, but they should consider adding fans outside. This will help to eliminate some of the heat and humidity as well as the entourage of flies that crawl all over you and try to land on your food. The lake was beautiful and the slight breeze made it more bearable. I just really disliked the feeling of flies crawling all over me. Venue: 4/5 overall. I would consider returning. read more

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We sat on the deck for a beverage which was wonderful. The menu is kinda small so we passed on eating there this time but would definitely go back. read more

Lovely view, delish food and fun atmosphere. Beach volleyball on the lake makes it a AAA+ spot!

This place was packed! It's definitely the place to be on a hot summer day. Had to eat inside due to the long wait for tables outside but that's to be understood. Got the prime rib sandwich with fries and pastrami sandwich with rings. The prime rib sandwich wasn't as full as I thought it would be. But the flavor was good but too salty for me. Could have used more mushrooms too. The fries weren't my cup of tea they almost seemed beer battered. But some people like that. They're crunchy fries not soft fries. The pastrami sandwich was pretty good and the meat was nice and reddish. Onion rings were good quality too. Not beer battered like some places. Didn't like the up charge for fries or rings but it is what it is. Ended up being nearly $40 for just two people. Pretty spendy for lunch. Service was great and the waitress was friendly. Recommend stopping here if you're in the area. read more