I would highly recommend Passport for many reasons!…read more The staff have been incredibly hospitable, and friendly. The food is so delicious, I love how the menu changes monthly. I will always have a reason to come back and try something new. I use to be married to a Nigerian man and really have been craving the food! The Suya is spot on! And I love how the Suya and Jollof rice actually had the heat! Nigerian food can be very spicy and Passport made it happen. The meat pie has a lot of good flavor and less heat (spice). The meat pie dough is different but very delicious. It reminded me more of a buttery croissant! Janel and Tatianna were my servers! They really made me feel like I was VIP! Janel even was willing to have small talk with me and gave me a warm hug goodbye. I also had the please to meet the owner and have a chat with him! He was so fun to talk with and learn about his upcoming visions. Keep rocking it crew! I'm hooked!

Probably the best menu and food in Brainerd (great vegan and vegetarian options), but unfortunately…read morethey've reduced their hours and aren't open for dinner on Saturday of all days :(

The menu has just about everything. We had a hard time deciding. But we all loved the truffle…read morefries, onion rings, salads and scallops. Plus the waitress was very nice, efficient and funny. We will be back when we are upnorth again.

Kayla was our server lastnight. She was excellent as were the cocktails, the James Bond, truffle…read morefries and that honey mustard chicken sandwich- damn good. Thanks Local 218, your service and charm were great.We will be back! 10:10

What a gem hidden in Brainerd. First of all how clean is this place?!?! The service was fast and…read morekind and our food was delicious. We will be back to play some pool very soon. Just saying don't miss this one - the good ones often get over looked because of chain restaurants. Don't let that happen.... Give them a try!!

Awesome burgers for $9…read more Stopped by after we set up camp here in Brainerd. Perfect classic rock and roll bar (right next to the Elks Club). Waitress said the beef burgers were fresh, never frozen. Can build your own (I created a bacon pepper jack cheese burger). Wife had the jalapeños burger and son had a plain cheese burger. They were phenomenal! And the onion rings were spectacular. I suspect they are freshly made as well. I we have not had ones breaded as these. They also had an impressive list of tap beers. Mostly larger domestic, but also a few local craft. Highly suggest you dump the large chains and stop here when in the area!

We stopped in on our first snow storm of the season! Their electricity just came back on so coffee…read morewas fresh & yummy with a cup of individual creamers to pick from. After-all I only need a small amount of coffee They were attentive to everyone even tho their WiFi was off! Oh my. Food was perfect, we both had eggs toast, plus hash browns & bacon for an extra charge. Then the electricity went out again! Fortunately we had cash

Comfortable darkTavern atmosphere with good service and a great burger…read more They have other things on the menu, which all are pretty good. Seems like a made from scratch kitchen.

I was in Brainerd for a Farm to Kids Roadshow - with my Renewing the Countryside hat on connecting…read morefarmers to schools for local food sourcing. So I thought I'd check in on one of my favorite chefs Matt Annand (featured in the MN Homegrown cookbook) and sadly Prairie Bay is closed. But he's now running the show at Notch*8. He's still bringing the good stuff - elevated but recognizable supper-club style wedge salad, tender brisket on focaccia with an onion soup jus that was so satisfying. (Literally- I could make a post about the jus) The show stopper? This off menu (but I'm told it could become a regular) desert has no name as of yet - but I'll give you my take... Zabaione takes a trip to the lakes region and cosplays as a roasted marshmallow - falls in love with the local berries and settles down in a house with a view. Make sense? The zabaione had a perfect balance/consistency- but the brûlée at the end was brilliant. I was here "out of season" for local fruit but I know Matt is committed to local sourcing - so an excellent dish will only get better with "in season" fruit. (I'd love to have seen a kernza flour + hazelnut cookie on top - but that may be gilding the lily) great job crew!

We stopped at Notch 8 to check it out. We sat at the bar and Ryan waited on us. We ordered the…read moreDumplings, which were fabulous. Also we ordered the Ahi Tuna Asian Bowl, another delicious meal. I do have to say that Ryan made our experience perfect, he was very helpful with the specials and service! He is a gem!

Driving home and got hungry. Stopped here, not knowing anything about it. What a great hidden…read moregem!! Ordered Steak bites and pickles for an app. The pickles could feed a small army. Both delish. Entrees were Tater tot hot dish 5 stars, Turkey sandwhich=5 stars, Lobster bisque and chicken wild rice soup. OMG the bisque was 10 stars and lastly the lobster mac and cheese. 20 stars if it's any at all. Staff was great, atmosphere was very typical and not what expected with such great menu choices. We already plan on a road trip to come for the Monday crab leg special.

Always great service! Hamburger patties are humongous! The meatloaf and the tator tot hotdish are…read moremy all time favorites! The cornbread and honey butter are also amazing! Definitely recommend!

This is our go to restaurant in the Baxter / Brainerd area no matter the season. The staff is…read moresuper friendly creating an inviting atmosphere to enjoy with friends, relax after golf or being on the lake, celebrating a milestone, or just a great dinner with a great selection of options. The "winter season" brings different daily specials and the soup of the day is always something worth trying as well. So glad that to have this venue nearby.

Best food and service in the Brainerd Lakes area. All of the restaurants at Maddens are the best…read more Outside guests are treated as resort guests. All restaurants are open to the public. Best kept secret.

Walleye was great, a side of lobster bisque went a long way and tasted perfect. No cocktails were…read moretried. Service was very attentive and quick, and they made very generous substitutions for salad protein options that weren't listed. The location is quite the highlight as well.

We thought we would have a small shrimp appetizer. We were wrong. The portion was huge and the…read moreflavor was fabulous! We got the East coast style. Which I highly recommend. The waitress was excellent and knowledgeable. The view was perfect and the small band they had playing was perfect. We are so glad we found this place and we will be back. In fact I'm hoping to find an Airbnb close to there. It's that good.