Great Food and Great local Coffee. Gene Hicks serves the best coffee around and you can find his at Grand Ely Lodge.

Great view, decent food: ideal place to stop for dinner if you want your walleye or your steak and potatoes. Nothing fancy or creative, but solid comfort food at reasonable prices. And the view of the lake is great! read more

Stayed here two nights during a getaway to Ely-and it was really quite nice (and reasonable.) Located about five blocks from downtown Ely. Our room opened out onto a patio with a table and chairs and had a few picnic tables and anorondak chairs to lounge on while watching the canoers on the lake below. Beautiful pool with a kiddie pool and hot tub. The hotel was right next to a gorgeous bike trail by the lake and my husband took our little one on lots of trips in the jogging stroller and was able to see some wildlife and wildflowers. Pontoons and fishing boats were available for a price, but canoes, kayaks, and bikes were free for the first two hours-which I thought was a great deal. The room was nice-decent sized, and we had a mini fridge and microwave which was a nice touch. The staff was helpful, and although we didn't use it, the bar seemed hopping. We ate dinner there one night and it was fine..after a long drive it was nice to secure a reservation and not have to drive or park anywhere. It was kind of hot in the dining room-and I think we should have eaten outside where we could see the lake. Kids eat free, which was a good deal-and the food was decent but not great. It seems like a lot of birthday celebrations happen in this joint-there were three going on when we were there. The wild rice soup was amazing-and the meals came with free bread, which was good as well. We had an appetizer of shrimp skewers wrapped in bacon and served with butter-which was kind of salty-and not worth ten bucks, but I guess we were trying to be fancy. After the soup, bread, and shrimp, I was already full-so most of my burger was wrapped to go. My husband got the walleye and au gratin potatoes (there were three options of how the walleye could be served) He ordered the pan-fried and it was buttery and lovely, and I am not even a "fish person". He is, and he enjoyed the meal. Just like any meal out-as soon as we got our food one of us had to take the toddler on a walk. Just another reminder that family vacation is a thousand miles away from a romantic getaway! This was a great place to have a mini-vacay-and was very family friendly. ALSO-..they had Ms. Pacman upstairs in the game room-a sign of a true winner of a place! Don't mess with my high score! read more

Ate with my Dad, had a house salad with the homemade blue cheese dressing, worth a trip there just to have a salad with that. Very good service and a panoramic view over Shagwa Lake. Ask to be seated by the window. read more

We love to frequent the GEL when in Ely. The Chicken Wild Rice soup is the best. They also have great entrees and a good variety on the menu. And the view is wonderful! The free WIFI is a plus. read more

For what its worth, this is my very first time I felt compelled to leave a review. My wife and I came up to Ely for the weekend and were recommended by the Inn that we were stay at to try out the food here. We have never been so happy to take someone's recommendation. Everything we had here was delicious! My wife enjoyed her wild rice soup and I enjoyed the caesar salad I ordered. We haven't been to too many restaurants that do bread at the table well, but these guys excelled! The bread had a great warmth to it, and the butter was actually soft enough to spread on right away! Again, delicious! Then our main entre's came - she ordered the sirloin and I ordered a 10oz prime rib. When my prime rib came out, I thought the waitress made a mistake and brought out a 16oz prime rib - nope, I got what I ordered. Holy cow, these portions were generous! We filled up so much on our meal that we didn't get a chance to try desert - but I can only assume it was equally as good. read more

Place was great - had a hot tub room which was perfect after a week in the woods! Bed was comfy, room was clean and nice. Didnt eat dinner there but had beer and nachos in the bar which was good. Breakfast in the morning was good too. Great lake view from our room. Definitly plan on going back next time we are in Ely. read more

I am reviewing the restaurant section of the lodge. Our meal was absolutely wonderful, we had dinner soon after lunch so not really hungry but me and my family found our selves asking for seconds after having their delicious wild rice soup. read more

We always try to stop by and have lunch at least once while we are visiting Ely. By far the nicest hotel in Ely and the food and bar are great! I have tried several things on the menu and always enjoyed it. The restaurant/bar has a larger deck overlooking Shagawa Lake. The last time we were there was on a Sunday and the Vikings game was on (we stayed late just to watch it). Highly recommended! read more

Not sure why the restaurant / bar isn't making the yelp search. This place is a must for the creamy chicken and wild rice soup and there spicy Bloody Mary's . read more

I spent the night in the lodge on a recent trip. The room was very nice. The bed was comfortable and they had a fridge in the room. The coffee they serve was weak but a minor setback. The tv quality was good with a big selection. They have a nice pool area and pool with a hot tub and sauna. They are all easily accessible and very clean as was the lodge as a whole. It overlooks a beautiful lake. I recommend this place and will return read more

Great Hotel with a great view. Staff very friendly and helpful. Good food- comfortable rooms- nice pool area

Fast, friendly service. I had hazelnut-crusted walleye with wild rice soup and my companion had ribs. The soup was just what I expected here -- very rich and creamy. Please don't ever tell me how many calories it contained. Very similar to what you'd get on Tavern on Grand or the lodge at Itasca or a similar venue. The walleye was a very large filet, perfectly done. Next time I might try a preparation that let the fish come through a bit more than the hazelnut did. The ribs were very nicely seasoned, sweet and tangy and they fell from the bone. A modest wine list with about ten or twelve choices by the glass. In short, nothing extraordinary or surprising here in terms of menu or preparation but everything they did was done well and matched expectations for a quality north woods dinner. I'd definitely go back. read more

This review is for the the antler lodge, the atmosphere is nice, I mean the decor, that's about it. I'm a local and I've been here a handful of times, everytime, they leave a bad taste in my mouth...first I see the bar manager literally verbally fight with a guy that was fixing his soda gun because he looked at him funny, right in front of customers..couldn't believe it. Then we're here watching the mn wild game and all they have is the Broncos and sf game on. They have the wild game on abd literally everyone is squinting at the far secondary screens to watch it, when we asked to change the main screen to watch the game everyone is here to watch they completely denied everyone...poor decision. If your here to watch a game at night or want a nice lunch without witnessing employee abuse, this is not the place read more

Nothing special. Pre packaged, frozen entrees that really weren't even heated up well. A very expensive lesson in where NOT to eat again.

Great for young families. Reasonably priced. The building and décor are a little worn out, but the place is spotlessly clean and the service is really great. Overlooks the lake, nice beach, free canoe and kayak rentals, near town, pool, picnic tables, playground, and nightly campfire. Plus the bar and restaurant have some of the better food in town for about 1/3 less the price. Really pleased--we'll be back! read more

Beautiful hotel with great waterfront views. We always choose this hotel before heading into the Boundary Waters. Great food with a nice little bar. Also, it's one of the few places in Ely that does not serve Gene Hicks coffee, a horrible blend of coffee with a taste of pine needles and Birch bark.. read more

Have never stayed in their hotel, but their breakfast is amazing and they have great servers. Tried their blueberry pancakes and they are delicious. Great food, just how you order it and great service. Their lunch is also very yummy. read more

Great view, friendly staff. Incredibly thin walls and ceiling. You can hear what others are watching on television or even when their phones are vibrating on their night stands. read more

Antlers Lounge in the Grand Ely Lodge serves awesome chicken wings. Big, meaty, and tossed with your choice of about 10 different sauces. (Buffalo and General Tso's are my favorites) Great service, friendly staff! Bob, Scotty, Terre - everyone is so nice! You'll find a mix of locals and hotel guests here and it's always a nice environment. Appetizers are half price on Monday evenings from the end of October to the beginning of May, and Wings are always 50 cents on Thursday evenings. read more

I love this place. Inviting dining room with fantastic view. Combine these with great food and wait staff and you have a winner!

Stay away from suite 120. It's located right under the bar. Sounded like elephants above our heads most of the night. How on earth can they put the highest paying customers in the loudest part of the hotel??? read more

THis was the best place we stayed on our northern MN trip. Awesome view, great room, wonderful food, and great service. Talking with others around the spa there was universal agreement. I'd give you 6 stars because I have stayed in 5 stars before that were not this good. read more