Honestly this place deserves more love, we were a little concerned about the rating before we came…read morein, but between the awesome staff, tasty food and excellent people watching and the live music that they had, it was a great weekend. Definitely do try their breakfast as well on the weekends. Drinks were stiff and reasonably priced also. When it's busy they can get slammed hence the long wait times on food that others have stated but it was worth the wait. Don't sleep on this place, do check it out!

Great food, the pork sandwich was enormous and so good. The spaghetti and meatballs were delicious…read more Fast friendly service. The only disappointment was that by 6pm they were already sold out of the Italian special which was the reason we chose the going to the Frisky Otter. One would think that they would have more as 6pm is not a late dinner.

This place was located near our rental. The breakfast was amazing. They have something for…read moreeveryone! The price is high, but understandable, it matches other restaurants in town. The service was great. They were helpful and friendly. The restaurant was clean and the decor was cute! Sad this place is closing!

Food was delicious, served in a timely manner even though it was extremely busy. A bit noisy. But…read morethat's expected. Great place but get there early.

During the huge fires, a lot was closed. This place was still open! However- we planned to grab…read moredinner at the restaurant but that was closed. The bar staff was friendly and hustling. They offered bad menu plus the soup of the day. We waited about ten min for a table. They cleaned it off and allowed us to sit. We started with cocktails. I saw the rum punch on the special board and went for it. It was delicious. We enjoyed the views and the free popcorn while we sipped and chatted. When we were ready for our second round of drinks, we put our dinner order in. I went with the steak and mushroom quesadilla. The rest of the gang had a cup of the soup, the walleye sandwich, the French dip and the chicken sandwich. Everything was good. We wished for a little more meat on the French dip though. My second cocktail was off their cocktail menu - the GEL summer hummer but I asked for a shot of rum on top :) We enjoyed our meal. Never felt rushed. The bar staff was in and around the dining area often. These guys did a nice job in a crazy time of fires and closures.

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.

Stopped at Insula for lunch and a refreshing beverage. Eli, our waiter was very helpful with…read moreexplanations of drinks and lunch options. My cousin enjoyed a Cosmo and I tried the gin with cranberry juice. Both so refreshing on a sunny late summer day! We decided to try the cauliflower wings as an appetizer. The breading was very light and the cauliflower still slightly crunchy and were dipped in the Korean bbq sauce and served with a yummy blue cheese dressing. So glad we tried them! Food order included the bison burger with sweet potato fries and a steak southwest bowl with a spicy ranch dressing. The steak was cooked to perfection and the bowl was delicious! We've never been disappointed here. We will be back!

We visited late afternoon on 9-15-26. We had some very good and unusual dishes. Service was fine,…read moreand delivery of the food was quick. If I have one complaint, I ordered a Caesar Salad. As I know it, one of the primary ingredients of a Caesar Salad is anchovies; yet I had to pay $3.00 extra to get 4 or 5 uncut strips. Not a deal breaker, but at the price of the salad, I don't think it was a necessary charge. In spite of that, if I find myself in Ely again, I will dine there again.

We had dinner here after a great day of golf. I chose the New York Strip which comes with a choice…read moreof several sides. I chose garlic mashed potatoes. It also came with seasonal veggies which were asparagus. The steak was cooked to order and very good. Potatoes and veggies were good. Only ask would be to include a few more veggie. The three spears weren't enough veggies for me for a meal that was nearly $40. We also got bread at our table which were pretzel buns served warm. Very good. Husband liked his meal of halibut and cup of chicken wild rice soup. Service was excellent. There were ample wine choices by the glass. Would love it if the atmosphere had a little more ambiance, dim lights, tablecloths, ...

Food was really good quality atmosphere was great!! Staff was excellent!! Top choice for the area:)read more

My husband and I played this course and loved it. We were paired with two locals who were wonderful…read moreto play with and knowledgeable about each hole. The course had received much rain over a week and we were on a car-path-only cart scenario which definitely slowed down our round times. The course was beautiful. As a golfer who tees off from the forward tees, it was quite a long course. With the extra water on the course and getting no roll, it was even longer. Despite the challenges, the holes were beautiful and fun to play. Every staff person we met made us feel welcome and were helpful as we were first time players. Carts had screens to indicate yardage. They also had messaging such that if you left a club on a hole, you could text a ranger and they would retrieve it for you. Really great experience.

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I do have one complaint though-…read morethe lady in the shop asked me what brand of clubs I want to rent and I selected from her options. Then she came out and said they didn't have what I wanted so I got whatever they had. And to top that off, she set me up with a left handed set and I didn't realize it until we were already out on the driving range. So of course I had to go all the way back. Waste of my warmup time. Otherwise- the course was well marked and well maintained and freakin fun!!! I was annoyed at the back 9 that some guy and his kids jumped in front of us while we were getting refreshments. However- I found out that they were in front of the group in front of us, and they let that group play through. The bar had a boozy iced coffee that we shared. It was good! The pro shop was keen to let us know that we could contact them at any time through the screen chat on our golf cart. Yeah, I tried that, and it didn't work. Stupid function. One of their bathrooms is more like septic? But that warned me in advance so I just waited til the end of the front 9 to use the one in the clubhouse. For whatever reason, the clubhouse was only serving food off the grill. The main restaurant was closed?!?! We were sad about that because my in laws were supposed to meet us after our round, for lunch there. So we called them and cancelled that plan. Other than a great day at golf, I will compliment them on a couple things- there is an attendant in the parking lot that brought a golf cart right to us, which was awesome. But we didn't need it. We didn't have our own clubs, we were renting. But still, that was very nice. Also, the shop was well stocked! I found two shirts that fit my husband and we bought both, along with a hat for him. He was so pleased. Usually the shirt sizes are way too big and loose on him. They had a fitting room there that he used and I brought him at least 10 shirts to try. The course was littered with deer and lovely flowers. It was so pretty. The carts have a nice gps function and on some holes, show you where carts ahead of you are, if there is a blind spot. The greens fees and cart fee and rentals are expensive. But it was definitely worth the experience. I just wished for better rentals, more time in the practice area and a fully functioning restaurant. But we may be back next year.

I love to stop in for my morning coffee and breakfast! The ability to get fresh coffee and homeade…read morebreakfast at 6 am if needed is fantastic for those of us who work shift work. The girls that run the place are also fantastic. They get to know there customers and truly care about them. I have never once experienced anything less then fast efficient service. The shop is always cozy and clean. If you are looking to experience a coffee shop that the locals get together and visit and give each other a hard time from time to time this is the spot you want to visit. Make sure to try the breakfast burrito, pasta salads and homeade desserts.

The raspberry/blueberry (homemade) pie was amazing. The blueberry latte was out of this world…read more One of the best Lattes I have ever tasted. Not overly sweet, just right amount sweetness and blueberry flavor to not drown out the coffee. It was perfect.

Comfortable place with homemade pizza. Service was tops. The pizza here had generous toppings and…read moregood sauce (also homemade). Crust was thin and crispy. The one in the picture was a 10" Reuben. Lots of corned beef,sauerkraut and swiss cheese.

When you are in Babbitt, MN your choices are limited. That being said, you could end up somewhere…read morefar worse than the Hide Away. We found ourselves in Babbitt because we were doing a boundary waters trip the next day. We wanted to go out and have some fun before we hit the water. We discovered that the Hide Away was right near our little cabin/bunkhouse. Our outfitter said it was a lively place, and he was right. You walk in and it has a sense of being the Cheers of the town, but also a place that adventurers come to relax at. The best way to describe it is a sense of community, but you have to earn your place there. You earn your place by being there to push yourself in the boundary waters. The people are friendly and so much fun to watch. At one point a guy came around offering everyone some fried fish he just caught. I don't turn down free food ever, so it was a nice treat. Again that sense of all are welcome, but with a purpose. The other reason we sought this place out was the bartender, Jenny. We read a review talking about Jenny and just had to meet her. She is a true dive bartender. She whipped up shots, drinks, and beers in mere seconds. Despite being the only bartender she worked the entire room. I don't think anyone waited for a drink. She is also quite a character to talk to. We did order some food from the bar. It was about as good as you would expect bar food to be here. Edible, decent flavors, and lots of it. Fun way to kick off a memorable trip. 55/100