Lake Ave Restaurant is one of my go to places in Duluth. I have been dining there for more than a decade and I'm not sure why I haven't posted before. They have a creative drink menu, friendly staff, and their ever changing menu always has something delightful to eat, even for the vegetarians and pescatarians in the crowd. read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

Such a beautiful place with innovative food and a rotating menu. Excellent service. We loved everything about it!! read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Great food! I would recommend people to check this place out for a dinner or just for a quick late lunch

We stopped for lunch here the other day. I ordered the pork chop and my husband had the pork masala, with a bottle of red wine. Both were good dishes. The pork chop had more fat on it than I'd have liked, but tasted good...the dish has an interesting combination of ingredients and is spicy. Service was good. We parked on the street as we weren't aware we could use the lot. We would try this restaurant again sometime. read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Pork chop dinner - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

This should be a 3.5, but here we are... We visited in high-tourist time. This likely influences our experience, but we found the service to be the best part. Overall, it was timely and courteous. The food was fine-- my red snapper was a nice variety of flavors but there are few times I would ADD salt! The tomatoes added some zing, but it shouldn't save the whole plate!! The caesar salad was okay-good, and the zucchini hummus had mixed reviews at our table. The table was sticky and silverware was dirty, so we felt it was subpar experience. Drink menu was a nice variety, but not extraordinary. Almost too much We'd probably go elsewhere next time in Duluth. Meh on our end, but maybe you will have better luck? read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Red snapper - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

This restaurant is a real jewel of Duluth. It is farm to table with incredible sourcing for everything. Their bacon is to die for! We love their classic breakfast and my kid loved the French toast sticks. For dinner you can't go wrong! So many delicious items. The Mac and cheese is out of this world. But so is that other more artistic food. It has a friendly and attentive staff and great local owners. It has a patio and a beautiful room right next to Lake Superior walk and the famous Ariel Bridge. No wait and I promise you will have a relaxing meal. Plus the bar really knows what they are doing. It is a must visit restaurant! read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Kids French toast, Breakfast sampler - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

The love that the staff has for great food comes through. They make everything themselves, in house. All ingredients are locally sourced, if at all possible. read more

As a local, I've dined here several times with mixed experiences. The food can be amazing and it can also disappoint. My latest dinner here might be my last... the reason? Fine dining prices with terrible service. I worked as a fine dining server for many years so I expect at least some resemblance to that when I am the customer. Our server did not have basic knowledge of wine service, pacing appetizers and main courses, and menu knowledge, but the clincher was when she started clearing and boxing up food at our table while I was still eating. It is so incredibly rude, so oblivious to etiquette and makes the diners feel that they are on her timeline rather than enjoying their rather expensive meal. Servers need to get a clue. Managers need to train their staff. Don't charge high end prices with servers who treat you like you're at Perkins. read more

Just had lunch here and it was fantastic! Had the warm walnuts and olives, short rib pasta and winter grains salad. Wow good. Excellent food and service and priced reasonably especially for what you get. Highly recommend. read more

Wow, what a hidden gem! Everything was so delicious - you could tell it was made from scratch. Highly recommend the calamari, steak and the cheesecake! read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Salt & Pepper Calamari (it's got a kick!) - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

So we have eaten across the country and seek local tables for area flare. Unfortunately we could have had this quality at a brew pub but guessing better. Duck Tamal: over cooked to the point it required a knife! Yes we are talking about duck breast & masa with a relish garnish. $33 Burger: simple, basic and rarely cooked. $21 Ambience was charming and pleasant. Service was mediocre but fair. Save your money for other local restaurants. read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Burger and fries & across the table is the duck tamal "a deconstructed duck tamale" - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

Came on a Wednesday night and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was "wine Wednesday" so all bottles and glasses of wine were half price! Friendly service, and good food. Gluten free and vegetarian items marked clearly on the menu. Easy parking for the entire complex the restaurant is in right next to the building, but would imagine this might be different on a Friday or Saturday night. Would absolutely go back if in the area again! read more

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I wish I could give this place more than five stars! The food was some of the best I have had in a long time. We started our meal with the elk fritters and as a main got the salmon dish. All of the flavors blended together so well and the dishes were very well executed. We almost ate here the second night again just because the offerings were very creative and it was close to our hotel. I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again. read more

I was very impressed with the breakfast burrito! It was upscale, and the brisket and potatoes inside were amazing. I wish it was a little more evenly distributed because the flavors altogether were lights out delicious! The lamb Shepard pie was great... although a little too rich to finish the entire dish. However, I love that the sweet potato was served savory. The cocktails were great and unique! read more

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Horrible. There's a reason there's no line. Terrible service, an awfully rude waitress, sub par food. For the one of the most expensive restaurants in Duluth, you'd think they'd put more care. The restaurant itself was drafty, plain, and full of hungry, disappointed people. Highly recommend spending your money anywhere but here. read more

Overall experience was poor and I will not go again. Firstly, service was absolutely terrible. I went with my fiance and son. My son got a kid's meal and my fiance and I both got appetizers and salads. The waitress never refilled our tiny glasses of water, so I left thirsty, and when I ordered food for my son I forgot to order his drink (his meal came with a drink), and she did not offer one, so we had to order one for him later. She never checked back to see if we needed anything. Second, I left hungry. Now, I'm 114 pounds so it's not difficult to feed me adequately, but the appetizer was two slices of bread and my "salad" was in the shape of a ball that could fit in my (very small) hand. I've never in my life left a restaurant hungry, even when my companions have. I will say that the kid's meal, which was actually reasonably priced, was adequate in amount. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than our salads, so we both stole food from our toddler because we were so hungry. Finally, the bill came. Nearly $100 for two appetizers (two slices of bread and three shrimp), two salads, and a kid's meal. The one and only good thing I'll say is that the tiny amount of food that we did eat was excellent. That's the only reason I give this a 2/5 rather than a 1/5. So if you have a huge pocketbook and want to order everything on the menu, or if you're on a starvation diet and want to pretend you're eating, this is a great place for food. Otherwise, there are other places to go that cost less and don't leave you hungry. read more

Always great food and service! I always love Lake Ave for date night, and you can't go wrong with their homemade hot fudge sundae for dessert ! read more

We stopped in a few months ago and really liked the place. Went there tonight to eat and really check it out. The place was locked up. People inside, one looked at me and walked away. It was 4:40pm on a Thursday. My guess is they were setting up for an event. It would be really nice to put a sign out stating you are closed tonight. Incredibly frustrating... read more

Recommended by bartender at Bent Paddle. He was spot on!!! Entire staff was on point. Friendly, courteous and professional each one. Food especially the Duck Tamale was phenomenal! Deconstructed tamale was unlike anything I have ever eaten. The masa had foie Gras blended. The duck breast was perfect. The steak presentation on the menu was also beautiful. The blistered cherry tomatoes were delicious. They also make a wicked Old Fashioned !! Liked it so much we returned three times including Sunday Brunch during the week we were in Duluth! read more

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We booked here while exploring Duluth; menu had something for every member of our diverse family (GF, vegetarian, 2 generations). Some of the items, however, were not as advertised: the "Aperol Spritz" on the menu was actually made with Amaro, not Aperol; we were not advised of this when the order was placed, only when we noted that the drink tasted wrong. Server tried to explain that this was a "draft menu" which simply doesn't make sense! Salmon added to pasta order arrived nearly raw in the middle; another egg dish came with bacon mixed in, even though I had requested the meat on the side. "Salads" were excessively arty - therefore hard to eat. Our server was gracious and helpful throughout, and took the wrongly-prepared items off the bill, for which we were grateful. Our suspicion was that she was not well served by her kitchen (service was very slow) or by the menu which described many items falsely. read more

Food was amazing, the biscuits and gravy were the best I'd ever had. Service was also great!

The food was average. The service was mediocre at best. Waitress was inattentive, and rarely checked on us. First and last time for us.

Great location! They have a parking lot which makes it convenient visiting near Canal Park in Duluth. Hostess and waitress is friendly and courteous. The interior definitely feels lake cabin-like. Food was great! We enjoyed the variety and flavors! Get the nopaloma if you're looking for a great refreshing non-alcoholic drink! read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Short ribs Korean style (apps) - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Food was pretty good, we are gluten free and they were very attentive to meeting our needs. Kitchen took a while but service was good. They made homemade gluten free bread which was delicious. Biggest complaint was the price. It was $100 for lunch. read more

Wonderful service, food, and a nice location! The burger was cooked to perfection, and I loved the soup of the day, a fabulous carrot soup that had a hint of curry - it was amazing, and the raw pumpkin seeds on top added even more dimension. I would travel back to Duluth just for that soup! Haha Prices are a little on the high side, but the quality of the food was worth it. read more

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar - Perfectly cooked burger - New American Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Nice place for a casual family lunch while visiting college kid. Bustling and busy it behooves you to make a reservation which we did! The food was really good. Seems like it would be only a sandwich, burger place, but they also had pad Thai and couscous bowls and other yummy healthy options. read more

disappointing mediocre and tasteless. cold food, poor service, hard seats. this was once a nice restaurant, not anymore

On a business trip and looking for a restaurant with vegan options. While there were only three, the one I ordered was fantastic. I would definitely return even if I just ordered the same dish! Service was impeccable. Host was friendly. All around great experience! read more

Very nice people and servers but every meal was extremely expensive and not many allergy friendly options. Not impressed at all!!!

We really enjoyed our dinner at Lake Ave. we were seated immediately, served promptly. The burger was picture perfect. Fish of the day was Arctic Char served with baby bok choy, wild rice and kimchi. Delish. The restaurant was a bit chilly. Service was professional. Nice ambiance, conducive for conversation. read more

I sat at the bar top adjacent to the kitchen the service was good. For a Friday evening it was kinda quiet and weird....... Wine selections are below average The kitchens is completely open and visible from the bar, the kitchen staff have beards, ponytails and dread locks and wear filthy aprons and skate board type apparel. The food was good ...... I have a few suggestions for this establishment that will certainly increase their sales and repeat business Weekends have some live music.... Perhaps Acoustics ??? The kitchen staff should be wearing white chef's jackets/shirts if they are visible to the patrons. White kitchen apparel is intended to signify cleanliness and is generally worn by highly visible chefs and kitchen staff. GUARANTEED THESE FEW CHANGES WILL INCREASE SALES & TIPS FOR THE EMPLOYEES and generate additional income for the owners. The staff was great and professional read more

An eclectic menu from breakfast to dinner. The food was probably some of the best I had while in Duluth. Service was great. Small restaurant with what feels like a homemade touch. I recommend this 10 times out of 10. Must visit and must eat if in Canal in Duluth! read more

What a lovely place. What an eclectic menu! This is an oasis for foodies and we loved it! There wasn't a bad dish all night: Pheasant Pate; Confit Pheasant Salad; Wild Boar Bolognese; and a Poached Pear in Bourbon desert. Thank goodness we shared some of these dishes. They were all very good. The cocktails were too. The Wild Boar Ragu was superb. Holy mole! The pasta, the sauce - superb and delicious!! Some light misses though. The Pheasant Pate promises foie gras, but nary a taste. The same dish and the salad promised "confit pheasant" but it wasn't a traditional confit - or something seemed amiss - because it was very dried out (akin to overcooked chicken). I was expecting something more succulent personally. Now, it WAS good - just not exactly as expected. We love menus like this but interestingly we saw two different couples leave shortly after sitting down. I suspect They just didn't know what they walked into. Finally the staff was as wonderful. Thank you!! read more

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