I was in Brainerd for a Farm to Kids Roadshow - with my Renewing the Countryside hat on connecting farmers 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! read more

Notch 8 - Zabaione - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

We stopped at Notch 8 to check it out. We sat at the bar and Ryan waited on us. We ordered the Dumplings, 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! read more

Notch 8 - Asian Tuna Bowl - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Quick update. The Mushroom Flatbread Sammy is amazing as is the Lobster Bisque (deep lobster flavor, way less of the cream flavor in most places). The special tonight was Thyme crusted Cod on mushroom risotto with a really good Cambazolla sauce. Yum. read more

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It would have been nice if this restaurant had updated their hour here on Yelp. Just arrived to find that they are closed on Sunday.

Everything was absolutely lovely! We had no idea what to expect and were blown away. Angie was a great server and easily coerced the chef to add bacon to my wedge salad...get it with them seared tuna. I literally ate all the ahi straight from the plate. Tasty! read more

Notch 8 - Wedge salad with ahi and bacon - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

Selection is very limited. To many dishes are on the spicier variety. Trying to be cute with their menu. I had a plain burger with lettuce and tomato. Cooked like a hockey puck with no flavor. I didn't even finish half the sandwich and when the waitress asked if I wanted a take home container and I said no the burger was overcooked she responded with ok no box then. My wife had the patty melt and she said there was more bread than meat. Very disappointing to see haw much the prices have gone up so high and the food quality has gone down so low.. Won't be back. read more

Food great if the owner needs to stay far away from the restaurant ! Very rud to customers

0/10 would not go back. My mom and I went here and sat on the patio on a Wednesday night. Inside had maybe 2 tables. Outside had 4 including us. (There was at least 6 staff members total) We immediately ordered a tap beer and a vodka soda and it took 40 minutes for our drinks. Absolutely ridiculous. Then our server asked if we wanted to put in our food order before we even got our drinks. I would like the preface that the server was nice- but not once did a manager come out or anything to explain the long wait. We were simply told "sorry the bartender got backed up" backed up with what? There's like nobody inside. Then we ordered food and it just looked like shit. Presentation was ugly. It was a turkey melt and barely was warm. I would not recommend this place at all. read more

Notch 8 - Turkey melt w fries - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

Notch 8 should be called Top Notch! My boyfriend and I had a top-notch experience. Kristi helped with taking our food order and pull tabs. At Notch 8 you grab a menu when you enter and order your food at the counter/bar. I was told about the taco pizza by a previous customer who visited Notch 8 and during my visit, it was no longer on the menu, so I asked about it and apparently, it had been removed from the menu. Thankfully Kristi asked the cooks if they would still be able to cook me the taco pizza and they were able to do that for me. We arrived at Notch 8 during a Vikings game and come to find out they have half-priced pizza during the Vikings game. WHAT A DEAL! I tried 3 types of pizza during the visit: Taco Pizza, Nick Friggen' ZA 2.0, and Sweet & Spicy. Of those three my favorite was sweet and spicy. I enjoy the table tops as they were all different and creatively designed. One table was dedicated to Anthony Bourdain, wheres waldo table, the magic gathering table, and many more. read more

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We had an opportunity to visit this place last evening. Very nice place with a pleasant atmosphere. Great railroad theme and is located near and active railroad so you might see a train! This is an order at the counter style place, so you walk in, grab a menu and place your order at the counter. A waiter then brings it to your table. It was a rather slow evening, so it was an easy order and the wait time was under 10 minutes for our meal. The drinks are also self-serve at a fountain style area that also includes your take home boxes for leftovers. The meal was very good, and I order the hamburger that included the brisket which came in the form of slices. It was also served with beer cheese sauce which I ordered on the side because sometimes places go crazy and douse the burger. The beer cheese sauce was good as I applied it lightly to the burger. Curly fries were very good, and they were plentiful, in fact, I left some on my plate. As for the value of the meal? Nowhere near the $20 price tag for a burger! I would come back to try to pizza and chicken wings. That seemed to be a better value and it looked tasty! Overall, a 4 star because of the value, service and food quality were both very good. read more

Notch 8 - The One with the BBQ w/beer cheese sauce on the side. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Went from a great pizza place to what it is now. Something you'd see in downtown Minneapolis which is fine when you're in downtown Minneapolis. Service was great and friendly. Cool place read more

We've eaten there a few times. Menu is a bit limited this time of year, but pretty well-conceived, reflective of Matt Annand's culinary skill. They do fall down a bit in the execution, however. Service is a bit slow, especially from the bar. Wait staff is OK, although I've been called "hon" on more than one occasion. The food preparation is a bit uneven, depending on the evening. I've had the seafood manicotti twice...first time was excellent, second time a bit cool and gelatinous, shrimp a little tough. We ate there the other night, sauce and sides for the short ribs was good (spicy) and well done but the meat was kind of dry and stringy. Deserts are OK. Had the cream puffs the other night and they were a little soggy. I have great respect for Matt Annand, but at Notch 8 I think his vision for the entree part of the menu might be a little beyond the reach of their cooks when it comes to the details. We haven't eaten off the hamburger part of the menu. Interested to try it though. read more

We've been long-time fans of Notch8, enjoying both the food and the exceptional service. Unfortunately, after our visit tonight, we won't be returning. We were seated on the patio, which, though charming and a lovely outdoor spot, lacks much shade (so, a heads up to bring sunglasses). Things took a turn when a young family with two small children came in and, before ordering, went next door to Goody's Ice Cream Shop to grab ice cream. The owner approached them in a very blunt manner, informing them that outside food and drinks weren't permitted. While we understand policies, the interaction felt unnecessarily harsh and unprofessional. The family was simply enjoying a treat before their meal, and to have them made to feel uncomfortable in front of the whole patio, with no room for understanding or compassion, was disappointing. The mother ended up taking her children outside the patio to finish their ice cream before being allowed to return to the PATIO. It's hard to support a business that doesn't show kindness and respect for families, especially ones that are part of the community. This experience really soured our opinion, and sadly, we'll be looking elsewhere for dining in the future. read more

Awesome service, food and brew. Love the setting. Very historic. We love the beignets. Delicious. read more

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Beautiful atmosphere. Great tasting food and accommodations can be made for dietary needs. Full bar with a large available selection of beers, wines, hard liquors, and non-alcoholic beverages. Specials on the menu and updates regularly, so the menu changes and is kept fresh. Good service even when it's busier times. read more

The food is good. The owner is a jerk. I confronted him about how he treats his employees and he got angry. He then assaulted me by grabbing my arm and asked me to leave. I left. read more

Good food and atmosphere! Very unique and delicious pizzas, and they make some delicious and drinks! read more

Notch 8 - Hotshot cheesy bread - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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Yes, Yes, & Yes! Thank you Notch 8 for such a stylish place to hang out! You will fall in love with their pizzas, wings and beautiful charcuterie works of art...all sealed with a kiss from the trains that come thundering thisclose to the building, so thrilling!!! read more

Went to try Notch 8 under new management. Great idea. Very cool menu choices. Had delicious lobster bisque. One of the best I've ever had. Actually tasted like lobster. We will be back. Highly recommend it. read more

Great Friday fish fry. Steak Fries and coleslaw ! Served with 5 sauces including Malt Vinegar. Saw a few of the entrees come out, we will be back! The prtzel looked amazing. Nice selection of craft beer. Staff was very friendly. The place is a big open area and the sound is not muffled. They had a guy playing decent music on a acoustic guitar. Reminded me of Steve Earle. This is a gotta try place. No regrets read more

Had a great meal and enjoyed the atmosphere. Our server was friendly and attentive. She answered all our silly questions, including how the restaurant was named. Definitely will be back. read more

The service was quick, was not as busy as it should be for how great the food was, i had 3 people with me and we could not help ourselves from rotating plates. I had the asian rice bowl and it was a great plenty. The pork dumplings were also a starter that is a need to try. Loved the atmosphere. You could see staff working well as a team as well it was great to see. read more

Located in an old Railway Building, this place has a cool vibe both indoors and out. Had the Mushroom and House Made Sausage pizza along with a Caesar Salad with Pork Belly Burnt ends. Both were fantastic, and the Burnt Ends are really something special. Excellent tap list, and the flight offers 4 Ten Ounce Beers! If you served our country, they offer 25% off for active duty and vets as well. Absolutely a must-eat in Brainerd. read more

Excellent service with high quality food, next time we are in Brainerd we will be back for sure

I had the bacon bbq burger it was excellent. Pay the $2 for the sweet potato waffle fries. The food and service ( order at the counter) was good. read more

This was one of our go to places... LOVED the pizza and LOVED the service... and I constantly advertized just that. It has also been part of our places to visit for out of town friends... this is NO more! Most of the awesome menu items were removed and service was SOOO slow. The two girls were more interested in chatting with each other than helping customers. After waiting in line forever.. we sat down and watched our food sitting and waiting .. they walked by it a few times without even acknowledging it... Very disappointing as it sure was a great location to visit. read more

We stopped here for lunch and to visit with friends, because we were visiting from out of town. They recommended the pizza and pretzel, which did look delicious. Unfortunately those are not on our diet, so we ordered the wings and fresh veggie plate. The veggie plate was fine. The wings were disappointing. The menu said 1lb of wings with 2 sauces for $15. We got 5 pieces. That seems like a paltry amount of chicken for what we paid, even given today's prices ($3 per piece?). They were small too. It doesn't help that the night before we ate at a place that had a flat price of $1.25 per wing, and they were enormous. At their prices, we don't need to go back. Or if we do, maybe a burger or pizza would make us happier. read more

Food is pretty good! Really neat atmosphere and they have a great beer on tap selection

This is such a cool place! Despite the limited menu due to the Brainerd water restriction, we really enjoyed our sausage and pepperoni heavy pizza tremendously! The garlic head was an interesting twist we Chicagoans had never seen before. Disappointed no regular IPA but lots of other options. Loved, loved, loved the atmosphere and history. read more

The food is very tasty but unfortunately the price is too high for a burger joint. The 20$ pizza was the size of a small pizza anywhere else. It was good but not 20$ good. I think they would be busier if their prices were in-line with the area. read more

Went in for lunch and everything was fantastic. The burgers and cheese curds are VERY good. Mom and sister had a pizza which they raved about. Great, friendly staff and good beer selection. Very highly recommended. read more

Delicious food. Good atmosphere. Staff friendly and helpful. Decent size portions. Inside and outside seating.

Had pizzas- very good! I recommend the cheese curd pizza! I also loved the garlic knots

Awesome food and beer selection in a beautiful historic building! The pizza's are unique. Local beers on tap. Outdoor seating in the summer time. read more

The food was amazing! We ordered the Philly burger and a flight of wings! The oregano aioli for the burger was wonderful! The wings were super crispy. Best food we've eaten this vacation! read more

Be sure to try the Flight of Wings- best wings I've ever had. Crisp, tender and juicy. Awesome! read more

Notch 8 - The bar - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Brainerd, Minnesota

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It looks like an average bar from the outside but once you walk through the door the amount of room and tables surprises you. I ordered a personal size pepperoni pizza and it was amazing! It was the perfect size and filled me up just right! The spread of ingredients was amazing and they cooked it just right! Aside from a little longer of a wait than expected for the food to come, the food was amazing and I would definitely come back another day! read more

We were told that they have some of the best burgers in town and I would 100% agree. The staff is very fun and outgoing, strongly recommend this place. We will certainly be back again. read more

great atmosphere, courteous service, amazing food and beverages