Found this place on Yelp as we're driving through town. Great food and great people. Highly recommend stopping by this fabulous little cafe. If anything, stop for a piece of pie. You won't be sorry. read more

This place is a one of a kind greasy spoon that is totally to die for. From the maid rite sandwiches to breakfast and pie. The service is always great and feels like you jumped back 30 years when you walk in the doors! Just a tip if the line is out the door it is worth the wait!! read more

My husband and I saw this little place had great reviews so we decided to stop in for a quick lunch. When you walk in it's just a little dinner nothing to write home about; however the food was great. My husband got a grilled ham and cheese with a thick slice of baked ham not deli ham!! "This is the kind of ham you get at Easter dinner!" The best part was the pie. I am not really a pie person but we got the dutch apple pie...oh my word! It was the best pie I've ever had!!! read more

Whenever we visit a new area, I always ask locals for restaurant suggestions. Long and short, we were told about this hidden gem. We arrived about 8am and this small diner was about half full. It felt like I walked into a Twin Peaks set. Homemade pies were on the center island just in front of 3 local regulars sitting at the counter. Our waitress Sherri was right out of diner central casting and could not have been more hospitable. I ordered sunny side up eggs , home fries and a huge sausage patty. The sausage was down right tasty, and I consider myself a sausage expert. In all my years I can't remember ordering pie for dessert at breakfast. But when it's staring you in the face during breakfast, it's hard to resist. My wife got the coconut cream that was just baked and still warm. I settled on Granny Smith apple and raspberry pie. Both were perfect. My only regret is finding this place the day before we were leaving. If we are ever back in Brainerd, I will 100% stop by The Barn. read more

What an amazing place!!!!! The place couldn't be more small town charming, the food was excellent and the service was superb. Ate lunch there and the burger was outstanding, but the true highlight was the Buttermilk pie. I first discovered this treat in a random cafe in Orange TX years ago and have never seen it since....until now. Delicious! We did everything we could to not eat breakfast and lunch there everyday while in the area. read more

We were passing through Brainerd and happened upon this restaurant. There were people waiting to eat as soon as we opened the door. Instead of waiting for a booth we decided to eat at the counter. The service... our waitress/entertainer/ stand up comic was Loretta. Talk about funny! She could be on Ellen or at the very least be a trainer for new waitresses/staff on how people want to be treated when they walk into ANY establishment. It's about the "please" and the "thank you" and the compliments with a smile. It's about making the customer feel great that they chose to eat here. Loretta went above and beyond and exceeded our expectations. Oh, and the food was great, too! read more

I love this place!! I crave it everytime I'm near Brainerd. The burgers, maid rites, and home maid pies are all amazing. The barn is a small old fashioned place that only takes cash, but give it a try. You won't be dissapointed! I think it's one of the best kept secrets in MN. read more

I enjoyed my chicken Caesar omelet and the coffee is good. My friend thought his burger was tasty. The server was friendly. It's a typical small-town diner experience. I'd come back. read more

The pie! I start with the pie and and with the made right. Lots of local color. One of my favorite places

Wish we would have tried this place years ago! We got here at 11:20, and got the last open table. The place has a small town feel, and a menu full of sandwich options. There is a huge variety of pies too. We had the maidrite, cheese maidrite, and fries, and everything was very hot and spot on! Will definitely be back! read more

For what it is, it doesn't get any better than the Barn. Maid-Rites and amazing pie (among other things, including great breakfast). Just come early for lunch or you'll be out of luck, and they aren't open for dinner. read more

I love The Barn. I try and stop here every time I'm in Brainerd. It feels like you're stepping back in time the second you walk in. They have fantastic home made pies! And Great Maid-rite burgers(think sloppy joe with no sauce, just meat) Their traditional cheese burger is also solid. I've never had the breakfast, but I'm sure it's good. Negatives: They are only open for breakfast and lunch. (Until around 4:30pm) It's also Cash only. read more

My parents came up from the cities to visit. We deicided to come to The Barn. Our waitress was Sherri. She was friendly. The food was good but a little pricey. I gave a 4 star because we had a dirty fork. I will probably come back again. The place was clean and wasnt really busy. read more

Very disappointed in food and esp service! Didn't get the order correct and never brought the ice tea we ordered! Scooped up our maid rites and let them set 20 min before bringing to our table! Had onion rings and tots eaten and cold by the time she brought sandwiches !Will not make a special out of way trip to eat there again! read more

We love this place! We took our daughter there for breakfast, pulled up and she looked at us, with questioning eyes. It's small, but amazing! The food is so tasty. I'm not really a hash brown eater. I never go for breakfast without ordering them. Staff is fun and very friendly. read more

OMG... The pies are absolutely amazing! The best I've ever had. The grilled ham and cheese was delicious. I highly recommend this place. It truly is a hidden gem. read more

My burger was good but the fries were bland and cold. Kids chicken tender meal was a single chicken tender, way too many fries and toast. Wasn't the greatest meal so likely won't return. read more

I adore The Barn. I live out of state so when I come home, I have to have my fix. The Maid Rites are to die for. The same ladies have been working there for years and years and are terrific! read more

Wait staff was very nice but not great seating options for a family of five. The spoon was literally greasy, even before our food came - which was good for the low cost. read more

The best 'loose meat' sandwich ever. Friendly service and very helpful. A big selection of homemade pies. In our group we had Buttermilk pie, Blueberry pie, & Rhubarb Custard pie. All 3 were delightful and the crust was great. read more

Went for lunch when I Was in town for fun with my mom and daughter. Small place and very busy at lunch time, I ordered a maid rite loose meat sandwich, it was wonderful! Service was fast and friendly, would make a make a trip to town instead of Fargo, just to et there. read more

Absolutely great place for breakfast! Best buttermilk pancakes I have ever tasted (short stack is more than plenty) and the staff is friendly and welcoming...definitely a local color place as the waitresses seem to know about 90% of the people coming through the door during the week. Very small (seats about 35) so expect to wait on the weekends...biggest group that can sit together is 4 (a booth) unless you can take over the lunch counter. They only take cash so bring plenty...the food is not expensive but the pies are to die for and you will definitely want to at least get a slice to go...I didn't, I regretted it deeply and I will next year when we go back! Don't miss this gem! read more

Every single person who walks into The Barn is greeted by name. Not us, of course--we're from way out of town. But the friendliness is genuine; in fact, I had the pleasure of being drawn into conversation twice by the person sitting next to me at the counter (you do that in DC, where I'm from, at best you get an odd look, at worst, a 911 call...). But I digress. The food here is wonderful. I had the maid rite sandwich, which was as good as it was simple. The fried ham sandwich was great too. And you know how a lot of places don't take kids meals seriously? Not at The Barn. My daughter's cheeseburger was made from fresh ground chuck, and it tasted like it too. I've never seen a little girl power down a burger like she did when she tasted it. The pie here is rightly famous--I had some pecan and quite a bit of lemon meringue (this being too large for a small girl to finish on her own). Not sure when my travels will next take me to northwest Minnesota, but we'll definitely find a way to make it back to The Barn. read more

Lots of history. Just a little hole in the wall with a friendly small town feel. I had the Maid-rite sundae. A big bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy with their famous ground beef, onions and fresh tomato chunks covered in shredded cheese. It was delicious. But get there early. It was 2pm on a Saturday and they close at 3pm. All the pie was gone. :( read more

This place is full of Minnesotan charm from the menu to the countless homemade pies. The decor is a mix between the set of twin peaks and a western saloon, and the incredibly friendly staff keep plenty of coffee and pie in front of you. Great Americana, very enjoyable. read more

This place is the perfect greasy spoon. I had biscuits & gravy for lunch and Dutch apple pie a la mode. If I lived close by I might have that meal once a week. The place is fairly tiny and the bathroom isn't luxurious, but the food and the service are great. read more

Great loose meat sandwiches! Always fresh, homemade pies- order your pie right away or you may miss out! Friendly service. Worth the wait!

This place is as old school as you can get as far as decor. But its cute and the most important thing is this place serves Maid-Rites. They are great, made the correct way. Omelets are great too and pie is to die for. Wish I could get here more often. Always a treat! read more

Maid-rite burger was delicious, and my cheeseburger was great too. Service was fast and friendly.

The Barn is where the locals go. The breakfasts (all day) are great. If you've never tried a Maid Rite you should. The daily homemade pies are the best anywhere. We tried Betty's pies on the North Shore and they don't measure up to The Barns. Maid Rite sundaes (picture 2) come in one, two or three scoops and are a perfect meal. There also are daily specials that are always good. read more

Haven't had a Maid-Rite in probably 25 years and this was 100000x better than I remember. And then i saw their pies....(rather, my wife pointed them out to me). Good Lord they were good. I will be heading here every time I'm in the Brainerd area. Mark my words... read more

I am unclear why this place came up in my "farm to table" search. Food was ordinary, service friendly but lackluster. No fresh fruit, or fresh anything i could see on the breakfast menu. We will skip this place our next time through. read more

Best pies any where. Get a maid rite with mustard and pickles. The people make it even better because they are all super nice. Don't go between noon and 1 without expecting a wait! Oh and cash or local check only!! read more

This place was great! The food was delicious and service was excellent. It was my first time in the area and I was not disappointed. I wish there was one just like this one back home. read more

We stopped in after picking my daughter up from summer camp. The food here did not disappoint. The diner is small so if you have a big family, you may have to wait on a booth. I got a Denver omelette which was perfect with two pieces of French toast. While the French toast weren't the ginormous single slices; it was REALLY REALLY GOOD. My wife had the country fried steak special with two eggs and hash browns. This was the best country fried steak we've ever had. This is a coming from a guy who was station in North Carolina and lived there for three years. It was ridiculous. My daughter had the cinnamon roll which was fresh out the oven. She proceeded to devour every last bit. My two other children had the pancakes. Not the kiddie Mickey Mouse cakes but the grown folks pancakes. The really ridiculously huge. Lol. This is THE place locals go to eat and now I know why; IT'S FANTASTIC. If I'm ever gonna his way again, I have to try their lunch. They also have fresh pies for sell which folks were buying left and right. Be advised, they only take cash but there's an ATM in the restaurant. read more

Just stopped in for lunch as we were driving through Brainerd and the food and service were both awesome! We had Maid-Rites, bacon cheeseburgers and a Denver sandwich and they were all excellent. Our server (the owners wife) was absolutely awesome and ensured we were all taken care of. There were eight of us and since the restaurant was full inside they let us sit on the picnic table in the back and it worked out great. Will absolutely stop again next time I drive through. read more

The Barn is the place to eat when I'm driving through Brainerd. The service is a hoot! Those ladies can get you laughing. The Maidrites are as good as ever. Don't miss the homemade pies! read more

We walked in and sat down. 5 minutes later no one had even acknowledged that we were there. We got up and left. Just go down a block and eat at Saw Mill Inn. Very nice and great food. read more

I had breakfast at 5 different places during the 9 days we spent in Brainerd. This was the bottom of the heap. Though service was extra friendly, and I wanted to like the cute little place. There seemed to be limited heat while we dined, forcing us to keep our jackets on during the meal. The food may have been better, had my teeth not been chattering so much. This might be a place to go if you want pie. Warning - cash only - no credit cards accepted. read more

As long as Kurt's cookin', yer gonna get the best food, best home cookin' you can find! Do not miss the chance to chow down on the best food on eitther side of the Mississippi! read more