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    The Good Life Cafe

    4.3 (159 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    The Good Life Cafe Photos

    THE GOOD LIFE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Good Life Cafe

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    Elizabeth W.

    A year later, still love everything about this place. The only thing that could improve it would be bringing back outdoor seating. Service was quick and friendly. The house salad- still excellent. Love the fresh green mix. And the sourdough- tastes like sourdough! That should not be a big deal but so many restaurants claim they are serving sourdough and it tastes like a plain baguette. Not here! Sour, crusty, right amount of chewy texture! Perfect for dredging in the sauce with the gnocchi. And oh, they get gnocchi right. perfect airy puffs that are just a bit crisp from a quick pan fry. Lovely dining rooks- I just want them to bring back outdoor dining!!

    Wild Rice Hotdish - soooo good.
    Rachel W.

    Oh my goodness. Just go. It was phenomenal. Stopped here when visiting itasca state park for dinner one night. The food was amazing and the interior is trendy and fresh. Got the wild rice hotdish - definitely star of the show. Also got to try the Smørrebrød and the wild bison meatloaf - all so delicious. The sweet potato fries and maple aioli were a good shared appetizer/side. But there were so many yummy sounding dishes on the menu that I didn't get to try. Really wish it wasn't so far away - it would definitely become a regular stop! But honestly considering traveling back to park rapids just for this place...

    Margarita Perfecta $8
    Amy M.

    Absolutely fresh, delicious food. Healthy unique choices, rustic novelties and fun twists on classics. Presentation is top tier. Full bar with quality spirits and fresh drink specials. Atmosphere is clean and modern but not sterile. Cozy. Service has always been consistently pleasant. It can get extremely busy- a good sign! It's a must try.

    Pulled Pork & Apple chutney on ciabatta roll with Swiss cheese
    Kimberly L.

    Whoa!! Pull out your maps and reroute your trip if you are going anywhere near Park Rapids Minnesota!! This place is amazing!! Can you picture upscale North Wood meets rock-n-roll? Comfort food meets New York Bistro? Then this is your place! Northern classics with penché My husband and I were delighted with the food and beer selection. I ordered the Smørrebrød-a generous (with a capital G) portion of honey smoked salmon served openfaced atop a goat cheese & caramelized onion spread on rye bread with mixed greens. SPEECHLESS. This was soooo delicious! I upgraded to a side of sweet potatoes fries just so I could try the maple aioli dipping sauce and was not disappointed! Hubby had the whiskey bbq pulled pork topped with apple chutney served on a ciabatta roll with melted Swiss cheese. Delightful! The chutney added the perfect bump to make this an unforgettable treat! The beer selection was carefully curated to represent about every category you could ask for and supported local/ Minnesota craft breweries beautifully. I know I am gushing, but this place made an impression!! Be sure to stop in you are in the area!!

    Walnut Cranberry Salad (mmmmm!)
    Bonnie D.

    Today was our anniversary. We tried to go somewhere else, but they couldn't seat us for hours, so we ended up here. Happy accident! The food and the service were great!! We ordered the Thai PB Burger (Soo good) and the Walnut Cranberry Salad. Both were delicious, even the house made potato chips were good. For dessert, we had the Italian Lemon Cream Cake. It was pretty tasty too. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, as (it seemed) were most of the staff. We were so pleased to have ended up here for dinner.

    Cheesy California Burger & Batter Fries
    Laura C.

    This place was GREAT! We shared the Japapeno Popper Dip and then I had the Cheesy Californian Burger with the battered fries (I am a fry snob and these were 100% worth the calories...plus they gave me the onion aoli, ketchup and fry sauce for dipping.). Really enjoyed the burger too. When I'm in the area, I will definitely come back. The restaurant design was very well done and the service was excellent!

    La The Falefse
    Kaitlin C.

    Just wow. We went here twice on our weekend vaca because this is the absolute best spot around. Lovely wait staff. Cozy atmosphere. It gets pretty busy so you might want to call ahead if you have a big party. Amazzing menu with so many veggie options. The first time I got one of the burgers with a black bean patty. Soooooo tasty! Only down fall is that the patty is pretty soft and just completely falls apart so a little difficult to eat. All the burgers default come with chips which seem like they are house made and SUPER crispy crunchy but could use some more seasoning they were a little bland. I would recommend upgrading to the sweet potato fries.

    Booths
    Nate B.

    Really great option for a meal in Park Rapids. Very creative, but approachable menu that has something for everyone. Friendly service and a warm, welcoming, and fun space. High quality food with little creative touches and that is well executed. Nice craft beer and cocktail list. More of a Gastro pub than cafe, but that is exactly what I wanted on my visit. Highly recommended

    Artichoke Bacon Burger
    Dave M.

    Comfortable and inviting modern decor makes this a great place for any type of meal. The bar features some craft bears and enough liquor to make the basics. The staff is prompt and helpful. The food is fantastic. Stopped in on my trek across the frozen upper Midwest. What a find, an eclectic menu at very reasonable prices. I went with the waitresses recommendation of the Artichoke Bacon Burger...amazing flavor, top quality beef and absolutely a mess to eat - but it was well worth it. Pub chips on the side with ranch. Ready for a nap!!!

    Michael S.

    We had dinner here on the suggestion of one our friends, they were right...this place was great. Mitch helped us out, and got us started with some MN beers in good time. We opted out of Apps and just ordered dinner. I had the Baked Walleye dinner and my wife had the Walleye tacos and both were fantastic. There's a little ice cream and popcorn shop next door so after we paid we went right over for some treats to top it off. All in all a great place, very well laid out and decorated with great food and very nice attentive servers.

    Drink local
    Kim D.

    Don't judge a book by its cover. Being a nearly lifelong summer resident of Park Rapids, I waited too long to try out The Good Life. It definitely isn't so much a cafe as it is a hip, trendy restaurant with a city vibe in the middle of small town lake country. Their menu is definitely on trend, with some try unique offerings. I've enjoyed everything I've had here. My only criticism is that the several times I've been seated at the bar, there hasn't been a dedicated bartender. Service has been friendly, but somewhat impersonal compared to other places in the area. That's the main reason I'm giving four stars instead of five. I appreciate warm fuzzies from the staff, and I've never really felt it here. That said, I recommend this place to everyone who asks me where to eat in the Park Rapids area.

    Walleye B.L.T. Sandwich
    Tony O.

    Every year we stay at a resort nearby and I'm always excited to stop back at this place. The food is very high quality, drinks are great and probably one of the best Bloody Mary's I've ever had. The highlight for me are the jumbo chicken wings. You won't find a crispier wing anywhere and they are still very juicy. Easily in my top 5 of all time. The beer battered fries are also about as good as you can get and the walleye blt was excellent. Can't wait to stop back again next year!

    Vegetable risotto, made vegan ($15). Rich, hearty and pretty damn good. Loved the candied walnuts.

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    2 years ago

    Love each time we come here. It's the best food and variety you're going to get for a long ways! We go frequently!

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    3 years ago

    They serve GF BLT's they are amazing they serve popcorn next door too. Like a stop shop. Get delicious healthy food. And friendly atmosphere

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    Excellent food Thai burger with peanut sauce nice service and dining room with friendly host

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    Spanky's Stone Hearth - Daily special wagyu sirloin Oscar style with lobster, asparagus, and bearnaise on top

    Spanky's Stone Hearth

    4.0(96 reviews)
    37.0 mi
    $$

    We went here on a whim because the place we wanted to go to was closed. It was an amazing choice!…read moreThe food was so good! The seafood was fresh and the steaks were cooked perfectly and so tender. The atmosphere was lovely, although it was very full. Our server was delightful and attentive without being annoying. My only qualm were the prices- definitely more expensive, but also worth it!

    The one star is definitely deserved and it goes to the ambiance which is beautiful comfortable and…read moreinviting. Unfortunately the ambiance is the only redeeming quality we found. One of the specials was a smoked salmon and dill dip I asked if it was served hot or cold and was told hot so I said we'd take it. Somehow we were served the spinach and artichoke dip; it was flavorless and piping hot but also cold in some spots as was the rest of the food. My fiancé ordered the porter house pork chop with the mashed potatoes and sauerkraut and it came with a salad. I ordered the Trust me which is all chefs choice. I told the waitress I was allergic to parsnips since I knew that was a vegetable option but didn't give any other parameters for my meal. My fiancés pork-chop was overcooked and dry the barbecue sauce was the only thing on our table the whole meal that had flavor. The chef prepared for me a sword fish over couscous in a béarnaise sauce. The first few bites of the fish were way over cooked and dry the last few bites were moist and cooked well the couscous was both crunchy (undercooked) as well as mushy (overcooked) neither the fish nor the couscous had any flavor which was very disappointing. Along with the fish was a petite sirloin which was very tough and dry and lacked any flavor; there was chimichuri sauce on the steak that definitely wasn't made correctly it was sweet and didn't taste at all like parsley. Under the steak was roasted broccoli and cauliflower which was also somehow overcooked but not cooked enough which seemed to be the theme of the evening. When the waitress asked how everything was I said fine because honestly I was so over it and had eaten a decent amount already since I was so hungry. Needless to say we won't be back.

    Photos
    Spanky's Stone Hearth - Raspberry Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Cake

    Raspberry Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Cake

    Spanky's Stone Hearth - Candied bacon

    Candied bacon

    Spanky's Stone Hearth - Cesar Salad - huge potion, came with the dinner.

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    Cesar Salad - huge potion, came with the dinner.

    The Good Life Cafe - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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