Great brunch spot and they have nice weekly specials for date nights and upscale/casual dining. Service has been good every time we've been in. Quality ingredients, prepared well, chef has complimentary flavors and textures to all the dishes we've tried. It's a little pricey but they source a lot of local ingredients and pay their staff livable wages, so I'm happy to support them. read more

In an overnight stay in Eau Claire we ate at the Informalist because it was in the Lismore hotel and convenient. I was surprised by how many good looking choices the menu had. We shared a pizza and a green salad as it was fairly late. The service was great. The server was attentive, timely, professional and made some recommendations which were appreciated. I'm not used to all employees wearing masks anymore so I found that odd. The pizza was very tasty. It had three cheeses and a bit of honey infused in the baking process and was delicious. The salad was lettuce and 3-5 tiny radishes tossed in oil. Very basic and effortless but it hit the spot. The restaurant has a great ambiance, is clean and the prices were high but not a burden so I'd eat here again. One thing I've never seen before was that the menu suggest it is not necessary to leave a tip as the prices are raised so staff can have a living wage. read more

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Fabulous wood fired pizzas and excellent service every time! Absolutely love this place and make it a priority to go.

This is not your average Hotel restaurant! It was way above average and it is in a boutique hotel. Lismore Hotel! Fresh fresh fresh local produce meats, Dairy everythingeverything they serve. Pizza looks fantastic just too much to eat for me! Everything was so fresh it was delicious! I had salmon and roasted vegetables and I definitely order again! Eating at the bar was a pleasure the bartenders were so helpful with the wines and the meal! read more

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excellent food, interesting dishes very expensive and i've only been there three times but each time i found the staff really annoying your mileage may vary read more

We had the pizza and it was excellent. Sat on the patio on a Thursday night while music played across the street. What a beautiful night along with some great food read more

Cool place. Great service. Just was a little underwhelmed. Much of the menu is flatbreads -- which is cool. But to me, pizza is pizza. I don't need to go to a relatively fancy place to eat flatbread. They were closed for a long time due to covid so they were on my list of places to visit (my son goes to school in Eau Claire). Just wasn't super thrilled with it. Not wonderful, nothing wrong, just OK. Our waiter was very friendly and the service was great. No issues at all there. read more

Great staff. Delicious food. Relaxed atmosphere. You can sit inside, outside, at the bar. Cocktails are great too!

We were here with a large group and their private dining room is exceptional! Their drink and dessert lists are amazing as well. Their menu is a bit overwhelming but it does have a variety of food at various price points. I had the pheasant. The accompanying sides were delicious but the breast itself left a bit too be desired. Many of the people at my table had the halibut and all liked it. The pizzas looked amazing as well! read more

The Informalist - Halibut - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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Breakfast...,Really good Eggs Benedict! Service can be spotty. Vegetarian options. Not the best coffee.

We had such high hopes and expectations from The Informalist. We were in town to see a show and have a celebratory dinner for our daughter's 13th birthday. I had made a note on our reservation that we were celebrating her birthday and assumed that would be passed on as it usually is when we make reservations online at nicer establishments. I referred to our daughter as "the birthday girl" a couple of times when we were placing our orders in hopes she'd pick it up, but she did not. What I do want to recognize is that the food was good. I didn't fully understand the undressed and uncooked mustard greens with the pork chop, but the polenta was so amazing that it made up for it, the pork chop wasn't bad but the polenta really outshined it. My daughter got the beef bolognese and we tried it, we all agreed it was absolutely amazing. My husand said his steak was great, but it did not come with the German potato salad as advertised on the menu, it had some plain fried potatoes. Despite the food being good, the service brought the entire night down. I don't know if our server was having an off night or was possibly new. If she's new, I hope that some more experienced servers give her some pointers on managing loads and providing the excellent service someone would expect at this pricepoint. She was very nice, but rarely checked in on us. We had obviously finished our meals (empty plates, napkins on the table) and we sat there for about 20 minutes and saw another server point us out to her. It took her another 10 or so minutes to come and check on us. While we were sitting there doing nothing, we had decided to get desert elsewhere, because the night no longer felt special at all and we were looking for something to end the night on a high note. I'd suggest having your staff watch the TED Talk by Gavin Kaysen about service and the experience and the feeling of dining at a place like what The Informalist should be and can be. At this pricepoint and set expectation, nobody who dines here should have an experience like we did. We save dinners like this for special occasions and almost always at this pricepoint, we have a phenomenal experience. Sadly, this just wasn't the case here. read more

Awesome food just a little to expensive for the small amount of food you get the customer service was great but again the food proportions are too small for the amount of money that you spend read more

Eau Claire is so lucky to have a dining experience like this in the heart of downtown! The atmosphere is sophisticated but not stuffy. The food is out of this world yet approachable. Great cocktails and wonderful wine by the glass selection. The service was great as well, super friendly staff came by our table several times. Can't wait to go back again and again! read more

The Informalist - Fried Red Potatoes - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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I been here for breakfast, lunch, happy hour and a late snack. The food is delicious. Homemade ketchup and jam like none I've tasted before. Their take infused with culinary flavors on staple dishes lives up to any farm to table experience. Big thumbs up for culinary success! For happy hour I ordered a gin martini with olives. The martini was not bad but unfortunately the olives had no taste. Highly recommend fresher olives. read more

The Informalist - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

The food was great, albeit a bit pricey. The restaurant is very cute. Our server was very attentive. My latte was delivered Luke warm, probably because they get those from EcDc next door. read more

The food is perfect every time. The staff and atmosphere are wonderful. Relaxing lighting fun menu that changes.

The pizzas were delicious, very creative flavor combinations. The setting was very trendy and the wait staff was attentive

Unique and tasty. We really enjoyed this place. I recommend it for anyone looking for something different

Wow!!! What great vegan and vegetarian options! The chick pea fries are great (and so are the regular fries)! Staff was courteous (ordered through room service) and thoughtful when delivering food to room. Only four starts because the Mushroom Duxelles Phylo Purse was DISAPPOINTINGLY SMALL. It is listed as an entree. It MAYBE might be an entree for an already small man, who was further miniaturized by an evil scientist...and even then that tiny guy would say, "Man, is this an appetizer?!?!" Luckily we ordered lots of other food, so I wasn't left hungry. read more

Husband and I were looking to celebrate Valentine's Day a day earlier to avoid long waits or a crowd on the day of. On a whim we stopped in at 5 pm, fully prepared to be told the restaurant was full. Pleasantly surprised when they were able to seat us immediately, even thoughtful enough to hold a table for us while I was trying to find a parking spot. Definitely recommend the Lion's mane "crab" cakes- I would come back just for this and this alone. I had the scallops which were a seasonal special and they did not disappoint. Husband had the pineapple pizza which was great also. Looking forward to coming back to try more! read more

Great food and service! Everything we tried was flavorful and I didn't feel as heavy after I had a three course meal!! Kudos to the Chef for great presentation and flavor. We will be visiting soon. read more

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The pizza was soooooo good. And also the beet appetizer. I'm briefly visiting Eau Claire in the midst of a COVID world. I found the Informalist on Yelp and saw on their website that they offered carryout. I ordered the pesto pizza (which comes with bacon, mushroom, and fennel) and added sausage. You can tell that they select each ingredient with care. Not only did the flavors go well together, but they were super fresh. I'm gluten sensitive (not intolerant) and I was able to eat their pizza without issue, but they do offer a gluten free pizza. The beet appetizer was outstanding. Served with fresh dill, curled sweet potato (or was it carrot?), and fresh cream. For carryout in "current times," you call them and they give you a pick up time. And they bring it to your car. read more

Very expensive. Limited menu. Service was ok. Stood at east entrance for 3 or 4 minutes without response. Went to west entrance. Response, too bad! read more

I came here for a Father's Day meal with my family. I'm allergic to dairy and soy and I'm also vegan. My family has no other food restrictions. They were absolutely excellent with my allergies and had quite a few vegan options on the menu! That is hard to find here in Eau Claire. My parents had never been to a farm-to-table restaurant before and had questions up the wah-zoo about ingredients and how things were made. Our waiter's name was Alexander I believe, and he was so nice and willing to answer any and all questions! If he didn't know, he would go ask. I had the Roasted Vegetable Burger, my father had the Fillet Mignon, and my mother ordered the Lismore Burger. All of us were so impressed by our food! The tastes and the displays were awesome. My only comment about my burger was that it is definitely a veggie burger. I'm used to places offering the Beyond Burger which tastes almost exactly like a real hamburger. So if you're looking for that kind of taste, you won't get that. That being said, my Roasted Vegetables Burger had a taste all its own. Similar to Mexican foods almost. It was super tasty!! I had no allergic reactions whatsoever. However please note that I do not have many issues with small amounts of cross contamination. If you do, I would suggest calling ahead to check how they prepare their food. All in all, this was a wonderful experience!! We will definitely be back! read more

The Informalist - Roasted Vegetable Burger - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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I was in a somewhat drunken daze while at The Informalist so I don't remember many details except that this meal was really frickin' good. They had good, strong cocktails and a upscale atmosphere. Got the Pink Currant Chicken served with wilted greens, toasted walnuts and chevre polenta which is not something I would think to combine together but it sure worked well! Really frickin' good! read more

The Informalist - Pink Currant Chicken w/ wilted greens, walnuts and polenta - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Yum yum yummy. What else can I say! I had the pizza.... And was WOWED! Either I don't get out much or they really know what they're doing! Very flavorful read more

Chicken pasta is the best pasta I have ever had. Service is very friendly. The ambiance is great. Nice place to eat. HIghly recommended.

My husband and I had New Year's Eve dinner here. We made reservations a couple days prior without any issue. When we arrived, we were told that there was a prix fixe menu (they didn't mention this on the phone), which was disappointing, as we'd already decided what we wanted when we picked the restaurant. We were surprised that the choices were now a ($75 per person) five course dinner or burgers and pizza. Boo. Anyway. Since burgers and pizza were not going to cut it, we went with the five course option. They gladly substituted the fish app with a beautiful salad for me, although my husband was very happy with the smoked trout app. Next was the garlic soup, which neither of us enjoyed much. It was a bit gloopy and had giant sweet potato chips that were too big to eat in one bite but too soggy to cut into smaller pieces. Sort of an awkward dish all around. The "infinity" pasta was a nice texture and the sauce had good flavor, but the "succotash sauce" didn't coat the pasta nicely and wasn't easy to eat with it. There were large pieces of rolled pasta that didn't separate in cooking that we had to abandon. The steak was seasoned nicely but was difficult to eat. We couldn't tell if the knives weren't sharp at first, but ultimately realized the steak was just tough, even though we both ordered medium rare. This was really sad as we splurged on the $17 upgrade to the bone-in ribeye. The dessert was the real winner of the night, a sauerkraut chocolate cake with vanilla bean custard (was really a sauce and not a custard) and strawberry... jam? compote? We were stuffed but both ate every bite, and appreciated the complimentary addition of a glass of prosecco. At the end of it, we gave 3 stars pretty much for the amazing service. Our server was so attentive without being overly familiar and had answers to every question. This restaurant has all of the pieces to the puzzle, but hasn't quite put it together yet. The ambience, the service, and the quality ingredients are there, but the textures and flavor combinations were not. Also, this dinner had a $200 price tag and we didn't even order a bottle of wine (2 beers each). Being from the Twin Cities, we are accustomed to paying $125-150 for a high end meal, but this just didn't meet that price standard, hence the docked stars. I hope to come back over the summer to try their traditional menu and perhaps have a better experience. read more

Excellent food, great service! Had brunch menu- eggs florentine and a skillet daily special. Highly recommend!

My husband and I stopped here on our way to Michigan. The host and server were fabulous and friendly, the food and drinks were great! The outdoor patio was wonderful. Someone is taking good care of their hanging flower baskets, they were stunning. Highly recommend. read more

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Was in the mood for a big hearty American meal, but that is not the vibe the Informalist gives at all. The menu is full of weird food choices that you won't find anywhere else. They serve homemade beet ketchup with their fries and had one burger choice. Good/normal pizza, but everything else was fancy and different. Bread is served with dinner, but not lunch. All dishes around $15 read more

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I had high expectations and they were not fulfilled. I'm not a fan of low ratings on the other hand. The potato beignets tasted like 'burnt'. We were not charged for the dish, luckily, although no one talked to us about it and we didn't even know who our server was between the few people that brought drinks and food. We had to ask random servers twice just to get our water filled. The drinks and other dishes were good but the overall experience... not so much :( read more

Amazing food, atmosphere and staff. Everyone was very friendly and helpful when we had questions and the ambience is calming.

Ahh the Informalist, one of my go-to spots while camped out in Eau Claire, WI for a 10-month internship... This place brought a taste of the high-calibre Boston food-culture I had come to love to North Western WI... Excellent atmosphere, with a penny-bar set up to share beverages & conversation with fellow travellers. Fantastic house-made cocktails brought to you by bar-staff willing to keep you company. I had several delicious meals here but the cranberry glacé pork chop may have been my favorite, perfectly cooked and delivered with charm. Will be back if/when travels bring me this way again : ) read more

The Informalist - Thirsty .. - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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Ambience: Great space, location, and service that accommodated kindly to my dairy free requests. Food: Deliciously fresh as if you can taste that the food is local. We got the trout, salad, and roasted bok choi, all of the dressings were awesome. My only criticism is that the quinoa/cous-cous that came with the fish was cold - likely intentional but warm would've been better with the rest of the dish. read more

The Informalist - Wine Bars Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Came down and sat at the bar last night. The service was fantastic and my co-worker and I ordered pizza. I got the Supreme wood-fired pizza. It was very good and I'm a fan of wood-fire taste on my pizza. The "char" on the crust adds more flavor and the ingredients seemed high grade. I will say, it does include green olives instead of the usual black so there was almost more brine-y taste but it went along well. read more

We came for the breakfast and was not at all dissatisfied. My wife got the special which was a breakfast blt, absolutely flavorful and fresh! Being somewhat of a foodie I can tell for the most part when the kitchen uses fresh ingredients, and my goodness was everything fresh! I had the eggs florentine which was also absolutely delicious! Waiter was very good and attentive. Atmosphere was very elegant and inviting. The only thing we didn't like was the bloody. It didn't have any spice and we like our bloodys to have a little attitude lol. But the flavor of the food and the ambiance definitely made up for that part. Will certainly be coming back for more! read more

Good pizza, better bourbon list!! The aoli that comes with the fries is delicious. Blanca pizza with extra black pepper is my favorite.

Hotel bar with a hip vibe. Food is not inexpensive. Somewhat limited menu, but all items I have tried were really well prepared. Service is really exceptional have done breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All were really good. Nice bourbon flights and good bartenders too. read more

We had great expectations when reading the menu, but were disappointed in the meals. The "rissotto" was undercooked and under-seasoned. Essentially rice in cream, rather than creamy rice. The lamb shank was tender, but also under-seasoned. There was no sauce for it, which greatly helps braised meat, since braising tends to dry the meat out. The roasted kale was tasty, but tough. The carrots were undercooked and just lukewarm. I prefer vegetables crunchy, but these were closer to raw then cooked. The trout had lots of bones. The roasted vegetables that came with the trout were lukewarm as well, but very tasty. You'll want their Old Fashioned. It was great read more