Zaverl's is a great dive bar that has an amazing karaoke night…read more While I was visiting, Ely, my cousin said we all had to experience the karaoke night at Zarerl's. I don't know what blew me away, more. The fact that, Ed Ely the host was 80 years old, or some of the incredible voices that performed. Karaoke was out on the spacious patio. In addition to the monitor that the performer used, there was an addition big screen for the audience to follow along. There were many times that it was more like a sing-a-long, then a single performance. What also made it fun, was that the crowd applauded and cheered every performer, no matter how good or bad they were. We ordered a supreme pizza to enjoy while watching all the singers. It was delicious for a dive bar pizza. I fairly certain, it was frozen, but it was damn good. The inside of the bar was the original vintage decor, which made it a classic dive bar. Another nice touch, the owner herself was serving the tables out on the patio. She was a delight to talk and laugh with. In Ely, I recommend you stop by and have some fun.

Nice small town place - but served beer in a plastic cup .... really. Also, no customer wi-fi…read more Bartender showed me their network and then said she would not give me give me access. Weird. Oh well...see ya...

Delicious food! Amazing wait staff! Homemade soups are excellent! Friday night fish fry has so many…read morewonderful options. Best fried chicken in town! Very large portions , so come hungry!

AE here. We went on an unexpectedly busy night. Our server was quick and super nice. She took our…read moredrink order right away and our food came out really hot. (Love that!!!) Every staff member we interacted with was so nice. Our only complaint is that it is expensive. It was $80 for 2 meals and an appetizer. Overall, we will be back, just with a larger budget!

Stopped in on a whim and DANG I'm glad we did. INCREDIBLE Bloody Mary's and such a cool, laid back…read moresuper friendly vibe. Pool table, football on tv, pull tabs and super clean bathrooms - but honestly, I'd go back for the bloody alone. Cash only, but that's not a problem because an ATM right there. Thanks you wascaly Wabbit!! p.s. it sure sounds like one star Andy is a dickhead.

First note : CASH ONLY!…read more It is an entirely classic Minnesota dive. Pull tabs, darts and pool, tavern pizza, beers and shots. The beer is cold, the pizza is hot, and it is exactly what you need to fuel before a BWCA adventure or celebrate finishing one. I actually enjoyed this more than Boathouse, mainly just I've not gotten into Boathouse's beers. Service was perfectly friendly bar service, they welcome your money regardless of who you are. Cute Goth bartender didn't hurt either. The fifth star because many dives don't have a good IPA and they have two, Bells and Warpigs.

Soooo yummy. Cozy spot downtown Ely that is filled with homemade pastry's and handmade items by…read morelocal artisans. I visited twice & the service was fast each time. I ordered an iced lavender latte & their monthly special, a blueberry lavender Arnold Palmer, and they were both amazing! Their lavender syrup was really good and tasted homemade to me. - street parking, but plenty - indoor seating - small outdoor sidewalk patio - homemade pastries - handmade pottery & other merch

Very solid coffee and pastry spot in a charming little town. Will definitely be back for more! I…read moreeven bought a mug to take home with me. Things can get a bit slow but there's only so much counter space, and you are supposed to be on vacation here!

Decent sandwich but nothing to write home about. Not a lot of options in town so if there is space…read moreand you're hungry, go for it. Very nice servers and great view of Lake Shagawaski.

Yummy, kind staff. I had the wild mushroom ravioli and my…read morehubby the broasted chicken.

I recommend everything about the frisky otter, except perhaps the fish tacos…read more Which of the frisky otter because we were traveling with a dog to Ely and needed a place where they could join us for dinner. Frisky Outar allows dogs on the patio. We are a little bit worried about sitting outside because there was an air quality at work, but strangely in the Enclosed outdoor patio it was fine. The patio itself is adorable. Beautiful plants tasteful decor. We started the meal cocktails. They have a well curated selection of martinis. I sampled the cucumber lime one and it was divine. I don't typically drink martinis, but this tasted like summer with hints of lime and cucumber. I also tried the lemon drop martini, which I would be cautious about choosing. It's supposed to be a combination of three liquors, including lemon cello, but the lemon cello flavor was so dominant. I couldn't drink it. My friend and I both ordered the walleye fish tacos and point frankly were very disappointed. When they arrived, we practically had to dig into the tortilla shells to even see what fish there was. It looked like it was a chopped up leftovers from something else. Even worse, the fish was cold. We both sent ours back to Get warm fish. I think they might've just microwaved them or something, because what they brought back out was barely warm. But we just ate it anyways. Normally I would expect in a fish taco to have larger visible pieces of fish. These really just felt like leftovers from somewhere. We chose the sweet potato fries as our side, and they were excellent though. I am guessing they were pre made elsewhere and tossed in a fryer. There were many other interesting options on the menu, so I don't want to discount this restaurant. Give it a try, but just avoid the fish tacos. The servers were excellent. Very attentive, refilling our water responding to questions and also being gracious about us sending our tacos back. I should also mention they have a dog menu !! we ordered a side of chicken breast for our little goldendoodle and she absolutely loved it. There were multiple items to choose from. This really is the place in Ely for bringing your dog.

My first experience with the frisky otter, we arrived and we were greeted by a young lady. She was…read morevery nice. She asked us if we wanted to sit on the patio outside we said if there's availability for the patio, we would enjoy that. She gave us our menus seated us and said someone will be with you shortly While we were sitting there. One of the waiters took his time and cleaned off a table and provided the guest with their check. He continued to clean off tables and even as I raise my voice and said, could someone wait on us he immediately turned his back to us and walked as fast as he could in the other direction ! We had numerous employees walk past us, and even the manager or she could've been the owner walk past us numerous times 25 minutes later we still have not been greeted by a waiter or waitress. No one had brought us Water and no one has acknowledged us! My husband and I have been coming to the Ely area for over 45 years and we have seen restaurants come and go! I am going to predict that this restaurant is going to be one that is going to go in short order! maybe a better name for the restaurant instead of frisky otter is the lazy otter! One you have to offer something different unique that people don't usually get but in Ely, you can get a hamburger and fries at pretty much every restaurant in town! I was super disappointed after having to wait 25 minutes and realized I didn't wanna have to wait another 25 minutes for my meal to come and having to pay $20 for a hamburger! So we chose to get up and leave the restaurant not being acknowledged by anyone on our way out, but the owner or manager was hustling herself about to set up a table for a large group of people when she couldn't even take time to serve two people who had been waiting in her restaurant for over 25 minutes! Shame on you! Looks like the Dairy Queen is a better option at least when you go through their drive-through they acknowledge you immediately and their food cost about the same! If I could give this restaurant zero stars I would!

Yes - I travel for pasta…read more.. Spent the weekend at Bluefin Bay and ended up eating several time at the Grille. Consistently good food. Naturally, I had them doctor up a little combo of the seafood pasta and the chicken Alfredo. I wanted the peppers and the penne noodles. The Grille squad acquiesced and boom - best meal of my trip up the north shore. Strongly recommend a visit! Both to the Grille and the Bluefin Bay resort at large.

We stayed at the Bluefin Bay Resort and this is one of the only food options close by, so we booked…read moreit in advance. When we arrived it was clear there was no table ready for us and we were not even seated in the area we reserved. Our server was nice and the food came out fast. Our walleye cakes had sooooo many bones in them. Every single cake has bones. My friend almost chocked on one. Point blank, it's a major safety hazard and NOT professional. The garlic parmesan wings were terrible. It tasted like a flavorless sauce with a vat of garlic powder dumped in it. My sandwich was adequate, but disappointing for the price. Everything at this restaurant felt cheap and they are lucky there is no competition. It'd be worth the extra hour of your time to book a nice place in Dubuque.

The Hide Away Bar might as well stay hidden away because let me tell you it's not worthy to have a…read moresign labeled "pizza specialist." My family and I ordered 3 pizzas over the weekend. A Reuben pizza, a chicken Alfredo, and a pepperoni, mushroom and sausage. As we first arrived it's apparent that this must be the only bar in town so people come here to get their kicks. The inside is old and antique looking and maybe needed a good sprucing up. My wife and I stood there for 10 minutes while the bartender was favoring the other side of the bar. A different person who made it clear to my wife and I that she isn't working but guess she could help us got our pizzas which came up to $63 for the 3 "special pizzas." So then we ask for a bottle of Lemon (Rum). She said sure we have a 1.75 for $22. She brings back a 1 Liter and goes to ring it up. When I mentioned the size difference she says "oh that's all we have." That's fine but but she still charged $22 for the 1 Liter. I even asked her and she says, "it's still $22." I mean I may not be the smartest person out there but I can figure the math on this one. Anyway, we get back to our campsite and open up the pizzas to find that each one was burnt on top, little to no sauce so on a burnt pizza it's worse then a stale cracker laid out in the middle July. These pizzas were special, specially made for the garbage. If you can make it through your weekend with the food you have, do it, I will not be recommending the Hide Away Bar to anyone.

We love this place. It's always a place we look forward to going to have a drink or dinner. Their…read morepizzas are absolutely delicious and the burgers can't be beat! Highly recommend this place!

They're not open for breakfast every day, so check first. When they are, you HAVE to try the…read morepancake. I used the singular there because one completely fills the plate! I can't imagine eating two. It's reminiscent of fry bread, and well worth the wait.

This place was a little out of our way and we came for breakfast but we're late so stayed for…read morelunch. Good simple burger but the bacon on it was crispy which was awesome. Fries were the best, could have made a meal off those. My wife loved sitting at the window watching the hummingbirds. People where super friendly. Recommend a stop, enjoy some food, and have a nice conversation.

The staff is super sweet! They stayed open late for us as we had a long drive into town last night…read morewe ordered food around 8pm and no complaints from anyone as you usually get from a kitchen normally, husbands chicken sandwich was good. I loved the fries those were good. Great beer! During the summer this place is busy! I was here past summers and enjoyed it just as much!

Blue berry cream ale was my choice of beer. Nice touch with fresh berries floating in the suds…read more Larger burger & crispy onion rings completed a hardy meal. I will definitely come back.