21 Must-Try Duluth Restaurants | Best Restaurants in Duluth MN

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Foodie Flashpacker | June 03, 2022

21 Must-Try Duluth Restaurants | Best Restaurants in Duluth MN

The port city of Duluth, Minnesota remains one of the most scenic places to visit. Located on the largest freshwater lake in the world (by surface area), it’s no surprise that many of the best things to do involve expending energy outdoors, from walking trails to fishing to watersports. Great restaurants make it a pleasure to renew and refill those energy tanks and Duluth is packed with them. I asked my colleagues for their favorite Duluth restaurants as I found my bearings in this new-to-me city.

The 21 Best Duluth Restaurants

At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café

1902 East 8^th Street // (218) 724-6811

Whenever you come to a new town and people learn you eat “healthy” or have a medical restriction, it’s interesting to hear what they have to offer. This restaurant meets both criteria AND is recommended for everyone else, too.

My first visit, the weather was surprisingly mild for March, and I saw how the gardens are laid out, ready for the herbs that the chefs will use for the meals. It’s located a bit out of the way but is worth the effort to get there. 

Since Covid, they’ve opened a drive-thru. You must order online, or phone in an order, then pull up to the drive-thru speaker, give your name, pull forward, and receive your order.

My colleague, Jeff, loves their breakfast omelets. I’m immediately drawn into the bookshelf-lined room with tables; it’s difficult for me to pay attention to the menu. Yet it suits for vegans, omnivores, gluten-free, and “just plain hungry.”

I didn’t realize home fries could become an interesting dish, but they manage it by adding sweet onions, carrots, and zucchini to delightfully crispy potatoes. If you let them know you’re gluten-free, they’ll keep things separate so even the utensils can’t cross-contaminate.

The Hippie Breakfast is delicious and not just for the hipsters that have grown the local dining scene in the area. The students, who frequently hit their folks for a meal here, love it, too, for the nourishing, filling meal. 

When the weather’s good, I can imagine sitting on the outdoor patio and dog watch while I people-watch. It’s very dog friendly.

Pages could be written about the items that make At Sara’s Table special. My favorites include the gluten-free pancakes, served with rogotzke maple syrup and a maple mascarpone, to which you can add blueberries (or other items) for an additional charge, or the home fries. 

Additional breakfast items include buttermilk pancakes, vegan okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes with tofu, cabbage, potato, red bell pepper, shiitake mushroom, kimchi, vegan sambal aioli, green onion, and cilantro), cranberry wild rice French toast, house-made granola, biscuits and chorizo gravy, multiple eggs, and omelets (including the hippie farm breakfast), and a Mickey Cake (mouse-shaped), and a variety of a la carte items.

For brunch, you can start with coconut breaded shrimp, a beer cheese bowl, chips ‘n salsa, chips ‘n guacamole, beer cheese, and chips, or salsa ‘n guacamole combo, soup du jour, truffle fries, smoked salmon charcuterie, or beer battered onion rings. 

Their take on BLT is a GBLT (g for guacamole), Rueben or Rachel (turkey instead of corned beef), miso mushroom sandwich, duck pastrami sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, grass-fed beef, or impossible burger (seriously, you can’t tell the impossible burger is not beef!), or chum pomegranate BBQ pork. They have five salad options and four kid’s choices.

The dinner menu includes everything on the lunch menu as well as maple poppy quinoa salad and additional entrees including vegan pho, bone-in ribeye, Thai curry, coffee pork chop, duck gumbo, and grilled salmon.

They have pages of drinks for your pleasure, and a page of baked goods and ice cream to enjoy. Many of their sweets are offered in regular, gluten-free, and vegan options. Many of the items have a cream cheese frosting, but if you like buttercream like I do, check out the specialty cupcake or layered chocolate cake. 

For a great ol’ time memory, have a rootbeer float or orange dreamsicle. They remind me of my dad, every time.

Whether you’re here working, playing, or visiting your favorite college student, take the time to re-nourish At Sara’s Table.

The King of Creams

502 E. 4^th Street // (218) 725-9000

A favorite among hospital staff and visitors, this “burger joint” is where my colleagues take their kids when they come to visit during the day. They make each order individually, so you have time to chat with everyone and catch up between when you place your order and receive it, which is great because once the food arrives, the conversation comes to a sharp halt as everyone digs in.

This family-operated business started from an ice cream truck and was built from there. The burgers are a wonderful treat, cooked to your specifications, and accompanied, as you like, with fresh-cut fries, onion rings, deep fried pickles, or cheese curds.

It’s hard for me to imagine going there and getting anything other than the burger, it really is that good, but others tell me that their Philly Cheesesteak, the Chicken Sandwich, and The Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap (what favorite daughter may order) are equally good.