Black Woods Grill & Bar

I did the research and found this place close to our hotel. It was Sunday lunch and we were seated fairly fast. It would have 5 stars but service was painfully slow. Not sure if our waitress had to many tables or the cook was slow. The walleye was great and my kids loved the kids menu. Great view of Lake Superior.

Three of us spent the night of May 17^th this year in Duluth on our way to The Boundary Waters for a week of canoeing/​camping/​fishing. I looked online for a restaurant close to our motel and found the Black Woods. Menu looked interesting and reviews were generally on the positive side so we decided to eat at your establishment. Food and beverages were excellent. I had the deep-​fried walleye and smoked salmon appetizer. The walleye was very good and the smoked salmon some of the best I’ve ever had. My two companions were also highly complimentary about their meals. We had a trainee and her mentor as our servers, I wished I had noted their names because they were very friendly, courteous and helpful. Perhaps you can figure out who they were from the date of our visit and pass our compliments on to them for us. The female trainee became a little flustered when she had to return to our table twice to inform us one of the beers we ordered was out of stock. Perhaps this had just occurred or perhaps there was a breakdown in communications about what was available but, despite being in training, she was able to maintain her poise for the most part. Fortunately we’re a fairly easy-​going bunch of guys so no harm no foul. Plus I suspect Tuesdays are just before beer delivery days. Other than that minor hitch, everything was fine and I’ll look forward to returning to the Black Woods on my next trip north from Indiana.

Ive always had a great meal here. On my last visit a had a really nice steak and great service. There was no wait at all. Parking was easy and close. They have a decent wine selection. One of favourite higher end places in Duluth.

When we traveled to Duluth a few years ago and visited Black Woods twice during that week-​long visit, we thought it was an exceptional establishment in Duluth. Oh, how we raved about the food, the atmosphere, the service. We weren’t just a «table for two» then — we had a table of eight every time. The experience was awesome and well worth the hefty check.
Visiting Black Woods in late January of this year during our visit with a party of ten, wow — how things had changed. The service was iffy at best with cocktail glasses and coffee cups sitting empty for far too long. We had to continually ask for glasses and cups to be refilled.
Surprisingly, it was a slow night for this restaurant — most of the tables around us were vacant.
During the salad course, more dressing by all was requested. When the entrees arrived, those who had baked potatoes had to request new ones as theirs were too shriveled or had serious dark spots in them. Those who had ordered steak found it overcooked but were uncomfortable sending their plates back to the kitchen.
Definitely not what you would expect from a seemingly high-​end establishment.
We had to repeatedly ask for steak sauce and refills on drinks. It was not the same kind of lovely experience we’d had while dining out at the Black Woods a few years ago.
We’ve heard from those who live in the Duluth area that the Black Woods has declined considerably over the years. The management needs to assess these issues with service and quality of food. When we visit again in the Duluth area, we won’t be taking our family and friends to the Black Woods, I’m sorry to say.
PS: Katie M. business owner of Black Woods… please don’t insult us with your standard copy and paste response as I’ve seen you do on all the other reviews. I work in the online website business. If you’re going to respond, make it personal. Give these people who review Black Woods something meaningful and proactive like: «Please come in again and we’ll take 50 percent off your dinner bill.» Otherwise, all you are doing is acting like a robot and they aren’t going to be impressed at all with that. Seriously. Give them something more than a limp apology. It will encourage them to return and help Black Woods profit margin in the long run.

The food was amazing, but We went on Valentine’s Day, with no reservations so expected a wait. Well they told us an hour wait, an hour and a half later we finally got seated. The service was far and few in between from there. I believe they were under staffed. Our waitress did a decent job of staying positive. But t would be nice if they would over estimate wait time instead of underestimating to make people stay.

Slooooow. Waitress had no interest in helping us. Two 3 year olds with and it took nearly an hour to get food.

Like a previous post, Blackwoods is ok. It is one of the closest restaurants to our house, so my wife and I go frequently. I have found a go to dish for myself — the salmon sandwich and sweet potato fries. Consistently pretty good. The salmon isn’t over cooked and nicely flavored. My wife has a salad that she likes but has yet to find other consistently good dishes.
It is reasonably priced and overall has a pleasing atmosphere. I don’t think you’ll say it is great, but most of the food is good. It is a bit disappointing to me because I think it could be great with some menu tweaking and by upping the quality of their cocktails. It is a cool structure and the interior is warm dark wood. The bar is very nice. But the food and drinks don’t quite live up to the location and the setting.

Last night we learned the hard way, if the parking lot is full, just go elsewhere. We were told that it would be a 40 minute wait for a table for 2 on a Thursday night. We decided to have drinks and appetizers, maybe even dinner inside the bar area. The service at the bar was terrible. We had an order of seared ahi tuna which was not only skimpy, it was barely seared and definitely not seasoned. We got a table and a server brought our drinks and appetizer since our server was very busy. We then waited, and waited, and waited. There was a table of approximately 16 sitting across from us who were also waiting forever after they had finished their appetizers. We were told the service was slow because there was a group of 40 that was being served. We eventually got our entrees and no bread was offered. We left after a very uncomfortable evening which was supposed to be my birthday celebration dinner. The restaurant should just close the restaurant down for groups instead of giving such poor service to its regular customers. The manager was fully aware of the situation since we saw several other tables complaining. He didn’t even offer apologies or dessert to make up for the terrible service. I don’t think I will return here, much less recommend this restaurant.

Get the fig and fromage flatbread! I’m obsessed! I get it nearly every time! Also the Lake Superior White Fish is another favorite. Not just good food, but always a great experience. Best staff around!

My boyfriend and I stopped here on our way home from camping. The food was excellent but the service was slow. We ordered a round of drinks and the first ones came quick but after that we waited for a long time to get anything. A family of 6 that was seated after us was served and out of there before we were, same waitress too. Overall a good place. Just don’t go if you’re trying to be done by a certain time.

Just the facts — female business traveler. Sat at bar. Bartender pleasant but not overly accomodating. Only two other gentleman at the bar. Not able to get the Wild (hockey) game at tv’s behind bar. (this didn’t matter to me as I don’t follow the Wild). Screaming child in bar. Had 600 calorie Walleye dinner — ok but nothing special. Given that I stayed at the Hampton Inn on Lake St., I was disappointed that I made the effort to leave the «touristy» area to seek out a «local» spot. I might as well have stayed by the water. Next time I will.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the food and drinks here. I went with three over two stars because our server Ashley was fantastic and treated our kids wonderfully.
My wife and I started by ordering grey goose dirty martini’s. Which I think is pretty hard to do wrong, but what we got was watered down rail vodka, not even a hint of vermouth or olive juice. They came garnished with one sad olive each, sunk at the bottom rather than skewered. I thought about sending it back but decided to just finish it and try something else. The second cocktail was a hit, from their signature line. A ‘mad men bourbon cocktail’ (horrible name) was quite good. Garnished perfectly with cinnamon on top (not blended in) gave you a nice whiff of the pungent spice in our nose that went great with the fruity citrusy concoction. A hint more bourbon would have made it even better, but all in all I enjoyed it.
On to dinner, I thought I’d try the prime rib. It’s available only on Friday and Saturday and figured I’d go for it. Long story short, it wasn’t great. It was advertised as salt crusted and with fresh horseradish. It had neither. I asked for the horseradish, but got only ‘creamy’ horseradish which was kind of disappointing. The baked potato was good, but hard to screw that up. The green beans were a bit over cooked and bland. My kids each did something of the kids menu and we’re all excited about the build your own sundae’s that came with. There was a small tray filled with an assortment of sprinkles that went over well with them :).
Id go back, but might stick to a steak or the rotisserie chicken that smelled so good.

Backwoods is a comfortable, safe, local chain. I often use their takeout when I want better than average takeout. They’ll bring it right to your car.
The prime rib is always predictable and tasty. Get it medium rare. The rotisserie chicken is actually great, best in town The walleye is decent and maple planked salmon a goto option. Choose garlic mashed or baked. Crab cakes appetizers are very good and the popovers are a treat.
This is not fine dining but is way better than average. You’ll like the mixed drinks (especially the purple ones) and desserts. Blackwoods is a fine local option for solid, easy to handle, American food. You won’t be disappointed. It won’t push your foodie buttons.

Black Woods is ok. It is generally quite crowded when I have been there and there is usually a wait to get a table. So, it must be pretty popular. The restaurant has a clean appearance inside, but most of the time feels dark and crowded.
I usually have a tough time deciding what to order from the menu. After eating there several times and not being too impressed with my meals, the choices for meals that look appetizing is becoming limited.
On my most recent visit to Black Woods, I noticed they added some new courses to the menu. So, I was looking forward to trying something new.
I decided to go with the «Spicy Veggie Lasagna.» The menu describes this dish as «Layers of eggplant, roasted red peppers, brussel sprouts, onion, tomatoes, Ricotta cheese, our spicy red sauce and baked with fresh mozzarella cheese.» I have ordered Veggie Lasagna at other eating establishments that contained «layers of eggplant,» only to learn, upon biting into it, that it had absolutely no noodles in it… which was really a disappointment. These other restaurants replaced the noodles in their lasagna with the eggplant. So, I made sure to ask our server prior to placing my order, and fortunately, she assured me that it definitely contains noodles.
The Spicy Veggie Lasagna was actually quite good. It did have a hint of spice to it, but I wouldn’t consider it full on spicy. The flavor was very good and the lasagna contained all sorts of good vegetables. I am glad that I have at least found one tasty option if I find myself dining at Black Woods again. Although, there was one or two other new dishes that looked like they might be ok too, so maybe I would have to try something new.

How on earth does this place stay in business? The service is beyond slow, the fries are cold and soggy cardboard, the fish is drenched in salt, the wine is from «half pour Sundays», the lemon and asparagus were shriveled and Stevie Wonder could see its mostly store-​bought. Also, can we lose the 1990’s pop music? Nobody wants to listen to Alanis Morissette, other than the general manager evidently. That is, the general manager who also likes for everybody to be forced to watch «americas got talent».
Go to Burger King. I want my money back.

Happy Hour specials in the bar are a good deal. Be prepared to pay $ 8 for a kids meal. I like their Bulldog Bites and coconut shrimp. Don’t get Angie’s pasta. The scallops are tiny and the pasta swims in oil.

My mom turned 50 recently and I decided to throw her a surprise party and chose Black Woods for the location. They were extremely helpful over the phone when I had any questions. When I got there early for the party, they were so helpful with making sure we surprised her and making sure I had everything I needed.
She was surprised and after that the party went flawlessly. They were very accommodating about allowing people to order off the pre-​selected menu by myself. My family is a bunch of picky eaters so it was amazing! They refused my help with cutting and serving the cake telling me to enjoy the party.
There was a small hiccup during the party, there was a huge thunderstorm and one of the outlets was dripping water. They were extremely professional about it and handled the issue quickly and quietly.
Even when we were leaving they helped me out by getting me smaller to go boxes for the leftover cake so that we didn’t have to carry the big box out.
Thank you so much Black Woods for making my mom’s party special!!!

Food/​menu slowly going down while prices go up. Staff is always very courteous and friendly. Happy hour isn’t bad… dinner isn’t worth waiting for.

I recently booked a post-​wedding Champagne send off on the private patio at Blackwoods Duluth. I was an out-​of-​state Greysolon (another location of theirs) bride, and we thought it would be a nice touch to have a final get-​together with all of our out of town guests. Not only was I taken care of with excellent customer service before we arrived, but the unthinkable happened the evening we arrived and all the staff handled it flawlessly.
A thunderstorm hit Duluth and knocked out all the power in the area of Blackwoods on the Lake about ten minutes after our party of 30 had arrived. Luckily we were on the patio with a lot of natural light and already had our champagne, but none of our food had arrived yet. Since there was no power to the restaurant we couldn’t get the appetizers we originally ordered. The chef and server and manager all acted quickly to consult with me and my new husband. Within 20 minutes we had a fabulous spread of smoked salmon/​swiss almond cheese, roast beef sandwiches, Caesar salad, fruit and cheese/​crackers. It was absolutely more than we bargained for, but it made for a very memorable party!
We really enjoyed our time, and it wasn’t until we all had to walk out through the very dark restaurant that we truly realized how lucky we were to have chosen Blackwoods! THANK YOU FOR MAKING A GREAT MEMORY ON OUR WEDDING WEEKEND!

On your way back from the Northshore out of the corner of your eye before you get back on 35, you’ll notice this huge restaurant. Take the curve on the right, pull up, and have this be your meal before driving back to the Twin Cities. It’s a gorgeous place with a view of the lake. Even when it’s dismal it’s gorgeous. I had the bourbon beef tips. Since I don’t drink, this is the only way I get my booze. It was delicious. So was my husband’s steak, but I was totally satisfied with my tips. Thank God for the huge parking lot, since it’s a very popular place.