Pickwick Restaurant & Pub

Had the lake trout w/​wild rice and zucchini. The fish was perfect. Great room and atmosphere. Nice selection of local beers and memorable view of Lake Superior.

All downhill. Bad, just don’t go. It al started with the service. Not sure if our waitress was new but it wasn’t that busy and she was inattentive. I ordered the tenderloin tidbits and there were probably 6 pieces, came out cold and dried out, so I sent back. My father in law got the tenderloin tidbit appetizer and he had a full size dinner portion. Nobody thought we’d ever go back.

Let me start off by saying I’ve never felt compelled to ever review a restaurant, good or bad, until now.
I went to Pickwick after a day of hiking 15+ miles through the Duluth area’s hilly terrain. Needless to say, I was hungry — almost any food would do.
I decided on Pickwick and ordered the rack of ribs — what a disaster.
They were served luke-​warm — the congealed BBQ sauce gave that away before even touching them. Since I was hungry and didn’t want to wait for a new order to be made I decided, «what the heck, I’m hungry» and dug in without complaining. After the first room-​temperature bite I knew I made a huge mistake. Have you ever bought frozen pre-​cooked ribs from the grocery store? These are the EXACT SAME. The cut of meat is mediocre at best. I found myself gagging to swallow each sinewed bite.
Not only was the cut bad, the chef literally dumped an entire bottle of BBQ sauce on top of the ribs (probably an attempt to trick me into not focusing on the terrible meat quality). I typically over-​sauce things to the point of disgusting the people around me but this was so egregious that I had to scrape all of it off to even attempt eating them. I wish I had a photo of the pool of BBQ sauce covering half my plate.
The best thing about my meal was the baked potato. I won’t be back, and next time my friends ask for a dinner recommendation in the Duluth area, I’ll tell them to stay away from Pickwick.

Pickwick used to be something great. There was a nice, semi formal atmosphere and the food was fantastic. Since they’ve reopened I have been there a handful of times and have left a little disappointed with the new changes.
The menu is unrealistically expensive for the quality of food that you receive. Upon my last visit I got a Caesar salad with chicken for $ 14 and it was the size of a side salad on a large plate. If I ever do that again I’m just going to go to the gas station and get a prepackaged salad for $ 5. What a rip.

Enjoyed out meal the other night. Been dining here for 40 years. Had the sauted walleye. Very good. Garlic mashed potatoes nothing special. Bread good. Onion rings very very good. Someone had prime rub and I had a bite. Excellent. Glad that we went.

On Sunday while in Duluth Minnesota we decided to eat at one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Pickwicks which is known for the steaks I ordered the ribeye which was highly recommended by our server, my girlfriend ordered the cob salad. The cob salad was very good The ribeye steak came out well done when I ordered it medium rare but they quickly fix the problem. Overall the food was good the atmosphere was really awesome. I would definitely eat there again.

My parents dined at the Pickwick for years and years and loved it. My take: it’s hugely overrated. This place would never stay in business in the Twin Cities. Although the dark wood on interior walls is gorgeous, the lighting is too dim to really see it. I could only make out the silhouettes of my dinner companions across the table tonight. In the darkness, I was able to discover only 3 berrries in my berry salad and only 2 very small pieces of chicken. At nearly $ 20 for the salad with chicken added, this seems remarkably chintzy! Instead of feeling cheerful after what I’d hoped would be a pleasant dining experience, I left with a distinct sense of annoyance over the bad lighting and rip-​off prices. My advice is to spend your money elsewhere, folks.

We stopped here to eat on July 3^rd. It was really disappointing that at 2:30 in the afternoon they were already out of their lunch special (which they serve weekly and until 4 p.m.). I would have thought on a holiday weekend they would have planned for more business. Also, we sat outside, which is just a blocked off part of the parking lot, so there is absolutely no ambiance. There was a delivery truck idling in the parking lot just below this place, so we were breathing diesel fumes for about 10 minutes, and then just as our food arrived, a GARBAGE truck arrived at the same restaurant just behind/​below them. Kind of nauseating. The food was average. I really don’t think I will return to this place when I am ever in Duluth again…

As an out of towner this place looked like the classic Duluth micro brewery experience with adjacent shopping in the same waterfront building. The Big Boat Stout is excellent. The burgers were good but a little to well done. Onion rings some of the finest and well worth the upgrade. Chocolate cake dessert a massive display of chocolate and perfect to share. Despite being a little dry it disappeared quickly. Overall I recommend this local flavor experience.

Sorry I clicked into wrong place and i can’t delete it

When I first looked the reviews were mostly about the pub part. Tonight we ate on the dinner side food was great. Service was great. Food and service timed perfectly. Small but beautiful view of Lake Superior. Felt treated like real person. Cocktails also good.

I’m departing from my usual criteria – normally I’m all about the food and ho-​hum about the atmosphere. Maybe because I’ve been coming here since the 1970s I’m really glad the Pickwick is open again. I love the dark wood, the worn quarter-​sawn oak tables, the artwork, and the lake views. New owners have given the place a nice update without compromising the feel of the old place. Five stars for that!
The food varied from really good to forgettable. I started my meal with a cup of New England clam chowder. Wow! Tons of clams, big chunks of potato, and very flavorful. Our waitress brought out a basket of fabulous bread – crispy, tender crust on the outside, soft and flavorful inside. Positively addictive.
My husband ordered a salmon cake sandwich that came with sprouts and a LOT of avocado. I tasted it, it was excellent. I ordered a smallish sirloin that was just lacking something. Maybe flavor. I just wanted more char, more juice, something. We both had fries on the side. They were good but I’ve had better. Three stars for the food.
Service was fine, not outstanding. I see room for improvement but am willing to try one of the many sandwiches back on the menu.

Ate there one night with my husband after driving all day. The steak was amazing! I would definitely eat there again. Was a good end to a long day.

Never hand a bad meal from here. I recommend the onion rings as they are huge!
I’ve tried the fish, burgers, Italian sandwich and French dip were all super good and I can’t wait to dine here the next time I’m in town.
Their food is very good! The restaurant has changed in recent years which I am glad they have. It’s a great place that is very clean and true to their roots.

Early dinner/​late lunch today, and I was pleasantly impressed.
First, the atmosphere is just great. The dining room behind the «pub» is beautiful, with all of the oak woodwork. Love the call buttons on the walls; too bad they don’t work.
Service: our server was by herself!!! She had a helper/​bus girl, but she was so overwhelmed with 5 – 6 tables of diners. Everything was fine, but we had quite a wait for the check so we could leave.
Food: I had the salmon and sauteed zucchini/​yellow squash side with onion rings. The salmon was cooked to perfection, the sauté was just right, and the onion rings were yummy! Hubby had the tenderloin pasta and he cleaned his plate and scraped up the sauce with the last of the bread!
Today’s special dessert was peach cobbler. I’m from the South, I KNOW peach cobbler. This was not a real peach cobbler, it was a lot of pastry with very few peaches, and I swear that the peaches were reconstituted dried peaches; they did not taste like the fresh peaches that were advertised.
Only major complaint: WHY IN THE HELL do restaurants insist upon serving hard crunchy bread? Those of us with «store-​bought» teeth have troubles with the ciabatta bread. Soft yeast rolls would be much preferred.
The helper was good about keeping beverages full and dishes removed.
AND THE VIEW IS TERRIFIC!!!

This place is so underrated. I almost didn’t even try it for the so so reviews but decided that a 100 year old eatery deserves a visit at least once, even if mediocre food and service are to be expected. Well, wasn’t I surprised when the service was prompt and friendly and the food was fantastic!
Tenderloin pasta, chowder, pesto sandwich and fried walleye were all delicious. Not decent– delicious. And the place is just gorgeous. Yes, as other reviews have stated, the interior is dark. Walls and ceilings adorned with ornately carved rich dark woods will do that to a place. It was the style of the period, the Victorian influence of the late 1800’s. There is hand painted wall art over 100 years old in the Dutch room and photos and menus of the place from the beginning hanging in the hallway. It’s kind of like being in a museum. Very cool.
Don’t pass this one up! Haters gonna hate! It’s been around a 100 years, they have to be doing something right. And yes, I’m aware that ownership changed 5 years ago. I don’t know what it was like before but based on the menus hanging in the hallway dating back through the decades, the menu has always changed and new things have been brought in and dropped off throughout the history of the place. The interior is still true to the original space. You can see that just from the photos. So give it a try!

After walking the lakefront, we stopped here for appetizers and drinks. As I checked in on Unilocal,I saw some of the 2-​star reviews and was a little hesitant. Fortunately, we had a good experience with the service and food quality. Our food and drinks arrived quickly and everything was excellent, especially the walleye fingers and sauerkraut/​sausage plate with cheese. There are tables with beautiful views of the lake, but they were filled with other patrons.

My grandparents and mother dined here in the 50s and 60s, my parents had their wedding reception here in 1973, and dined at the Pickwick as a child and an adult. All was great and I planned to someday bring my kids here… then things changed. The Pickwick changed hands, orchids began adorning the plates, the entrance to the pub was shut off, salad dressings stopped coming to the table in tripod carriers that enticed both eyes and palates, and a legacy ended.
I don’t need fancy, trendy menu offerings. The Pickwick is a steakhouse. Ok, have a vegetarian offering here and there (I’ve changed, too). But, stick to a few traditional favorites and do them well.

BEAUTIFUL view Lake Superior. Very cool looking interior, I think they even had an old style cask in the bar!
The food didn’t taste fresh, and the service was terrible. Food was way overpriced. The inside felt dirty. As cool of a view as they have of the Lake, I wouldn’t go back even if it was just for drinks.

Out of the 8 people at our table 2 got their order correct. The food was not well displayed or prepared. The menu was also inaccurate which made a couple of our plates wrong just because we thought we were getting something entirely different. My pasta dish ($ 22) was supposed to be fresh veggies including zucchini and other seasonal veggies with grilled chicken. I counted 6 small cubes of chicken and I got canned peas and a couple pieces of onion tossed in with some spaghetti noodles.
For the price we paid — not impressed.
Atmosphere was nice — but a little chilly.
Waitress was a very sweet girl who we felt very badly for as she had to apologize to nearly every table about their food.