Irma's Kitchen - Brainerd

Great experience at Cragun’s until we came to this place. Our first experience we walked in with a larger party right before happy hour was over to order a drink and something for the kids to eat and they gave us dirty looks and asked if we have a reservation.the bar had 3 tables with guests. The server Ellie finally took our order and she seemed annoyed with us until she realized we were ordering some expensive drinks then she was fine.should have learned our lesson. We came back later in the evening for a few drinks(adults only). The best way I can put it is if you want to pay $10-15 bucks for 1/2 once pours then this is your place. I did finally ask the bartender to at least make my $12 drink with a shotglass and she lost it. Her manager Mellissa handled it worse than I will post here and should not work here. Guess it is hard to find good employees and I need to lower my standards. Everyone at this restaurant seems to be miserable at work.

We were blown away by the quality of our food and experience the first night we dined here during our stay at Cragun’s. Everything was perfect, tasty, and priced right. The pot roast was the best I’ve ever had. We came back the next day for happy hour and then back for dinner and everything was perfect, once again. Compared to neighboring resort dining options, this place was definitely up to par and ended up being our favorite spot in the area.

Work in-progress... Over the last few years since they renamed and remodeled the place some things have improved. It's a super nice restaurant, excelent location on the lake with public docking, inside and outside seating, etc. However, this place is empty even during peak lunch/dinner hours and there are reasons why. Service is lacking, especially in speed of anything. It took the bartender, I am not joking, over 30 minutes to make two cocktails and find a can of beer. Apparently it was his first time making both of the cocktails my brother-in-law ordered, that was on their cocktail menu, and then asked us if it looked right LOL. It's not his fault though, he should have been trained properly, but it was obvious that they didn't. We stopped in for dinner as well. Again, the service was very slow, but we were prepared for that. Our waitress disappeared for about 20 minutes and we had to go up to the bar to ask for some silverware. There were a couple bigger groups there, but otherwise very empty. The food came out quicker than we anticipated, but still much slower than most other residents. The food was actually really good, huge improvement over previous years, a step in the right direction. You can no longer use the excuse that you can't find staff when every other place on the lake, like Bar Harbor, Zorbaz, Earnies, all the restaurants at Grandview Lodge, etc. have great knowledgeable/friendly staff and service. It all starts with the right management and training of the staff. It could be such a nice spot.

First time trying this place as a cabin-resident in 20 years since my family has been up here. A little bit sentimental, but tbh, in all the restaurant called, “Ivens on the Bay” off 371 that we worshiped as customers closed. However, THE SON OF THE CHEF SO FAMOUS FOR ENABLING MY IVENS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES works here, and will give you the heart-warming meal that brings me back to childhood. I love you all, especially you, chef!

We had the best food during our 2 weeks summer holidays. The ambience on the outdoor terrace was great. The service was excellent. The food was the kind of food you constantly think about and tell everyone you're running about it. Literally each dish, including the children Mac and cheese at a higher level. The Walleye was the best Walleye meal I had in the Brainerd Lakes area. My wife had the pot roast and couldn't stop it. Everything was perfectly prepared and the flavors were amazing. We took our boat and used the restaurant dock. If you have a boat on Gull Lake, GO HERE. If you have a car near Gull Lake, GO HERE. If you have a seaplane in the northern MN, land on Gull Lake and GO HERE.