Trail Center At Poplar Lake - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Very friendly place (and has gasoline and a gas station).

Absolutely love the food. Good service good everything. I friend from ten years recommended this place and I am happy I finally got to eat here. My waitress Laney was such a good server I love her

Amazing food, great service. 10/10

Outstanding food. Great atmosphere. Very enjoyable 😉

Stopped here by chance on our motorcycle ride. Loved the ambience and decor of this rustic restaurant and store. It fits right into the gunflint rail. Food was great and so was the service. Highly recommed stopping here on your travels.

It was recommended to us to eat here while on the Gunflint Trail. We stopped in for dinner and it was delicious! We had the Fried Walleye and the roast beef sub with a horseradish base sauce. Definitely will stop there again!

The food, the Jalapeño n’ cream cheese burger and fries, including the rhubarb milkshake was fantastic and filling, I could go there just to dip the fries into the milkshake for a hot n’ humid, bug ridden day to relax indoors with the awesome, wonderful and personable staff. I’ve never had Grain Belt beer either, and even that was delicious! I especially love the fact that they cater to the betterment of indigenous peoples providing them with a work program through One Spirit Lakota, as well as working on improving housing shortages for local residents of the local workforce via Hamilton Habitat. So whenever you get a chance, drop in and support your local community and businesses to better support the rest of the community. Thank you for all that you do and keep up the fantastic work!

My fish & chips was the best I’ve had in recent memory. Decor is eclectic. Service is quick

This place and its owner saved my friends and I. Out of respect for her privacy, I won’t state her name, but our traveling trio owe her lots that night. Our car broke down on Hungry Jack trail and a good Samaratian gave us a ride here. We were able to get some food in our bellies and the owner helped us find a tow company. She was kind enough to let us hang out even after she closed and stuck around with us until the tow truck came. She even went beyond that and gave us her phone number and said if we couldn’t find a hotel room, she would give us a place to sleep for the night. When I offered her a little compensation for the help she stated she didn’t want our money. Ma’am, if you are reading this, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for what you did for three stranded strangers. People like you is what keeps humanity going. As for the food - delicious! Their shakes are sooo good after days out in the woods. The wings were amazing and so was evening else we ate. I highly recommend the restaurant after a long day!

The store, the restaurant, the lodging, the people are all top notch! Love this place! As soon as I get there, I'm always planning my next trip there. :-)

Wonderful sandwiches, burgers, soups in an old time classic place.

Wonderful food and service. The waitress made it an experience (fun, great) I won't forget. I recommend the italian sausage sandwich.

A must stop if you are traveling on the Gunflint. Very friendly service! Great food and fun/historic atmosphere!

Great spot to stop for a drink and a bit to eat when heading up the Gunflint trail! Love the food and friendly service and atmosphere!

Always make a point to go here when I go up north. Delicious restaurant with both breakfast and dinner menus. Little store if you forgot something for your trip and friendly customer service.

Great little store with a variety of items. Also had a restaurant but I did not eat there. Very friendly staff. Clean restroom.

Cozy restaurant with great food and service.

Every year we stay here at least once. When we stay at Rockwood we always eat here at least once. This is a well run business with a great atmosphere. I treat their property like it's my own and they treat us like family. Easily one of the top 5 places to eat on the North Shore. Well worth the drive from Grand Marais. Fish fry on Friday is fabulous and the battered fried mushrooms are the best appetizer I have ever had. Love their omelettes and hashbrowns perfect. Can't wait to get back!

We have come here before and were pleased with the service and the food. However, today we checked the hours and saw they were supposed to be open, so we made the trek from Bluefin Bay only to find they were closed on a Saturday at 5pm. If you aren't going to be open, please update your hours and utilize an answering machine or voicemail with updated hours. We wasted over two hours coming trying to come here for dinner. Bummed and irritated.

Came here for food after being in the woods for a few days and immediately greeted by a gentleman unloading wood. He was called in to the store for assistance and happily shared stories with us of moose sightings. We were sat down by an amazingly kind woman. Can’t remember her name, maybe Alex? Blue hair. She had a great smile and amazing attitude. We had a roast beef sandwich and poutine burger. Both were delicious. The atmosphere was very inviting. Service was great. Facilities clean. And food delicious. Highly recommend!

Best place to eat in Grand Marais! Friday fish fry is amazing! Awesome staff and service! Denise is the best!!!!

Great breakfast, and service was delightful!

Always great food, dining in or take out. Nice small grocery with tasty treats and staples, plus their own line of dried meals for camping.

Fantastic food and great service. If I had more room in my tummy I would try one of their shakes. They looked fabulous. I had the portobello mushrooms and PLL (roast beef sandwich). Super good and great service.

Cute place, lots of charm and great food. East stop on your way out of the BWCA/ Quetico.

We ate at the restaurant and did a little shopping in the store. We loved it.

Great breakfast! Try the homemade pop-tarts if they have em. Really good!

Stayed in Motel 3 the night before a winter BWCA trip in February 2023. Excellent, warm room with comfy beds. Amazing breakfast the next morning at the restaurant made for a great start to our trip. Highly recommended!

Amazing place for a dog sled checkin. Way over over populated with mushers and fans; and the restaurant was very kind, patient, slammed with people And we had a great time. Got to sit with strangers with we always recommend. We met some wonderful people who we saw at the next stops too!

Malts: 10/10 Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Staff: 11/10

Great food and awesome shakes.

Allways a good place for lunch.

Trail Center is an absolute staple of the Gunflint, a must go for at least one of your meals if not more while you're on the Trail. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all great, the up-north atmosphere is top of the line, and don't forget to buy a couple bags of Camp Chow for your next trip into the BWCA. Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said, check it out!

Food and service are always great. We usually make it up once a year and have always had great food. Love their burgers but had steak special this time and was the best Ribeye I have ever had. Also if you get a chance to eat there always do a malt also!!!

Wonderful food, fantastic and personable staff, excellent gift shop. Any time I'm near Grand Marais, I always make a point of taking a gorgeous half hour drive up the Gun Flint Trail to stop here.

We stop for breakfast everytime on our way home just to get the biscuits and gravy! So yummy!

I and a friend stayed in cabin 1 in July, and I and my wife stayed in cabin 2 in august. If I had it to do over again, I would in a flash! Our camping group has been stopping there for years and will continue to do so. What a great place to visit and stay. The rooms were excellent and were well kept and CLEAN. I feel bad that I found the visitors journal on our last day just before we left. Seek it out and leave a note, they are interesting to read. As a final note, if you are taller than 5' 6" be careful of the doorway in cabin 1(Har Har). See attached picture, I'm 6'4". Thank you again...

If we are at Grand Marais, we always make it a point to visit this Trail Center Restaurant. Reason: Simple, flavorful meals for vegetarians and meatatarians and alike. Kids love it and so do the adults. I especially love their Veg Black Bean burger. It is cooked to perfection - not like the burnt black burgers they serve in the name of veg burgers. Not the horrendous and tasteless Impossible patty. Flavorful, perfectly seasoned burger! And as a vegetarian, trust me - it is such a welcome break to finally get a decent burger that you relish with every bite! Kudos to the chef for serving yummylicious food. Their Parmesan Pasta is a delight too! This place is welcoming to one and all! If you are in and around Grand Marais, be sure to dine in here!

A friend recommended we stop here during our BWCAW trip and we were so impressed. We went twice and enjoyed delicious fish fry, burgers, malts, beer, home cooked meals. They also have the low staffing issue well organized and many restaurants can learn from them! We enjoyed the gift shop very much and got some tasty dried meals for our next wilderness trip in 2023. Keep up the great work. Cannot wait to return.

Best food on the gunflint trail, best burger in Cook County! Prices are much more reasonable than nearby restaurants, and the service is good. Bull Moose Burger was a Godsend after a trip in the BWCA

Stopped at this location to have there big cheese burger and fries after living in the BWCA for a week.

An unexpected gem overlooking Poplar Lake right off the Gunflint Trail. Friendly efficient staff. We had burgers, fish, chicken wrap and chowder. Everyone was pleased with their selections.

Friendly staff reasonably priced for in no where

Best cheese curds, great fries, and cold Moose Head beer. Always a stopping place. Service is great.

Malts were very delicious. The back porch view of the lake was very pretty.

Love this place. By the 2nd or 3rd time you visit, whether it be the little market they have or restaurant, the staff treats you like family. We stayed 10 minutes south at a campground. We frequently stopped here for supplies, a good meal, and some local advice. The free WIFI is a plus when there isn’t service in the area. Will return! Thanks for making our trip memorable!

I loved it i had the fries and bul moose burger which had bacon, cheese, beef patty, and a sauce of BBQ sauce.

Malts when you’ve just come out of the Boundary Waters hit different

Meh, parking was crazy, restaurant had a fun sign but some people that knew the staff were getting tables without anyone leaving🤷 Ended up not eating there

Best shakes and malts. Food is wonderful. Rustic style is very comforting. Cabins are cozy. Fishing is awesome. Dont reccomend swimming, as the lake is filled with leeches. Amazing service and great gift shop ;)

Nice drive, great food and malts

Real "up North" out in the woods feel and good food. But look at the photos. You can see shower curtains from the ceiling from when they were in full-on Covid nutter mode. Not sure if they've found a way to calm down yet, so be prepared for a side of neurosis with your walleye just in case they haven't.

Staff was friendly, food was amazing! It's been a few weeks since we've been there and my significant other and I keep talked about the fish fry!

It was awesome as usual!! Food was excellent along with wait staff and the cook!!! If you are in the area please stop in. Excellent menu items, all out of this world!!

My favorite place to visit on the Gunflint Trail. Great people, terrific food and service. Wish I could visit more often!

Food was great and the people were friendly.

Love their selection of soup mixes!

The nicest people and AMAZING food. If you are around here it’s a must stop. For breakfast add a side of the best sausage gravy in the world you won’t regrets it. I can not rave enough!

Really amazing service, accepted our furbaby with love & cuddles - I recommend coming here for almost if not all of your every need. They’ve got great food, service & very timely on everything - even humor! 10 star rating from this furry family!

Great food in the restaurant, pack dried huge selections, groceries and misc.

We stayed just up the road so this was a great place to stop for several meals as there is not much else around. But it did not disappoint as the food was excellent and the atmosphere fun. For breakfast one morning our son ordered a pancake which was enormous! Very fun and delicious.

Delicious, consistent food with a fun vibe.

Best breakfast on the gunflint! Great staff

We have been coming to the Trail Center for years now. Never disappointed! Food is amazing...breakfast, lunch & dinner! Staff is always friendly & love to hear your stories of the Trail, and may share a few of their own. Can't wait to go back in the fall!

Great food! Always a stop after a trip into the BWCA

Great service, great food. Loved the fish sandwich!

The food was good as usual and fast friendly service

Fun experience of indoor dining or take-out. Handmade food, malts, shakes, sundaes. Generous portions, you'll be satisfied, it's worth the drive!

The best Rhubarb shakes! Please keep them on your menu. Also great root beer floats.

I was mad that I drove by it so many times without stopping. I didn't realize it was a restaurant and gift shop type store. But eventually found that they have absolutely amazing food and the people were great. I recommend you try the shrimp!

Always great food and super service.

Great place to stop along the Gunflint Trail. Small store with a lot of food and a place to grab the stuff you forgot to pack for your camping trip. Really nice rustic restaurant with great service and excellent food if you want to get a cooked meal before, during or at the end of your time up north. Highly recommend!

The chilli, wild rice and pulled beef were all quite good. We will be going back for another meal

Absolutely beautiful area and stop!

Great food, great malts, cold beer, cool atmosphere!

As always the food was great, slight wait for table, during the dinner hours that is to be expected. Not quite back to pre-Covid procedures but getting close.

Malts are to die for! Friendly staff and worth the stop.

I've never had a meal that wasn't great here. On the way in our out of the Boundary Waters, it's always delicious. Service is friendly. Prices are reasonable for food; the store is priced like it's the last place you can get those last minute supplies you forgot, but hey, you're the one who forgot them, right?

Best breakfast on the Gunflint! The pancakes are homemade and ginourmous, so delicious! I recommend adding blueberries. Hashbrowns are perfectly seasoned and cooked, yum! And more! Great coffee too! The staff is so fun and entertaining, they helped get our days started off in a great mood. The seating is wonderful - inside, porch or outside. So much to look at and beautiful scenery. We only did breakfast daily there and I wouldn't have wanted to eat my breakfast anywhere else. We already miss those good eats we were spoiled with!

My wife had the Bull Moose Burger and said it was great and the Fungus Sandwich was incredible!

We had a great time. Food was great! They also had malts that will keep you coming back for more. We had fun looking through the gift shop/store.

Great environment and food! We ordered the walleye dinner and it was fantastic. Quick and attentive service.

Not impressed with the bacon cheeseburger or the Henry Jenny. Pre-formed hamburger patty straight from the Sisco or ulf truck.. Used to be my favorite place on the gunflint.

The itialian sausage sandwich 🥪 was awesome pit pie was awesome also

Great food. Friendly people. Nice rooms. A little pricey, but the chicken and wild rice soup is so worth it.

Very good food...friendly staff...would recommend this place if your looking for a good breakfast

Ate dinner and lunch while staying in the area. Good homestyle meals, friendly service on the lake. One of my favorites.

Great food and service. Very friendly staff.

Best place for a bite to eat on the gunflint.

Really good really really good.

Great place to pause before reentry to civilization after a BWCAW trip. Beer list is comprehensive, menu offerings are savory.

Great environment and great food!! Always!! NB

Great burgers. Folks are super friendly.

Great food and service. It's my happy place!

Such good food, I've decided to work here in order to eat more of it

A great place to eat out when you’re in the Gunflint area. I would recommend the Friday night special fish and chips and they also have a variety of malts to choose from that are pretty good.

Awesome place, can't wait to check it out in the summer. Extremely friendly staff too! Thanks for talking us into curds with that honey and jalapeños dip! Must stop at heading up the gun flint!

They are doing a great job with food, in spite is all the Covid restrictions. The 'take out option is great, but dining in is even better. Some of the best food on the trail! Don't forget to enjoy a milkshake or malt. Staff is friendly & fun. Always a must stop for any meal!

Good food and very rustic charming place in the middle of nowhere!

Wonderful food! Love the way they have a variety of outdoor seating. Inside a huge heated tent there are 3 big tables. Outside there are numerous small tables. They also have drive up service on the side facing the road. You can place your order at the counter in front of your vehicle. Your food is brought out to you and you can sit at the counter to eat, eat in your vehicle or take it with you. The service is still top notch and the food....well it's definitely worth driving there!!