12 Best Restaurants by a Body of Water near Forest Lake, MN
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LOOKING FOR THE BEST RESTAURANTS BY A BODY OF WATER NEAR FOREST LAKE, MN?!
Growing up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, I took the abundance of lakes for granted. Now that I live in the desert, I almost crave being close to a lake. They’re refreshing after a hot summer day, are beautiful to be around, and simply make me feel grounded.
Being near so many lakes offers many different advantages. One, of course, is the ability to enjoy the lake through activities or relaxation. The other, equally as fun, is taking in the beautiful lake views at a restaurant or bar with your loved ones.
Best Restaurants near Forest Lake, MN by a Body of Water: An Overview
Dining out is always a nice way to get out of the house to enjoy some good food, drinks, and company. In Minnesota, you can take this experience to the next level by finding a restaurant with a great atmosphere that has lake or river views. This post specifically covers twelve fantastic restaurant options by a body of water that are within an hour’s drive of Forest Lake, Minnesota.
Here are all of the restaurants this post will cover, starting from the closest restaurants to Forest Lake and ending with restaurants farthest away.
Best Restaurants near Forest Lake, MN by a Body of Water
Forest Lake, MN doesn’t have a ton of waterfront restaurants, but there are some that you can experience nearby. If you want to dine out for a special occasion outside of Forest Lake, check out the restaurants below in the neighboring cities of White Bear Lake, Stillwater, Hudson, Wayzata, Minnetonka, and Prior Lake! Each restaurant is less than an hour’s drive away.
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Pizza Pub
Pizza Pub is the closest lakefront restaurant because it’s in Forest Lake! It’s located between second and third lake on North Shore Drive. You can take a scenic drive around the lake, admiring beautiful houses and lake views, or in the summertime, you can boat and dock at the restaurant!
Pizza Pub is a family-owned, Minnesota-based pizzeria that started in Pine City in 1976. They make their pizza dough and sauce fresh in-house at the start of every day, and have won the award for “Best House Special” in Minnesota! If you aren’t feeling pizza, there’s no need to worry. Their menu also features American-style appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and other dinner plates.
Acqua Restaurant
The second closest lakefront restaurant near Forest Lake is Aqua Restaurant on the west shore of White Bear Lake. It’s about a twenty-minute drive off of Highway 61. Like Pizza Pub, it’s situated on the lake, so if you’re boating in the summertime, you can opt to boat in instead of drive! Acqua is a classy restaurant that features fine Italian cuisine, and it’s a great place to go for a special occasion.
Acqua has starters, sides, soups, salads, steak, seafood, and mostly Italian entrees. They offer an impressive list of wine, beer, and cocktails to choose from, and have the fun option of a three-course Sunday date night tasting menu! The restaurant has beautiful outdoor patio seating but does not take reservations for outside dining.
Brick & Bourbon
Next up on the list is Brick & Bourbon, a craft bar and eatery located on the riverfront in Stillwater! Stillwater is about a thirty-minute drive from Forest Lake, and if you score some outdoor seating, you’ll get a beautiful Minnesota view of the Stillwater Lift Bridge on the St. Croix River. Their rooftop patio is worth checking out after exploring Stillwater on a summer evening!
Brick and Bourbon has delicious food ranging from fancy shareables to exquisite brunch items to cast iron burgers. You’ll find a mixture of seafood, steak, sandwiches, soups, and more at this restaurant! They also have signature craft and classic cocktails, wine slushies, bottled and draft beer, specialty bourbon, and whiskey drinks.
The Dock Stillwater
The Dock is another fantastic waterfront restaurant in downtown Stillwater. The restaurant has readily available outdoor seating (dogs are welcome!) with comfortable seating, beautiful views, and American cuisine. It’s situated right next to the St. Croix, so even if you get seated inside next to a window, you’ll be sure to take in some nice river views near the Lift Bridge!
The Dock has a nice assembly of menu items, including appetizers, soups and salads, bowls, sandwiches and burgers, steaks, and sides. They offer red, white, and sparkling wine, rosé, cocktails, and beer and seltzers, and have a food and drink happy hour during the week. This restaurant is open year-round, and in the winter, their fireplace gives the room a cozy atmosphere for a dining experience.
Bread and Pickle
If you’re looking to head to the Twin Cities area, head over to Lake Harriet to grab some American fare counter-service food! It’s about a forty-five-minute drive from Forest Lake, but is a great spot to catch up with a friend over a bite to eat! Enjoy your time exploring Lake Harriet and stop at Bread and Pickle afterward to relax on their outdoor patio!
Bread and Pickle serves sustainable picnic foods, local craft beer and wine, and more. Choose between breakfast foods, snacks, treats, sandwiches, burgers, or sides! They have vegetarian options, and treats for the pups, and are open daily until the Fall season. During the warmer months, you can also find events there, like free yoga daily or nightly concerts!
Pier 500
Forest Lake is fairly close to the Wisconsin border, so a little trip to Hudson might be in store for some riverside dining! Pier 500 is close to a 50-minute drive from Forest Lake, situated along the St. Croix and the Lakefront Park. Their outdoor patio has a ton of seating with umbrellas to keep you out of the sun.
Pier 500 serves American fare, but being a Wisconsin restaurant features all the best local cheeses! Their menu has a variety of yummy appetizers, soups, salads, healthy bowls, pasta, tacos, burgers and sandwiches, and entrees. They have rotating featured menu items, many gluten-free items, and mocktails for those who don’t drink! They have a late-night menu as well, as the restaurant is open late into the evening.
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6Smith
Heading west of Minneapolis, there are a handful of great lakefront restaurant options in Wayzata, 6Smith being one of them! Wayzata is about a fifty-minute drive from Forest Lake but is worth the drive for a nice date night out. 6Smith is a relaxed yet classy steak and seafood New American restaurant on Lake Minnetonka.
You can drive or boat to 6Smith and utilize their free parking. Their menus include starters, oysters, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees including white meat, seafood, and prime beef. They do have a small vegan menu, a brunch and happy hour menu, and an extensive list of cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.
Birch’s on the Lake Brewhouse and Supper Club
Birch’s on the Lake is another great restaurant on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata! It’s similar to 6Smith in that it serves seafood and New American cuisine, with an addition of pub-style food to choose from. Birch’s on the Lake Brewhouse and Supper Club is a bit more relaxed, giving off pub vibes mixed with an American-style brewery.
This restaurant has a beautiful brick patio that overlooks Lake Minnetonka. There are many options for food to eat on their lunch, dinner, and brunch menus, ranging from raw seafood, appetizers, flatbreads, sandwiches, and entrees. They also have an extensive cocktail list and mocktail list, and you can even order a THC-infused drink if you’re skipping the alcohol (it’s legal in the state).
CoV Wayzata
CoV Wayzata is a cozy and charming restaurant that serves Coastal American food on Lake Minnetonka’s shore. It’s located on Lake Street, an ideal place to go after you conclude some afternoon shopping to grab a bite to eat and take in the beautiful shoreline views. There is comfortable outdoor seating, and the indoor seating has floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing natural daylight to enter the space.
Choose between starters, sandwiches, salads, entrees, or sides during lunch or dinner, or stop by during happy hour for some discounted drinks. They also have a brunch and sushi menu, allowing many different food options throughout the day. There’s a beautiful dock you can walk down during the summer, and dogs are allowed on the patio.
Lord Fletcher’s Old Lake Lodge
Lord Fletcher’s Old Lake Lodge is an American restaurant in Spring Park on Lake Minnetonka. It’s a ginormous restaurant with three different seating areas: the Wharf, the Oar, and the main dining room. They even have a volleyball court that you can sign up to play at during the summertime! It’s a fun and lively place to dine, especially during the summer months.
If you’re boating on Lake Minnetonka, you can order boat-side pick-up. The restaurant is open late except indoor dining closes earlier. They serve appetizers, sandwiches and burgers, burgers, bowls, and desserts. They have weekly specials, live music and events, and an extremely long list of alcoholic beverages.
Maynards
Maynards is a great place to dine if you’d like to check out the dainty and cute town of Excelsior. My grandparents have lived in Excelsior for the majority of their adult lives, and I spent many days strolling along the cobblestone streets and playing in my grandmother’s bookstore. Maynards is a family favorite, and I’m sure that you’d love it, too!
Excelsior is about an hour away from Forest Lake but is worth checking out at least once. Maynards has a large outdoor patio that’s great for families, but you can get great lake views from inside, too. There are docks you can walk with boats just outside the restaurant that is fascinating to check out after or before eating, and they also have corn hole toss set out in the summertime.
Maynards serves upscale American cuisine. Their menu includes appetizers, salads, burgers, bowls, entrees, sandwiches, and burgers. It’s reasonably priced, and I always thought the food tasted pretty delicious! They do offer a few gluten-free and vegetarian options, too.
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Charlies on Prior
Last, but certainly not least, we have Charlie’s on Prior, located in – you guessed it – Prior Lake! It’s a casual restaurant featuring American cuisine and beverages with an outdoor patio. The restaurant has beautiful marina views off of the Lake with the option to boat in. It takes about an hour to drive from Forest Lake to Prior Lake.
One thing about Charlie’s on Prior is that you don’t have to worry about outdoor seating because there is a TON of options on their patio. Their menu includes appetizers, wings, bowls, soups, salads, wraps, burgers and sandwiches, entrees, tacos, pizzas, and even barbeque options. The restaurant is open year-round and hosts live events and music.
Wrapping Up: Best Restaurants near Forest Lake MN By a Body of Water
There you have it! Twelve of the best restaurants near Forest Lake, MN by a body of water. Whether it’s the St. Croix River, White Bear Lake, Forest Lake, Lake Harriett, Prior Lake, or Lake Minnetonka, all of these restaurants are great places to take your family, friends, or significant other on a date night! They’re all within an hour of Forest Lake, and offer beautiful views and delicious food!
Happy dining!