The Holiday Season is upon us, and with that comes plans for many dinners shared together. Where better to share those special dinners than on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior, gathered around a dining room with a view? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite dining rooms around the North Shore where you can gather to enjoy a holiday feast, celebrate a birthday, or enjoy a lovely vacation together.
Restaurants Dining Rooms With A View – When You Don’t Want to Cook for Yourself
New Scenic Cafe – French River
Located on the Scenic Drive between Duluth and Two Harbors, the New Scenic Cafe has one of the most beautiful dining rooms on the North Shore. Transformed from a small lakeside dining shack, the New Scenic Cafe now offers more space for dining and can accommodate larger groups. Set back from the Lake, you still can enjoy Lake Superior views from the dining room. Not to mention, you can enjoy the views during the drive to and from the restaurant. We recommend taking the Scenic Drive the entire distance if you haven’t before.
Although not open on most major wintertime holidays, they are now open through the winter and will offer a New Year’s Eve service by reservation only. Call ahead to book for larger groups.
Rustic Inn Cafe – Castle Danger
Another North Shore icon had to expand their dining room due to popularity is the Rustic Inn Cafe. This Castle Danger eatery went from a one-room wood cabin back in the 1990s to the large, spacious restaurant we all know and love today. This North Shore gem is known for its pies but also serves up a delicious dinner. They offer quality dining in a rustic setting. Plus, they have a breakfast and lunch menu, as well. So fit in a trip to the Rustic Inn at any point during your stay. While set back from the Lake, you still get some Lake Superior views from the dining room. Plus the carefully designed rustic space has an ambiance all its own.
Their holiday hours are not on their website so be sure to call ahead if you plan to go over the holidays. You can also order pies for shipping during some holidays. Check out their Facebook page for pie-ordering instructions.
Angry Trout Cafe – Grand Marais
Jumping up the shore to the picturesque town of Grand Marais, you won’t find a better dining room with a view than at the Angry Trout Cafe. Perched on the edge of the Grand Marais Harbor, overlooking Lake Superior in all her glory you’ll find one of the best restaurants on the North Shore. The Angry Trout Cafe sources its food as sustainably and ethically as possible, including purchasing fresh fish from local fisheries. So you can enjoy a great meal along with the great view.
Now open year-round with indoor seating that overlooks the Lake, you simply won’t find a better view to enjoy dinner in the area. During the winter months, they are open 7 days a week until either 7:30 PM or 8:00 PM. Check their website or call for holiday availability.
Gunflint Tavern – Grand Marais
Another Grand Marais favorite, the Gunflint Tavern sits just across the street from the Grand Marais Harbor. Grab a table by the windows to enjoy dinner with the harbor as your backdrop. Many nights the restaurant also hosts live music to entertain you while you dine. Located in a building that was once a bank, many of the unique bank features still exist. Be sure to look around at the unique features in the dining room. The upper-level bar and entertainment venue is not open in the winter, but the views are still great from the main-level dining room. After your meal head over to the cozy Raven pub for after-dinner drinks.
Hours at the Gunflint Tavern are usually not updated on their website often. Be sure to call ahead before going in to check on their winter hours.
Island View Dining Room at Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
The restaurant at the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino gets its name from the Grand Portage Island nestled in the Grand Portage Bay. This is truly a dining room with a view as the large windows of the restaurant frame the island perfectly. Get a table at the Island View Dining Room by the windows and enjoy your meal with the island as the backdrop. It’s a stunning view that is hard to beat! The Casino also has a dedicated bar space and, of course, the casino for some after-dinner gaming. Plus, if you time your late-January meal just right, you can watch the finish line of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon!
The Island View Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner year-round with daily specials. Call ahead for holiday openings and offerings.
Vacation Home Dining Rooms with a View – For When a Home-Cooked Meal is What You Desire
Tofte Resort *Premium Home* 57
Tofte Resort *Premium Home* 57 is an end unit on the newer (eastern) side of this popular North Shore resort. Thanks to its corner location, this unit has the best dining room with a view out of all of the resort options available through Cascade Vacation Rentals. The Full Home rental can accommodate up to 8 guests and there is room for everyone around the dining room table. Fire up the gas fireplace located just a few feet away in the living room, put on some holiday music, and hope for the Gales of November to put on a show for you during your stay. If you need more space for even more family, Tofte Resort *Premium Home* 56 is next door and can accommodate an additional 8 guests.
Pointavu – Tofte
With a dining room table that sits right next to the floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows overlooking Lake Superior, Pointavu has a dining room with a view that is hard to beat! This spacious home can accommodate up to 10 guests and makes the perfect holiday retreat. The dining room table can fit 8… 10 if you get cozy! Plus, there’s additional seating at the kitchen counter. The 2-story stone-surround gas fireplace sits just steps away from the dining room. Easy to turn on to enjoy some extra seasonal ambiance as a backdrop to your holiday meal.
Blue House – Lutsen
At Blue House, you may be moving away from Lake Superior a little bit, but you aren’t moving away from the views! At this spacious Lutsen Mountains home, you will find a dining room with a view of Moose Mountain and Lake Superior from the wall-to-wall windows that perfectly frame the mountain. The home now features a heated enclosed sun porch with picture windows on 3 sides that bring the outdoors inside, even in the colder months. Blue House can accommodate up to 10 guests and there is room for everyone in both the dining room and the sun porch. You’re just steps away from Bridge Run on Lutsen Mountains. After dinner you can grab your skis and take a short walk to the mountain.
Castle Rock – Lutsen
The next three houses on the list will bring us to the picturesque Cascade Beach Road. Here, most homes have a dining room with a view, but two really stick out to us as being extraordinary. Castle Rock is a long-time favorite around here. The spacious home features a log wood interior- from the bed frames to the banisters to the dining room table itself. If a true Northwoods feel is what you are going for, look no further! Look out the deck doors and the windows in the dining room to enjoy the Lake Superior views. Up to 12 guests can enjoy this beautiful home making it the perfect retreat for a multi-family getaway.
Asle Ta – Lutsen
Switching gears now to a smaller home, Asle Ta makes the list thanks to the dining room having a spectacular view of Lake Superior from large picture windows and the dining room table itself. This hand-carved wood table makes this dining room instantly Instagrammable, even before you add in the picturesque views. The gas fireplace is right there in the dining room for added holiday warmth. Asle Ta can accommodate up to 6 guests so a great choice for a single family or small group of friends.
FoxFire – Lutsen
Yet another Cascade Beach Road home that knows how to take advantage of a view is Foxfire (and its guest cabin, Fox Cove). This is another long-time favorite rental here at Cascade Vacation Rentals, and for good reason. This beautifully appointed luxury home has a view from almost every room and a great location on Cascade Beach Road to boot. Foxfire can accommodate 8 guests and Fox Cove can accommodate 3. The perfect combo for a multi-family holiday celebration.
Serenity Shores – Grand Marais
Heading up the shore towards Grand Marais you will find Serenity Shores. Appropriately named for its serene shoreline location just a few miles from Grand Marais. This is another luxury home with a beautiful dining room and spacious kitchen, perfect for holiday cooking. Serenity Shores is also a very large home and can accommodate 12 guests. There’s even a second smaller kitchen and dining table on the lower level. A great opportunity for an adults’ table and a kids’ table! Plus if you need more room, Njordhaus is right next door!
Njordhaus – Grand Marais
One of the newest homes available through Cascade Vacation Rentals is also one with the best dining room with a view. Njordhaus sits just a few miles outside of Grand Marais. This dining room features two full walls of picture windows providing hours of sunlight and Lake Superior views. This home can accommodate up to 9 guests making it another great option for families traveling together, especially those with lots of kids who would love to stay in the “Kids Cabin” wing of the home! As it’s located right next door to Serenity Shores, the combo could mean a multi-generational family gathering on the North Shore is in your future!
Always Grace – Grand Marais
Always Grace, always beautiful. Another Luxury home option with the most unique dining room table on this list. Handmade featuring a center section of Lake Superior agates, you’ll almost forget to look out the windows at the Lake Superior views. The kitchen/dining room itself is also one of the most awe-inspiring on the North Shore. You will look forward to cooking a meal on the gas stove and griddle and the oven is large enough for (maybe) two whole turkeys! This is the largest home available through Cascade Vacation Rentals and up to 14 guests can be accommodated in the home. In addition to that, Amazing Grace is right next door and can accommodate 6 more. Should you somehow need even more space for a large family gathering, check out Stonehenge on the North Shore. Theoretically located next door (although on a different road), this home can accommodate 8 more guests at your holiday gathering.
Enchanted Shores – Hovland
We finish our tour of dining rooms with a view up in Hovland. If you’re seeking a truly secluded and serene location for your next family gathering, look no further. At the end of the road on Big Bay in Hovland, Enchanted Shores has very few neighbors on this side of the bay and a lovely view to accompany the privacy. Another log-cabin Northwoods home, you can enjoy a family meal near another 2-story stone-surround fireplace (and the watchful eye of Maynard). The home plus the bunkhouse located nearby can accommodate up to 10 guests.