50 Best American Restaurants near Cottage Grove

“I went to Cottage Grove Culver's with a friend yesterday and was inspired to write a review because the service was well above average. My friend got the flavor of the day frozen custard, which was a devil's food cake chocolate flavor. It looked delicious and I said that out loud. One of the employees there, Brayden, overheard me say that and brought me a free sample. That was so thoughtful and the kind of service one might expect from a sit-down restaurant with servers. It makes me so happy when someone takes pride in their job and exceeds expectations. Besides the excellent service, I have always been impressed with the quality of Culver's food from burgers to salads to custard.“

“Bridget was our server and she was AMAZING. She was prompt and so kind.

Update, had Bridget again and she was absolutely perfect, gave all the greatest recommendations, as well as the drinks she recommended, were absolutely phenomenal. I will definitely be asking for Bridget from now on as she is one of the best servers i’ve ever had! It’s always a delight having her and she always brought any extras we needed promptly! This applebees is doing something right!“

“My family ate here on Saturday and they were busy our service was amazing our server was so kind and polite and our food was very good I definitely will be back!!!“

“The venue and staff were nothing short of amazing for our mom's Celebration of Life! Courtney's helpful hand in the planning process from our first meeting through end of the day took all of the stress off of us so that we were able to relax and enjoy our special day. Shelly and Brian's attention to detail during the event, making sure tables were clean, fresh trays of food were always available and any requests were taken care of right away, left us and. our guests feeling well cared for. Many guests commented how beautiful the room was and how great it was to have the comfortable patio reserved just for us. The ability to have family and friends who couldn't be there in person be able to attend virtually on Zoom was so appreciated. The huge sign outside by the street with my mom's name to welcome our guests as they entered the parking lot was the perfect extra touch. I hiiiiiiiiighly recommend the venue for anyone's special event. Thank you so much staff of River Oaks Golf for making our day a true celebration for family and friends of our mom! Daughters of Belle“

“Great food. Served hot which is nice“

“First time there. Stopped to pick up their Friday night fish fry to go. Plenty of food for 2. The back room had a country western band that was loud and no decor with a cement floor and plastic rectangular church basement tables in rows. The fish fry was OK, lots of sides - Cole slaw (tasty but heavy on dressing), greens beans (canned, overcooked and my husband was disappointed they had onions mixed in), garlic mashed potatoes or a baked potato, Texas toast and choice of 3 flavors of pudding. I got the mashed potatoes and although they were garlicky enough, I can see why most people went with the baked potato with an add your own sour cream option. Ok, but not exciting enough to go back for take out and definitely wouldn't want to eat in.“

“Dry Rub Cajun Wings-check! Great Tap Beer-check! Fantastic Fish-Check! Great Service-Check! Fantastic night out with specials at Happy Hour time, too.“

“because Cubfoods hires and stands behind people who abuse their customers.“

“Food: 9/10 the wings my dad got were a bit dry but they gave him extra since it was almost closing time the chicken dippers were amazing and the curds were excellent amazing ranch and the garlic parm is really good

Hospitality: 12/10 even though it was near closing time all employees were extremely kind and one worker was even concerned I didn't get a drink and offered water. Had to say I had one in the car

Overall, amazing experience“

“We were here for dinner over the weekend and everything about this place was phenomenal we tried multiple things off of the to share or not portion of the menu and loved every bit of it. The whole grilled fish our waitress mentioned rotates depending on what is available fresh and it was cooked to Perfection and probably our favorite thing all weekend. The cocktail menu is unique and everything that we had the opportunity to try was delicious I highly recommend doing the cocktail flight to anybody who doesn't have a favorite spirit. Staff was incredibly friendly and knew what they were talking about if you had questions. To those looking at going here reservations are a must!!!! Great atmosphere as well“

“Love the atmosphere and food, and we love sitting in Lauren S’s section. Always happy and helpful!!“

“If anyone would like a good restaurant to eat at I would suggest going to the North Pole restaurant in Newport Minnesota. The staff are nice and when you ask them for something they will get it for you right away.“

“Always a fabulous meal - thank you!!“

“Fantastic staff! Amazing food! Great cocktails! Everyone is upbeat and FUN! Today, particularly impressed with the young man that was the host. Dark curly hair, didn’t catch his name. He has the “riz” as the youngsters say. I’d hire him in a second. Also, I wish the servers tipped out host staff, but we made sure to tip him. FANTASTIC place.“

“The bartenders and whole staff are very welcoming! Food is always perfect. Love the spice!“

“Great good and service. Went there with some friends from work for lunch today and we loved it. Everyone was so friendly“

“Our first time there on Wednesday night. Service was excellent, Kendra was fantastic. The deviled eggs with shrimp was awesome The six of us all had something different from the scallops to the walleye to the salmon all fantastic. There was also dessert like bread pudding to banana cream pie, also fantastic. Can’t wait till our next dinning experience. It will be real soon!“

“Excellent food, great atmosphere. We will for sure be back!“

“They always have delicious food. Sloppy hot dago, chef salad, and daily specials are always my favorites.“

“Really good experience at the Culver’s in Woodbury Minnesota. Doing curbside and a shake tipped over in my car and the guy who brought it out was nice enough to go get towels and a new shake. Definitely did not have to do that. It was completely my fault, but he went above and beyond For customer that is a rare thing to find“

“Carissa was our waitress/bartender for lunch 2-3pm. Her friendliness, service and attention to detail is commendable. The food (Shrimp Fahitas) was delicious and the beer was cold. Defiantly will return to this establishment!“

“Good food, realy liked the hash browns and bacon. Great with our kids, they let us split a kids plate which was super nice. Also, someone Secret Santaed us and covered out bill. to whoever that was thank you so very much and bless you!“

“We attended the Mother’s Day brunch today. Oh my gosh! Great selection of brunch food items, desserts and beverages. The food was delicious! Quick table side service. Friendly staff, from host to table bussers. Loved the hints of flowers on each table, the very large flower arrangement when walking in and the ice sculpture!! The views, prices, cleanliness and family friendly environment will have us coming back. Thank you!“

“Kacey was awesome! She was super friendly, on top of everything, and made sure we had everything we needed the whole time. Our food came out quick and hot, and she checked in just the right amount. You can tell she actually cares about her customers. One of the best servers I’ve had at Applebee’s — she really made the experience great!“

“Good service and food. We were there right before closing. Great job“

“Our server Desiree was wonderful and the food was very hot and speedy tonight! But Desiree was a highlight of our dinner. She was so friendly and welcoming, and anticipated our needs the whole night!
People like her are the reason why we will keep returning!!!! 😁😁😁“

“Excellent Restaurant. You will enjoy dinning outside the Restaurant during summer mild sunshine. Food is great and fair price.“

“Some of the best food that side of the Pecos. Been there twice in the last couple weeks it's amazing. highly recommended

Vegetarian options: There is a chef working there I'm sure he can accommodate any type of special order

Dietary restrictions: I had a diabetes-friendly option

Parking: I didn't count them but I bet there's parking 400

Kid-friendliness: It is a bar and restaurant but I've seen kids playing outside that live in the marina. They played with my puppy dog.

Wheelchair accessibility: Parking lots on the same level as the restaurant it's a quick roll“

“The drinks were poured strong and the burger had amazing flavor. However, the bartender was overwhelmed and you could tell the kitchen was running short staffed. When I placed my ordered for my burger I requested no onion and no garlic aioli. I watched the new waitress write that specifically. My burger came out with onions on it, no biggie I just took them off. I got half way through my burger and took a bite and there was special sauce on it. I spit it out, began gagging and it took everything in my power to not throw up all over. The new waitress came up and asked if I was okay. I begged her to take my plate away, and she got me a new water. My appetite was ruined. We were pushing time for our concert shuttle so we quickly paid our bill and left without complaint but we were surprised my meal wasn’t comped. I was super bummed I couldn’t finish the burger as it was SO good!! Attention to detail is important and I’m just glad I wasn’t allergic to something in the sauce!“

“Our great Neighbors of Applebee's really to good care of us for lunch. The food was awesome and the manager and staff where so helpful. We had a big lunch order for our office and they did just awesome taking care of us. We will be back. Thanks, Blockadvisors team.“

“I ran into the owners today! Super friendly! Food was fresh and done quick. Will be back …great job!“

“I have been going to HyVee for breakfast every Friday for the past 3 years. The food has always been excellent but the stand highlight for the five of us each week has always been our server Denise. She has made the experience at HyVee delightful and memorable. She is a HyVee treasure“

“Good food, great service, reasonable prices.“

“Low key restaurant on the Mississipi river with a beautiful view. We went on a Sunday late evening when they had live music and it was very nice and not too busy. All the fried food was really good. The cheese curds are to die for and highly recommended. The broiled chicken and the fries were really good too. The only thing I would not recommend is the cheeseburger or the burger. It was dry, not tasty at all and it came absolutely plain. FYI: They also charged us extra to add lettuce and tomato.“

“when we called in and ask about pizza special. They didnt tell both of them. I would have ordered the other special. Then it wasnt ready on time. The topper was I had to break a 20.00 for .3 cents. I know I am only one customer. I came in there at least once a week. Because of the .3 cents not because of the other two problems. I will not be back.“

“AWESOME BURGERS!!!!!!!! 🍔“

“Papas Bravas 😍 u must try them.“

“Angela was great, she asked how our food and drinks were constantly making sure we were all good or if we needed anything. She really was just a charm and very delightful and helpful. She was also very quick to give us what we needed, so that was also amazing.“

“I highly recommend Mrs. Beth Abrams for her exceptional work. She specializes in forex and bitcoin investment, as well as funds recovery. Over the past three months, I have been utilizing her services, starting with an initial investment of $1,500. Thanks to her impressive trading skills, she helped me make over $12,000, and I've been consistently enjoying significant profits with easy withdrawals. The numerous testimonials from satisfied clients reflect the excellence of her services, and I am equally pleased with the results.“

“had a blast here. food was great and kids were occupied throwing rocks!!!“

“Really good food but 4 bucks for a fountain soda??? Cmon.“

“My family went here to get concrete mixers and 3 out of the 4 of us had additions to ours that shouldn't have been there, plus one was sent back because the employee at the register couldn't hear us (presumably) ask for an oreo peanut butter concrete mixer to have chocolate custard. 1 was only supposed to have chocolate custard with oreos and peanut butter, but ended up having brownie pieces, strawberries, peanut butter cups and cheesecake pieces in it near the bottom (oreo pieces were in there, but no plain peanut butter). 2 of the others had peanut butter cups in theirs too. One was supposed to be a peanut butter strawberry cheesecake with chocolate custard and the other should have been a chocolate custard with strawberry and brownie pieces. The only concrete mixer that was correct was the oreo peanut butter cup mix with cheesecake pieces. We thought it was hilarious that we all had things in our mixers that shouldn't have been there, but we're a little concerned for people that might have allergies to some of those extra added ingredients. We did go there around 7:20ish, so maybe it was still part of the dinner rush?“

“Excellent food! Had to flag the waitress for drinks n bill. Wierd method of paying though. She brought the bill and said, I’ll take that now. We had no time to look at the bill, discuss who’s paying for what and how much of a tip to leave. She stood right there while I dug through my purse for my money.“

“Nice staff and pretty good food.“

“Tons of flavors of ice cream and the best homemade caramel corn.“

“I have a son who has Celiacs Disease and eating out is always a challenge. Not only is it hard to find places that can accommodate his dietary needs, it’s even harder to find places that have ‘staples’ that actually taste like he remembers before he had to cut out gluten. I heard about this place on a GF Facebook page and my wife I decided to make the 40+ minute drive from home as an end of the week treat. We couldn’t have been more pleased. The menu was actually hard for him to choose from so we almost let him try it all. We started with fried pickles and cheese curds, one of which was completely new to him, and the other which is a rare thing to find because of the batter and non-dedicated fryers. Both were amazing. For his main course he did fried walleye and tater tots. There was so much food that he was able to make it into two more meals the next day and they reheated perfectly in an air fryer at home. For dessert he had GF deep fried Oreos and ice cream. That dish was completely devoured with no leftovers remaining. My wife’s and my meals were not GF, but there was more options than we could handle and those dishes were also amazing.

The ambiance was typical of a small town sports bar/pub, which is again a rarity in terms of finding that kind of food in that type of establishment. Our server was very friendly and the person who delivered the food was equally friendly. I suspect he was an owner or the manager and he answered additional questions we had about the food prep and handling of the GF ingredients and cooking. We will definitely be making the trip back!“

“Had an awesome experience at Northern Taphouse! Our server Alexis was amazing—super friendly and attentive. Big shoutout to Ashley, the GM, for running such a great spot. We’ll definitely be back!“

“Hands down one of the best buffets I’ve ever been to! Tinucci’s in Minnesota completely exceeded my expectations. From the perfectly cooked fish and juicy chicken to a fresh variety of nine different salads and a dessert table that felt like a dream—everything was incredible. But the true star? The prime rib. And yes, I got the coveted end slice—tender, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. The service was phenomenal—warm, friendly, and attentive from start to finish. What made it even more special? The owner's grandson was there, helping out and greeting guests with genuine kindness. It’s clear that Tinucci’s is more than a restaurant—it’s a place built on family tradition, pride, and community. This family-owned gem has been serving Minnesotans for over 70 years, and you can feel that legacy in every detail—from the food to the service to the atmosphere. I never would’ve discovered this hidden treasure if I hadn’t followed the Hidden Places in MN page, and I’m so glad I took the chance to venture out. If you haven’t been to Tinucci’s—go. You’ll leave full, happy, and already planning your next visit.“

“Found this amazing restaurant on our way home after a weekend spent in Minneapolis. The variety of options on the menu is wonderful and you can definitely tell everything is homemade!! We started with the trio dip and homemade chips. Delicious salsa, guacamole and queso.. and the chips!❤️ We had homemade steak alfredo and the sliders, both were super yummy!! Loved the decor and our server Michael was so kind! We will definitely make this a stop when going through Hastings again!!“

“Great pizza. Fantastic staff!“