Block North Brew Pub — Restaurant in Aitkin

Took a adventure trip from the Twin Cities and found myself in Aitkin. I noticed this restaurant and brewery on the corner of the main street. The three of us and the dog ended up enjoying a relaxing experience on the patio of Block North. We were blown away by the menu, beer list and cocktails. This place truly is a fantastic spot. We did wait over an hour for our food so if you're in a hurry, this may not be the place for you. For us, it was completely fine. We had a few drinks and got lost in conversation. The Shrimp and Grits was very tasty. The Shrimp was not overdone and the sauce had a brightness to it which played off the grits. There was a fair amount of sauce which did make the dish somewhat soupy. Less sauce would have made it even better. The Pork Chop was seasoned perfectly and tender as was the Steak. The chop was served with skillet corn of which I cannot say anything about but more, please. There were also au gratin pub fries which were more like baby potatoes cooked, smashed a bit and sauteed with the sauce. These were okay. Honestly, the potatoes were the least favorite part of the meal for us. When anyone states that the potatoes were the weakest part of the meal, that is a sign that everything else was exemplary. Our server was ALL OVER that restaurant and expertly ran over 8 tables. Lakesha did a wonderful job keeping us comfortable and happy during our leisurely meal. I know I'll be back to this place soon. If you find yourself with some wanderlust, give this place a try. The drive is easy from the cities and it's a great place to watch the day go by. I highly recommend Block North Brew Pub! It's wonderful to see that our smaller towns are also places where amazing food and beer...

So disappointing. We went to the Gilby's orchard ( great place ) and afterwards wanted to stop by for dinner and a couple glasses of beer @ Block North Brew Pub.. The place is very nice, with a great menu, cool atmosphere and a nice selection of fresh beer. When we walked in there were 2 hostesses neither was welcoming nor friendly!! One of the ladies sat us and literally didn't say boo?? It was Saturday afternoon but not busy 4:30 PM . There was one group out front ( outside ) of 6 patrons and about 20 total customers in the restaurant ( so not busy ). We sat there for 15 minutes with no one acknowledging us??? There were 4 people wandering around back by the front of the kitchen. one waitress waked right by us on her phone and notta??? Finally a gal walked up that was pleasant and introduced herself, " Hi I am Rocky I just got here and don't know the specials and then JUST walked away."???? We honestly didn't care simply wanted a beer and were ready to order entrees that we already decided with the 15 minutes sitting there. Next she leaves, goes to the kitchen, takes the food to another table, visits with them for 5 minutes and then headed back to the kitchen ( at that point we had been there 30 plus minutes w nothing not even a water?? ) My fiance and I were disappointed and left!!!!! The manager should train the hostesses and the wait staff...... We will try again another time. Sadly we would have spent $80- $100 plus we tip well and we REALLY wanted to try the beer and the highly recommended food . Ended up going to Rosalinis Pizza and had great service,a really friendly staff and a very good pizza.buffet...

2022 Review:

Steak Poutine: It was meh, I wouldn't get it again. This is not a "traditional Poutine". For me the steak was under seasoned and felt like it was missing something. A generous topping of green onions and fat cut fries would turn this dish around for me. As much as I like cheese curds, it was hard to get a little of everything into one bite.

Nachos: A lot of the chips would tear off with the wax paper and got a little annoying to deal with. The portion was generous. The exposed chips are cooked to a "toasted", some people may like that. I'm undecided if I would get this again, it was average. If there was a fix for the wax paper stuck on chips, I could see myself trying it again.

Giant Bavarian Pretzel: With 3 to 4 people and some refreshing beers you will enjoy this monster of a pretzel! It's no joke and pretty good.

SEAFOOD PASTA: The star of the show for me! If you like a seriously rich dish, and I mean RICH. This Alfredo is AMAZING!#! The portion is great and comes with a small roll. The shrimp, scallops and lobster pair perfect into the dish. Final warning, you may need a take home container and not finish it all, not because you are full but because it's rich. Worth every dime. I would drive the 2 hours from the Twin Cities just for this.

Service: For the most part has been good. Order to table is about 15 minutes on average, which is great while enjoying a beer.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars on Google, leaning more towards 3.8 unfortunately in my opinion. I'll try some new dishes in 2023 and update...