Falling Rabbit Restaurant — Restaurant in Duluth

2025 Update As someone that isn’t a big fan of change, I was apprehensive when I found out about the change of management and approach to the restaurant. I’ve always rooted for this establishment because there aren’t many like it in the area.

I’m happy to say that the restaurant seems to be catching its stride again, if today’s cocktail is any measure. The bartenders were always my favorite part of the experience at FR, and that remains true with the new faces.

Dan’s approach to my simple approach to my inquiry was such a breath of fresh air.

Still rooting for this place and the cocktails are still top-notch. 2022 This, quite frankly, is a pretty overdue review of Falling Rabbit.

My first experience eating here was at the height of their opening week. Its bold presentation not only resided within the confines in the ever-changing menu and it's approach to us locals. The interior decor and cozy atmosphere has achieved something that most businesses simply cannot live up to - fine dining without the anxiety of needed to put on a facade.

One would think that this would come at a cost - and it can, but it does not have to. Their prices have stabilized without any compromise to quality nor service. In time in our existence where it can be hard to receive quality service, due to staffing shortages, the fact that this is not.a struggle for Falling Rabbit speaks loudly. It echoes their bravery to open in the midst of a pandemic, and have become a household name for us locals in Duluth. I live just 2 minutes away, and I truly believe that establishments like this are a direct compliment to the quality of life I get to experience here in Downtown Duluth.

The Food - just absolutely spectacular. It really is an adventure eating here - from the time you open to the doors to the wanderlust interior, to the beautiful and well-kept seating areas, you plop down and open a menu. You never know what's going to be on the inside. And while they have some staple foundational items like their Bao, the style in which they do their bao is always-changing and is a true compliment to any occasion.

Their cocktails - they are the envy of any gastro lounge experience you could ever have in Atlanta, much less Duluth. I've tried about 7 different cocktails in my 3 visits here and I mean this truly - not a single one has disappointed. They very wildly in range of style, taste, and profile. Absolutely spectacular, and they also echo the non-pretentious approach to quality dining.

The Service - I know I said this before, but the service is truly something to behold. On my most recent experience, Mailin could not have been a better compliment to my experience. There'd been a recent change to the menu, and though there were quite a few tempting choices, Mailin helped me nail down the choice of their Brunch time Shrimp & Grits. Talk about a restaurant being bold - they used coarse grits that were PERFECTLY cooked. Absolutely astounding balance, and unlike so many other establishments, they used EXCELLENT constraint with the use of salt. This allowed the brine quality of the shrimp to echo throughout the dish. Absolutely exceptional approach, and an experience that wasn't going to be my go-to. When you have a server that can not just be timely with serving you, but also make a recommendation you can truly enjoy, that's when you know you have something amazing on your hands. A sincere thanks, Mailin.

All-in-all, you guys will have so many other 5 star reviews. This place is just pure excellence.- truly affordable.- and a superb experience you should not...

Okay, somebody has to say it - The food at this restaurant is a complete joke. Do not come here for 'fine dining' or for a delicious meal. The entire point of this restaurant is atmopshere and cocktails - they should have just focussed on running a great bar instead of a terrible restaurant with good atmosphere.

Tried both the sprout ceasar and house greens salad. Never been anywhere that had salads that were not palatable. Looked like shredded up greens with some kind of mayo dressing - awful flavor. Finished neither.

Some rocket scientist recommended the potato and leek dumplings. What a disappointment. The outside of the dumplings was hard and chewy, almost like it had a session in the microwave. The flavor was dreadful, not a single redeeming factor. The sweet potato dish was absolutely confused. It did, though, seem as though it had been cooked fresh. Pretty awful use of sweet potatos though, just weird and bad combination. Finished neither of these dishes.

Oh boy the 'market' fish was 'cod.' I have my doubts that I was served cod. Extremely mushy fish, at least it was served pretty hot. It was absolutely swimming in butter, which isn't something that bothers me, but man the butter had this off flavor to it. It wasn't just delicious butter, it was almost like it was rancid. I have never tasted chimichurri sauce that I disliked. I have no idea how they were able to make the chimichurri sauce taste so bad. It was ridiculous. Another dish I literally could not bring myself to finish eating. Unappetizing.

Service was not great. I ordered a coke to drink along with cocktails. I ran out of coke in the tiny little glass they give you. Sat for about 15 minutes before getting a servers attention. She responded with "one is on the way"... no it wasn't. She went and got it. Brings it back and it's light yellow in color? It was club soda with a dash of coke. Clearly their fountain coke was messed up or low on syrup, server didn't care. I couldn't believe she served it to me. It looked more like sprite than coke. Just a bunch of kids working in there, they could care less. I think they all know the food is terrible too based on the interractions they were having with customers.

Seated at 7:30, restaurant was not totally full. Apps rolled out around 8. Took them until 8:45 to produce the single entree of fish, an hour after ordering. There literally might have been 20-25 people in the restaurant, max. There is no telling what is going on in that kitchen.

Do not go here expecting a good meal. The great reviews and pretty pictures makes you think this is going to be an exciting dining experience with great food from a talented Chef. What a SCAM. I am still upset the morning after. Two cocktails, two small salads, two shareables, and one entree was about $150 with tip. This food could have been $25 and I would be writing about how awful the food was.

Be warned. Whoever is running this kitchen needs a wake up call. Ramsey needs to come in and...

Decided to have a nice evening out with my wife. The atmosphere was amazing, this place is definitely unique and had its own special charm. We were greeted by the kind staff which is a big plus.

We had the potato and leek dumpings and the fried maitake as starters and for the main courses we decided to have the spaghetti bolognese and the wagyu short ribs.

I just want to say that I will always support independent businesses and I am not bashing this restaurant as we did love the vibe here would like to leave some constructive criticism for the items on the menu thar we had.

The leak dumping were good, but fell a little short. I liked the touch with the apple butter but the dumpling didn't seem as crispy as it should have been. Maybe because of the potato inside. Once it was cut in half, it oozed out. This was most likely prepped before hand and the filling might have compromised the texture.

The fried maitake had alot of potential, perfect cook but the batter was oversalted. We had to drink alot of water after eating. The apple butter sauce from the dumpling dish actually went better with this dish.

The spaghetti bolognese was interesting, not quite our style. The ratio of the bolognese to pasta ratio seem off. There was a really strong robust flavors coming through. I couldn't really taste any of the components in the dish. There was just alot going on we didn't even finish half of the dish.

As for the waygu short ribs, the cook was beautifully done and executed well. The risotto was pleasant, the yukan gold chips arrived with alot of oil still on the potatos which we didn't eat much of. The dish overall was just very rich. We didn't finish this dish either.

Overall I think the place is amazing, I come from the food industry and a family of cooks so I can appreciate this restaurant and what is it trying to offer. The dishes are cooked to perfection the the menu composition is lacking some identity. Im not sure what flavors they are going for, but the dishes lack balance. The ingredients all sound nice when you read the menu but it was so difficult to actually taste any of the components. The flavors were abit lost, the menu I've seen prior looked amazing. Very refined and well executed.

Needless to say I really wanted to like the food and will maybe give this place another try if the menu changes. The good is very savors and heavy, try finding ways to brighten up the flavors. The dishes...