Fitger's Brewhouse — Restaurant in Duluth

Seriously disappointed!

Fitger’s has been one of my family’s favorite spots for years. I've always highly recommended it to friends and have visited more times than I can count. The ambience...coupled with the brews and food are hard to beat. Unfortunately, my most recent visit left me feeling very let down.

Where to begin? The fries—which I’ve often gone out of my way to grab en route up north—were undercooked and completely unseasoned. The menu had also been updated, and my favorite item, the iconic Olive Burger, was gone. I get that menus evolve, so I ordered my second favorite: the Pub Style Burger with a beef patty. Sadly, it was dry, overcooked, and lacked any seasoning—no salt, no pepper, no flavor.

The kids’ burgers have changed as well and are now so small they’re practically bite-sized. I have three kids (ages 10, 8, and 6), and all of them left the restaurant still hungry. That was a first.

The beer, usually a highlight, also missed the mark. The Apricot Wheat lacked its usual flavor (perhaps out of season), and the Wildfire, while recognizable, had almost no spice. To be fair, seasonal changes can affect availability, so I’m willing to give that a pass. But it added to the overall sense that something was off.

They were also out of both the Scotch Ale (still listed on all the boards) and the chocolate cake. I know restaurants run out of items—that happens. But coupled with everything else, it just felt like corners were being cut at the expense of quality.

I’m not writing this to discourage people from going—quite the opposite. I’m giving 5 stars because of the many great experiences we've had over the years. I’m writing this as a plea to management and ownership. Please don’t lose what made Fitger’s special. It used to be hard to get a table on a Saturday night. This time, I saw many open tables. I hope it was just an off night—not a trend.

I truly hope our experience (and that of a recent visit by a friend who visited separately and said the same thing—"no flavor") was an anomaly. If this had been my first visit, I would not return. Please bring back the quality that earned your loyal...

My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary in Duluth, and we decided to eat at Fitger’s Brewhouse. We’re so glad we did! From the moment I called to ensure that they would be open that evening (many restaurants in the area close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), I knew it would be a great experience. The young lady who answered the phone was friendly and helpful. At the end, she wished me a good evening, in case she didn’t see us later.

It turns out that Fitger’s is actually an entire complex; it’s in a historic family brewery that was started in the 1880s and operated into the 1970s. In addition to the Brewhouse restaurant, there’s a hotel, multiple shops, and two other restaurants (Mexico Lindo and Pickwick’s) on the grounds. The building itself is lovely, with thick stonework and sturdy wooden floors; by keeping so much of the original architecture, there are all sorts of wonderful nooks and crannies that have been given new purpose.

Our meal was FANTASTIC! I had the seasonal Witbier, which was yummy, and the Artichoke Chicken Sandwich (which paired artichokes, parmesan cheese, bits of jalepeno, and cream cheese with grilled chicken), which was absolutely delicious! My husband had the smoked fish Lake Wrap, and he said that it was really tasty—the fish was excellent, very light, and the leafy greens provided a good complementary texture. It was accompanied by a lovely remoulade sauce for dipping.

Our waitress was Jasmine, who was friendly and efficient. All the staff worked together to ensure that orders were brought out to the tables as quickly as possible. And every single person, from the hostess desk to the staff who bussed the tables, was friendly and seemed genuinely glad to see us and help us have a great evening.

We definitely recommend the Brewhouse for a great dinner and a...

Fitger's Brewhouse is expensive but tasty, definitely. I had a burger and the onion rings along with a side salad with both the chipotle and maple dressings to try. My boyfriend had the elk burger with the fries. The elk burger was subpar, I thought, especially for the price. The fries were pretty good, but nothing to rave about. The onion rings, however, would be something I'd definitely go back for. The ranch sauce they were served with made them all the better. One comment I would make about their dressings, like the ranch sauce for the rings, is that they are very thin. Many are not accustomed to such dressings. I prefered the maple vinaigrette to the chipotle on my salad. It added nice flavoring. You can tell they probably make nearly everything from scratch.

Since it IS a brewhouse, I should probably comment on the beer. My boyfriend had an apricot-flavored one. It was pretty good. We saw several people with a sampler of the beers (I think it comes with seven or eight beers) and that looked good, but I think it was probably pretty expensive.

As for the actual physical restaurant...its setup is interesting. It has a main lower dining room with bar and a patio near the main thoroughfare outside (London Rd.) There is also an upper level so the waitstaff actually has to ascend the stairs with the food. We sat up at the edge of the second level. It was neat to be able to see everyone dining below, although perhaps tempting to "accidentally" drop a fry or something to see what would happen. Despite the great trek the waitstaff has to make to get your food up to you, the service was relatively fast, except when we had to wait a while for the bill to be left.

All in all, if you have the money, I'd recommend it. I'd recommend it all the more for...