Insula Restaurant — Restaurant in Ely

During a recent trip to Ely, MN, we stopped at Insula for an early dinner before picking up our son from camp. According to their google description, they are known for its American fare which they had as well as some unique dishes as well such as wild rice chicken pot pie or Adobe tempeh bowl.

I opted for the bison burger with sweet potato fries, and it was fantastic with a unique chutney on it. The flavors were spot on, and the burger was cooked to perfection. The sweet potato fries were crispy and delicious, a perfect complement to the meal. The wife got the Adobe tempeh bowl amd loved it.

We chose to sit at the bar, where we received excellent service from the bartender, Chris (if memory serves correctly). He did an outstanding job explaining the menu items and even let us sample a couple of beers we hadn't tried before, helping us make a well-informed choice. His friendly and knowledgeable demeanor really enhanced our dining experience.

The atmosphere at Insula is wonderful, embodying the charm of one of my favorite towns in Minnesota. The only minor downside was that the portion sizes were a bit smaller than expected, and we were quite hungry. I would recommend ordering an appetizer if you're looking for a more filling meal.

Later that night, we decided to return for a snack, but the kitchen had already closed by 9 PM. Understandably, it's a small northern town, and closing early on a weeknight is common.

Overall, Insula offers a delightful dining experience with delicious food, great service, and a cozy atmosphere. Highly recommended for anyone...

The food was great, but I was disappointed by the speed at which our meals came out. It took almost 45 minutes from ordering for us to receive our food, and when we did, the bacon on the chicken and waffles sandwich was near raw. To be fair, it was a weekend evening after the 4th of July, so they were busy. However, they weren't that busy, and we noticed two other tables receive their food 10-15 minutes before us despite ordering after us. We didn't order anything that should have taken that long. When we asked the server about it, he seemed a little annoyed, saying it would be out soon. Then our food appeared about a minute later.

I had the American dream burger, and it was very good. It was cooked properly, the beef tasted good, and the "smack" sauce really added to it. Fries were also very good. The bacon was well-cooked.

My wife really liked her chicken and waffle sandwich, except for the bacon being under cooked. She did ask them to put the bacon back on the grill and they were accommodating and had the well cooked bacon back very quickly.

Drink service was good, and they had several beers on tap.

Atmosphere and decor was nice, I almost felt like I was eating somewhere down in the cities (which I guess could actually be a turn off for some people).

I'm sure I'll be back to Insula next time I'm in Ely. And I'm guessing our slow cook time was a one-off, but it still caused me to give only four stars when this would otherwise be a five star review. Hopefully I can update to five stars after...

I planned to eat here and walked in with my service dog (she wears a service dog vest marked as such) she’s a black lab and unmistakably a service dog. The host walked up and gave me and my dog a scowl and said “I’ll check to see if we allow dogs”. I told her my dog is a service dog (in case somehow she misses the obvious but she said “I don’t know if we allow dogs”. I said that go ahead and check, but reminded her that service dogs are allowed in restaurants. She gave me another “dirty” look and threw the menus on a table and walked away. A male came out and told me that they allow service dogs (btw. Violation of federal ADA laws not to). But by this time I decided three things.

1. not to argue
2. take my business and money elsewhere
3. the stuffy, uptight and unwelcoming atmosphere is not where I wanted to dine.

So I guess you don’t have a service dog hopefully you will get a warmer welcome. And, if you like dining in a place that (to me) has an uptight unwelcoming atmosphere this is your place.

Follow up: Quite disappointed that the owner did not follow up with a response.

Maybe could have responded and said something like “So sorry for the less than stellar experience and so sorry our staff mistreated you due to having a service dog. We have spent time retraining her, and all our staff to be sure. We don’t make that...