Stella's On 97 — Restaurant in Forest Lake

Six of us were looking for a place for some drinks and dinner. Per the website it boasted craft cocktails and customer service. Two things we always appreciate. (It is on the website...here is the manager we spoke to and what she says on their website...ANDREA DOLAN Andrea, Bar Manager, has been with Stella's since day one. Crafting cocktails and customer service are her passion.

She likes to say, "Stella's bar area is perfect to meet-up with some friends, watch your favorite team, play some games, listen to some music, and have some great food".

Our happy hours run from 3:00-6:00 everyday and from 9:00--11:00 Sunday-Thursday. Discounted drinks and appetizers make this a popular time to stop by Stella's.

Andrea has created some very popular handcrafted cocktails for you to enjoy, Try the Berryrita, or the Smokey Bleu Martini, or our famous Bloody Mary (made with peppered bacon).

We told the hostess we were interested in eating dinner but we first were going to have a couple drinks in the bar. We seat ourselves in a booth and the waitess comes to our table and asks what she can get us. We asked if there was a drink menu and she looked frustrated. She went and got 1 drink menu (remember there were 6 of us) We ask what she recommends and she threw out a couple of the usual bar items, whiskey coke, gin and tonic. I ask about the 'craft cocktails" the website mentions and she gives us a blank stare. I ordered an old fashioned and she asked me what kind of pour. I said i like a rye whiskey. Two ordered manhattens and the others were still undecided. She gave them more time. We went and grabbed more drink menus on our own since she wasnt feeling like giving much service. She comes back with the first ordered drinks and places them in front of us and asks for the other drinks My drink is horrible! Its boozy and half of a bad orange and a marachino cherry. Now the men can handle a stronger drink but even they said they werent that good. I nursed mine for an hour. Even at the end the taste was not good. Groups of golfers were coming and going and we watched them get very attentive service but they were most likely regulars and thought how nice it would be to get that kind of service from our server. Our server became increasingly annoyed with our group. We decided it was time to leave and we would find dinner elsewhere. We asked for our check and we waited and waited. We then saw on another table a happy hour menu. Ummm. We were there during happy hour. We were not informed of any drink specials or food specials. Just like the drink menus we had to go and get out tab. We asked for our tab as well as asked the manager to come by our table.

The server brought our check and the manager came by at the same time. We explained our disappointment and the many missed opportunities by our server and immediately the manager said, "we were told by the hostess that you were going to have dinner, we didnt think you would be interested in happy hour" Wow ....really. So our server never dealt with a group at 4 pm want to have a drink or two in the bar before sitting down to dinner? Did they not want us to see the bar and enjoy the bartender who wants to make craft coktails and gives excellent customer service. Was the server upset because she thought our tab would tranfer to dining room? We tried to EXPLAIN to the bar manager to see our perspective, but all she could do is say they thought we were going to eat in the dining room. No apologies, nothing. Then lastly we opened our bill. Those 'craft cocktails" cost $13 each! A lowball with s quarter of an orange and a marachino cherry and i am assuming a shot of rye whiskey. Below is the drink i received for $13.

Needless to say, we will NOT be back. We WILL, however tell everyone about the kind of service you can expect at...

$24 Lobster Tacos • butter poached, guacamole, pico de gallo, cabbager, cilantro & lime 4/1/25 Updated second time visit after my Fra Diavolo visit Thought, since I'm stuck on a two year lease in Forest Lake & minimal dining options I'd give Stella's another shot. I got the Lobster Tacos & another order of broasted wings (half buffalo & half honey Sriracha). Everything looked fine & dandy, service was meh again. She was prompt with my husband (not surprised since he's a cist white man), but I picked up on having to ask for refills on my beverage. Coincidence? But, I did end up getting sick again, once I got home. Yacked up all of the lobster in my toilet bowl. So, I'm not sure if seafood is properly handled there at Stella's. I can safely say now, the small list of places to go in good ole' Forest Lake, has grown smaller & smaller.

Visit #1

$26 Fra Diavolo • scallops, shrimp, mussels & lobster cream sauce over a bed of fettucine noodles 0 STARS

I thought this would be in a white cream sauce, the fettuccine was half assed smothered in a yellow Kraft Mac & Cheese sauce & the plating was appalling for a seemingly nicer restaurant for Forest Lake, Mn. Despite the horrendous plating & unappetizing cheddar-y sauce, I twiddled my fork around & noticed a RAW SHRIMP in the dish & one closed mussel (which means it was dead prior to cooking if they even use fresh mussels). Prior to seeing this raw shrimp, I tried the pasta & it tasted off, sulfuric & very fishy. Rotten fishy.

I flagged our server Grace down & she sent it back to the kitchen. Being paranoid after watching one too many episodes of Kitchen Nightmares, I was weary at how quickly the dish came back out. The shrimp was noticeably more tough which implies the kitchen may have just popped my plate back in the microwave (by the way it came back out piping hot when initially it didn’t).

Still hesitant, but hopeful since the wings were good, I cut up my shrimp & scallops & de-shelled my mussels & tried it again. The fettuccini still smelled off, rotten. Tried a scallop & it appeared raw. Put an overcooked shrimp in my mouth & immediately gagged it out. I tossed my cookies in Stella’s restroom twice & once more at home.

Grace, seemed unfazed & despite me telling her I believe at this point I did have a bad batch of seafood, no manager approached the table to acknowledge this food poisoning incident.

Though the broasted wings are good & service was mediocre, I don’t think I will be back. One not so fun thing about moving out here, is I’ll have to drive to the cities to find...

We love this place! It's a perfect hybrid of casual or classy dining, and everything that we've tried on the menu has always been delicious. Comfy seating, fast service, and healthy + delicious food make this an easy choice for regular visits. MUST-TRY FAVORITES: grilled brussels and bacon, ahi tuna, smoke stack burger, fish tacos, pan-fried walleye, and sweet potato fries. I regularly get the brussels as an appetizer and the ahi tuna [appetizer] as my meal.

The parking lot is very large. If parking spots only remain on the far left (west) edge row, don't worry, that means there's still a few tables open in main dining and lots open in the overflow space. If the left edge row is full, then the inside is pretty busy. Management does a fabulous job with balancing staffing because even if it's very busy, we've always been promptly seated and served. Accessibility is friendly for disabled or injured folks with flat surfaces all on the main level.

If you come on a Friday or Saturday, I recommend a reservation, but it's not required. There are technically 4 seating areas -- bar (with TVs), main dining (fireplace and golf course views), overflow dining (cooler temps), and the seasonal outdoor patio. The bar and main dining area both have booths and tables with cushioned chairs. (The "cushioned" chair aspect is important for me since I have back issues.) The bar atmosphere is open and naturally louder. You can request a tall booth in the main dining area if you want more privacy.

Service has always been very friendly and prompt. (Special shout out to the server Talon, who just last night ran my forgotten purse all the way out to me in the parking lot. Thank you!)

The menu has diverse options from dry-rub chicken wings and burgers to pastas and chicken/steak/fish entrees. There are multiple options for gluten-free, keto, or vegetarian diners. They also have a wide selection of wine and drinks.

There is a kids menu, but I don't think of this as a typical place to bring young kids. If your kids are hard to wrangle or like moving around while dining out, a table in the overflow dining space could work out.

If you're unsure about Stella's, just go! You won't be...