Ole Store Restaurant — Restaurant in Northfield

The Ole Store Restaurant is part of Northfield's fabric and core establishments, in my opinion. We are grateful that The Ole Store building has been renovated so beautifully and reopened now for years as a restaurant. Not far from the campus, it holds a place in the history of the town.

The menu offers typical breakfast fare as well as a few off-the-beaten-path selections. This morning, I had the Patatas Bravas, which is a flavorful blend of onions, peppers, chorizo sausage, their special house potatoes, and a Brava sauce. It comes topped with goat cheese, and I had poached eggs with it.

I’ve ordered the beetroot salad and baked crust walleye for dinner before – both are excellent. The chef knows how to add a unique twist to each dish. You definitely know that it is homemade and fresh.

The restaurant offers a small-town and yet upscale atmosphere. We chose to eat this time by the large front window, but there are corner booths that provide a cozy atmosphere for easy conversations. The food arrived promptly, and the waitress was amiable and courteous. It is an excellent choice for a family dinner or afternoon business lunch.

It’s easy to reserve a table online through Open Table or to order food pickup. Also, while nestled on a residential street, it has its own parking area as well as street-side parking. It is nice that they provide non-alcoholic cocktail options.

I recommend it highly for great value food that also tastes...

We were so excited to hear about the new ownership of the Ole Store! We've been here several times during the pandemic, as they're providing both distanced indoor seating and a really lovely outdoor lawn seating option. The service has always been wonderful, and both the interior and lawn are inviting.

The menu is more streamlined and inventive than before, but still has some of the old classics (Ole Rolls, Ole Breakfast, Lena Burger). Some dishes have been incredible—the fried chicken over mashed potatoes, the Swedish meatballs, the breakfast club. Others have been surprising for a few bites and then became a little overpowering (the lavender butter and biscuit were so good but hard to eat for more than a few bites). Both desserts we've tried were winners—the strawberry shortcake and lingonberry topped cheesecake. The smorgasbord app spread was tasty. We may have had the Ole Rolls on an off day, as we found them a little dry, but will definitely try them again!

There are still several dishes we want to try. Overall, we feel lucky to have a restaurant like this in a town of 20K that's willing to take some risks, source locally, and focus on quality over quantity. I also feel like the prices...

Food is great here. I visited on a night they were supporting a local farm- Sharing Our Roots.. seemed kinda busy. However, I love supporting meaningful businesses and practices. Friendly, small town vibe. The restaurant was quaint with a somewhat open layout. Wooden booths and wooden tables with chairs for seating options that I saw. Love the local art hanging on the walls. "Fancy" American cuisine with a little flare. They have vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. We got the Smorgasbord for an app and enjoyed most of the items. Almost wish there was a little more bread or something for the spreads though. My kids had the Sven Burger with fries (not pictured, 😞) and loved it. Mom got the Walleye Po'Boy. She loved the greens salad, especially the dressing! I had to go for the Beet Rueben, which was everything I hoped it be.. shredded beat, tangy, savory, yummy bread, so good. We all had to take some food home. Also, mom and I tried the Berry Jam Mojito and the Lemon Roselle for cocktails... yum! Atmosphere was great and all the hosts and servers were lovely. They offer a 3% discount if you...