Gordy's Hi-Hat
Burgers, fried fish, malts · 415 Sunnyside Drive, Cloquet, MN 55720
About Gordy's Hi-Hat
Gordy's Hi-Hat at 415 Sunnyside Drive opened in 1960 under Gordy and Marilyn Lundquist and is still independently owned and operated by the family, serving hand-pattied hamburgers, hand-battered Alaskan fish, homemade onion rings, and fresh-blended malts (Gordy's Hi-Hat, accessed 2026-08-13).
It has been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it is consistently ranked the best restaurant in Cloquet, and it pulls travelers off I-35 all summer long.
The important local detail is that it is seasonal, closing over the winter and reopening in spring. Opening day is a genuine event in Carlton County, and the fact that a drive-in reopening counts as news tells you most of what you need to know about how northern Minnesota organizes its year.
Good to know: hand-pattied burgers, hand-battered Alaskan fish, homemade onion rings, fresh-blended malts, drive-in, seasonal.
Neighborhoods it serves
The mill town that burned down in 1918 and rebuilt itself, twenty minutes from Duluth.
EskoThe school district people move for, on an old farm settlement 20 minutes from Duluth.
ScanlonThe small city between Cloquet and Esko, on the river and the interstate.
CarltonThe county seat at the gates of Jay Cooke, where the Munger Trail meets the gorge.
Where these facts come from
- Gordy's Hi-Hat, Cloquet accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.