Restaurants & dining in Carlton, Minnesota
Part of the Carlton neighborhood guide. Back to the full guide.
Carlton has one sit-down room that matters, and it is genuinely good.
Streetcar Kitchen & Pub is in Carlton, doing burgers, salads, and craft beer, and it is the town's main dining destination. Worth stating plainly because regional listing services routinely file it under Cloquet, which has sent more than one visitor to the wrong town. It sits well for a trail stop, a park day, or a normal dinner out.
Beyond that, the town carries a couple of taverns and the fuel-and-convenience options at the highway. Black Bear Casino Resort at the I-35 and MN 210 junction has its own restaurants and event space.
The real depth is ten minutes north in Cloquet. Gordy's Hi-Hat at 415 Sunnyside Drive, opened in 1960 and still run by the Lundquist family, is the most famous restaurant in Carlton County and has been on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; note it is seasonal. The Jack at 1016 Cloquet Avenue and Pedro's Grill and Cantina at 7 8th Street cover sit-down dining, Carmen's on Prospect Avenue West is the longtime local bar and dining room, and Heather's Cafe at 1304 Cloquet Avenue serves breakfast all day.
For anything beyond that, Duluth is 22 minutes up the interstate.
Burgers, salads, and craft beer in Carlton, and the town's main sit-down room. Regional listings often misfile it under Cloquet; it is here.
The 1960 Cloquet drive-in still run by the Lundquist family, about 10 minutes north and the most famous restaurant in Carlton County. Seasonal.
Cloquet cafe at 1304 Cloquet Avenue serving breakfast all day, the nearest sit-down morning spot.
Longtime Cloquet bar and restaurant at 1410 Prospect Avenue West.
Hours and menus change, confirm with each business.
Restaurants & dining next door
Ten minutes north, the county's largest city with the hospital, the grocery, and the restaurants.
EskoTwelve minutes northeast, the school-driven market in Thomson Township at considerably higher prices.
Fond du LacDuluth's far western neighborhood down the river corridor, the closest Duluth address.
ProctorFifteen minutes northeast up I-35, the other end of the Munger Trail and a comparable small-town market.