Restaurants & dining in Two Harbors, Minnesota
Part of the Two Harbors neighborhood guide. Back to the full guide.
For a city of 3,400, Two Harbors punches far above its weight, largely because it is the first real stop on the North Shore and everyone driving up passes through.
Betty's Pies at 1633 Highway 61 is the landmark. Betty's father built a fish shack on the highway in 1957, Betty added pies in 1958 when she converted it into a cafe, and the operation has been a fixed point of Minnesota summer ever since. The pie is the reason people stop, the line in July is real, and the diner menu behind it is solid.
Castle Danger Brewery is the other anchor and the more recent story. Brewing on the North Shore since 2011 and named for a stretch of shoreline up the coast, its taproom at 17 7th Street and its patio look out over Lake Superior. It has since grown into the fourth-largest brewery in Minnesota and brews the state's top-selling cream ale, which is a remarkable thing for a town of 3,400 to have produced. There is no kitchen, so you bring food in or order from nearby restaurants, which is a very Two Harbors arrangement and works better than it sounds.
For sit-down meals, the Vanilla Bean at 812 7th Avenue has been going since 1998 and is known for oven-baked omelets, Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, and a bacon-wrapped mini-donut Bloody Mary. Louise's Place Cafe + Pantry Provisions at 19 Waterfront Drive is the other everyday option, started more than twenty years ago as a bakery and coffee shop and expanded into breakfast and lunch by Dan and Marsha Snowdon in 2015. Downtown carries additional bars and seasonal restaurants that turn over more than a guide can track.
Fifteen minutes southwest on Scenic 61, the New Scenic Cafe remains the region's destination restaurant and is worth the drive from anywhere in the Twin Ports.
The honest caveat is seasonality. Several businesses here run reduced hours or close entirely outside the summer and fall season, and February in Two Harbors offers a much shorter list than July does.
The North Shore institution at 1633 Highway 61. It started as a fish shack Betty's father built in 1957, and Betty added pies in 1958 when she turned it into a cafe. The line out the door in July is a fixed feature of Minnesota summer.
Home-style cooking at 812 7th Avenue since 1998, known for oven-baked omelets, Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, and a bacon-wrapped mini-donut Bloody Mary.
Cafe at 19 Waterfront Drive, founded more than twenty years ago as a bake and coffee shop and expanded to breakfast, lunch, and daily specials by Dan and Marsha Snowdon in 2015.
The region's destination restaurant, on Scenic Highway 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors, about 15 minutes southwest.
Brewing on the North Shore since 2011, at 17 7th Street with a patio overlooking Lake Superior. Now the fourth-largest brewery in Minnesota and home to the state's top-selling cream ale. No kitchen, but you can bring food in or order from nearby restaurants.
Two Harbors supports several independent coffee and bakery businesses that turn over with the seasons. Confirm current operators before publishing names.
Hours and menus change, confirm with each business.
Restaurants & dining next door
Ten minutes southwest on Scenic 61, a smaller shoreline community with the same lake access and no town services.
Silver BayThirty minutes northeast, a planned taconite town with the same school district and noticeably lower prices.
North Shore (Duluth)Duluth's own shoreline strip past Brighton Beach, the closest thing to Two Harbors inside the city limits.
LakesideDuluth's east-side family neighborhood, about 20 minutes southwest, with more services and a shorter commute.
Lester ParkThe east end of Duluth on the way here, with trail access and a full city behind it.