Best Restaurants in Downtown White Bear Lake (2026)

The soup and salad combo is the safe lunch order, served in a room built for lingering rather than turning tables fast. The rooftop patio is the draw on a nice evening, though the grilled chicken has landed overcooked on at least one visit. Go for the setting and the steak, and stick to simple orders.

Weekday breakfast has been the steady draw for years, with a full bar and a beer list backing up the chile relleno and carne asada at dinner. Service swings between attentive and slow depending on the shift, and the morning crowd has thinned lately. Best treated as a reliable lunch and breakfast stop rather than a special occasion.

The pizza draws the strongest praise in town, alongside a salad worth ordering on repeat and cheese dip that holds up as a starter. The room gets loud when full, which tracks with how busy it runs. Skip the deep dish Chicago style; the standard pies are the safer call.

Wagyu and seasonal fish anchor the menu in a room built around exposed brick and hardwood, with the rooftop patio the best seat on a warm night. Prices sit at the higher end of downtown's range, and the printed menu has not always matched what is posted online. Worth booking for the patio, not for a quick bite.

The burger gets the char and juice right and is the safer order over the banh mi, which has come out with chicken dried past the point of holding its vegetables crisp. Service can lag when the room fills. It is also one of the few kitchens open late in downtown White Bear Lake, useful for anyone staying nearby.

The Grande Burro anchors the menu, a beef-stuffed order big enough to share, backed by a choriqueso plate worth ordering as a starter every time. The room sits close to the lake and the shops downtown, and service has stayed quick and consistent across repeat visits. A dependable neighborhood Mexican kitchen, not a special-occasion room.

Whole breaded wings are the reason to walk in, served large enough that eating them clean is not really an option. Burgers and other bar apps round out the menu, though quality has swung from excellent to merely fine on back-to-back visits. A sports-bar room built for wings and beer, not quiet conversation.

Sandwiches and daily soups run the counter at this lunch spot, where the same staff greeting regulars by name is part of the draw for locals. Portions have come up small on off visits, and front counter service can turn brusque. Best for a quick weekday lunch with a neighborhood feel rather than a leisurely sit-down.

Short ribs come with a generous meat-to-fat ratio and the bibimbap holds its own against the burnt ends, all served in a strip mall storefront that outperforms its address. Portions run large for the price, which explains the repeat visits. A dependable Korean kitchen worth the parking lot, not a special-occasion room.

The omelet with hash browns and toast is the standing order at this small breakfast room, where the kitchen runs on one cook and one server most mornings. The drive from other parts of town is the main complaint, and the food has stayed solid through it. A classic small town breakfast counter, plain and consistent.