We were itching to try somewhere new, but were starving so didn’t really want to make the drive into the cities so it was the perfect opportunity to finally check out the new Lakewood Tavern in Lake Elmo!

Snacks:

Jalapeno Poppers: Six jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, bacon wrapped and fried. Served with ranch dressing

While Jalapeno poppers aren’t super “special,” it’s not something we usually see on a menu, especially in the Woodbury area, so we were really excited to order them. They were really good and the bacon was the perfect amount of crispy, which is KEY.

The Sicilian: Roasted turkey, ham, pepperoni and pepper jack cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll, with lettuce, tomato, onion, Italian dressing and mayo

You can order the Sicilian either hot or cold which I loved that they offer. I got mine hot. It was really good. My only complaint is that I wish the waffle fries were seasoned.

Buffalo Mac and Cheese: Macaroni noodles in a buffalo cheese sauce, topped with blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes and green onion with Chicken

Husband had the buffalo mac. He was so excited he started eating before I had a chance to get a good photo haha so you’ll have to forgive this ultra close up.

A general note about the menu is that they have quite a few spicy option dishes which was fun for me, because while it’s still comfort food it has a different flair compared to the other restaurants in the suburbs surrounding.

Drinks:

We both ordered beers which is nothing special so I didn’t even think to get a photo (yes, even after doing this food blog for like 10 years I’m still bad at it hahaha).

They are a “tavern” so they offer a full bar and quite a few of their beers are Minnesota made.

Atmosphere/Service:

The decor is cabin chic meets upscale basement bar. They have some fun illustrations of local lakes which was fun to pick out the ones I have swam in! More importantly, they have pulltabs which is a definite guilty pleasure of mine and I’m happy to report I WON!

Seating is different in that they have a lot of booths around the bar and hightops, but not a lot of smaller tables. It is also pretty loud due to the open layout of the floorplan so while it was perfectly fine for us, if you’re someone that gets overstimulated I’d want you to be aware.

Overall the food was good and the vibe was fun and we’re excited to have another good restaurant option in our (city) backyard!

Lakewood Tavern
9939 Hudson Boulevard North
Lake Elmo, MN 55042
GET FULL HOURS