Rustic Inn Cafe

Well worth the wait. The food and dessert here is spectacular and not just for the North Shore. A must if you are in the area!

Food was absolutely delicious. Service however was less-so. My sister was patronized for asking if they could use another option of bread presented in a different entree. Overall, the vibe we got from our server was as if we had to walk on eggshells.

Granted, the server was dealing with alot of tables. Personally still, I feel part of the experience is to freely feel comfortable, which we did not feel.

Rustic Inn is AMAZING food wise. My trout sandwich was tender, and I could taste the smokey flavors. Also their pies are to die for.

Our waitress was so-so. However, the food more than made up for it! We went with friends, we had fish and chips, requested fries instead of chips, and the kids had chicken tenders. Both kids split one kids meal and had some left over. The fries were lovely, hot and crispy. The fish was battered very well, crisp, not-greasy crust with moist fish inside. The one downfall was seasoning. A little salt in the batter would have gone a looooong way.
For pie we all split 3 pieces: apple caramel pecan was delicious in every way. Well balanced flavors and textures. Just lovely. The North Shore Berry Pie was equally delicious. The peanut butter pie was too sweet and soft and packed a good flavor balance. I usually love peanut butter pie, but this one...I actually didn't even finish mine.
Overall, the food definitely won us over and we'll be back for sure. Definitely a great place to stop for a meal or even just a fabulous slice of pie.

This was a highlight of our North Shore trip, and it was worth the stop. The menu listing doesn't seem very flashy, but each item seems to be created with care and attention to detail that makes dining here worth the time and money.

The fish and chips I ordered were outstanding. It was northern pike from MN on this day, the fish used changes, so ask when you order. The beer batter was crisp and not greasy, the fish done perfectly, and the northern was carefully cut into very attractive and convenient "finger" chunks before it was fried. The slaw was fresh made, and the chips, although I expected the British incantation and not potato chips (you have to say "french fries" to get the chips of "fish and chips" here), these potato chips were homemade with a vinegar powder on them that really complimented the malt vinegar I used on the fish.

We also ordered the Philly steak sandwich and a couple pie slices with coffee. The pie is really good! Watching other items travel from kitchen to table showed that everything looked great. All the food we had was notably high quality in all aspects.

The service was a little flat, lacking smiles, even a bit depressing in the person to person interactions, both hostess and server. And the booth lighting is bare artisan LED bulbs mounted at eye level on the wall, and is blinding, we unscrewed the bulb for comfort, but then it was a bit too dark. I'd recommend not sitting in a booth here, and choosing a table with chairs.

Worth the stop!

Stopped for pie after a refreshing swim in the Temperance River. Because the swim stirred our appetite we also had some appetizers. The Walleye Cakes are very good. I definitely would have those again. The onion rings are presented nicely. Of the three pies we had the peach cherry crumble was the favorite. It seemed to hit the best balance of tart fruit and sweetness. Service was good.