Angry Trout Cafe

I stopped here over the summer with a group of college friends on a camping trip. It was an elegant dining experience, a great break from the camping grub! They have great fresh fish (I’m told) and my favorite, a wonderful selection of vegetarian options. It is a bit pricey for the average college budget but well worth the spurge. The staff was entertaining, as we watched the cooks run out of the steaming kitchen on to the dock and into the icy waters every 20 minutes or so. Be prepared to wait during the busy summer months.

Stopped by on a nice October evening. We walked past the kitchen on the way back to the dining room. The dining area was full of beautiful views of the bay. We got our menus and we honed in on the fish. Of course we are going to try something fish out of the lake! I got the «Fish and Chips» and my wife the Grilled Fish Dinner”. Both of the fish selections were Herring.
The food came out in less than 30 minutes and we settled in to eat. The fish in my meal was very good, even though it did not resemble any «Fish and Chips» that I have had before. The fish looked breaded and baked and nothing close to deep fried. The fries were the same. I got to wondering how «fresh» is this fish if it came out very pre-​done like. I was expecting everything made from scratch, but it sure did not seem like it. The coleslaw was very average as well.
My wife dinner was not much better. It was good, but nothing special. Would I go here again? Maybe, but there was certainly nothing out of the ordinary going on here.

On my friends’ annual trip to the Boundary Waters, they always make the 1.5 hour drive to the Angry Trout if they can. This place has excellent fresh fish, which come on summer salads with tons of in-​season ingredients. My pasta was fantastic as well.
I like that this isn’t in the main strip of Grand Marais and feels a little less touristy, a little more local, yet still has great food and an amazing view of the water (and «downtown» Grand Marais).
THE WAIT: We called ahead to get on the wait while we were on the road and they said it would be about 45 minutes, which ended up being pretty spot-​on.
THE SERVICE: We were greeted immediately after being seated, and the woman told us who our server would be. Our server took a while to get to us (we were completely ready to order everything) but was really nice about it. When we ordered our appetizer, he ran to the kitchen to put it in immediately before taking the rest of our order! That was greatly appreciated. Everyone here seems really down to earth.
THE FOOD: (See my photos for additional details!)
APPETIZERS
* Fresh Fish of the Day Fritters (Fresh Lake Superior fish deep-​fried in a batter w/​chopped red bell pepper, tomato, celery & onion. Served w/​dill tartar sauce. $ 10.75) — 4 stars
Very good! This was incredibly fresh, I think it had just been fried seconds before. I do wish (just a personal preference) that they are a bit more crispy!
* Side of WaffleFries — 3 stars
These definitely lack crisp and don’t have much seasoning. A disappointment.
DINNER
* Smoked Trout Fettucini (locally smoked lake trout & fresh fettucini tossed w/​olive oil sauteed garlic, fresh tomatoes, & herbs. Topped w/​parmesan cheese & toasted hazelnuts. $ 24.50) — 4.5 stars.
Excellent. The pasta was fresh and out of this world. The smoked trout was amazing as well, and perfect in texture. The salad was super fresh and I love the mix of in-​season ingredients. A couple small, very picky things: The parmesan was kind of sprinkled on to one place ended up creating one big glob — it was hard to get it mixed in to the rest of the pasta. Logistically, I wish there was more separation between the hot and cold items. I loved the salad, and it felt like a huge loss to me that parts of it were up against the corn or the pasta and became hot and soggy!

Ideal north shore dinner! Cozy spot with great local food.
30 minute wait wasn’t bad on a Sat night, and the service was speedy.
We started with a cup of the whitefish chowder for an app, then had the salad with whitefish and the whitefish sandwich. The chowder was amazing! The salad and sandwich both came with a perfectly grilled, tender piece of fish. Pile on their fantastic tartar sauce. I also really liked the maple mustard salad dressing!

In the quaint little town of Grand Marais
you’d think it be hard to keep your hunger at bay,
Those tiny towns while keen on visual display,
tend to offer food not anywhere near gourmet.
The Angry Trout goes against this grain
by focusing on a philosophy pleasant and plain;
Keep it fresh, keep it local, make a plan to sustain
the town, its surroundings, what the lake may contain.
To start off dinner we each had some soup,
Walleye cheek chowder it disappeared in a swoop
Creamy and fish-​full without looking like gloop,
Don’t neglect this course, it’s an important food group.
Salads like everyone has said are great,
surprisingly fresh and bright on the plate,
Try the maple mustard dressing, it’s first rate
To the entrée it’s a complementary mate.
We ordered lake herring, a local fish,
Got it grilled and shared since we weren’t feeling rich,
Enough for two we dug into the dish,
Perfectly cooked, plentiful, and delish.
We now see what all the fuss is about,
Our stomachs and brains clearly shout,
Making future plans to for another trip out,
to Grand Marais and of course the the Angry Trout

I don’t know, I guess I can see the appeal of this place. Nothing all too impressive here.
First off, the patio on the harbor offers fantastic views paired with some of the most uncomfortable chairs on this planet. Seriously, these chairs are awful.
Service is okay. Our waiter was a little strange, but knew his stuff.
Food was above average. Portions were a little small for the price point but still good.