Sven & Ole’s

Very good. The chicken pasta and chicken wings is so wonderful. The pizza is awesome. The staff here is so nice

Pizza is hard to screw up. Even most frozen pizzas are OK. That’s about what Sven and Oles is. Digorno. Freschetta. Better than Jacks or Tombstone. Not as good as Heggies.
Best pizza you’ve ever had? I hope not. Not even close to the best pizza in town. But fine for what it is. If you want a basic, OK, filling pizza with a good beer or pop this is fine. Not horribly expensive. It was busy and our service was reasonably quick. With all the other quality restaurants here I wouldn’t advise a stop — unless you are in GM in late October or November and half the places are closed.
They do have South Shore Nut Brown. If you like brown ales get this one. I think it is for sure the best in the northern Midwest and probably the best brown I’ve ever had.

You haven’t been to Grand Marais until you’ve been to Sven and Olé’s…
They do indeed have some EXCELLENT pizza here, possibly some of the best pizza I’ve had in my life!
The only complaint I have about this place is that it can get REALLY busy around 5:30 — 6:00 and the wait to get your pizza after you order it may be a little long.
It’s worth the wait. I recommend to come here around 5 so you can beat the rush.

We walked in at 6:30pm on a Sunday night, there were two customers in front of us and a few open tables in the Dining room. We got to the counter and ordered one order of BBQ boneless wings, a 12″ bacon cheeseburger pizza, and 2 drinks. We were told the wait would be 45 minutes for our pizza, which I didn’t think was too unreasonable. At 7:30 our «boneless wings» came out they were baked, breaded chicken nuggets that anyone could buy at any supermarket and bake at home, except these nuggets cost 9.99. They were not tossed in any sauce, and were served with a side of what I think was Teriyaki sauce (which wasn’t even on the menu) we were really hungry at this point and just ate the «wings». We did not feel like alerting the only staff member around (who complained about the amount of customers at a volume that could easily be heard). Our pizza arrived at about 8:00 and was hot and fresh, but was nothing special. As we were leaving, we heard a few customers complaining at the counter, and even a family demanding a refund for poor service and extremely long wait times. This place wasn’t always like this, but I don’t think I’ll be returning again.

We were told that this place is a must to try before leaving Grand Marais … I recommend to leave without trying! We arrived there around 6:30p and it was slightly busy. We walked up to the cashier and she couldn’t look more unfriendly and miserable which I would eventually understand in a couple of minutes. We placed our pizza order and a round of beers and went to the dining area. When we sat down we noticed the beer they opened for is was not the right one, they were nice enough to to switch us to the correct beer.
We returned to our table and waited with the group of flies that were around us at the table. They were more friendly than the staff working there. So we shooed them away while we waited… and waited… and waited. After 25 minutes or so we decided to move blaming the stuffed Elk for our unwanted friends and moved to the window, we were wrong. Other patrons in the restaurant near us said they were bothered by the flies as well so we didn’t get away from them at all.
So we continued to wait… and wait … and wait! While we where waiting there was and older guy bussing tables or at least dragging his feet and eating food while he did it. He seemed as miserable as the cashier and he told a customer that he wished «people would stay home!». Great employee for the restaurant!
Cut to us still waiting and after looking around seeing several other patrons with the annoying look of having to wait so long. I would highly recommend two things to avoid upsetting customers. One: tell customers the wait time when they order so the expectations are set. Two: have employees at least apologize for the wait when the food arrives. The only person who seemed to care was another older guy bringing the pizzas in.
We eventually did not want to eat there because of the flies and took our pizza to go about 70 minutes later. The pizza itself was ok and ours was not cooked all the way. Simply based on the employees and service I do not recommend going here, take the frozen pizza and cooks at home/​hotel is possible or even better don’t go here!
It may have been a nice place before but it has gone downhill quiet quickly. I promise you’ll be as disappointed as we were so do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else!

I’ve been coming to Sven and Olé’s for years now and the pizza is consistently good. The prices are a bit high but since it’s not a place I frequent, I’m ok paying a little more for the experience. Free wifi is a plus too. The kids love this place.

Chewy thin crust pizza reasonably priced. Tasty sauce — just the right amount. With teen boys had two large thin crust pizzas — cheese and one pepperoni. Its a little awkward to order then sit — pizza takes 15 – 20 minutes not bad because made to order. Bustling establishment with babies to grandparents
.

Stopped in here during a quick visit to Grand Marais for lunch. The décor of the place is pretty «townsy» and has a lot of different knick knacks on the wall. It fits the theme of being in a tourist town. They had plenty of seating and an area with condiments.
Their lunch special is great! You can get two slices of pizza, side salad, and drink (pop or coffee) for ~$ 7. I ordered one slice of pepperoni and one of the Uffda supreme. The pizza was freshly made and served right after I ordered, which was a huge plus since we didn’t have to wait. The Uffda had plenty of toppings and was very filling but the pepperoni was my favorite. It was so tasty and just the right amount of grease to make it juicy but not over the top. I would definitely go back for the pepperoni and how quick our service was even though it is similar to your average pizza place in a small town.

A thin crust that is almost New York style with a great dough and great toppings.
If yA like pickled herring it’s pretty darn good.
The wild rice pizza is good stuff and good separation from families of yA want to try the bar upstairs.
I would almost recommend Sven and oles as the joint to hang out and watch a game at on the few tvs.

Great pizza with lots of choices! We love the veggie Zah and add sausage, pepperoni and spinach! It’s fresh and super tasty… Possibly the best thin crust I’ve ever had! This is a very very casual place and it may look less than stellar, but the the pizza shouldn’t be missed! They also have a small bar in the back called the Pickled Herring. If you need dessert after pizza, they also serve Bridgeman’s ice cream… What else could you need!
Great pizza place!

Great place to come and enjoy Great Pizza! Grand Marais is a great vacation destination with amazing views of Lake Superior. When here you have to come to Sven and Olé’s for Pizza, it’s amazing. Second time here this week.

We heard this was a «must visit» location in Grand Marais and while my wife and I were vacationing on the North Shore last fall we stopped in at the famous Sven & Olé’s Pizza Parlor (9 W. Wisconsin St. Grand Marais) to see what all of the fuss was about for ourselves.
Upon arrival, we had to wait. Not a surprise seeing how many tourists (like us) were in town taking in the breathtaking colors of the autumn trees. Grand Marais is so beautiful, with the lake right there and the wilderness all around. But anyway, I’m carrying on about that and should be focusing in on the restaurant.
The outside doesn’t look anything like a restaurant, rather like the façade of a discount store such as Pamida. If not for the sign, we wouldn’t have found the place. Nothing fancy here, but the décor inside is a real trip. Moose antlers, weird «Northwoods» memorabilia, license plates, you name it. There are two separate eating areas, neither or which were really any different other than they were on opposite sides of a strange wall in the middle of the restaurant. There is a bar on the second floor on the east side of the restaurant. The ambiance is what you’d expect to find at a family pizza parlor — rather loud (it didn’t help that the place was PACKED).
There is a decent menu here, but I don’t think anyone comes here for any reason other than the pizza. We are definitely pizza people and expected greatness… and Sven & Olé’s delivered on that! We had a «split» pizza and they were happy to make it for us. One half of our pizza was a Canadian bacon and sauerkraut and the other half was a supreme. They don’t skimp on the toppings. The Canadian bacon and sausage on the pizza are some of the best I’ve had anywhere and I’m not kidding. The vegetables were fresh except for the black olives. We think they were likely canned and had a weird aftertaste. Loads of delicious cheese on the pie… they don’t skimp on the «good stuff.» We had fountain drinks… nothing more than the typical wax cup with a plastic lid and straw. It’s a pizza place so it works.
Service isn’t awesome here nor is the place what I would call «well kept» as the decorations everywhere are on the older side. The service wasn’t really bad, but sort of non-​existent. You order at the counter, they give you drink cups and if you’re fortunate, someone will come around and refill it for you. The night we were there the pizza cook brought our food to the table. That’s not how it should be done, but don’t let that stop you from going there.
Sven & Olé’s lives up to the hype — they put out a good product. The prices are a little steep (but it is a tourist town) and the atmosphere there can be quite noisy. Don’t expect anything fancy including the service. They sell pizza either whole or per slice and they don’t skimp on the ingredients.
Overall, it was a fun trip and we’d definitely return to Sven & Olé’s. Maybe next time we’ll get one of those classic blue & gold bumper stickers.

Good pizza. But a little pricey as it is downtown tourist spot. But if you don’t mind spending money on good pizza (really not that special, but better than most chains) go ahead. The indoor area is good for groups and really funny as to highlight their Scandinavian culture/​heritage. They sell by the slice! Try that.

After a late active day in the Superior National Forest, we decided to watch a movie back in the hotel room and order pizza from Sven and Oles. I went online to take a look at their menu only to see that they don’t have it to view nor to place an order. So I gave them a call. The man that answered was very nice and gave me their different pizza options. We chose the meat pizza. It had Canadian bacon, pepperoni, hamburger and sausage. We went and picked it up. It was ready in 30 minutes.
The kids liked it. I thought it was pretty generic. I did like the crust though. Would I order it again? Probably not. But if you are hankering for some pizza, I guess this will take the edge off.

Love this no-​frills pizza shop. It’s nothing fancy, but they serve a fun pie. Where else can you get pizza with wild rice on it? I highly recommend that particular dining adventure.
The restaurant itself is a very mom and pop type of deal, the type of place that you can tell the locals have been patronizing for decades. All kinds of random items are mounted on the walls and make for fun looking while you are waiting for your pizza. You order at the counter, get a cup with a number on it, choose your own seat in the dining room and wait for your food. I recommend the thick crust over the thin crust and again — highly endorse trying the wild rice topping. Unique and tasty and a lot of fun.

We drove up to Grand Marais on a cold, windy day in May. We had read about Sven & Olé’s, and decided to try them for a pizza.
The atmosphere has that rustic style: Caribou head on the wall, wood-​cutting tools, old board games, baseball pennants, and so on. You order in a small counter space before going to sit in the dining room. They give you a number and bring your food to you.
Ordering can be tricky, as they have named pizzas, but the displayed menu doesn’t explain the ingredients. We ordered a 12″ thin-​crust pizza, half pepperoni and half veggie, and it was very good. We’d definitely go back.