Fitger’s Brewhouse Brewery and Grille

Apricot wheat bear — good enough to me jealous I coudn’t have any on our last visit (I’m pregnant). Last time we visited, we came home with two growlers of the stuff. Try it — it’s addicting!
Burgers — can’t go wrong. I’ve had the burger with blue cheese twice — cooked perfectly, generous portions, and DELICIOUS. Both the fries and the tots are good — if you’re extra hungry, go for the tots — the portion is huge.
Family friendly — we went with a 5 month old and had a blast last winter. No objections to us hooking our travel seat onto a high top table and staying a while.
Easy to access from the walking path from canal park.

I give the food a solid 3 stars and the beer was a definite 5 star. After searching the different breweries that also served food we decided on this one. The location is a little odd (it’s in a historical building) with almost a strip mall vibe. We were seated in a quiet section with a window to a hallway (it was just odd). The menu has a lot of food options and the beer menu is diverse as well. There were no complaints with the food but nothing was outstanding either… the food was a little lackluster. The beer was the most interesting thing about the meal and the reason people probably stop by. Some of the favorites were the apricot wheat and the oatmeal stout.

As with most brew pubs, Fitgers has good beer variety and so-​so food. We ordered a Flight of Beers with fish and chips. The fish and chips tasted ok … nothing great, but some their beers deserve praise.

Great food. Wide variety of vegetarian options. Wild rice burger was delicious. Their unique take on pouting with tater tots and jalapeño was fantastic. The Apricot Wheat beer was a perfect match for the jalapeños on my Gale Force wild rice burger. Would definitely return on future trips to Duluth.

This place is good. There is nothing wrong with this place at all. So why a four score? I try to reserve fours for those perfect places. But if there was a pageant of all my four scores, this would probably win.
Teresa our server was very helpful suggesting the cheese curds to start out. My wife got the wild rice burger. It was vegetarian so I she’s away from it. Next time I come in, I’ll be getting my own wild rice burger.
Good in house brew selection too. Apricot wheat and the cherry cider did good to us.
Parking on the street is hard, the parking garage just down the street a block away is a short walk. Bring your ticket in to get validated.

Beer flight was great value for the price. Friendly atmosphere. Wide food selection. Chipotle maple syrup on top
Of chicken and waffles gave the dinner a great kick. Hummus app and cheese bacon cheese curds were perfect starter to the meal.

Wow! I’m so glad we chose to eat here. We got a flight of beer and thoroughly enjoyed it… quality ingredients and cold. We just wish that you had more of a say of what is included in the flight (5 are predetermined and then you get to choose 2).
For food, I had to try the wild rice burger n it didn’t disappoint. I ordered the classic style and it was fabulous. The only thing I would change is having a little less of the garlic mayo on it (it was tasty, but I prefer a lil less mayo in general). Don’t get me wrong, i loved it and I’m so glad I ordered it. The sweet potato fries were also excellent… light with a crispy outside. My bf got the cowboy burger with regular fries and loved every juicy bite, although he wished he had more sauce on his. The multigrain buns were perfect! It was so nice not to have super heavy buns weighing down our burgers. You also can’t go wrong with the draft root beer… deelish!
The service was friendly and the atmosphere was enjoyable. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll be sure to stop n u should, too.

I always have a great time here. The atmosphere is always great! Several different local beers on tap. Parking I would say is the biggest problem. With so many tourists in the area in summer they are very strict on it and be careful of being ticketed and towed.

Good food. Good service. Okay atmosphere.
We got there right when it opened. We were seated promptly. I can’t really comment on the service. It wasn’t bad but not exceptional either.
Table we sat at was pretty small and it was quite dark inside for being 11am.
Ordered their home made root beer, wild rice burger and beau burger.
The root beer wasn’t cold but it was delicious. It was smooth and sweet. I would get it again. We got the one that came with a souvenir glass.
The wild rice burger we got was excellent. It wasn’t dry. It had a nice mix of textures and flavors. There was spinach, jalapenos, red onions, and some kind of white sauce. I didn’t care much about the red onions though. The bread to patty ratio was on point. I would recommend it if you want to try something new.
The beau burger was amazing. Had bbq sauce, cheese, red onions, and bacon. Delish. Would recommend.
We didn’t get any beer but looks like most patrons like them.

This is my go to spot in Duluth. If you like a good beer, burger, and friendly service. You’ll find it here.
This is the first and only place I’ve tried a wild rice burger. The Gale Force. Crispy outer layer on the wild rice patty, soft center, topped with blue cheese, and jalapeño peppers. Unbelievably good. I don’t miss the beef at all, this may have been the start of my vegetarian lifestyle. Okay, that’s a lie, but it was close.
Their beer battered fries are some of the best fries I’ve ever had, could be a meal on its own.
I’ve had plenty of other dishes here, and I’d order them all again. If they’ve got their corn chowder with Italian sausage on the menu, don’t pass that up.
You’ll also want to get yourself a Bloody Mary, spring for the $ 1 extra beef jerky to complete your drink.

Fitgers Brewhouse is the sort of place that, on its own, is worth driving the two hours from the twin cities to go to. In fact, Fitger’s is the type of place that every touristy, Duluth style town needs. The sort of place that is so unique and so delicious that it becomes one of my most lasting memories from my trip.
Yes, they have tons of home-​brewed beers on tap. But let’s get to the real reason I’m reviewing this place: the wild rice burger. The wild rice burger is on a short list of some of the coolest things I’ve ever eaten. This is coming from a steadfast carnivore. I don’t really do salads, and my standard answer to double meat is yes please. But this wild rice burger… unbelievable. It’s a veggie burger that is honestly better than most every meat burger I’ve ever had. There’s just something so unique about that wild rice flavor in burger format. I’m convinced if we did a blind taste test even the staunchest of carnivores would love it.
I wish I could give a better review of the rest of the menu, but honestly that wild rice burger just stole the show so much that I can’t remember much else. What I do remember is that this place is without question a must visit.

Fitger’s continuously rotating variety of beer is a delicious reason to stop off and quench your thirst on a long drive or even a reason to visit Duluth in and of itself.
The solid and unique food offerings here (elk burger, smoked fish salad, wrap, or burger – yes, burger. With wasabi aioli. Try it!) are icing on the cake.

Every time I’m in Duluth, I have to stop at the Brewhouse, especially when I am with Leah G. (It’s her favorite restaurant)
Atmosphere: Very cozy restaurant. You can overlook the brewery that is downstairs. They have a cute, cozy bar and sometimes they have live music. The servers are high energy and fun. They are also very attentive!
I’ve tried a ton of items off of their menu, here are my favorites:
+ Maple Salad: If you aren’t feeling a anything to heavy, I’d go with the Maple Salad. The Blue Cheese compliments the maple vinaigrette and the crisp crunch of the apples adds a little something you usually don’t get with a salad
+ Burgers Overall: What I really like about their burgers is the bun. The bun is a smaller multi grain bun that has great bun to meat ratio. I also always get a side of fries. If you’re a sauce person like me, order the chipotle mayo as a side to dip your fries in, trust me you wont be disappointed.
+ Beau Burger: I’ve gotten this burger for years. Their bacon is awesome and crispy. I also really like red onions
+ SouthWest Burger: If there is guacamole on any burger, I’m going to order it.
+ Artichoke Chicken Sandwich: If you like artichoke, and chicken, and not feeling a burger, get this.
Tips:
+ The Fitger’s complex parking ramp is free if you bring a receipt from any store
+ Get a beer. You can only get Fitger’s beer at the restaurants and the Apricot Wheat is the best beer ever. If you’re not super in to fruity beers, get it mixed with the Star Fire. (The locals call it «Star-​Pricot)
+ Fitger’s BrewHouse is a busy place. Get there early!

Actually started at the sister establishment Pickwick’s across the street for a Manhattan and loved the old school charm of the place. Reminded me of a Wisconsin supper club.
Anyway, we proceeded to Fitger’s for some great bar food. Clever but not pretentious. We had the pretzel and beer cheese dip to start followed by our main course. I had the Mac and Grilled Cheese which was an interesting twist. It was mac n cheese smashed between two pieces of sourdough bread and topped with bacon. Mighty frickin tasty and liked the option to get tater tots. My co-​worker who is in from California and had the Poutine Burger for his first exposure to that delicious Canadian dish. My only rub would be that the restaurant has limited drink menu if you’re not a beer drinker. I did find a good bourbon and ginger however, so crisis averted. Our server was great, ambiance was very cool (seemed to be a lot of hipsters in the mix) and the food was wonderful. Give it try if you’re in Duluth!

I came here at the right time of year. Their Apricot Wheat beer is some of my favorite! This was the first time actually visiting the brewhouse. That Fitger’s building is huge and after wandering around a bit, we finally found the place. Although we found the separate gift shop first. Funny how that works.
In addition to getting my Apricot Wheat fix, I decided to order the Ultimate Nachos! While I will spare you, the reader of any nacho breakdown I have, I found these nachos to be quite good and worthy of sobering up my apricot wheat induced buzz.
On a side note, I also tried their Antje Zes Brett brew. It was decent and fairly good for a brett.

Fitger’s is a must stop for the hubs and I every trip we take up north (and on the way home too). Not only are all the beers fantastic, their food is great too. If we lived up here this would be our Town Hall!
Fun thing to note — they have nalgene/​plastic growlers that are perfect for camping. They’ve also added in the mini growlers since our last visit and I purchased 2, much to my husband’s displeasure (we probably have about 8 of these mini growlers now).
The food is solid and will satisfy, but probably not floor you in amazement. I’ve had several burgers (salmon, beef, wild rice) and a couple of salads. No complaints about any of it.
Their beers are really the highlight though. Our mainstay #1 growler fill up is the apricot wheat. Also high on the list are the breakwater wit, summer lightning, and whatever rendition of sour they happen to have.
Only a couple downsides — sometimes it can be super crowded with long wait times. We have left once because we were starving one cold winter night and couldn’t wait 45 mins to be seated. There’s also a lot of action with the servers going on around the bar, so if you’re up there waiting for a pint or growler to be filled it feels like you are just constantly shifting and apologizing for being in the way, even though there isn’t a better place to stand.
Highly recommended, wish they were a couple hours south so we could go more often!

After wandering up and down Canal Park for a place to inspire us, I called my cousin, who used to live in Duluth, and asked where to eat. She recommended Fitger’s, if we were willing to take a short walk along the beachfront walk to the old building.
If it’s good enough for the locals, I’m in!
Located just north of Canal Park, you’ll find the Fitger’s building. It seems to be a collection of several businesses and a hotel. Pretty neat use of the space! But we were there for food and beer!
After a reasonable wait for a Saturday evening, we were seated and promptly ordered a beer. And then a flight of the rest to split between us. Okay, so we were on vacation, had to try them all, right? And oh boy, what a good decision that was! Fitger’s is brewing some amazing beer! Everything we tried was top notch and could easily compete amongst the big dogs in the Denver beer scene. Sadly, due to antiquated Minnesota beer laws, Fitger’s doesn’t bottle, but they do growlers. Which is great for locals, sad for us visitors who want to share the spoils back home. But we did get to sample the goods for one night, and it was beautiful.
Okay, I could wax poetic about the beer for much longer than that, but I’ll get to the food. The entire menu looked awesome, but when I heard the special was fish fry and fries, I didn’t bother investigating too much further. When in the Northern Great Lakes, you get the fish fry. Period. And the cheese curds. Bring me those, too. And you wouldn’t be surprised to know that all of the above were delicious. I will definitely be returning to Fitger’s to try more of the menu next time I’m in Duluth.
So, lesson learned: while Canal Park is tempting and fun to stroll through, get off it and head toward the smoke-​stacked building and indulge! Fitger’s, you are ace!
ETA: I have to give a shout-​out to our server, Hannah. She was so lovely and helpful! Thank you for a great experience!

It was my first time to Duluth and naturally, I turned to Unilocal to find the best restaurant for lunch. Fitger’s was rated very high, so we chose this stop as our lunch destination. Fitger’s did not disappoint. It was delicious. Being from Wisconsin, of course I am obsessed with cheese curds. I basically grew up on cheese curds as a staple, so I was intrigued to try their take on them. Bacon chunks intricately wrapped between the beer batter and gooey cheesiness = love. I also finally partook in a sample of beer since I haven’t been able to drink recently (health). I thought I wanted a blonde since that is what I always want, but I asked to try to the apricot wheat. Why not try something new right? AMAZING. Fruity but not overpowering. Did I mention that it is amazing? I would buy a few growlers of this next time I am up here which is hopefully soon. Yummy. So I should have stopped there.
I ordered the fish and chips. It’s Friday and I’m a Wisconsin girl… what do you expect? Beer battered cod was fine. It was not spectacular. It’s just a little to oily/​deep fried tasting… like the oil was bad or just too overpowering… It might be a sin to make cod this greasy, but whatever. I just won’t order it again. It came with a soup choice, so I opted for the clam chowder. That was disappointing as well. I can’t really rate clam chowders since I’ve only had spicy family recipes… that had flavor. The beer battered fries were ok as well… nothing amazing here.
So, my meal was mediocre. I should have stuck with the cheese curds and beer alone.
The service was friendly and she was very attentive. The scenery is not that great. It’s such a shame they don’t have windows in the back (opposite side of building) overlooking the lake. It would be a hit with the masses I think. Overall, it was a good place and I will be back to try something else and wash it down with an apricot wheat. Seriously, so sad that I can’t get that in the cities year-​round :(

Ordered late night snacks to go, service was fast and friendly. Reasonably priced.
Carrot cake was too sweet but portion was huge.
Poutine was VERY satisfying!
Will be back for burgers and beer

Came back last weekend as my first stop once I got into Duluth. This place never disappoints! This time I ordered the Lakefront Chicken sandwich. It has chicken with monterey jack cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and red pepper chutney — all served on a bun. It was very good! A pretty simple sandwich but the sprouts and chutney were enough to give it some good flavor. I will probably go back to my usual BBQ Chicken Patty Melt in the future but this was still a good choice. As always, their fries were amazing!
My friend ordered the beer flight — which was a great idea for a first timer to the Brewhouse. It comes with 9 3oz beers and has a little information about each beer. I would definitely recommend the flight if you are new or haven’t tried many of the beers!

This rating is for their El Nino IPA. The El Nino has been a staple beer of theirs forever and is probably the best IPA I have ever had.
For those of you who don’t habla Español, El Niño is Spanish for The Niño.