The Chocolate Moose

I used to go here years ago, the early 90’s and it was awesome — now not so much. It’s okay, but nothing to really howl about.

Great place for coffee and any type of sweet food in Ely.
I would always go here with my grandparents on our yearly spring fishing trip.
Really a great place to go, enjoy some great food and relax.

Came here for lunch, their greek salad and tomato bisque were delicious!

Yum! Chicken avocado sandwich was fabulous!!! Moist chicken, flavorful sauce (an lots of it!)
Glad we came here

Yum
Went there on a whim on a camping weekend on the north shore — «let’s go to Ely today!»
Stopped in right away for lunch — basically when they opened and got our choice of table. Nice cozy spot on the porch where we could enjoy the weather.
I had the walleye sandwich which was pretty spot on. The hubs received the hot beef sandwich, which was also really, really good, gravy, mashed potatoes, perfect.
I had the iced tea — which was perfect and we split a peanut butter cookie of massive proportions for dessert.
We left very satisfied!

Had my first meal here after a week in the Boundary Waters. Chips and Salsa as an appetizer was delicious (guacamole could have a little more flavor). Enjoyed be glazed pork for dinner, and a piece of chocolate mousse cake for dessert… AMAZING!

I have yet to find anything poor on this menu. The meals are great and portions generous — though do yourself a favor and save room for dessert. There is a wide assortment of delicious pie, as well as a tremendously rich chocolate cake. Call ahead to skip the wait.

Absolutely delicious! I had breakfast here and it was fantastic! I had a veggie scramble with breakfast potatoes and wild rice cranberry toast (which was my favorite part of the meal!) The patio is perfect and the service was quick!

We stopped here on a long drive thinking it would be a good restaurant but we were shocked with how poor the service was. The food took over an hour to get to the table and we only ordered burgers. The check we were given had extra charges on it as well. The food was mediocre, but by the time the food arrived we had all lost appetite. The manager also did nothing to help. All together a horribly ran restaurant.

Meat loaf was fantastic! And the portions are not small. Made the mistake of ordering a bowl of soup with my meat loaf and could not finish it all.

The chocolate mousse has a very creative menu, for me to eaters and vegetarians alike. I’m a vegetarian and got the portobello quesadilla, it was to die for with fresh guacamole, sour cream and a little salad with salsa. They also serve many different types of burgers and other great items. The town favorite.
A great little find in the middle of Ely!

We have been coming to Ely and eating at the Chocolate Moose for years. We have seen the ownership change many times. Currently the service has left something to be desired. Food is still good, but service is horrible. This place needs better management and/​or someone to take charge. For instance, my wife and I stopped by for coffee and pancakes this AM and we were promptly seated. However, after 10+ minutes we still had not seen our waitress, or any coffee. We did see several tables served that were seated after we were. Disappointed. We won’t be going back anytime soon…

Ate lunch here. I had the BLT with fresh mozzarella and basil. Fresh squeezed lemonade was tart and refreshing. My friend had the smokin burger and added blue cheese and bacon. He did not speak after the food arrived. Only elicited a few moans of happiness. Nice local beer selection and good consistent food.

When in Ely, we have a few stops we frequent and one is certainly Chocolate Moose. We love their breakfasts, from the homemade blueberry scone that melts in your mouth to the unique scrambles you cannot possible choose from. I have tried them all. De-​Lish!!! Also great that they have a ton of Gluten Free options, even GF toast, love that that is a consideration in any a Ely restaurant. The only reason that this cute log cabin restaurant does not get a 5 star rating is the service, while always polite and courteous, it is a bit slow. Overall a great stop in Ely!

We loved this. The food, the service, and the ambiance were all spot on!
Everything we ordered was fresh and bright, the servings were large and filing without being overwhelming, and did I mention that the food itself is delicious?
Oh, and don’t forget the pie! Even if you’re full after your meal… take a slice (or two) to go. You won’t regret it!

Growing up in Ely, I’ve always held the Chocolate Moose to a high standard. Their food and service are both great and the location is ideal. It can be difficult to find a seat in the summer or when it’s raining, however. I wish they grilled lobster outside like they used to back in the day!

Had an amazing lunch with my family. Huge portions, luckily we saved room for the amazing desserts and treats! The cookies could feed an army. Can’t wait to go back!

Ate here one night and was pleasantly surprised. I had the walleye and was very pleased. Definitely would go back.
Went back this year and ordered the white fish again. Loved it last year and it didn’t disappoint me this year either. Great waitress too!

The Chocolate Moose held my hand as I clawed my way back to civilization.
Realizing 20 minutes into a 5-​day canoeing and portaging adventure that you actually don’t like lots of canoeing, and hate portaging with every fiber of your being, is unfortunate. So is getting desperate enough to begin praying that birds grow big like something out of Lord of the Rings and fly you far, far away from the bloodsucking mosquitoes whose number can only be described as infinity.
Knowing the Chocolate Moose is waiting for you on the other side with big soft chocolate chip cookies, and pieces of ripe blueberry and peach pie with ice cream, and juicy bison burgers to restore your red blood cell count is juuuuuuuust enough to keep a handle on your sanity. Just enough.
They have a couple of big porches that you can sit out on while you nurse your wounds, and indoor bathrooms that are clean and cool (and did I mention inside?) and bear absolutely no resemblance to the 9^th level of hell of BWCA latrines in high July.
It’s like throwing your whole body a «Welcome Home» party. Enjoy.

My visit to the Chocolate Moose today was a huge let-​down compared to the blissful experiences I had here as a child. Every year, my extended family would make the trek to Ely for the week, and one day we would visit the Chocolate Moose. It was delicious for years until they got a new chef. Today, I was reminded of that new chef.
And a new employee… who was not adequately trained to handle the lunch rush on a Wednesday in the middle of July. It took about 15 minutes after ordering to receive a chai latte, and about 15 more minutes to get our food – which had obviously been sitting for a while. I couldn’t tell if she (our waitress) didn’t know how to handle the work load, or if she really wasn’t trained well. I felt bad for her because I called her out on some bad cornbread, which was WAY too dry to serve, and my lukewarm smoked turkey wrap. She dealt with it well and removed the cornbread from our bill. So snaps for that, but I wasn’t impressed with how she had handled my party up until that point.
I was also unimpressed by the food. The cornbread, as previously stated, was dry. So dry that I picked it up and crumbled it in my fingers no prob. Not okay. For an entrée I ordered the smoked turkey wrap with a side salad. The salad had lots of nice fresh greens, and my choice of dressing – pretty standard. The wrap was huge, but sent me a curveball. The flour tortilla on the outside had been crisped up on a griddle so I thought the wrap would be hot, but the whole dish was lukewarm. The turkey wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t cool like it should have been if it had been sitting in a refrigerator. (Someone call the health inspector?) Crunchy-​room-​temp-​wrap is not appetizing. Though, the ingredients were fresh and tasty on their own, I kind of think this is something I could have made at home. It needed a little more love.
Top it off with a long wait to get in, and the fact that I was a little touchy from leaving family vacation, and voila. Also, they use Blue Bunny ice cream and Ready Whip. The venue and reputation of this restaurant scream happy homemade food. But my friends, the truth is otherwise.