Maynard’s

Basic food along with a basic experience. Double checking everything with the server before ordering it. They wouldn’t honor there advertised happy hour pricing. Pretty frustrating as we only ordered said drinks because of the happy hour pricing. If I wanted to pay $ 10 for a drink I would have gotten a lot better one then a stupid rail shelf alcohol and mix drink. After waiting 10 minutes for our server to find the manager and fix the pricing, he came back and said oh sorry we can’t change the pricing for that. Then don’t advertise it, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Horrible staff, especially outside at the wharf bar. The bartenders quit serving to the customers so they could shut down and continue drinking behind the bar with other co-​workers who were recently off the clock. Drove 45 minutes to be told we can’t order drinks by the lake at 9pm, claiming one in our party could only order «water» so we could make it home safe. No one in our party was driving anywhere, nor did they ask how we were getting home before cutting off our entire party from service, inside and out. Last time I’ll bring any paying responsible customers near your establishment (s).

Love coming to Maynards, but parking can be a challenge and you’re usually waiting on nearly any night of the week. The food is awesome, service is fast, and the view is amazing over Tonka. Boating in for a lazy long lunch or dinner is some of the best memories we have at Maynards. I still don’t know why they don’t open the upstairs as they could 2x their business, especially in winter.
The steak specials in winter, and flat breads are some of our favorites.

This was my first time to the outdoor portion of this restaurant known as the «Wharf.» Their menu out there is pretty pedestrian, but whatever, we finally got there, so we ordered. There was only one table menu for everyone & the waitress wanted to know what drinks we wanted as soon as we sat down, & then about 3 minutes later. Maybe they should give everyone a menu then? There was bird poop on the table & our drinks arrived with dead bugs in them. Unfortunately, we didn’t notice until we started drinking them. The bugs looked like giant mosquito bugs. It took about 20 – 30 minutes to get them re-​made. One of our guests still had a bug in hers after the fix, so that took even longer to re-​fix. Her third drink finally seemed to have no visible bugs. What an off-​putting experience. They said well it is the season of May Flies… like it was no big deal to them. If that is the case, I fear spider season. Some lady I spoke to in the bathroom said her husband’s drink also had bugs in it. Sounds like they are really having a problem there. Sounds like a good time for a health inspection.
After the drink fiasco, we waited and visited for a while. Then the waitress told us she had totally forgotten to take our food order. When that came out, we all inspected it for bugs… luckily bug free, but the fish was fishy, and the rest of the tiny portion of food was so extremely bland. What a disappointment. I guess they figured if they have a nice view, they don’t really have to care about what their food tastes like, service, or trying to stop preparing their drinks with bugs. Side note, the women’s bathroom is so incredibly small, one can’t walk into a stall if someone is washing their hands. Their simply is no space. I wouldn’t ever come back to this place.

Owner responded, adding a couple of stars. Thank you!
We used to go to Maynard’s regularly but won’t be visiting again. We had a coupon for $ 10 off for a $ 40+ bill. Our bill came up to $ 38.98, and the coupon was not accepted… that’s right… we were short. $ 0.02. The manager was like: «Too bad, people come short all the time.» No effort to make it work… nothing like: «If you’d like to add a cup of coffee that’ll get you there.» Not what you’d expect from a neighborhood place (and we’re neighbors). Plenty of other great eating establishments on the lake so we’ll be frequenting them more… Maynard’s… not so much.

This is my go-​to place every time I visited the Minneapolis area. We love to sit at the lake side to have beer and chat. The restaurant is next to the lake with dock so you can boat your way there. Nice food during happy hour and this is a good place to get together with friends and family!

They didn’t do anything wrong… just weren’t really GOOD at anything.
When I sat down I asked myself and the server «What are you known for or what is so good on the menu I can’t pass it up?» I left with the question unanswered. I don’t ask this at a restaurant until they start to charge more than $ 25 a plate. With that price comes an elevated level of expectations of food, service, and atmosphere. The menu also didn’t seem to match the wait staff that had an overall disheveled grunge 4 day stubble and hand tattooed image of the «I’m too cool to reform» look.
It’s not a bad place. It was just blah. I imagine it’s a cool place to dock the boat in the summer and get wasted over looking the lake if that’s your thing. It’s a prime example of a place that’s success relies on location and lack of competition. Just don’t expect too much and you’ll be fine.

I have a love hate relationship with Maynard’s. Not only because I have worked here, but also being a customer since I was little. As far as being an employee — you are not appreciated. They KNOW that all the high school and college kids returning from school for the summer want to work there in the summer because you will make a ton of money, so they don’t care about your requests off, your prior engagements in life, if you quit and or they don’t hesitate to fire you if you aren’t kissing their a**, because they have a stack of applications sitting in their offices. They make promises to you that they don’t keep — but hey, if you want to sacrifice your entire summer to make a few extra bucks then this is the place for you! Expect to work a double or triple for that matter on the 4^th of July — Their busiest day of the year.
As for the restaurant — I enjoy coming here. The food is good in the restaurant and mediocre outside. I’ve tried everything there and I don’t really have anything to complain about other than the food outside which tends to sit out longer and/​or lower quality product. The shrimp scampi and Fish taco wrap are my absolute favorite — so I always stick to those. in the summer the place is absolutely packed and parking is impossible — take a cab, it’s easier. It also brings all the Minnetonka locals who never left, back together like an old high school reunion. at nights, the patio stays packed and becomes a small club/​bar atmosphere basically so if your looking to stay close to home, head there, but you still need to dress up. In the winter it is a lot slower to be expected.

It was alright… definitely hyped up to be more than it is. I had the firecracker shrimp tacos and I could tell that the sauce came straight from a bottle. The shrimp tasted like it came frozen and pre-​battered or something. My drink was actually pretty good! But our server was kinda snotty… felt like she thought she was better than us.

What a view of Lake Minnetonka. From what I hear during the summer they go threw more booze than any bar in the US. I plan to find out on my own this summer

I’ll start with the positives. The view of the lake, boats, and even the people was great. The service was excellent and very friendly. Dessert was great. Keylime pie and hot fudge sunday were top notch. I had a large group, but the food came back fast.
The negatives: The prices were not cheap for the entrees on menu. Food was nothing spectacular. I had the Walleye sandwish & waffle fries which were tasteless. The fries were stale, cold and no seasoning. Not even salt.
The waiter was very nice tho. He let me order a different entrée which the mgr delivered himself. I got the steak bites appetizer on a bed of fried onions. The steak was good, but not the onions.
If I go there again, I’ll probably just order from the dessert menu. Too bad once it gets cold, you can’t sit outside.

Everyone has bad days and nights.
I’ve been back since my first visit and the service and food has improved. I will return.

This is a go to place in the summer! It has by far one of the best decks overlooking Lake Minnetonka. I love they have TV’s outside so you don’t have to miss the sunset while your watching a game.
The food is good… I am a fan of the firecracker shrimp, flatbread pizzas, and the coconut chicken salad (fanny’s salad). My dad always loved the walleye, and daughter loves the spaghetti.
They serve great drinks and they have excellent bartenders. Decent wines not extensive tho.
Valet parking helps since the parking lot can suck!
It’s busy so be prepared to pull up a barstool and wait.
Docks available to visit by boat.
Sit back, relax, grab a drink, and enjoy the breath taking view!

This place is beautiful with nice outdoor seating on the dock and upscale dining indoors. The service is excellent and the vibe is happy. I got the lobster roll for $ 15 and was disappointed. The break was kinda chewy and harder than I like. The meat was lacking and contained too much of the red pointy stuff of the ends of the claws and not enough lobster meat. I get much better lobsters rolls in CA for a couple of dollars more. The pepper dry rubbed chicken wings were okay and while I picked them to try, I like the wet wings better.

This place definitely skates by on it’s location and massive outdoor seating area. The food was ok. Pretty standard bar fare. It’s pretty clear most of this food comes off the back of a US Foods truck. There’t no hint of creativity in any of it. But it’s not bad on the price scale. The reason to come here is the beautiful deck and the people watching. You get the best mix of young and old, trophy wife and trailer trash, bro and biker guys and everything in between. Plus it’s right on the lake and we Minnesotans love anything that goes down on those.

For once in my life I have no photos to go with my review because my phone was completely dead when we stopped in here late one Saturday night for a post-​drink nosh. But can I just say this, all restaurants everywhere should put a giant bowl of waffle fries on their menu. They were seasoned flavorfully and fried to perfection. We split the bowl between the four of us and it was just the best beer food ever.
OK, that said, the sandwich I got (beef with au jus) was average, and the au jus was SO salty that it made me want to drink about four glasses of water. Service was decent to good. Extra props to the staff who handled a drunk who had had too much with great grace (not part of our party, for the record). But in all, average-​ish food and a bit pricey. Maybe it would be different during the day or for brunch. But for late-​evening fare, just OK.

Maynard’s is the type of establishment that would be featured in a 1980s chick flick. You know, the one where a girl is sent to a remote town, meets a local server, and then falls madly in love with him and they hookup all summer long. There’s probably a movie like this occasionally running on Lifetime or something. But why am I referencing Maynard’s?
Because, it is almost perfect in a way. There’s an amazing deck that hovers over part of the shore of Lake Minnetonka. The seasoned bartenders know all the locals by name and the women even call the fellas «sweetie.» And the food and beer can make just about everyone happy.
Every year, I somehow find myself at this Excelsior institution. This year, it occurred last weekend when an old friend and I wanted to catchup over some small bites and a couple brews. We sat at the bar and ordered their walleye fingers to share and I got a 16oz Fresh Squeezed IPA.
*Walleye Fingers: Perfectly fried, flaky walleye, and a bomb tangy tarter sauce. Love this.
*Fresh Squeezed IPA: DAMN. This was just what I needed on a warm day. It had a good amount of hops, some citrus, and it was refreshing. I definitely recommend.
I definitely have a special place in my heart for Maynard’s — just like that one girl has for that dude she met that one summer in that movie that I can’t name — and I can’t wait to come back next year.

Was about to give only 3 stars but had to bump it up to 4 since they have such a nice, big patio right on the lake. Can’t go wrong with that view!
I came here after a big event so the place was pretty packed. They weren’t serving our tables so we had to go up and order our drinks at the bar. Got a bloody mary, which was pretty tasty but it didn’t come with a pickle :(or a beer chaser. Apparently you have to ask in order to get the beer chaser. Eventually a server came to help our tables. They only had one menu on the table so it took us a while for everyone to figure out what we wanted, but the server was very polite and didn’t rush us. I just split the waffle fries appetizer and they were very good, and it was a generous portion. It came with a sour cream/​garlic-​y dipping sauce that was super good!
Fun atmosphere for nice days with a great view of the lake but plan ahead cause it can get very busy!

I have been here twice and both times were for the Sunday brunch. It’s definitely a hotspot on Sundays, especially if there is a game so consider making reservations if you plan to go. I couldn’t tell you what the wait was since we had reservations, but that lobby was PACKED.
The buffet is rather large. There are plenty of different choices ranging from salad to fresh fruit, fish, bacon and eggs. The food seemed to be rotated out regularly. We had a party of 10, ages 3 – 73. The kids were all able to find something they liked. Belgium waffles with fruity tops were the favorite for sure. The adults were pleased as well.
The service was decent. We played musical chairs with our waitress and she was pretty patient with us in that regard. Our plates were removed regularly. The only downside of the visit for me was the arrangements of the tables. We were pretty well squished together next to the tables on either side. It seemed like there was an effort to use every last square inch to get people in there. It was hard to be on the far side of the table and get to the buffet. I hit my head twice on the overhead lighting and nearly fell into the lap the guy at the next table.
If you are looking for a good Sunday brunch, this one would surely satisfy those needs!

Location, location, location! Ah 3 words for real estate gold, in this case restaurant gold! Love the beautiful lakes of MN and what they have to offer, but not the what the restaurant has to offer! After a fun filled day of sun, sweat, hunger, paddle boarding and boating with friends we were huuuuunnnngry, so almost anything should taste good right?
Thumbs up:
–Location, location, location
–Spacious
–Convenient
–Decent service
Thumbs down:
–Good vegetarian options, ha!
–Prices, not so much too high for what it is
–Eh, meh, blah food for what it is, a burger is a burger is a burger. Wrong! Taste where’s the taste?
However do try the skewers of veggies and pasta if you are going to eat something!
–Some plastic wear and some not are you kidding me? I paid like 15 bucks for a bar type salad can I please get a fork!
Back when I’m soaking up the sun, maybe I should pack a lunch. Come for the beer, leave the food there.