Royal Bar

I don’t understand how this place has such great reviews on their burgers. The meat is just a frozen patty and tastes awful! There is nothing fresh or great about the burgers. You are better off getting a burger from the McDonald’s down the street.

If you find yourself in the area and are looking for a good burger and fries this place has them!

awesome dive bar with pool tables and a laid back atmosphere, friendly and well behaved locals takes the uncertainty away from hitting this little joint. I’ve only ever had the burgers with onion rings and am never disappointed with the speed and quality. The kitchen is just some space alongside the bar so you can see what’s cookin’. Don’t hesitate in giving this place a try.

A very good hamburger with a very friendly wait staff. My kind of place for a burger and a beer. I got out of here for less than $ 20 having a burger, 2 beers and a generous tip.

Fun dive bar. Asked for a fun martini and Erin whipped one up. Didn’t have a food item but had a nice time.

If you are looking for down home, fried on a grill, wrapped in checked paper and HOT freeway burger… this is the place. With or without fried onions, this is possibly the best burger in Minnesota. The fries and the onion rings are equally as fresh and tasty. The beer is cold, and no matter what they advertise the service is great. Absolutely worth the stop, as our family from Norway will attest.

I have been coming to the Royal Bar for 30 years. The burgers are good, the service is good as well. The servers are running their tails off. They aren’t going to sugar coat anything when they take your order or serve your beer. CASH ONLY, There is an ATM at the entrance. $ 2.50 foreign ATM charge.
They don’t use plates or silverware. A roll of paper towels sits on the table. Get ready for a yummy greasy mess! Don’t expect 4 star dining, it’s a bar and grill. Enjoy the ambiance or get out and go to McDonald’s down the street. :)

Average bar, locals rave about the royal burger. Tastes like frozen processed patty, to the tune of 6 bucks without fries. Wait staff is decent.

Okay, the Royal bar has been around Park Rapids for as long as I can remember. In the 70s it was the place for softball players to drink beer well into the very late evening hours.
I personally spent many hours after my summer job at Lambert Building Center sitting at a table drinking pitchers before finally having something to eat before heading home. Typically a Royal burger. They’re still pretty good, «Possibly the best burgers in Northern Minnesota» but the French fry baskets are not as large as they used to be.
If you’re lookin for a great burger and a beer in P.R. you need look no further than the Royal Bar.

I loved this dive. Some friends who have a cabin in Park Rapids met my fella and I here while we were passing through last week. They said it’s kind of a Park Rapids classic and they did not lie.
Since we’d been on the road, we first hit the bathrooms-​that-​might-​as-​well-​be-​closets-​they-​are-​so-​small (legitimately, I wasn’t sure if I could fit in one of the stalls). Then we settled down at a big table near the Buck Hunter and giant neon sign in the back since our friends brought their baby (baby in a bar!).
An exceptionally friendly lady came and took our drink orders while we set up a game of pool. We all got California burgers (bacon, cheese, other things…), fries and couldn’t help but order the Balls of Fire too, which the server described as «great, but not too spicy,» as if we’d be deterred if they were spicy. It was kind of cute.
The burgers were tasty-​tasty and cheap. Nothing fancy, just good small town bar food. And while we waited for these morsels, I pool-​sharked like never before.
It was a good day.

Okay, so yes, they only have box wine (and not good box wine, mind you), domestic beers (though they do have Summit EPA in a bottle) and a lot of deep fried food, BUT you have to go to the Royal knowing it is a small town bar. You get exactly what you expect. A dive bar.
If you are from out of town and go during the winter, people will stare. But since Park Rapids is a huge vacation town during the summer with enough lakes to write a book about, you shouldn’t hesitate to step into this dive bar to enjoy a strong drink and some fried food during the warmer months if you so desire.
We go every year on Black Friday for a bloody mary or two and a burger. Usually there are 10 – 15 of us and we take over the back area. Yeah, it is not a mind-​blowing experience, but we leave pleasantly buzzed, full tummies and memories of another evening of laughter and conversation. That being said… I would never come here on say a date (whether it is a blind date or a date with your spouse). I wouldn’t take your folks here if they have a low tolerance for town drunks. Also, um, the bathrooms are incredibly tiny… like they were an afterthought: «Oh crap, we have to put bathrooms in the place if we want to pass state inspection… ahhhh, let’s shove a stall or two into that small corner over there…» So, um, people of a larger size might find navigating the restrooms to be more of an obstacle course.
The burgers remind me of McDonald’s. They are small. They claim that for an extra chunk of change you can get Bison meat instead of hamburger, but when I asked for Bison, I couldn’t really tell if it truly was Bison. Oh well. It still tasted great at the time.
The decorations, jukebox, darts, people watching and stiff drinks all make for a fun place for a group. However, you should know, I only go once a year as part of our Black Friday tradition. When I am up there other times, I walk right by the Royal without taking a second glance.
cheers.