FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar

We had breakfast here two days in a row. The staff seemed a little overwhelmed with the crowd of people from the conference.
I got the egg biscuit the first day and the scrambled egg platter the second day. The platter came with the honey from the hotel. Yes, the hotel has bees to make their own honey. No, you cannot visit the bees.
I thought the food was delicious. The staff and coffee could use a little work.
I was sad I never made it here for dinner or drinks. Maybe next time in in Minnesota?

Located inside the Radisson Blu Hotel connected to the Mall of America. The restaurant is modern and trendy with the most gorgeous white tables! Come here for a nice romantic meal for two or just a casual one with friends/​family ;)
My mom and I came here on a Sunday evening around 5 pm for dinner. We were greeted at the front by a hostess and were seated immediately. I asked for a window seat and she was nice and accommodating.
WHAT WE ORDERED:
— Swedish Passing (cocktail) — good, strong (in my opinion), but refreshing from the citrus
— Bison Bone Marrow — so buttery and the meat on top was very tender. The bread was perfectly toasted
— Popovers (with Honey Butter) — honestly, these were a bit disappointing. I thought that they were overbaked — too hard on the outside but still soft in the inside. The honey butter was a great complement
— Flat Iron Steak Frites — the steak was so well seasoned and grilled exactly how I like it (medium)! However, the frites were bland and not as crispy as I had wished it were
— Rosemary Leg of Lamb — this was my mom’s dish but she seemed to really enjoy it!
Service was fantastic! Our waiter was so nice and he gave a great suggestion for a drink. He checked on us frequently and our water glasses were never empty :)
Overall, my mom and I were satisfied with our experience here and we’ll definitely be back!

Ate here last night. Great wines by the glass. Great reserve wines that you can try by 2.5 ounce. Had the bone marrow and some great cabs. Very delicious. Great bartender and wine sommelier too

Like bone marrow? This is the place!
1. Location
This place is located inside the Radisson Blu hotel of Mall of America. Great place to eat if you’re staying there or were shopping at the mall.
2. Food
— Bone marrow: Wow! Really wow! I’m a huge fan of eating bone marrow but hardly there are places that can make it well! They not only have best tasting marrow, they also managed to choose a good big one.
— Beer battered shrimp: was good too.
— Lamb fritter: beautifully done, looks good and tastes just as good.
I am super satisfied with the items I got there and I am genuinely convinced they have the best food among all restaurants around Mall of America.
Their mixed drinks were pretty good, definitely not as good as other places in twin cities area, but decent.
3. Service:
It was Friday night and was relatively busy. Unless you’re sitting in the bar area, you will have hard time getting service. It is a bit slow. We didn’t mind much since we were not in a hurry.

A nice hip atmosphere and good service. We ate in the bar area because it was more festive. The dirty fries were excellent, string fries, crisp and cooked just right. The fire shrimp were plump and juicy. We like the appetizers so much we ordered more, next week had the honey chicken wings, wow they were sweet and spices and there were 4 large wings. Our final dish was the chicken fire bread (oval pizza). The entire meal was full of flavor and prepared to our asking (no cheese). I was impressed with the hotel restaurant, on of the best I have stayed in for… most of the time I search Unilocal and grab an Über to a 4 star place, but this time I just had to go to the lobby.

Oh, my goodness, what a find. Please don’t let the fact that this restaurant is a hotel deter you because it’s not just a restaurant, it’s an experience.
The wine list is divine – something for everyone.
I had the beet salad, the walleye and «french fries,» and finished it off with the honey duet, made with honey that a local university keeps on the roof – in exchange for the real estate, the restaurant uses the honey in several of their dishes.
The service was impeccable. Presentation, perfection. Execution of some of the dishes missed the mark, but I look forward to returning to eat at Fire Lake.

My coworkers and I come often (from out of town).
Love the local sourcing of meats, cheeses, veggies etc. I would do five stars if the beef was grass fed, but the server was unsure.
The food, drinks, service etc. is always good.
Pleased and will be back.

Coworker and I finished working out and were starving. There are only a few places that are open late for food, so we checked this place out. We ordered a few bar foods such as bone marrow, crab cakes, flat bread pizza, cheese platter, broccoli tots. Everything was pretty tasty. Our bartender was very friendly as well and provided suggestions on what to eat. The location is chic but the place does close at midnight since this is the restaurant in the RADISSON hotel.
Will definitely come back here and check out the restaurant menu!

Last night we experienced a first! My in laws and another couple had reservations for dinner at 7pm. My wife and I decided to call the restaurant and pay for their bottle wine. (my MIL is a saint and took care of our young kids all day while my wife and I were both dealing with the flu) The staff was accommodating and executed our request well.
Now comes the first time experience. At 9:30pm we received a phone call back from the restaurant asking us to tip on the bottle of wine that we purchased. This request came after the bottle of wine was already accounted for when my in laws and the other couple left their tip. This was a classless move that should never have been made. Both the server and the hostess that made the phone call were in the wrong.
Firelake managed to take a thoughtful request and turn it into a greedy turn of events.

Our introduction to Fire Lake could have been better. We came here for restaurant week and had to ask for the restaurant week menu. There wasn’t a hostess upfront so we walked towards the restaurant area and then she appeared and walked us back to the entrance. We were dressed in neat jeans and nice tops but she gave us a wilting look. Which was funny because the entire time we were there everyone was dressed very casual until we saw two men walk in with blazers and jeans.
Décor is a sort of upscale cafeteria. Normally I don’t comment much on the décor but it just felt pretentious; especially after the hostess.
Our server, Mindy, was great and juggled many tables at the same time. If you want bread you will need to purchase the popovers (2) or the bread board. We selected the popovers and they were very good. The maple butter was fantastic.
The warm spinach and cheese curd salad was unusual and good. A few more cheese curds would have made it much better. It also includes roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions.
The prime rib was flavorful and tender. The special entrée was beef cheeks with a red wine deduction and it was good but nothing special. The flavor had a slightly off aftertaste. Very tender.
For dessert we tried the Warm Maple Bread Pudding which is a very small portion and not very good. My husband was missing New Orleans and the 6 different bread puddings he ate on our last trip. This one he pronounced a C-​.
The White Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie is a small tart size in a very hard coconut crust. The filling was good but the crust was too hard. It also didn’t taste much like bananas or white chocolate.
For the money we spent and the cold reception from the hostess we probably won’t be back. Mindy was wonderful and warm but even she cannot make up for the atmosphere.
You can park in the hotel ramp for up to 3 hours free.

I truly truly TRULY love FireLake!
I used to dine at the Downtown Minneapolis location starting in 2006, but it’s easier to go to the Mall of America location because of free parking and it’s closer to more of the places I already frequent.
My most recent visit was a couple of Sundays ago to grab an after-​church lunch with a dear friend. This was her first experience at FireLake and was impressed. She said that this would be a location that she’d recommend and take friends to many more times in the future.
I’ve always appreciated their local, organic, and seasonal menu. But on this particular occasion, I appreciated their flexibility. I’m currently on a fairly restricted diet (no dairy, gluten, nightshades, grains, eggs… pretty much everything ;-) to heal up my body so I was concerned if there would be any meals I could actually order or if I’d have to settle for tea.
Thankfully, after asking a few questions to my server, we were able to make one modification to the rotisserie chicken entrée… and that was doubling the amount of broccolini to replace the serving of potatoes. It was delicious! Flavorful & delectable texture in every bite of this dish. I didn’t feel deprived or cheated, so this whole trip was a success.
The server was friendly, attentive and helpful.
The atmosphere is an upscale comfy (it’s an official term) so you can dress up or where jeans and feel like you fit in.
This restaurant may be in the Radisson hotel, but it doesn’t feel like it. It holds its own as an outstanding selection!
Oh! And they make their own bone broth (it’s a sign of excellence AND nutrition when a restaurant utilizes their own resources)!
Will definitely be back again and again and again!

My favorite Thanksgiving weekend tradition is going to Firelake for brunch after Black Friday shopping with my family. I’ve never been to the restaurant any other time of year, but on Black Friday for the past 3 years, Firelake has never disappointed. We’ve even had the same server every visit without trying.
We usually start with $ 5 build-​your-​own Bloody Mary’s and coffee. Both are delicious and well-​priced. For entrees, my favorites have been the breakfast pizza and walleye hash. The egg white omelet was also pretty good, but needed a little salt and pepper. The only thing I don’t recommend is the beignets — they are too greasy for my taste.
If you are looking for a great breakfast or brunch at the mall, this is definitely the place to go!

My family and I had a wonderful Christmas dinner at FireLake, and we cannot wait to return.
The décor is very modern with a spa-​like twist, lots of blues and beautiful chandeliers. The booths are high and the views are far. Our server, Paolo, was great. He kept our waters filled, and was very knowledgable regarding the menu and ingredients.
I went with The Swedish Passing for my cocktail, which is organic gin, lemon juice, triple sec and st germaine. It was strong and flavorful and delicious. They also have an impressive wine selection. Of note — they have bees from the UofM that live on their roof, providing them with fresh organic honey that they use in many cocktails and entrees.
We started out with an order of popovers (2 for $ 5) that were served hot with honey butter. We also ordered a cheese board that came with three different cheeses, dried fruit, a house-​made jam, and wild rice melba. It was a very large portion ($ 17) for our family of four, and was gobbled up quickly.
For entrees, I went with the Duck Pappardelle ($ 23) with whole grain pasta, baby kale, sage, figs and caramelized onions. The roasted duck was shredded into large chunks making it easy to get some in each bite. The sauce was rich and creamy and the sage was crispy. It was a truly wonderful dish. Others in the family got the Mushroom Gnudi with salmon ($ 22), the Steak and Frites ($ 26) and the Grilled Salmon Fillet ($ 26). Everyone enjoyed their dishes and there were no leftovers.
Unfortunately we were too full to indulge in dessert, but everything looks great. We truly enjoyed our experience here for dinner, and would absolutely return.

Good food and great service. Menu offers plenty of variety. Nice destination after a day of shopping. I ordered the steak salad and enjoyed it. I am not one to order salads for dinner but I would definitely get this one again. Nice serving size as well.

Very good food! Anything off the grill was really delicious.

What a great reprieve from shopping! A lovely gem attached to the mall of america!
Our server Samantha was delightful, friendly, and knowledgable!
I ordered the Waconia sour and it is without a doubt the BEST cocktail I have ever tasted (so I had 3)!!!
Also the perfectly beer battered cheese curds are the most delectable morsels! Amazing! I would highly suggest the combo of the cheese and charcuterie boards! Perfect pairings!
Thank you so much for this amazing experience! We will be back!

Looks fancy here but price is just great! Love the decoration!
You can get here through Mall of America. Unique items on the menu to choose from, enjoyed every bit of it. Great staff too. Will go back next time!

Just had lunch here today. Good food. Good service. We were there with two other couples and our one year old son who was in a fussy mood. The staff were super nice and our waitress, Carmelita, brought him a stuffed bear (they have a bunch to give to kids, I guess) which he loved.
The Dirty Fries are really tasty. I’d go back just for an order of those. The Mushroom Gnudi was also very good.

3.5 Stars
Time: Mid-​morning mid-​week in June.
Location: Firelake Grill House & Cocktail Bar is located inside the Raddison Blu and is a little difficult to find if you’re looking for a restaurant in the mall instead of a hotel. It is near Macy’s. We sat at the bar.
Ambiance/​Dress Code: Even though Unilocal lists this place as «casual», we felt severely under-​dressed. Jacket and tie not required, but it’s a little on the fancy side. Firelake Grill is definitely more business casual than jeans and Tshirt.
Service: Very good when we were being serviced. There were some distinct absences of service though, including when the bartender went on break in the middle of serving us. We could see employees heading to a back area carrying lots of stuff, so I think they were setting up for some sort of event or banquet, but the bar/​restaurant was not busy.
Bloody Marys: Pretty tasty, hit the spot. A bit on the small side.
Brunch: We just missed the breakfast cutoff (I think 11am) and ordered from the lunch or brunch menu. We started with some dry rubbed wings that were the best, juiciest, most flavorful wings I’ve ever had (I don’t see them on the menu now though). My boyfriend had a bison burger (probably the High Plains Buffalo Burger) and I had the Orchard Chicken Wrap. He enjoyed the burger but said he expected a little more for the pricetag (around $ 15). I thought the wrap sounded a bit odd but glad I took the risk because it was very good; it’s wrapped in lefse instead of the usual tortilla which was a nice and unique touch. The menu has a bit of a local/​Midwest theme, which I appreciate.
Repeat Business: I can’t see myself returning to Firelake Grill House but it would a be a convenient option if you’re staying at the Raddison Blu or arranging a business lunch/​dinner in the area.

Came here for restaurant week to try their $ 10 lunch menu and it did not disappoint. Service was spot on and very courteous. Food portion was perfect, not skimpy or excessive. The ambiance is casual but sophisticated — good for eating with friends or formal business meal. This is a place that offers a great balance of all things. Will be back to try their regular menu!

I would give this experience a 2.5. Was really looking forward to trying this spot after reading all of the reviews, but left feeling disappointed.
The Broccoli Tots were ridiculously good. The «Gathered Greens» salad was short on dressing and toppings (walnuts, cranberries, bleu cheese). It looked like they just dumped a bag of supermarket lettuce on the plate… the rotisserie chicken on it was very tender and tasty but it was a below average and expensive salad at $ 16.
The Buffalo Burger was decent but I twice bit into very hard pieces of gristle and ended up not finishing it. The toppings were solid, though (bleu cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato). The shoestring fries on the side were underwhelming. When I saw them, I knew I wouldn’t care for them. I will never understand a restaurant’s choice to serve super thin shoestring fries… there is just nothing to them (no flavor, no substance). The dish would’ve been elevated a bit if the fries were a thicker hand-​cut style.
I will probably give this place one more chance to redeem itself but we will be ordering entrée plates, next time.

4.3 stars to be exact. Was my first time tasting walleye it was light, fresh and clean and delicious. Was glad I tried it always good to try something new. Dr. Joe said the steak was moist and tasty. Fries were lukewarm though. Rosemary chicken was delicious and the mashed potatoes was cold wish it was warm or hot. The white chocolate banana crème pie the tasted like granola with whipped crème.

When it comes to food in the MOA make sure not to miss out on Fire Lake Grill House. You will not find better food here. The Heirloom Polenta is perfectly cooked shrimp with an heirloom tomato and spinach ragout on top of a wonderfully salty polenta. The bone marrow small plate is a guarantee. The Raddison Blu hotel scored with this incredible restaurant.

We had a wonderful lunch at this inventive upscale eatery. Terrific service; creative dishes, attention to detail — in short — Wonderful. And the seasonal Butternut Squash Apple Bisque was transformative.

Excellent service
Excellent menu
Excellent ambiance
No complaints. Plus the server described a limited amount of seasonal items they use in as many dishes as possible in different ways, so that was a huge plus.

The Minnesota Morning entrée was tasty. I don’t eat pancakes much, but the wild rice pancake is fantastic. Chokecherry syrup was a nice spin on the traditional maple. I chose poached eggs and regular bacon instead of the back bacon that is essentially ham.
It’s the little things that make Fire Lake special. The ice tea had a large ice tea cube in it to help chill and not dilute. Ice tea refills are placed in a craft on the table. The atmosphere is rustic, new and reclaimed from what looks like barn wood. Enjoy and ask for Marianne, her smile and grace will truly compliment your meal.

We got the Buffalo hash and the Walleye hash with poached organic duck eggs.
The Walleye hash with poached duck eggs was fantastic!
Everything is local and organic, the Super fresh taste was evident.
The staff was very nice.
We will definitely be returning.

This was really excellent!
Start with the décor that is just… wow. The food doesn’t disappoint either. And that is only to be outdone by the service. This place is top shelf!
I was concerned that it would be touristy (pretty, with bad food and shotty or tacky service) but NO! Definitely NOT!
The bison bone marrow might have been my favorite dish ever, if not in at least a year. I was SO glad I ordered it.
I wish I could remember the name of our server because he was amazing.
The wine list is excellent — do indulge!

(+) Breakfast: fresh juices, good food, accommodating if you’re in a rush
(+) Dinner: nice menu, bison bone marrow, chicken wings were delicious but could be spicier
(+) Bar: friendly bartenders, full menu served, great local beer on tap
(+) There’s a happy hour crowd after the business meetings held here, it can get poppin. Most people then leave to go out for dinner but then there’s a rush later for post-​dinner drinks and hang out, popular spot for guests staying at the hotel.

Firelake is the first time I’ve ever eaten alone in a restaurant. True story. I was in town on business and decided to check out the largest mall in America (quite a disappointment, but that’s a discussion for a different review) because I had some free time before my flight. Realizing I’d have to eat, I found the highest rated restaurant in the vicinity with multiple $$, because hey my company was going to pay for it and I deserved a $ 30 entrée. I coolly walked up to the hostess and asked for a table. She looked at me and asked, «for one?», to which I nodded my head, and she responded with «would you like a newspaper or something?» THAT’S why I don’t eat alone.
Anyway, enough talk of insecurities, and onto the review.
The atmosphere is very nice; there’s a lot of wood and glass with appropriate warm lighting. The tables are nicely set, though I found the glassware quite clunky. It must be the upscale ranch theme they’re going for.
The dirty fries were quite nice, though way to much «for one». The accompanying cocktails (Up Hill Both Ways, and Tequila Old Fashioned) were stiff, but not very well balanced nor flavorful. The filet was a little overdone and boring.
Why does this deserve a 3-​star rating? Because throwing down $ 80-​$ 100 means your taste buds deserve a memorable experience, not just the tired old steakhouse that should have gone out of style in the late ‘80s. Boo on you, Firelake. And boo on you, hostess lady, for making it obvious that I’d be bored dining alone! Don’t you think I already knew that?

Ok, I know that technically Firelake is not in the Mall of America, but it is part of the adjoining Radisson Blu Hotel so I’ll go ahead and say it — Firelake is my favorite restaurant at the MOA. There are a LOT of choice at the mall — I just don’t think any are as consistently good as Firelake (ok, maybe Crave, Tucci and Twin City come close).
I’ve been to Firelake a number of times and have never been disappointed. The service is always top-​notch. They have a good wine list and diverse menu. Here are a few of my favorites:
Charcuterie Platter — a wonderful assortment of meats. Be adventurous and try everything — the duck spread is amazing. But ask for extra bruschetta — you’ll need it.
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup — thick, creamy, savory soup with leeks and mushrooms. Okay, so it’s not your traditional chicken wild rice, but unless you’re a Minnesota native who can have this sort of thing everyday, you can’t pass this up. It will warm your belly and put a smile of your face.
Rotisserie Half Duck — very flavorful. The salty, gamier taste of the roasted duck is balanced nicely by the sweet potatoes.
Corn-​crusted walleye — another Minnesota favorite! This is a huge filet of walleye, deep fried and served with potatoes.
Wood-​grilled broccolini — the fire roasting brings out the deep flavor of this wonderful green.
And whatever you do, make sure to save room for dessert: Ice cream panini. I’m not exactly sure what’s in it (salted caramel and bacon?), but it is a wonderful combination of sweet and salty.
Enjoy!