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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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  • 5 Drives From Chicago for Friends, Families, Couples and Solo Travelersthepointsguy.com

Details

PRICE RANGE
$7 - $15
CUISINES
American
Reviews (344)
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344 results
Traveler rating
96
121
78
23
26
Traveler type
Time of year
LanguageEnglish
Traveler rating
96
121
78
23
26
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Reviewed May 30, 2021 via mobile

Normally I would give Paul Bunyan’s a five star rating. Family tradition that we have loved for years. Biggest complaint is VERY poor communication regarding hours of operation. Every resource on line indicated they were open (Sunday 5/30/21), but once we arrived they were closed....No sign on the door. Called the phone number—answer was ‘voicemail box is full’. Paul Bunyan’s needs to do a better job communicating their hours of operation and seasonal opening dates.More

Date of visit: May 2021
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
paulbunyans, Owner at Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty, responded to this reviewResponded May 31, 2021

Sorry for your inconvenience. Do to the staffing shortage experienced throughout the nation, we too have fallen victim to the lack of labor to make the 2021 season happen. We appreciate your loyalty and hope you will join us if labor situations improve. The web...More

Reviewed October 1, 2020 via mobile

We always love Paul Bunyan’s Cook shanty. Good food and service and fun for the entire family. Our family favorite is the donuts. Yum!

Date of visit: August 2020
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Reviewed August 30, 2020

if you are hungry and can be satisfied with the basic breakfast that is all you can eat, this is it. very friendly service and the atmosphere is fun.

Date of visit: August 2020
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed August 30, 2020 via mobile

Enjoyed everything about this restaurant. It is a kids dream. Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox folk story. Food was better served out of mess kit! Great Atmosphere and the staff were very friendly. Make sure to stop by if you have kids! Closed...before dinner.More

Date of visit: August 2020
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Reviewed August 26, 2020 via mobile

We went early on a Monday morning for breakfast. The front desk, hostess, and our waitress were all very good. We were disappointed to find that although there was plenty of room in the restaurant we were all seated very close together to the other...customers. The donuts were tasty however left a waxy feeling on our lips. The rest of our meal came out quickly and our waitress was quick to bring more water and sausages upon request. As we finish the scrambled eggs there was a buttery juice at the bottom of the bowl. The potatoes were undercooked. My daughter and husband thought the French toast was very good. The pancakes were OK. The biscuits and gravy were disappointing. Had we been smart enough to check the website before we went we might have discovered that they no longer serve potato pancakes every day. Evidently you can only get them on Friday per our waitress. We would not have gone to that restaurant for breakfast had we realized we couldn’t get the food we were looking for.More

Date of visit: August 2020
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Reviewed August 17, 2020

The restaurant has free parking. The restaurant is all-you-can-eat family style. From what I can tell, it is only open for breakfast/brunch and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You pay at the cashier and wait to be seated. The breakfast consists of scrambled eggs,...ham, sausage, donuts, flapjacks, French toast, biscuits/gravy, and coffee or juice. When you are done with the first serving, just order seconds (and thirds and fourths...) of anything you desire. The service was excellent and the food was excellent. There is also a large gift shop (think Cracker Barrel, if you are familiar with that chain).More

Date of visit: July 2020
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Reviewed August 6, 2020

Terrible COVID-19 rules. Sat people without masks 3 feet away from where we were eating. Got up to leave right away. Asked for a manager 2xs and one never came. DONT GO..BOYCOTT for not following rules for COVID.

Date of visit: August 2020
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed July 11, 2020 via mobile

Food is served family style. The food was good, but I thought $60 for 4 people was a bit steep. The service was good and our waitress was nice.

Date of visit: July 2020
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed July 1, 2020

This was my first time although I have been past it often. The food is served family style (or maybe this is because of covid). The donuts that are served with it are to die for! A fun experience.

Date of visit: June 2020
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Reviewed June 17, 2020

Went to the restaurant on a Monday morning with my wife, daughter and son-in-law. I wasn't all that enthusiastic but one of our party really wanted to go Fairly short line. I understand on weekends there can be quite a wait, partially because the restaurant...is still in a learning curve for post COVID. It was a bit pricey for Breakfast but it is all you can eat. The speed that we went from being seated to food on the table was pretty good. Except to see if we wanted biscuits and gravy and coffee they bring everything else without taking an order. Their donuts are outstanding, the rest of their stuff is better then cafeteria but not as good as a top of the line breakfast place. No cheese or bacon to be seen, if that's important to you go elsewhere. You're there to fill up, or for the experience. Or the donuts. You can get them to go but it's not the same as when they're fresh and warm. A good, not great, breakfastMore

Date of visit: June 2020
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Reviewed September 23, 2019

Lived up here for years and finally went this summer. Neat atmosphere - very rustic with lots of antiques to look at and a cute shop to find everything/anything you need to entertain kids on vacation or decorate your cabin. It was a little spendy,...but you get unlimited food so big eaters will definitely come out ahead. The food itself was average but service was speedy and attentive. We didn't have empty dishes for long before more food was brought out. You might have to wait in line for a bit, depending on if you go on a weekend mid-morning or later in the morning in the off season. A fun experience for everyone.More

Date of visit: July 2019
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Reviewed August 29, 2019 via mobile

Came here with the family while camping. The family style is great so we didn't need to wait to get our orders taken. There's plenty to choose from and they'll refill your food when the bowl/ plate is empty! Your start out with these fabulous...warm sugared donuts...soo good!! You don't wait looking for a table because this place has tons of seating. Good place to take the kids when you're tired of cooking at the campsite!!More

Date of visit: July 2019
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Reviewed August 25, 2019 via mobile

Came here for breakfast. They have "family style" buffet, which means they bring a bunch of food to the table and keep it coming until you're all full. It included drinks (coffee, water, milk, juice), donuts, pancakes, sausage links, kielbasa, ham, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes,...biscuits and gravy. Pancakes, meats, and donuts were good. The rest was just okay. Good coffee. Unique atmosphere and friendly, attentive staff. Strange hours...we wanted to come here for dinner, but they close at 2:30 in the afternoon. Worth visiting for the experience, but the food wasn't that much better than our free hotel breakfast. Our complimentary hotel breakfast had a larger variety and similar quality.More

Date of visit: August 2019
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed August 21, 2019

Family style food will fill up any traveler to the restaurant. The freshly made doughnuts were a hit. Coffee is strong and hot

Date of visit: August 2019
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Reviewed August 19, 2019 via mobile

Nothing spectacular, food is just ok. Like others mentioned the donuts were good. We liked the French toast & pancakes. Biscuits & gravy weren’t bad—I’ve had better, but these weren’t bad. Potatoes were “iffy”, as were the eggs and meats. Cool place to check out....I like the family style service, everyone gets to try everything. Neat place, but skippable.More

Date of visit: August 2019
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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PAUL BUNYAN'S COOK SHANTY, Minocqua - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty

Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 3.5
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4