Grizzly’s

Date Visited: September 13, 2019
Location: Golf Rd., Eau Claire
Restaurant Type: restaurant
Fish Types Offered: baked and fried fish
Sides Offered: choice of two sides: cup of soup, side salad, coleslaw, cheesy hasbhrowns, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies, fries, pasta
- Sub waffle fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, or Grizzly skins for an additional fee.
Cost: over $10

Grizzly’s was really busy around 6pm when our group of four arrived for dinner. Good thing, though, that they have a really large dining area! Booths in the bar and in the dining room, low top tables, high top tables, and seats at the bar are all spots available for dining at Grizzy’s.

Our server came over right away and was very knowledgeable as to the menu and to the Friday fish special. We had two coupons for free appetizers (sign up for their e-club!) so we started with cheese curds and the hot artichoke dip. The curds were big blocks of cheddar, but even though this isn’t our favorite type of curd, they were cooked all the way through and were very tasty. They weren’t too dense, were a bit stringy, and had a greasy, seasoned batter that appealed to us. The artichoke dip was also cheesy and greasy; it came with grilled bread and chips, was very garlicky, and was creamy, not chunky. We enjoyed it.

Our meals took a little while to show up, but we were happy with the complimentary bread that Grizzly offers. Buns and cinnamon butter are hard to pass up. We wished that our side salads had come earlier, though, so that we could have them before our entrees. The house side salad had goat cheese, raisins, and a blood orange dressing that was great. The regular side came with choice of dressing and an assortment of cut veggies. Both were fresh, and it was something different to have the choice between the two. One of our guest reviewers also tried the soup of the day, the Manhattan clam chowder, and described it as a savory pizza sauce — really good!

As for our meals, we enjoyed the fried fish. It was well seasoned, a little greasy, and flaky. It had a medium heavy batter. The baked was too dry, though. We enjoyed the sweet potato fries which were thin and crispy but still meaty. They had a great sweet seasoning and were a bit like dessert. The cheesy hashbrowns were also great – very cheesy and yummy. The veggie side was broccoli and carrots; the broccoli wasn’t mushy and was well seasoned; the carrots were firm yet soft. A guest reviewer also got the patty melt. The hamburger was medium well, a little greasy. The bread was well toasted and the caramelized onions were tasty, though a bit mushy.

Part of our order was incorrect – we never got our coleslaw and our side salad choices had been wrong – but overall, the service was good at Grizzly’s, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Be prepared for the charbroiled chicken smell to linger on your clothes, though! Grizzly’s also makes their own cheesecake with special flavors of the day, so be sure to check them out for their large
menu. It’s definitely an Eau Claire favorite.