Restaurants in Maple Grove

Described as an “unlikely savior” of a “decades-old bar,” by the Star Tribune, retired research analyst Bob Rick took over when the former Bullwinkle’s shuttered its doors in early 2011. After myriad updates to the kitchen and bar, Bullwinkle’s reopened as Bullwinkle Saloon, a neighborhood pub that serves Coney Dogs alongside wings and full glasses of beer. A lineup of daily specials ranges from 33-cent wings to 400-cent buckets of Lucky IPAs.

Not long after El Nuevo Rodeo Restaurant opened in 2003, its made-from-scratch Mexican dishes and vibrant late-night atmosphere began to make the lively eatery a hotspot with locals. The restaurant rapidly began expanding its authentic Mexican menu with regional culinary offerings such as pineapple-chipotle margaritas and guacamole appetizers handmade at your table in a lava-rock molcajete. Using handmade tortillas, tamales, and sauces, chefs whip up seasonal specials designed to complement selections from the curated wine and tequila menus.

When a national chain delivered him a pale imitation of a pizza, Eddie Lane thought, “I can do better than this.” The winner of more than 37 Minnesota State Fair ribbons put his money where his mouth was, laboring away until he perfected Pizza Three's stone-cooked thin-crust pies. Eddie and his culinary team craft more than 10 specialty, veggie, and chicken pizzas ranging from classic pepperoni to a loaded-baked-potato pizza topped with garlic mashed potatoes and bacon. Their culinary innovation extends to dessert with the s'mores pizza, a chocolate-, graham-cracker-, and marshmallow-topped pie that evokes memories of sitting around campfires in the Coliseum. Chefs also fold pizzas into calzones, douse wings in award-winning barbecue sauce, and whip up pastas from some of Eddie's Blue Ribbon–winning recipes.

Chefs at Copper Pot Indian Grill fire up clay tandoori ovens to bake yogurt-marinated chicken and prawns seasoned with carom seed and red-chili powder. The chefs pick recipes from different parts of India to feature the country’s varied flavors, rotating their selections every four to six months, or whenever they complete a game of Monopoly. They stock a lunch buffet with fresh naan and pudhina paratha and maintain a well-rounded wine list with varietals from California, France, New Zealand, and Argentina.

The first IHOP—the dream of founders Al and Jerry Lapin—opened in 1958 in Toluca Lake, California, and was originally dubbed the International House of Pancakes. Since then, rapid expansion has led to myriad milestones across the company's colorful history, from introducing its modern IHOP acronym in 1973 to its 1,000th restaurant opening in Layton, Utah, in 2001.

Today, the company stands strong with around 1,500 locations across North and Central America, each one an enthusiastic dispenser of pancakes, french toast, and tables constructed entirely out of bacon. Though IHOP is known as a bastion of breakfast, it also stays open during the day and into the evening, delivering lunch and dinner as well.

Opa! Souvlaki's intuitive menu presents combo platters and à la carte dishes filled with healthful Greek fare at more than 75 locations in Canada, the Mall of America, and Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix. Chefs skewer beef, chicken, lamb, and shrimp onto anything from toothpicks to fencing foils, then grill it to a crisp perfection in souvlaki dishes. The meats may come wrapped in a warm pita, drizzled in tzatziki sauce, and served with veggie-rich salads or fries seasoned with lemon juice, oregano, and salt. Opa! Souvlaki's website proudly displays the nutritional information and middle name of each dish.