Something changes on Lake Minnetonka in October. The boat lifts start coming out, the patios thin out, and the best seat in the house moves from the dock to a table by the window. Fall is when the lake’s restaurants show a different side: fireplaces, supper club classics, and dining rooms built for watching the water instead of being on it.
Here are seven spots around the lake that are made for a cool fall evening, from a 1950s supper club on Phelps Island to a converted boat factory in Wayzata.
Before you go
Fall is a transition season on the lake. Patios close, docks come out, and hours can shift week to week. Check each restaurant’s website or call ahead before making the drive, especially on weeknights.
Wayzata
CōV Wayzata
700 Lake Street East, Wayzata
CōV’s whole design is built around the view. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows faces south over Wayzata Bay, and the crisp, coastal interior is meant to feel more Nantucket than Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka Magazine has described a free-standing fireplace that adds warmth in the colder months. The menu leans seafood, sushi, steak, and burgers, and it’s open seven days a week.
Why it works in fall: When it’s too cold for the patio, the window tables give you the same view with none of the wind.
6Smith
294 Grove Lane East, Wayzata
6Smith sits in a former boat factory on the shore of Wayzata Bay, and the building still shows it: high ceilings, big windows, and a look the restaurant calls rustic luxury with a hint of industrial chic. The menu centers on steak and seafood from local and small suppliers, and there’s a rooftop for the warmer days that fall still throws at us.
Why it works in fall: It’s one of the lake’s best special-occasion dinners, and the windows put the fall color on the far shore right in front of you.
McCormick’s Pub & Restaurant
331 Broadway Avenue South, Wayzata
If your idea of cozy is a pint of Guinness and shepherd’s pie, this is the spot. McCormick’s is a family-owned Irish pub in downtown Wayzata with a warm pub room, a dining room called the Kildare Room that overlooks the lake, and a covered, heated patio with lake views. The menu mixes Irish pub classics with scratch-made dishes from the kitchen, and Sunday brunch is a local favorite.
Why it works in fall: The heated patio stretches outdoor season, and the pub is first come, first served, so it’s an easy last-minute call. Reservations are for the dining room only.
Spring Park and Mound
Lord Fletcher’s Old Lake Lodge
3746 Sunset Drive, Spring Park
Most people know Lord Fletcher’s as summer’s busiest dock on the lake, but it’s been a year-round spot since 1968. In fall the action moves indoors to the Lodge Dining Room, a rustic, lodge-style room serving seafood, steaks, pasta, and walleye. Next door, the Quarter Deck is a covered, heated porch with the same menu and a view of the lake. The Pub is there for something more casual, and Sunday brunch runs year-round.
Why it works in fall: You get the classic Lake Minnetonka setting without the summer crowds. Lord Fletcher’s is also taking Thanksgiving Day reservations.
Al & Alma’s Supper Club
5201 Piper Road, Mound
Al and Alma Quist opened their supper club in 1956. By day, Al was a firefighter and the mayor of Island Park; by night, he cooked. Today the restaurant bills itself as the lake’s longest-operating restaurant, and it’s still dinner only. Expect supper club staples like hand-cut steaks, slow-cooked ribs, and camp-style walleye, served in a dining room with big windows facing the lake.
It sits on Phelps Island, named for Carrington Phelps, who bought the land in 1875. (We covered that story in Lake Minnetonka’s Bays and How They Got Their Names.)
Why it works in fall: Nothing says Minnesota fall like a supper club and an old fashioned. This is the real thing.
Excelsior
Maynards
685 Excelsior Boulevard, Excelsior
Maynards has been on the Excelsior shoreline since 1998, on ground that was once the Excelsior Amusement Park. Its huge lakeside wharf is a summer institution, and the patio features a stone fireplace for cooler nights. The wharf typically winds down around mid-October, but the indoor dining room is open year-round, with window tables facing Excelsior Bay.
Why it works in fall: It’s casual, it’s on the water, and on a mild October evening, the fire is the best seat outside.
Mirabelle
200 Water Street, Excelsior
Mirabelle is a few blocks from the water, but it may be the coziest room on this list. The Jester Concepts restaurant sits in a historic building on Water Street, where the original cast iron fireplace was preserved. The menu is classic American comfort food with modern touches, plus a lineup of old fashioneds that includes a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet. It’s open for dinner seven nights a week.
Why it works in fall: A fireplace, an old fashioned, and a walk down Water Street afterward. That’s a fall night in Excelsior.
Make a night of it
Fall is one of the best times to see the lake. The color on the far shore peaks, the water is quiet, and you can usually get a table without a wait. Pair dinner with something from the TonkaInsider events calendar and you’ve got the whole evening planned.
Have a favorite fall spot we missed? Let us know on Facebook.