2 Best Places to Eat in Duluth, Minnesota (Plus a Famous Roadside Stop)
If you're planning a trip to Duluth, Minnesota, you're probably thinking about Lake Superior, Canal Park, scenic waterfront views, and all the fun things to see and do.
But of course, one of the best parts of any trip is discovering great places to eat along the way! 🍽️
During our visit to Duluth, we found two places worth checking out: Northern Waters Smokehaus for flavorful, creative sandwiches and Love Creamery for handcrafted ice cream with some interesting flavors.
And if you're driving from the Twin Cities to Duluth, we've got a bonus stop for you: Tobies Restaurant & Bakery in Hinckley, a Minnesota favorite known for its giant cinnamon and caramel rolls. 🍥
In this guide, we'll share what we ordered, what our family enjoyed most, how much things cost during our visit, and why you might want to add these stops to your next Minnesota road trip.
🥪 1. Northern Waters Smokehaus: A Sandwich Stop in Canal Park
Our first stop was Northern Waters Smokehaus, located inside the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace in Duluth's Canal Park.
The restaurant is on the lower level, so head downstairs when you arrive. You'll find a retail area selling smoked fish, meats, and specialty food products to take home, along with a sandwich counter where you can place your order.
We visited around lunchtime, and it was already quite busy. There were several people ahead of us, so be prepared to wait, especially during popular dining hours.
The menu is displayed on the wall, with plenty of interesting sandwich options to consider.
🍽️ What We Ordered
Since this was our first visit, we decided to try several different items so everyone could sample something.
Our order included:
- 🥪 Cajun Finn
- 🥪 Cold Turkey
- 🥪 The mmMmm
- 🌱 Spring Roll
- 🥬 Kimchi and coleslaw for sides
We also noticed vegetarian and vegan sandwich options on the menu, which is nice if you're looking for alternatives to meat.
Our sandwiches took approximately 15–20 minutes to arrive after ordering. Once the food came out, everything looked delicious, and the portions were generous. Each sandwich was cut into two pieces, making it easier to share.
😋 How Was the Food?
Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Northern Waters Smokehaus.
The sandwiches were flavorful, and there were enough different options to make choosing just one difficult!
Our family particularly enjoyed the mmMmm and Cajun Finn. The Cold Turkey was another option we tried, while the Spring Roll gave us something different to sample.
Prices were around $10–$20 per person during our visit, which we found reasonable for a specialty sandwich lunch in Canal Park.
Our verdict: If you're looking for something a little different from the usual fast-food options while exploring Duluth, Northern Waters Smokehaus is worth considering.
📍 Location: DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace, Canal Park, Duluth, Minnesota.
🍦 2. Love Creamery: Creative Ice Cream Flavors in Duluth
After lunch, it was time for something sweet!
Love Creamery was our second stop, and the location makes it easy to combine both places during a visit to Canal Park. It's just a short walk from Northern Waters Smokehaus.
When we arrived, a line stretched outside the shop. That certainly made us curious about the ice cream!
There is also outdoor seating where you can sit down and enjoy your treats.
🍨 What Makes Love Creamery Special?
Love Creamery offers handcrafted ice cream with creative flavors, including options for people looking for gluten-free or vegan treats.
One thing we appreciated was the opportunity to sample flavors before deciding what to order. With so many interesting choices, that definitely helps!
Some of the flavors we saw included:
- 🍯 Salted Caramel
- ☕ Espresso Brownie Fudge
- 🍊 Orange Strawberry
- 🫐 Honeyberry Lemon Curd
- 🍪 Lucky Charmz
- 🥜 Butter Pecan
- 🧀 Goat Cheese Honeycomb
- 🌱 Vegan Chai and vegan sorbet options
The staff member helping us mentioned that Salted Caramel and Goat Cheese Honeycomb were two of the popular flavors.
They also offer ice cream flights, which let you try several flavors in one order.
💵 How Much Does Love Creamery Cost?
Here are the approximate prices we saw during our visit:
- 🍦 Small scoop: $5.50
- 🍦 Medium scoop: $6.50
- 🍦 Large scoop: $8
- 🍨 Sundaes: around $7–$8
- ✨ Ice cream flight: around $12
- 🥡 Take-home pint: around $10
Prices may change, so check the shop's current menu before visiting.
❤️ Our Ice Cream Experience
We decided to try Salted Caramel and Espresso Brownie Fudge.
The ice cream was delicious, and we enjoyed the friendly service and welcoming atmosphere. We also liked seeing so many creative flavors and options for different dietary needs.
Love Creamery was a fun stop for our family, especially after lunch. With its Canal Park location, you can easily fit it into a waterfront stroll or a day exploring Duluth.
Our verdict: If you enjoy handcrafted ice cream and want to try something beyond the usual flavors, Love Creamery is a great place to consider adding to your Duluth itinerary.
📍 Location: Canal Park, Duluth, Minnesota.
🚗 Bonus Stop: Tobies Restaurant & Bakery in Hinckley
If you're driving between the Twin Cities and Duluth, here's another place worth knowing about!
Tobies Restaurant & Bakery in Hinckley is known as Minnesota's Famous Halfway Stop. It's a convenient place to take a break, grab a meal, pick up bakery treats, or refuel before continuing your drive.
For us, the main attraction was the bakery's famous cinnamon and caramel rolls. But there is more here than just baked goods.
🛍️ More Than Just a Bakery
When you walk inside, you'll find the bakery near the entrance.
There are also grocery items such as jams, jellies, maple syrup, and local honey. On the other side, you'll find a boutique and gift shop offering Minnesota-themed souvenirs, clothing, home décor, jewelry, books, and more.
At the far end, there is a dining area where you can sit down for a meal.
During our visit, lunch service closed at 3 p.m., and we arrived just before closing, so we were able to enjoy a late lunch.
🍴 What We Ate at Tobies
We ordered a variety of dishes for the family:
- 🧀 Jalapeño cheese curds
- 🐟 Walleye sandwich
- 🍝 Shrimp pasta Alfredo
- 🥪 German Reuben
- 🥩 Brisket grilled cheese
The meals came with different sides, including soup, salad, French fries, and potato wedges.
The food was good overall, and the Walleye sandwich was our favorite. The menu had plenty of choices, making it convenient for a family with different preferences.
Still, the meal wasn't the main reason we were excited to stop here.
We had our eyes on something else!
🍥 The Famous Cinnamon and Caramel Rolls
Tobies is especially well known for its giant cinnamon and caramel rolls, which are featured on the menu as World Famous Rolls.
The bakery had plenty of other tempting items, including cookies, muffins, cakes, pastries, and more. But we decided to take home two of the famous rolls to try later at our hotel in Duluth.
When we opened the bag, we immediately noticed how big they were!
Both rolls were delicious, but our family had a clear favorite: the caramel roll.
It was soft, fresh, and really enjoyable. Several members of the family preferred the caramel roll over the cinnamon one.
If you've never tried Tobies' famous rolls, this is a stop worth considering on your next drive between Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Duluth.
💡 Our tip: Tobies can be a useful road-trip stop for food, fuel, bakery treats, and souvenirs all in one place. If you plan to sit down for lunch, check the current dining hours before you go.
📍 Location: Hinckley, Minnesota, along the drive between the Twin Cities and Duluth.
🗺️ How to Fit These Stops Into Your Duluth Trip
The nice thing about these three places is that you don't have to visit them all at once.
Here's how we'd plan the stops:
Option 1: Spend an afternoon in Canal Park
- Start with lunch at Northern Waters Smokehaus.
- Walk over to Love Creamery for ice cream.
- Spend some time exploring Canal Park and enjoying the Lake Superior waterfront.
This is an easy combination because the first two stops are only a short walk apart.
Option 2: Make Tobies part of your road trip
If you're driving from the Twin Cities to Duluth, consider stopping at Tobies along the way. You can have a meal, browse the bakery, pick up a caramel roll, and continue your journey.
You could also visit Tobies on your return drive if that fits your schedule better.
Option 3: Stay near Canal Park
We stayed at Hampton Inn Duluth Canal Park during this trip. Staying in the area made it convenient to explore Canal Park and visit the nearby food spots.
If you're looking for accommodation in Duluth, check out our Hampton Inn Duluth Canal Park review for more details about our stay.
🎥 Watch Our Duluth Food Tour
Want to see the restaurants, the food, the portion sizes, and our family's reactions for yourself?
Watch our full video, where we take you inside Northern Waters Smokehaus, Love Creamery, and Tobies Restaurant & Bakery.
👉 Watch our YouTube video: 2 Best Places to Eat in Duluth, Minnesota
⭐ Final Thoughts: Where Would We Go Again?
All three stops offered something different, and each one could fit into a Minnesota trip in its own way.
🥪 For lunch in Duluth: Northern Waters Smokehaus stood out for its flavorful sandwiches, generous portions, and creative menu.
🍦 For dessert: Love Creamery was a fun stop with handcrafted ice cream, interesting flavors, and options for different dietary needs.
🍥 For a road-trip treat: Tobies Restaurant & Bakery was worth the stop for its famous caramel and cinnamon rolls. Our favorite was the caramel roll!
If you're planning a trip to Duluth, we'd consider adding the first two places to your Canal Park itinerary. And if you're driving from the Twin Cities, Tobies makes a convenient bonus stop along the way.
We hope this guide helps you discover a few tasty places to try on your next Minnesota adventure!
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