The Local 218

Excellent service and the food was amazing.A little surf and turf with oysters, scallops and a perfectly cooked steak.Don't skip dessert.

Excellent food and exceptional service! The 1st time we stopped in we had a less than stellar experience as our food was a little cold, but the owner comp'd our entire meal and asked us to give them another chance. 2nd experience was fantastic! Great food, fresh salads, piping hot entrees, great top shelf drinks, and truly wonderful service. Love the owners and the menu. We'll definitely be back and encourage others to go.

Food was good but a little spendy for a restaurant not on the water. Lots of parking around the building.

Second date night here and each meal was amazing. We arrived around 5:30 is was really quiet. My favorite. We started with two amazing drinks and started with the mussels that were a special for the night. Service is always incredible and the food was tasty!

I was in the Brainerd area for work and was told to come here. I was excited and they actually had Yelp reservations. That worked out very nice. The restaurant was extremely slow on a Saturday afternoon and I was somewhat surprised. They had a pretty fancy menu and the prices were high for what I would guess the locals would want to pay for lunch. The scallop appetizer was $18. It sounded really good so I ordered it as well as another person with me. This was a mistake.We got our food and I noticed the scallop didn't have the sear that is desired on it, but I wasn't going to complain. The portion was also small for the area and the price. I was going to just eat it and hopefully fall in love. It was plated nicely though! Upon one bite, I knew there was something off about the taste. The risotto tasted sour and the scallop tasted like bait. I never send food back, but there was something wrong about this dish. Waitress took both of the scallop dishes away and I ordered a Cesar salad and she ordered a bowl of clam chowder instead since we were running out of time. While waiting for our replacement lunch, both of our stomachs started turning. We ordered sprites and continued working. It got worse... the server came over and said "Thank you for saying something... we found out what it was." My eyes were the size of watermelons and my stomach was churning even more. I was thinking "good thing I went with my gut, because if I would have eaten one more of this... how would I be feeling." The Caesar salad was basic, but it was safer than the scallops. The server brought over our bill and I was shocked that she didn't comp the salad and soup due to whatever she found out that wasn't safe about the scallop meal. (I still have no clue what was really wrong with it!). I had to go work an event after and drive home and my stomach continued churning. I took Pepto and that controlled it a little, but ended up in the bathroom 3x within an hour and a half after my scallop bite. I have never experienced anything like this before and never want to again. I was willing to pay $18 for a scallop meal that wouldn't get me sick, but maybe it should be pulled from the menu if most people don't order it and they go bad. Also, from being a server, I would have comped the salad and soup for a table if something was extremely wrong with the food. I will not go here again and also will urge people to stay away. I guarantee it's not just the scallops you will get sick from.

Their poutine is great. We love this spot for a date night and higher end fare. They have a fun bar and the food is always good. The staff are always friendly and full of great recommendations. I go with groups for apps and drinks and we always enjoy. One of the best spots in Brainerd!

We visited this location on a Saturday evening. Although we made reservations, there weren't really needed; at least on the evening we went.FOOD: We ordered a few different dishes - calamari, shrimp tacos, wings, spinach dip, stroganoff, kid's grilled cheese, walleye sandwich, and the special of the day (shrimp pasta). The calamari was a hit, and I think my son ate almost half of it. The shrimp tacos were good, but they could have used a bit more flavor. The wings were great and come with celery. The spinach dip comes with pita bread, and it was good. The walleye sandwich was devoured. The stroganoff comes with the steak on top of the pasta, but I was advised it was cooked and tasted well. SERVICE: Our server was friendly and attentive. We got refills when needed, and she checked on us a few times during the meal to see if we needed anything.AMBIANCE: The restaurant is quite spacious, and there is a bar in the center.

Pew! This restaurant smells, very very bad. I couldn't even concentrate on the food because the smell is overwhelming awful!

This was the best food we've had in Brainerd! We went at an off time with our two little ones so it was very quiet but that meant the service was very attentive and on top of it! We had poutine, Cordon Bleu with the mushroom risotto, mashed potatoes, chicken tenders and Carbonara with Caesar salads. You can tell things are homemade and the extra touches of flavor really show.I personally loved the thin cut fries on the poutine and the gravy is amazing. My chicken cordon bleu was very tender and juice but perfectly crispy and the cream sauce was fantastic. The mushroom risotto was a bit boring but perfect pairing with the bold flavors of the chicken. My daughter's chicken strips tasted like they had a ranch seasoning in the breading and they were like filets--HUGE and so tasty! My husband has been searching for really delicious carbonara and he was so pleased with The Local 218. We will definitely be going back!

The chicken cordon bleu over top of mushroom risotto was delicious. Can't wait to go back and try more items from their new menu!