Vanilla Bean - Two Harbors

Emily Braverman

2024-03

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Sera-y

2023-08

I was looking for a breakfast place on my way down from up north. I stumbled upon this local restaurant. I have seated right away. It has a clean, cozy environment with friendly staff. The menu got me excited when I saw a unique combination of choices made from scratch. I ordered Castle Danger Hash with chicken sausage links, a Grand Portage Oven Baked Omelet with chicken links, and chicken fried steak and eggs with my family. All of them were delicious, but the Danger Hash stood up the most. Perfectly cooked corn beef over crispy potatoes and veggies. I am going back up to the north soon to see Northern lights, so I will definitely stop by again for more Danger Hash. Our waiter suggested that I order their cranberry wild rice toast as a side to my dish, even though I don't like cranberries I ordered to give it a try. And I am glad I did. I liked it a lot!! Crispy, Buttered toast filled with flavors. Highly recommend it. The service part was pretty good. And prices are fair. Can't wait to visit again soon.

Darren Docherty

2024-03

Absolute perfection! I stopped by Wednesday (2/7) after a morning of moseying down 61 stopping here and there to hike along Superior with my old dog, Stout. I was in the mood for a hardy breakfast and boy did I stop at THE RIGHT PLACE!! If you like corned beef - I mean REAL shredded corned beef (not the dog-food-ish canned variety) then you will love this … order the Castle Danger Hash. Y U M !! Two eggs & your choice of toast (with a mixed berry heavenly jam) complete this dish. Crispy, best I’ve EVER had cubed potatoes are included. I opted for poached eggs and they were perfect! OK - and the service?? There’s gotta be something bad about this place right? Wrong! Shauna rocked!!!Don’t pass by this place if you’re looking for a satisfying brunch experience in Two Harbors!Jetta in Ely

Renos Yiangou

2024-04

Wow, what a hidden gem on the North Shore of Minnesota. Stopped by yesterday for lunch with the family on the way to Ely and had the soup and sandwich combo: Wild Rice Soup with the Cranberry Club sandwich.As someone who makes the Boundary Waters Chicken Wild rice soup myself it only took a stir with the spoon and a sip of that soup to know it was made from scratch the way its supposed to. And then it was off to the beautiful combination of flavors from the club sandwich with the unique cranberries and wild rice bread, the perfectly cooked crispy bacon, turkey, cucumber and cranberry flavored mayo. Will definitely be back!Sorry, no photos I was too busy devouring :)

Sue Martindale

2023-08

Enjoyed a late Wednesday morning breakfast at the Vanilla Bean. There was a waiting line, so we went next door to the souvenir shop to pass the time. Once inside the restaurant, we perused the menus. From the coffee to our breakfasts, everything was delicious. Not being much of a fish eater, I took my friend's recommendation and ordered the Walleye Cake Benedict (poached eggs and hand-pattied walleye cakes topped with hollandaise) and extra crispy hash brown potatoes. Over-the-top delicious. Another had the Popeye oven-baked omelet with fresh spinach, bacon, tomatoes, and smoked Gouda cheese. Highly recommend Vanilla Bean if you're in or passing through Two Harbors.

Kelsey Corrigan

2024-04

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Amy Jensen

2023-05

This was our first time eating IN the restaurant. Very good experience - clean facility, very friendly staff (even though they seemed short staffed and very busy!), great service and tasty food! We realized after we ordered they had cranberry wild rice bread - so we each ordered a piece toasted. I had the traditional eggs Benedict with hashbrowns - as you can see, it all blended together very well (forgot to take a before pic!). Looking forward to next time!

Hannah Smith

2023-11

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Lance Trahan

2022-05

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Kelsey Thurston

2023-06

*Be prepared, I wrote a novel* 😂This is a cute little place to stop in for breakfast or lunch. We went late Monday morning for breakfast and did not have to wait to be seated. We even got to pick where we wanted to sit, which I love.I put one less star for a few minor reasons. The service wasn't bad, the waitress just seemed indifferent about being there, which made it seem like she was indifferent about us being there if that makes sense. I was also very excited to try the Scandinavian breakfast. I had seen menus in other reviews and between that and the Northwoods latte, I was very excited to try this place. In fact, my husband wasn't even hungry but I made us stop here anyways just for these menu items. Long story short, they were out of the Scandinavian breakfast... ☹️ Maybe tape over items that you're out of on the menu outside the door or the menus handed out to the table? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I ended up ordering Grandma Bergman's Swedish pancakes (pictured with my husband's order of the Harbor breakfast) which was very delicious so maybe it was meant to be. ❤️ Oh, and they had great vegetarian and vegan options!Also pictured is the iced Northwoods latte that I ordered to go. It was delicious! They definitely have good coffee.PRICE: We spent $32 on two breakfasts, one coffee, and a 18% tip. 👍Overall, I would come here again. I'd be excited to try some of their other menu items!

Maranda and Jon Payson

2023-10

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Eve N Tide

2023-05

Well Worth The Wait!You know when there's a wait to be seated at a restaurant that it's usually going to be good & Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors did not disappoint.Despite being busy & running every which way their staff was friendly & accommodating.. from the hostess to the wait staff as well as the cook with special requests. Their staff is Covid conscious so those with health conditions should feel comfortable here as well.The hostess was friendly & helpful as | waited to be seated. My waitress was hustling to attend all her tables so I tried not to monopolize her too much but she still took the time to happily answer my touristy questions which I appreciate. The food... absolutely amazing! I couldn't decide so l had a bit of everything & my take home box is overflowing but so worth it to get a taste to bring home. They even did my special request for roesti hashbrowns (add onions & swiss cheese) just right!I cannot praise this little place enough. Be sure to plan some extra time to wait for your table (there's a cute little shop right next door so no worries on what to do) & make the stop to Vanilla Bean. You won't be disappointed!

Sharron Mankus

2024-03

My daughter and I have eaten there twice. It was good food, slow service. The last three times we've tried, they have been closed - even thought it was within the "Open" hours posted on the door and the website. We had talked the place up to the friends who were with us, and ended up having to drive to another town for lunch. I don't usually post negative reviews, but this place needs to get their act together as far as posting their business hours. The last time we tried, the parking lot was full, it was an hour and a half before they were supposed to close, and there were people inside eating. We tried the door, it was locked. I literally sat in the full parking lot, called the number, and asked the guy who answered if they were open - he said "Sorry, we are not open." What the heck? We are not going to the Vanilla Bean again. Edited to Add - This was definitely the Vanilla Bean. It happened last September, so it has been a while, but the experience of having it closed when it was supposed to be open has indeed happened several times. I am from out of town and tried the place every time we went through Two Harbors. I have a picture of the mug and food from the second time we were there and actually able to get in.EDIT - Was it a late review? Yes. (But not 6 months) I apologize for that. My daughter left a similar review the day we called from the parking lot - it mysteriously disappeared. Was it a chronic issue? Yes, and over an extended period. Please note that it also does no good to tell someone they did not know which restaurant they were at because you did not like the review. Thank you for your response. I sincerely wish you success in the future of your restaurant.

Barry Thao

2020-05

My wife and I went in on a Sunday morning. Slightly busy. We waited 15-20 min, side note- "waiting area" is small, so it can get a little crowded. The staff is friendly and service is good. The food was okay, a little bland in my opinion. I had the Northwood's classic. The eggs and hashbrowns were cooked perfectly but my pancake was undercooked and still soggy in the middle.

Jeff Schmit

2023-05

This cozy little restaurant is an absolute must stop for breakfast! There are many common breakfast favorites as well as some unique breakfast originals that are out of this world! We ordered the eggs bennidict with pesto and the wild rice porridge. Both were absolutely delicious, but the porridge was a dish unique to this restaurant that is so good I couldn't get enough! Had to get a cup for the road. I will definitely come back on my next trip!

Jake

2022-05

A great little breakfast place! The staff works hard, and the food and vanilla latte were tasty. The crepes were SO good! Getting there earlier will typically result in less of a wait like any breakfast place, but not bad either way. I’d come back here again!

Matthees M

2023-12

A group of us had breakfast here a few weeks ago. We ordered the castle danger hash which was fine, the mini donuts were good, the cranberry wild rice bread was yummy, but the wild rice porridge was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be similar to oatmeal which it wasn’t. I was looking for a “lighter” option and this definitely wasn’t it! The porridge was very sweet and only made with cream. It was so rich and tasted like a large bowl of sweet cream which is not what I was looking for. I couldn’t eat more than one bite. Everything else about the ambiance, service, etc. was fine. I would give them another shot but would definitely steer clear of the porridge.

holly larson

2024-01

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Priscilla Anjos

2022-05

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Ruth Taylor

2020-05

This place is incredible!! We came in after spending a day at Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse. Allie was a gem and let my husband know, that since he was a veteran, his meal would be free. Allow me to say, I would have gladly paid for this meal, two times over. Yes, it was THAT good! We had the walleye cakes (OMG), I had one of their famous oven baked omelettes (The Popeye) and my husband had the North Woods Classic breakfast. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this meal, the atmosphere and the service. Oh, and make sure to try the apple cider! Did I mention Allie was awesome?!?! Great discovery and will definitely be back whenever we come back to the Duluth area.

Laurie Buss

2020-05

The folks up at Split Rock lighthouse recommended this. The food and service were great! They have a nice menu that offers great options that are not just burgers and fries. We started with the Border Battle deep fried cheese curds. They were very good. Tim had the Iron Ranger Pasty which was filled with carrots, onion, rutabaga, potatoes, ground beef and ground pork with homemade mushroom gravy. I had the Scandanavian Breakfast which is homemade caramel pecan bread pudding dipped in batter, grilled and drizzled with homemade caramel sauce. It was served with fresh fruit and some of the best bacon I have ever had!

Alexander “Codie” West

2023-08

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Carly Oneill

2023-11

A classic small town restaurant with some good food. This location has a bit of a more rustic ambiance than the Duluth location, but the food is just as good. My favorite is the corned beef hash. However, expect a long wait if you're coming in for a weekend brunch. They don't take reservations ahead of time so you'll need to check in with the hostess to get on the wait-list once you get there.

Dean Adams

2023-05

I really wanted to like this place. But the best thing about three meals at one table was the toast. Poached eggs looked like a nuclear experiment went wrong. Over easy eggs were hard. Ham and cheese oven omelette was pretty lack luster with very little ham in it. Additionally the coffee was very bitter. Felt bad but for $$$ breakfast it should be right. Talked to the exhausted chef/cook while waiting for the bathroom to open up. Didn't have the heart to tell her the meal was garbage.

Melody Liu

2024-01

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Tesa Strot

2024-04

A little pricey for me... but definitely go for the caramel roll! Just gotta keep the flies off your food while eating. We spent over $50 for three people and the eggs went even fully cooked. Giving a higher rating solely for the caramel roll.Also, no kids menu...

Sandee Booth

2019-05

The food was fantastic!! The maple latte was amazing, so were the mini donuts and the wild rice burger. Didn’t wait long whatsoever, even though it was really busy. The waitress was ok, but seemed a bit frazzled. I ended up being charged for a coffee I didn’t order- got that taken off my bill after my card was run- but was charged 2 more times (which my waitress didn’t tell me- so $150 total). Finally got it all worked out, but it was a bit frustrating.

Chelsea D.

2023-11

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Blitz Viridis

2023-11

I liked the service and atmosphere but I think their coffee could use work. Their signature coffee is over-the-top sickly sweet and their generic black coffee tastes of hot water. For a place named the "Vanilla Bean" I'd really like to see them improve on this.Their food is decent, although they were out of the things we wanted we came at around 12:30.

Jamie S

2023-11

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