Pretty Lake views and a patio connected right to the docks. Â A beautiful scene to hang out a nice Summer night. Â Unfortunately, the food is subpar and the service is downright rude. Â I grew up in the area and used to come to Maynard's as the "it spot" in Excelsior. Â These days is reeks of a place coasting on a great location and an old reputation. Â The second star is for the location.
I tried to get a bite to eat on the patio, but was apparently too late for any food outside - even a light appetizer. Â So I had to go inside, which defeated the purpose of driving out there and ordered two appetizers. Â The steak bites were chewy and overdone and served on a bed of carbs that tasted like packaging peanuts. Â The lettuce wrap came with slimy left over chicken pits on a bed of stale wet peanuts. Â
My biggest complaint though is they attempted to make up for the obvious lack of quality in this tasteless bar fare with extreme quantity and they have some unusual rules about their service. Â The bartender, who apparently is a man of some repute, was pompous and rude. Â He would not allow me to take appetizers out to the patio - the attraction that drew my business all the way from Saint Paul. Â What's more, he refused to give me a box for the two mammoth portions of uninspired bar food I was now forced to choke down in a strangely hostile atmosphere with such a beautiful night waiting outside. Â If such a bizarre rule of menu division was going to dominate my experience, I would have thought he would have been server enough to advise me about the volume of "food" I was going to have to cram in myself.
I lost my appetite quickly, paid my bill, and stacked one almost untouched plate on the other before heading next door. Â I didn't miss my order one bit and had a much better time at the neighboring establishment.
My friend Rosana arrived very early this past Friday June the 28th like at 5:30 pm in order to get some tables outside; I guess there are no reservations for outside...? She was celebrating her husband's birthday and she thought Maynards would be a great place to gather her friends.
Anyway, my husband and I arrived at Maynards around 7:30 pm and they were ouyside having  great time. Our server warned us that there was a menacing sky and that we better start giving her cards right away... we had just ordered two drinks.
She was right, it started to rain and Maynards was packed. We had to figure out what to do...we tried to get a table inside; no one was paying attention to what was going on to the people that had been outside... we suddenly became either transparent or undesirable and a nuisance.
This is unacceptable, really. How can this happen in a restaurant like Maynards. I understand they had people waiting outside and they were crowded, but we were already there, we had only ordered drinks and we were going to start ordering our food. They should have stopped the people at the entrance explaining to them about what was going on and that they had to take care of the people that were  standing around the tables, lost and unattended and wet. That they had to give priority to them; they would have understood.
Leaving people unattended when were already there...?
I cannot understand. REALLY?
Been a very big fan of Maynard's for 10+ years. Â The food is average and the staff is friendly. Â However; we have experienced poor service and increased prices on our favorite items on the menu. Â We approached the General Manager about the increased prices and were treated very unkindly. Â We will not be going back to Maynard's anytime soon. Â Too bad; it was one of our favorite places.
Review Source:Alright, I'm updating this review - it's only fair.
Maynard's is good if you're looking for something akin to a "local" Applebee's. The service is always very, very, very good. You will never have a server ignore you here.
Tonight, I had the battered shrimp. I was presented with seven LARGE shrimp and some delicious mashed potatoes - it was a good, hearty meal, and typical of the experience you'll always have at Maynard's.
The wine on the menu is quite inexpensive, as are the tasty mixed drinks!
If you're looking for a good, safe, reliable meal, Maynard's is the place!
if you on the lake and looking for a place to dock and sit and drink and eat this is a good choice....always buzzin with people--very busy....I have only been outside each time I went because we were boating and just had our coverups on and well then you have your swimmer's hair.....but we were hungry. Â The outside seating is nice with umbrellas on most of the tables...there is an outside bar area also which is good. Â Typical quick bar grub here burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, nachos. Â It has all been decent but if there were more choices I probably wouldn't be here as much nothing bad but it could get better with more flavor and more choices...
Review Source:Back on Yelp, needed to give Kudos to this place. Lived in area for two years, tried other places, but keep coming back here. Summertime awesome outside, people watching hilarious(don't worry about the limited menu, grab a burger and enjoy). Wasps can be a bit of a problem around bar.
Colder months indoors; excellent HH menu, apps are some of the best around, (get those green beans!) Friendly Bar staff! Â Never been disappointed with ordering off the menu either. Game days great in bar. Â GO VIKES!
My husband and I ate here while visiting relatives in Eden Prairie and thought it was great.
The food was very good, the salmon cooked perfectly and the beer was great.
We went to the bar, which was not full but the place was packed and the waiting list was an hour.
The place is right on Lake Minnetonka, so it was just gorgeous and lovely.
Everyone should check it out.
Went there for dessert. Â Had the Bailey's cheesecake. Â Didn't even finish it. Â The Bailey's portion was only about an eighth of an inch thick, the rest was regular cheesecake which was not the best ever. Â Had a Colorado Bulldog to drink, was also subpar and service was kind of slow.
Review Source:Been to Maynards a million times but will likely never go again..This is the second time i have seen the management verbally abuse and humiliate its staff. Used unbelievable language and yelled at a waitress in regards to our table which was totally unecessary and uncalled for..(she actually was a great waitress) clearly this manager is there only because his parents own the place and he could never hold a job anywhere else because his management skills and people skills are horrible. We were going there this week with a group of 25 but after that display, and like said, the second time i have witnessed it so it was not an isolated event, we will take our group to Lord Fletchers, I am sure they treat their employees with more respect than Maynards... no excuse for this kind of behavior, i dont care who your daddy is....
Review Source:I finally got to Maynard's! Had been talking about checking it out with my neighbor since I moved to the Twin Cities 4 years ago....I guess those long winters put it out of my mind by the time deck season arrived each summer until now :P
Anyway, so I loved the scene! It was open and filled with laughter and staffed with people who know how to watch a busy dockside eatery while still making it feel like a cozy place to chat with friends over libations :)
My friend and I split the buffalo wrap and fries with seasoned sour cream - perfect portions all around! The Ketel One & soda was poured a bit on the generous side and the server's smile appeared just when we needed her to order another round ;)
Families, couples, locals, tourists all seemed to be enjoying it as much as we did that day - the view across Minnetonka with the sun shining on it really is a "MUST"!
The view. That's why you go...Fantastic expansive patio seating overlooking Excelsior Bay. The food is so-so. The service is great one time and the horrible the next so just be prepared to sit back (if you can get a seat) and enjoy the weather in case you have to wait. That's the reason why this establishment gets 3 stars in my opinion. Consistency in food and service needs to be present to rate any higher. I'm sure this place does "just fine" because of the location so they probably think they don't have to try any harder. Although, the gal that served our group of us 6 ladies (which) can be challenging) had this past Saturday afternoon was the best service I've ever encountered. Perhaps there's some changes in the training and expectations of the staff that have been implemented recently. If this continues, I'll bump 'em up to 4 stars.
Review Source:I was there yesterday for a b-day
This place gets 2 stars because of the service.. If it was not for our friendly server who was very fast this place would of got 1 star. This place is over ratted and i am not sure why it rates so high. The food is simple bar food and even though you have that out side seating area they only server certain things in certain areas. Like i wanted a Guinness and they were like sorry thats on the inside menu.. then i was like ahi tuna.. then they were like also on the inside menu.
Thats the most ridiculous thing i have every heard.. Whats the point sitting outside if you have this little dinky menu with nothing good on it.. Normally you order a Stella and it comes in a Stella glass well they only use the nice glasses inside.. Gesh.
So the patio area was filled with old men and young women trying to find sugar daddies. There was also a bunch of special younger guys that thought that because they were on the docks they had to wear dock shoes that were not even clean.. and shorts and American flag tank tops ohh yeah even saw some with captain jackets and hats. i guess they thought they were on the love boat..
Then there were the really special guys who had tight skinny leg jeans and no socks and dock shoes OMG guys leave the tight pants to the ladies. This place was seems so dirty  i guess i never noticed how bad it was because i always go in the colder season and no one is outside.
Well so 1 star for the server and 1 star for the lake view.
Also they need to do something about their outdoor umbrellas most of them are falling over..
Great place to chill by the lake. Better than average bar food... we loved the lobster mac and cheese which had big pieces of lobster and real cheeses. Watch the boats and people while drinking on the huge deck and patio. What's not to love? Â Cold drinks, large deck, lot's of friends...
Review Source:This is a solid 3 star. Â The walleye middlefingers are good. Â If you expect extra-delicious Italian pizza plan on an extra-medium "flatbread". Â It's just bar food. Â This is a place where people are categorized into (1) regular folks, (2) self-important old Harley couples, (3) college guys trolling for muff, (4) muff trolling for college guys and (5a) rich people and (5b) rich people so cheap they have Payless shoes on. Â This is for summer fun, a quick happy hour, some bar food and to meet folks and hope for sun. Â It's fun to peoplewatch.
Review Source:One word to describe this place: Overrated. Went on Sunday afternoon for lunch. It was busy due to the brunch and they said it would be a 20 minute wait for a table. We opted to sit at the bar where it was open seating instead. After waiting 15 minutes for a waitress to take our drink orders, we had to wait another 30 minutes before she would get our order. Since service was so slow, we only ordered the flatbread BBQ chicken pizza to share. The pizza was about average; definitely not worth the price we spent on it. I wouldn't come back here unless they had a major discount and about 4 hours to spend on dinner.
Review Source:If you get a good spot, the views here are quite nice, but that about all the good I can say for this establishment.
I ordered a Blackened Chicken Cesar Salad and I have to say it was one of the worst salads I've ever had. Â To me blackened chicken doesn't mean cremated chicken. And mine had gone through a ceremonial funeral pyre before being dumped onto a bed of not terribly crispy lettuce which was then completely drowned in a rather bland, and possibly bottled dressing. Â Even the croutons were soggy.
For the price, I was expecting better. Â My friend enjoyed his walley sandwhich, and the waffle fries that came with his meal were fairly good.
I'd consider coming back for drinks during the summer when patio seating is available, but probably not for the food.
Great views of Excelsior Bay and lots of interior and outdoor seating with raised tables make for a nice waterfront experience. Â The food is so-so, I had the burger and it was meh. Â I am hopeful that one of the waterfront restaurants will branch out at some point and offer more draft craft beers. Â
It can get crowded so have patience or make a reservation. Â Parking is tighter than Fletcher's and navigating Excelsior on a summer Saturday can be exhausting.
UPDATE 9/6. Â Tried to make a reservation for 20 people for lunch and they would not take it because "they couldn't turn the table" at the time we wanted and we would have to come on a non-peak hour. Â That cost them a star. Â You should always accomodate paying customers. Â I guess they don't need our business.
Wish I could say I had a fabulous meal here but honestly the only good things about my visit was the service and the walleye fingers. Otherwise, everything was "meh." I ordered a dish called something like Chicken & Mushroom Marsala Pasta. It is chicken and mushrooms in a marsala cream sauce. Sounds good, right? Well, not unless you'd actually like to eat Chicken Stroganoff over pasta. Just weird. Then I ordered a cup of french onion soup to replace the dish as I did not want to eat stroganoff..in the summer. I usually consider french onion soup the best thing ever. This time, I couldn't enjoy it until I added about a full cup's worth of water. It was that full of salt. I expect a very salty cup of soup when I order french onion soup but this was ridiculous!
My dinner companions ordered an Ahi Tuna Salad (which was reportedly great), and two Walleye Sandwiches (which were rated as just ok).
The waiter was very gracious about my entree and I totally appreciated it. He had apparently received complaints before. I suggest either Maynard's change the description of this dish or make a dish which tastes more like Chicken Marsala. I didn't bother complaining about the soup because really, what could they do? I think I'm a little sensitive to salt these days but either way adding a little more water to their soup mix in the future might help.
Just my overly verbose two-cents worth on this Lake Minnetonka restaurant...take it or leave it.
It's easy to sum up Maynard's. Bar food, nice view, nice location, all while surrounded by sweaty lake goers.
That said, if you go in for a fun evening Maynard's will deliver, this is a place for 'fun'. There are better options for good food and good dining but stepping off a boat and getting a burger is a fantastic experience.
Valet parking is complimentary, a nice plus.
This is another Lake Minnetonka staple, like Lord Fletchers people that have been out on the lake all day dock their boats and come in for a drink or food. Â Similar crowd as Lord Fletchers in that they are mostly well off suburbanites from the "burbs." Â This place has a great deck and serve pretty good food that is priced pretty reasonably.
Great place to stop off at in the summer, the deck is packed and there is usually a wait on nice days.
Need a restaurant on the lake - this location wins. Â This is a great location - but the patio gets a little cozy and crowded (which is surprising for the size that it is). Â Even though it can get snug, the crowds are usually easy going and so when tables mesh - people do stress too much. Â
Parking - you can valet and they will keep your car over night for you and allow you to pick up the next day without charge. Â Downside - we parked about a mile away on a week day because it was so busy! Â Bring quarters incase you need to use the meter!
Yes again - Spend most of the day on Lake Minnetonka yesterday. Â I spent some time at Maynards, Big Island, and Lord Fletcher's. Â How can you not enjoy a day on the lake with a verity of options for cocktails on a sunny deck. Â This is what living is all about. GT
My Review from last year . . . 7/24/2010:  Maynards is located on Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior MN.  The food is OK but the it is the lake view that makes it a great place to hang out and have a few cocktails on there spacious deck.  Another benefit is that  one can walk between Maynard and another local establishment . . .  Bayside for fun filled evening.  So if you are in the west metro Lake Minnetonka area, stop by and enjoy a full evening for food, drinks, and people watching on beautiful Lake Minnetonka. It's a  great place to see the sunset.  I agree with my fellow Yelper . . . 5 stars for summer patio. . . . 2.5 stars for the food.  GT
I try to make it out here few times each summer to sit on the Patio. My Fiancee isn't a huge fan as she absolutely HATES waiting for a table, so if you hate long waits, summer time trip to Maynards probably isn't for you.
I almost always get the fried halibut. It's delicious. Halibut is high on my list of fish and I love that it's considered a sustainable fishery. Their walley is also pretty good. Batter is nice and crispy most times just enough salt.
Service isn't quick, but usually due to crowd size. You can see some interesting crowds and people watching. The last time I was there I was openly staring at two cougars chasing down young gentlemen who I happen to know had a brief career in the NFL. He seemed to be living it up.
I've been here many times for their Sunday brunch, and it's quite a spread. They do a good job of keeping the buffet stocked, and the coffee's really good (very important at brunch but often neglected), although pricey. Apple crisp and eggs benedict are good, and they have a large variety of muffins, cut fruit, hashes of all types, and made-to-order omelettes. Their waffles and pancakes look nice, and lots of really bad-for-you toppings are offered, but I've always been too busy eating everything else to get around to trying them. Â This place gets a wholehearted thumbs up for brunch.
The dining room's nice, and if the weather's good, you can sit lakeside on their waterfront patio. It's beautiful out there!
I recently came here for happy hour, which you can only have at the bar. The selections were decent, and the prices were good for the portion sizes. Food quality was only so-so. Â The $5 flatbread pizza was incredibly garlicky and it could have used more time in the oven because the cheese hadn't completely melted. The $5 happy hour flatbread pizza at Tavern on France is much, much better: more topping choices, same size, cooked properly. Â Chicken lettuce wraps were passable, but definitely too salty. Â This place certainly does not serve bland food.
Came here for an impromptu snack after boating around Lake Minnetonka. It was crazy packed when we went there due to the Memorial Day weekend, but we actually found seats pretty easily by the dock. It was a gorgeous day, and the lakeview was very nice. Our server got us our drinks and fries promptly, too. I just got fries, which I was surprised was a big serving. I thought this would be one of those tourist haunts, and it is to an extent. But they don't exploit you on the food prices, which is nice. Unlimited refills on my soda for $2.75, fries for about $4.50; not a bad deal at all. I would consider coming back here...if I could come in via water again and feel all outdoorsy.
Review Source:One of my favorite lake-side patios; the deck/patio is huge if you've never been here before.
Nothing better than sitting outside with some drinks and some good friends on a warm Minnesota night overlooking the lake.
The food is pretty good; but you don't come here because of the food. Â Service is hit and miss; but you don't come here for that either. Â Drinks, fits groups of people well and right on the water...
Another favorite boat stop while on the lake. Â This is a destination of choice whenever one of us remembers that they have Schezuan green beans. Â Sure they're expensive, but after a few beverages the price won't outweigh the spicy goodness. Â You can pretend like they're good for you because, hey, they're green beans, but they most assuredly are not. Â
And, after our last trip, we've even figured out how to get them without waiting for a patio table. Â Our server recommended ordering them to go from the inside bar and then bringing them out to the dockside bar (very limited menu).
The 4th star is purely because of the ability to get what we want without having to wait the ridiculous amount of time for a table (inside or out). Â And a server willing to tell us about the trick.
MAYNARDS!! YESSS!! you are amazing. you are the sunshine of my summer life!
great food, lots of dock space for boats to roll up.....pretty much maynards is just one big patio of fun serving up great apps (fries, cheese curds, calamari, etc etc) and a super fun atmosphere....the only issue....its a seriously expensive ride back to up or downtown from excelsior!
Headed down to Maynard's after the show at Dunn Bro's. It was a cute bar that has minimal parking - cars were all over the lot and up and down the street. It seems as if most of the lot was Valet Only - forcing people out on to the street. After getting drinks at the bar inside - we walked outside to the patio where boats can dock on Lake Minnatonka. The guys checking ID's on the patio couldn't have been much older than 17. and weren't really doing the best job. They did have heaters and an awning over part of the patio. The outdoor bar was accessible from all sides but always seemed busy.
Drinks were pretty reasonable for being a bar on the lake. The one thing that I was not happy about was "last Call" randomly the outside bar just stopped being busy and a waitress never said a word if we wanted another round. When we moved our group inside because they kicked you out of the patio we sat inside for a while only to have another waitress yell "hit the doors people". (Nice customer service - that lost the star).
Decent food, a great view but service can be lacking in the summer months due to temporary staff. Servers who work there year round are solid.
As noted, parking is HORRIBLE whether by boat or by car. Dock boys have an attitude that improves with handsome gratuity and frequent visits.
They have a good selection of tap beers and have finally started serving beverages in glass on the patio (thank god).
Host staff is the worst part of a trip to Maynard's. They all have the attitude of New York waiters -- snippy little local high school girls, largely. Once you pass their gauntlet you can have a good time.
BE WARNED -- In the summer months, when booze is flowing, outdoor staff is prone to goosing your bill (adding items you didn't order or receive), giving incorrect change and generally trying to rip you off. I've had it happen on several occasions. Literally.
They have a fantastic brunch but bring your financial statement -- it doesn't come cheap.
You cant NOT come here in the summer. Â Great expansive outdoor patio, with a big fire pit if the nights get a little chilly. Â Parking is a headache, and I'm too cheap to valet, so bring a comfy pair of shoes to trek to the restaurant, cause after 9PM, you'll be parking FAR FAR away.
Review Source:
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