Sir Benedict’s Tavern On the Lake

The best place for lunch and a beer in Duluth. World class beer selection (easily the best in Duluth) and great food. The butternut squash soup is superb.

The place used to be awesome in the 80’s and 90’s, now it’s just plain old, meh. I really hyped the place up with my kids and told them were going to an old English castle to eat fantastic foods. Afterwards, they thought I was crazy and said we should have gone to Subway. Total disappointment for all of us. I was just going on my great memories of the place about a 20 years before.
I think new owners took over or something because the décor has fallen into disarray, the food portions are smaller, the quality of the food is lower, and the prices are higher. When you have such great real estate overlooking the lake, a fantastic opportunity to use old world medieval décor, and a really cool restaurant lay out, it’s pretty hard to go wrong. Sir, you have gone wrong. Decrease prices by about a dollar or increase portion sizes or offer fries; chips can’t compete with fries. Study medieval décor in some books and get to it. All of your stuff is falling apart.
Come on, you can totally bring back Sir Ben’s to its original splendor. I call for a renaissance!

Saturday night with a lot of people but the staff was very helpful with getting our reserved table cleared. I couldn’t ask for better customer service.
A huge selection of beer and their menu is diverse and creative. They are willing to customize almost ever food option which handy and appreciated. I had the Sir Melt which is loaded with veggies, spinach, and lot of cheese. A great sandwich that will satisfy a large appetite. Tap beer is $ 5 from what I gathered.
I’m happy to be supporting a local establishment.

A nice selection of beer and bar food. You order at the bar and then staff bring you your plates. The patio seating is nice but across from the lake.

«Sir Ben’s has an authentic English Pub Atmosphere…» — from their website.
Called them Friday, asked if they’d be showing the English Premier League football games on Saturday. Saturday when the game started they didn’t turn the muzak down, so I asked if they’d turn the TV up, but still could only hear Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. Endless white-​bread oldies instead of English football at an «English pub». UGH!
Bartender seemed genuinely surprised when I asked for hot tea (Tea! In an English Pub?!); served without milk, sugar, spoon or saucer to put the teabag onto. No Full English breakfast. Except for the tea, nothing English served at all, not even fish & chips. They call a French Dip sandwich a British Dip. Pizza, nachos, burritos on the menu though. Had a meatball sandwich; okay, but overpriced for its size.
In short, an American bar, nothing English about it except its pseudo pub décor. «English Pub» style is popular for bars today, but this isn’t even close, it’s as provincial Midwestern as it gets. Duluth seems the quintessential Provincial Midwestern City, so I guess it’s okay for the locals. I’m only here for business, and can’t wait to be done with this place. BTW, I’m an American, so don’t go calling me a stuck-​up Englishman. I just wanted something other than the same-​old, same-​old Duluth has in abundance.

Been coming here for 20 years since being a college student. The unique, old building is fun. The sandwiches, soups and salads are always top notch. Live music, great beer selection and not a chain! What’s not to love???

First time going here. Atmosphere is pretty chill, staff is extremely friendly. I had the British dip sandwich and a beer. The sandwich wasn’t the best sandwich ever… But it was okay. Also had the Artichoke & Spinach dip and it was amazing! Definitely will get that again. One weird aspect is that there are no waiters so you have to go up to the counter to order. Never would have known that if not for the person I was with!

Have been coming here once a year or so since they opened. Last night the food, the service and atmosphere were as good as ever. Even the price is right. I don’t know what more you could ask for.

Sir Bens is all you can hope for in a tavern, nice selection of local beer, large menu to choose from and a cozy atmosphere, friendly staff and a nice view from the patio too! I’ll be happy to go back each time I’m in town.

Do not miss this tavern if you are in the area great food great atmosphere. Leave the kids home have a sandwich and a beer. Highlight of my trip

Karaōke on Sunday nights & open til 2 am. Younger crowd. Try the nachos if you like HOT food! Left my mouth on fire! Friendly staff. Fun locals place & prices moderate. Will revisit.

Always love this place! Great view, great brews and great veggie options. The portobello sandwich is awesome and you have to try the local brews. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve been home and thus is a go to!

pretty cool. yummy nachos

Quirky little bar near St Luke’s that has live music most nights. Mostly a neighborhood place with great sandwiches, root beer and real drinks!

I love Sir Ben’s! I stopped in last night to discover they do karaōke every Sunday. The atmosphere is very laid back and the staff was friendly. Great selection of local beers. I had expected the prices to be higher, so I was delightfully surprised when I realized my beer was $ 4!

Bartender was very polite and let us try many samples of beer before making our final selection. Also delicious sandwiches ! Nice little tavern with good service, great beer and tasty food

Sir Benedict’s is a real gem in Duluth, and I’m sorry it’s taken us this long to find it. Think yummy gourmet sandwiches and a really solid beer list. What can go wrong? And there’s a patio.
So when you walk into Sir Benedict’s, it is a bit confusing. There are several smallish rooms, but basically turn right and you’ll see the big menu board and ordering counter. Steps: Look at board, pick food, step up to the counter and order, step over to the cash register, order beverages, pay for everything, get number for your table, sit and wait. They bring your food to you.
We had the avocado bacon (could be a bit more clear that it’s kind of avocado spread and not chunks of avocado) and the french dip like sandwich (forget what it’s called). All sandwiches came with some nice kettle chips and a really good crunchy pickle. We also split an order of black bean dip, which was more like sour cream dip with black beans in it, but still tasty and served with a generous heap of chips. So in all, really yummy, and you can’t beat the view of the lake and Fitger’s from the patio.
It was a tad bit on the pricey side — $ 50+ for three of us to eat, including some beers and that dip. But certainly not bad… we’ll definitely be back.

After driving past this place so many times I was looking for a good sandwich and a beer when a close friend recommend this location for the view from the patio. From the moment you step in the door you just «have a feeling this is going to be a good time». Staff was informative and allowed me plenty of time to decide on what to eat and to pick a nice porter to compliment my meal. We sat outside in the brisk 56 degree weather for a few hours listening to open mic guest. If you are looking for a place to get away for a few hours and relax with a Hugh choice of beers and great soup/sandwiches…Look no further! Cheers…

I have always been curious to try Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake as it always seemed like the sort of place I would have gotten drunk in some alternative dimension where I went to UMD. That said, I thought it fitting that my lady and I end an excellent night of indulgent food in Duluth with a toast to that hypothetical UMD alumnus version of me. So, when we walked in I knew I might have fit in.
To begin, a kindly Eastern European man greeted us and showed us his extensive beer tap and he even offered to bring us more drinks on the patio despite it being closed. The entire place had and architectural theme of a rural English tavern. It was a bit dark and cramp, but not so much that it ruined the charm. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to try the food, but it seemed to be perfectly fine English inspired soups and sandwiches.
Overall, I say hypothetical me would have enjoyed the extensive beer taps more than anything. The prices were affordable for not being happy hour and the place was weird enough to keep out the bros it would seem to me. So if you are in Duluth and looking for a lunch with a beer or perhaps just a beer with another beer, then I don’t think you could go wrong. I know if went to UMD I would have.

Pretty good sandwiches, and an astonishing amount of beer. Ordering your food is a little different than a regular restaurant; take a right when you walk in to get to the bar area, and then to the left is the sandwich bar where you place your order. The menu with the specialty sandwiches is written on the wall to the left of the sandwich bar and the make-​your-​own sandwich menu is listed on the wall behind the counter.
After ordering you are given a number, you take your seat, and then the food is brought out to you. Lots of interesting sandwich choices with fresh-​baked bread and fresh ingredients. Full and half-​size sandwiches are available too.
Daily soups include the English Onion soup which is really outstanding. The soup is probably what would keep me coming back more so than the sandwiches. Your meal comes with a pickle spear and a handful of chips on some wax paper served on a lunch tray. Very divey, but it is a pub after all and you are probably there for the beer and full bar.
They have homemade tiramisu on the menu so I had to try some. It is served in a small bowl, so the portion is more than adequate, and it is topped with tiny chocolate chips and dusted with cocoa powder. I try tiramisu where ever I can, and this just didn’t do it for me. It tasted fresh, but there was only one tiny layer of ladyfingers, and I suspect because of that I didn’t taste any espresso or liquor flavors. Pretty dense compared to some lighter tiramisu I have had, but it was decent for a pub restaurant.
Overall the service was very friendly and the beer menu is impressive. Prices are mediocre (in the $$ range if you order a sandwich and a drink from the bar), but the food is above average for a tavern. They offer live music fairly often, and they have a private parking lot and a wonderful view of the lake with their spot on Superior Street.