Gator's Grilled Cheese Emporium

I'm a huge fan of this place. My wife and I adore mac-and-cheese dishes so when we stumbled upon here we knew we had to try it out. Our server's more than welcoming attitude is what made us come back again.

Since then, we have made it routine to come here and grab a bite to eat when we're up in Ely. The food has always been delicious and service has always been friendly.

We're usually up in Ely during the less traveled period, so our food comes out hot and ready very quickly. From what I understand, this place can get busier during the tourist season, which may cause a little extra waiting. I can't blame them though, this place is a must-go, and I'll be more than happy to wait to grab a bite from here.

Loved it!! The chef has a wonderful variety of sandwiches to try, some soups and chili. There is a couple kinds of mac and cheese, a choice of many refreshing sodas and juice drinks as well as adult beverages for those hankering for a beer with their grilled cheese. I was not sure what to think before I stepped into this restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Excellent, friendly staff, great quality food and coffee, enjoy the atmosphere and patio.

After a hard 4 days of paddling and portaging in the Boundary Waters, we decided to try Gator's as our first meal back in civilization. We were not disappointed!! The server was very sweet and made good recommendations. My mom was unsure what salad dressing she wanted, and the cook took it upon himself to bring out a sample to help her decide. The Mac & Cheese of the day was lobster Mac and Cheese, and was delicious! I had the garden sandwich which was bursting with flavor and fresh veggies grilled to perfection in a cheesy heaven. The tomato basil soup on the side also hit the spot. All 6 of us are every bit of our food. We left the restaurant feeling satisfied and full.

Gator's is fantastic! We were leaving town after a week out on a lake near the BWCA and had our lab with us. Gator's welcomes well behaved dogs and serves a bowl of fresh water immediately. Breakfast was phenomenal. Two of us had biscuits and gravy but made with a croissant today due to being out of biscuits. They were fantastic! Eggs served along side to order. The breakfast burrito was huge and very tasty. Corned beef and hash was equally as excellent as the other meals. Drinks were refilled quickly and coffee was perfect! Highly recommend for breakfast!!

Breakfast salad very good! Staff very friendly.

The staff was friendly but not big talkers. I think because they let the food speak for itself. Our meal was excellent. Who knew a macaroni sandwich could be so good? Next time we are in Ely we are definitely comming back.

Food was pretty good. But I always say its the staff that makes a restaurant. I am pretty sure the owner was our waitress. She rolled her eyes and commented with a scoff when our young 19 YO austic fisherman asked please may have another glass of water.

I hesitate to go back there only because of her. Another waitress was as nice as apple pie.

It was OK. The server said they were out of avocado when we were ordering our lunches but 10 minutes later the table next to us was able to order a sandwich with avocado. Apparently they got a shipment immediately after our order but they didn't mention that fact to us. I ordered a sandwich without mayo but it came with mayo. They did remedy the mistake and didn't charge me for my beer as compensation for the mistakes. Eventually my order was fixed and it was tasty. If I'm ever back in Ely I'd give them another try.

Lunched there after a few nights in the BWCAW. It so hit the spot! Cold beer, awesome soup, sandwich and salads (and the mac and cheese sharp and yummy). Our server was very personable and managed everything well. Next time we'll try breakfast there too. The special that day was an apple fritter grilled cheese...