Restaurant
Unclaimed profileLake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Duluth, MN · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar runs a beverage program with clear strengths in cocktails and wine. The cocktail list carries 11 named drinks plus five low-ABV options, with classics like the Boulevardier and signatures like the Lake Ave Mai Tai and Strawberry Negroni. Wine covers by-the-glass whites and reds, reserve bottles, rosé, and sparkling, with Ridge Vineyards Geyserville and Oddero Barolo anchoring the reserve side. Five mocktails round out the non-alcoholic side, and local craft beer rotates on the taps.
- What should I order?
- Start with the Boulevardier, a bourbon, sweet vermouth, and amaro build, or the Lake Ave Mai Tai with rum, falernum, and lime. For wine, the Adelsheim Pinot Noir by the glass or the Ridge Vineyards Geyserville from the reserve list are the clear anchor selections.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who want a full cocktail list with recognizable classics and house signatures, plus a wine program with by-the-glass and reserve options, will find the most to work with here. The five-mocktail section gives non-drinkers a real choice rather than an afterthought.
- When should I go?
- Wine Wednesdays offer half price on marked wines, which is the most concrete timing reason to plan a visit around the wine list. Otherwise the program serves both cocktail-focused and wine-focused occasions without a stated best time.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Cocktails run $12–$13, low-ABV cocktails $8–$13, and mocktails $7–$10. By-the-glass wines are $11–$14, reserve bottles $40–$92, and sparkling $10–$62. A reviewer found the $5 chamomile tea overpriced for a Tazo tea bag.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The cocktail program pairs classics and signatures with a separate low-ABV section, and the bar description ties craft cocktails to balance, classic technique, and top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries. The wine list adds reserve white, reserve red, rosé, and sparkling sections beyond the by-the-glass pours.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
A full cocktail section with 11 named drinks plus five low-ABV options. Classics like the Boulevardier sit alongside signatures such as the Lake Ave Mai Tai, Strawberry Negroni, and Pineberry Margarita. The bar description ties craft cocktails to balance, classic technique, and top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries.
Menu strengths
- — 11 named cocktails plus 5 low-ABV cocktails give the list real range
- — Classics and signatures are both represented, with the Boulevardier and Lake Ave Mai Tai as examples
- — Craft cocktails rely on balance, classic technique, and top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries
Standout selections
- — Boulevardier — bourbon, sweet vermouth, amaro, $13; Lake Ave Mai Tai — rum, falernum, lime, $12
- — Strawberry Negroni — gin, strawberry vermouth, aperitivo, $13
Pricing: Cocktails $12–$13; low-ABV cocktails $8–$13
Wine
By-the-glass white and red wines plus reserve white, reserve red, rosé, and sparkling sections. The glass list includes Collestefano Verdicchio and Adelsheim Pinot Noir, while the reserve side carries Ridge Vineyards Geyserville and Poderi E Cantine Oddero Barolo. Wine Wednesdays offer half price on marked wines.
Menu strengths
- — By-the-glass white and red wines plus reserve white, reserve red, rosé, and sparkling sections
- — Wine Wednesdays offer half price on marked wines
- — By-the-glass wines $11–$14; reserve bottles $40–$92; sparkling $10–$62
Standout selections
- — Collestefano Verdicchio — Marche, Italy; by the glass white, $12/50
- — Adelsheim Pinot Noir — Willamette Valley, Oregon; by the glass red, $14/54
- — Ridge Vineyards Geyserville — Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California; reserve red, $68
- — Poderi E Cantine Oddero Barolo — Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy; reserve red, $82
Pricing: By-the-glass wines $11–$14; reserve bottles $40–$92; sparkling $10–$62
Beer
Local craft beer anchors the taps, paired with familiar standards, and the selection rotates often. The lineup is described as an ever-rotating craft beer lineup, so the specific pours change rather than staying fixed.
Menu strengths
- — Local craft beer anchors the taps, paired with familiar standards, and the selection rotates often
Standout selections
- — Local craft beer anchors the taps, paired with familiar standards, and the selection rotates often.
Nonalcoholic
A mocktail section with five named options: Chipotle Punch, Jalapeño Pineapple Shrub, N/A Sangria, Rise of the Phoenix, and Phony Negroni. Non-alcoholic cocktails receive the same level of care, and prices run $7–$10. A reviewer ordered chamomile tea, noted it was a Tazo tea bag, and felt the $5 price was too high for the quality.
Menu strengths
- — Five named mocktails give the non-alcoholic list real breadth
- — Non-alcoholic cocktails receive the same level of care
Standout selections
- — Chipotle Punch — lemon, chipotle sour, sprite, $8
- — Jalapeño Pineapple Shrub — pineapple, jalapeño, soda water, $7
- — N/A Sangria — pomegranate, cranberry, ginger beer, $9
- — Rise of the Phoenix — passionfruit, ginger beer, tajin, $8
Pricing: Mocktails $7–$10; chamomile tea $5
Spirits
Craft cocktails rely on top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries. The spirits selection is expressed through the cocktail program rather than a standalone bottle list.
Menu strengths
- — Craft cocktails rely on top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries
Standout selections
- — Craft cocktails rely on top-grade spirits, many sourced from Minnesota distilleries.
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