Best of Food & Drink

Best American Restaurant
Best Breakfast
Big Daddy’s Burgers
Classic storefront diner in the Piedmont neighborhood, open since 2001, with nuthin’ fancy decor but exceptional food, known for their burgers and breakfast, and there’s also variety for any diet, vegetarian and vegan options, kids and senior menus and a great dessert selection. There’s a “Wall of Fame” for anyone who manages to finish the Belly Buster Burger.

Runner up:
Best American Restaurant: Dreamland Supper Club
Best Breakfast: Duluth Grill

Best Asian Restaurant
PhoHolic Taste of Vietnam
In the TV show “King of Queens,” Kevin James is served pho (pronounced “fuh”) for the first time and he regards it suspiciously, saying, “It looks like a clogged sink.” But after a taste he says, “This has existed this whole time and you didn’t tell me about it?” 
Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish that became popular worldwide with the migration of Vietnamese refugees after the war. But it didn’t take hold in the U.S. until the ‘90s and chances are, like Kevin, you didn’t know about it ‘til the 2000s. Once you try it, though, you may well become an addict.
PhoHolic opened on Central Entrance in 2019 in a former Domino’s Pizza Hut and quickly became a town favorite. Besides the title dish, they offer a full menu including rice platters, vermicelli noodle salad, curry chicken, Vietnamese steak and eggs, and exquisite appetizers. 
Runner up: Golden Inn Restaurant

Best Bakery
Johnson's Bakery
Johnson’s Bakery is like an old dependable and familiar lighthouse. Its sweet smells act as a beacon bringing you to a familiar place with many memories. It has been a place of enjoyable food and community for more than 70 years. The Lincoln Park building was built in 1916 and Bill and Lillian Johnson started the bakery in 1946. Johnson’s is the last bakery left of an active community of local startup bakeries from that time period.

Runner up: Duluth's Best Bread

Best Bar & Grill
Best Really, Really Cheap Food
Anchor Bar
The Anchor’s burgers and fries are as authentic as they get. If you look around the bar, you can see a whole potato practically being drawn and quartered (mild exaggeration) before your very eyes and turned into the freshest French fries you’ll ever eat (no exaggeration). 
Adam Anderson credits his late father with the Anchor’s success. “My dad started the establishment in 1977,” he said, “and we’re just trying to keep it going. It’s been successful, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We put out a fresh product at a reasonable price.” They’re special in the hearts of Northlanders.

Runner up:
Best Bar & Grill: Gopher Bar & Grill
Best Really, Really Cheap Food: The Kitchen

Best Bartender
Amanda Garthus, Gopher Bar
A 2010 Denfeld High School graduate, Garthus began working at the Gopher Bar 12 years ago. At first it was “very challenging” she said, between memorizing all the drinks and learning to deal with clientele when they needed to be cut off. But now, she says, “my customers make me look forward to coming into work. I meet a lot of great friends. I consider them my family.” When she’s not working she enjoys spending time with her dog Budsie (a variation on Buddy), a rescued shitzu.
Runner up (tie): Luke at OMC, Sam at Tipsy Mosquito

Best Bloody Mary
Doc's Sports Bar & Grill, Sturgeon Lake
Winning second year in a row even though it’s located 45 minutes south of the Twin Ports, where so many other bars compete in this category. But Doc’s outrageously delicious drink is one its big attractions, a meal in itself loaded with pickles, cheese, meat and spices.
Runner up: Spirit Room

Best Brewery (local)
Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Bent Paddle Brewing is a 30-barrel production craft brewery and taproom located in the Lincoln Park Neighborhood. Using Lake Superior water, the Bent Paddle brews the freshest and most dependable craft beer possible. The goal at Bent Paddle Brewing is to produce beers that “Bend the Tradition” of classic styles, striving to make drinkable, balanced beers with an edge of inventiveness for all beer lovers to enjoy.

Runner up: Ursa Minor

Best Burger Joint
Tie: Anchor Bar
Burger Paradox
Anchor Bar has consistently, easily won this category year and year. The fact that they’re actually tied with someone else shows that new contender must be pretty good.
Runner up: Big Daddy's Burgers

Best Coffee House
Duluth Coffee Co.
Eric Faust, founder & owner, fell in love with coffee at a young age. Eric began roasting coffee out of his garage on a 3-kilo roaster, as he distributed coffee out of an old, white Ford F-150. The truck, “White Lightning,” distributed coffee to local farmers markets and restaurants. In 2012, he opened a small coffee house on Superior Street. Due to demand, the 3-kilo roaster was soon replaced with a 12-kilo roaster that still operates in the cafe today. 

Runner up: Wussow's

Best Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Food Farm
The Food Farm is a certified organic farm located in Wrenshall offering summer, winter, preserving and egg shares, enabling members to receive fresh local food most of the year. Weekly summer shares are delivered to 16 locations in Duluth, Superior, Cloquet, Esko, and Wrenshall.  The farm is owned by Janaki Fisher-Merritt and Annie Dugan and operated by a hardworking cast of seasonal employees and volunteers.

Best Desserts
Love Creamery
Love Creamery founder Nicole Wilde grew up in DairyLand, where one of her first jobs was working at a custard stand and she fell in love with the joy ice cream brought people. Passionate about the environment and sustainable farming, she combined her loves by crafting ice cream on her hobby farm and selling scoops out of a mobile cart at farmers markets and events. Today she continues to create ice creams that strive to better our community and our planet, “one scoop at a time.” Honored as the 2022 Best Ice Cream Parlor in the Midwest by Midwest Living Magazine.

Best Dining Worth the Drive (20+ miles from Duluth)
Rustic Inn Cafe, Two Harbors
Arguably best known for their desserts, but they say, “Come for the pie and stay for dinner.” Are you a Vegan? A meat lover? Does fresh catch seafood make you drool? How about an omelet with everything? Maybe you are just looking for the best comfort food after a long day of seeing the sights along the North Shore of Lake Superior – their menus have something for everyone.

Runner up: Dreamland Supper Club

Best Fish Fry
Foster's Sports Bar & Grill

Best Grocery Store
Whole Foods Co-op
Whole Foods Co-op has served the area since 1970, when an ambitious group of friends created a buying club to purchase and share whole foods and organic items not readily available in regular stores. It’s grown to include more than 13,000 owners, 150 employees, two locations in Duluth and more than $21.5 million in annual sales. They invest and partner with regional food producers and farmers to strengthen the local food systems.

Runner up: Mount Royal Fine Foods

Best Late-Nite Grub
Pizza Luce
This bar/restaurant/music venue, part of a Minnesota chain with nine locations otherwise around the Twin Cities, quickly became the go-to place for hipsters when it opened in 2000 and it never lost that status. Maybe it’s because the food is deliciously unusual (pizza creations such as the “Fire Breathing Dragon”), the staff is great and the atmosphere is lively, funky yet relaxed. 

Best Liquor Store
Super One Liquor
As far as we can remember, this is the first time ever in these pages that someone unseated Keyport (which still made runner-up) as the Twin Ports’ favorite liquor store. Perhaps Super One has the advantage of more locations, with the liquor stores being an outgrowth of the grocery store chain, in West Duluth, East Superior, Hermantown, Cloquet, Virginia, Grand Rapids and more.

Best Martini
Vikre
Opening in 2014 just steps away from the Aerial Lift Bridge, right after the Minnesota Legislature passed a law allowing microdistilleries, this craft distillery uses local grains, handcrafted oak barrels and the clean, cold water of Lake Superior to make gin, vodka, whiskey and liqueurs.
Runner up: Spirit Room Club

Best Mexican Restaurant
Pedro’s Grill and Cantina, Cloquet
If you live in the Twin Ports, you no longer need to drive to Cloquet for Pedro’s cuisine, as the family business owned by Erika Aranda opened a new location in Superior last year. Still, a visit to the Cloquet spot has charms of its own, located in a thriving old-style American downtown with a different feel than Duluth and Superior. 

Runner up: Oasis Del Norte Club

Best Beer Selection On Tap (Tie: 7 West TapHouse, Superior)
Best Business Lunch
Best Live Music Club
Best Outdoor Dining
Best Sandwiches
Sir Benedict's
Last year it was Wussow’s, this year it’s Sir Ben’s that sweeps up multiple awards. Sir Ben’s has an authentic English Pub atmosphere with a great lake view and a patio suitable for spring, summer and fall. (Even winter, during this warm spell.) They have live music six nights a week, including the popular bluegrass jams, Celtic jams and open mics. (Teague Alexy Mondays!) Their tap list is ever changing with the seasons and their choices draw the people in. There are multiple choices of fresh sandwiches (options like “Chicken Bacon Art” and “The Tropical Pig”) or you can build your own. Plus excellent soups and appetizers. They’re victims of their own success, though, as it’s often hard to find parking in their tiny lot or a seat inside.

Runner ups:
Best Beer Selection on Tap: Ursa Minor
Best Business Lunch: Zeitgeist Arts Cafe
Best Live Music Club: Wussow's Concert Cafe
Best Outdoor Dining: Va Bene
Best Sandwiches: Northern Waters Smokehouse

Best Pizza Place
Vintage Italian Pizza
Often a runner-up in this category, this venue finally takes the crown, though it happens right after they closed their two Duluth locations last year and the Superior spot is the only one left. But maybe focusing their efforts has paid off. The Superior location offers two distinct banquet rooms, able to accommodate a wide range of events from intimate weddings to large-scale conferences. 

Best Place for a Romantic Dinner
Va Benne
A spectacular view of Lake Superior sets the mood, when seen from the enclosed solarium or the enclosed grotto. There’s indoor dining for large and small groups, a private dining room upstairs and in warm weather, sidewalk seating facing Superior Street. From-scratch Italian meals seal the deal.
Runner up: Dreamland Supper Club

Best Place for Gourmet Dinner
New Scenic Cafe
A dinner at the New Scenic café is virtually guaranteed to impress, both in taste and presentation. With an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, New Scenic features masterful entrees such as duck with root vegetables and fried sage, and starters like curried blue mussels. Enhancing the dining space are Lou Pignolet’s hand-crafted wooden bowls and the artwork of other locals.

Runner up (tie): Lake Ave Cafe, The Boat Club

Best Ribs
Eddie's World Famous Ribs
It is in the name folks and our readership has agreed that the best place to go for ribs is Eddie’s in Superior’s East End. “We have tried hard to stay consistent over the 23 years we have been here to keep the fall off the bone texture everyone loves,” said owner Dina Connor. Eddie’s was originally founded in the ‘60s and has maintained the theme from the era. Their award-winning ribs and excellent service are what have created loyal customers. Conner is proud to have won this award for nine years in a row. Eddie’s can accommodate parties up to 20 and cater events for 200.

Runner up: OMC Smokehouse

Best Serving Staff
Duluth Grill
Along with a unique menu that always ensures full seats, the Duluth Grill staff always seem happy to serve you and introduce you to the menu items. They are a repeat winner in this category.

Best Steak
Wissota Chophouse
A restaurant chain that started in Chippewa Falls, they now have eight locations in Wisconsin, including Superior, and additional spots in Iowa, Arizona, Washington and Alabama.
Runner up: Dreamland Supper Club

Best Vegetarian Friendly Restaurant
At Sara’s Table/Chester Creek Cafe
A full-service farm-to-table restaurant with a focus on sustainability and building community through its support of the local economy. They choose small, local producers whose mission is to bring the highest quality products to market while caring for our regenerative ecological systems. Most of their purveyors do follow organic standards.

Best of Health & Fitness

Best Bike Shop
Twin Ports Cyclery
Since 1975, the experts at Twin-Ports Cyclery have worked to make a better cycling experience for residents of the Twin Ports with a personalized approach, getting you on the right bike. It also offers a full-service repair shop and accessories for every biking need. It helps that we all have a genuine love for biking. 

Runner up: Continental Ski and Bike Runner Up

Best Bike Trail
Munger
Named after state legislator Willard Munger (1911-1999) this is 160 miles of multiple-use trails for hiking, bicycling, inline skating, snowmobiling and horseback riding. The paved Duluth-to-Hinckley section offers a spectacular 70-mile journey, following the historic 19th-century route of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad. Along the way are the St. Louis River, Jay Cooke State Park, Thomson Dam, Andrew State Forest and the picturesque towns of Barnum, Finlayson, Willow River and Moose Lake.

Runner up: Lester River Trail.

Best Health Club
Zenith Athletics
Their mission, should you choose to accept it: “Change Your Life with Us.”  Their team cares about guiding and encouraging each and every member to obtain the goals they seek for themselves. Members participate in 1-on-1 sessions with a coach, focusing on bodyweight movements and lightweight implements. They’ll teach you the basics, emphasize proper technique, and you’ll get a kick-ass workout too.

Runner up: YMCA

Best Optical Shop
Vision Pro Optical
Vision Pro has 11 locations in the region including Duluth, Superior, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Aurora, Moose Lake and Grand Rapids. They offer a full range of eye care services for men, women and children. They also offer financing options and will work with insurance providers to ensure eye health for all patients.

Best Place to Walk
Lake Walk
In the 1970s, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) planned to build a highway along the edge of the lake up the North Shore. Duluth citizens mobilized to get the freeway redesigned, and fighting the monolithic MnDOT seemed like tilting at windmills. But the residents didn’t give up and the highway was eventually set back with tunnels, allowing room for the much-loved multi-use path we have today. 

Major storms in 2017 and 2018 did significant damage to the Lakewalk, causing an estimated $30 million dollars in damage. MnDOT actually came to help in 2023, awarding nearly $11 million in grants for resiliency improvements.

Best Playground
Playfront
It’s the No. 1 choice of kids in Duluth, with a rubber floor, space-age arcs and bouncy platforms. Now in its second decade, parts of it still defy explanation. There are structures you can’t do anything with, like the overriding tall blue metal arcs and the stubby curved posts. Did someone grab the set design for a sci-fi Broadway play that never got produced and send it to us? We ate it up without question, of course, just like those ghastly structures in the immediate vicinity, the dayglo-warehouse aquarium and the lake view-blocking concert stage. But we got ‘em now, so we love ‘em to death.

Best Public Park
Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson Park remains a magical place with the bowl-shaped slope and Renaissance stone stage built in 1928, perfect for summer concerts and evening movies with the moon rising and ships sailing past.
Runner up: Chester Park

Best Skateboarding Spot
Gary New Duluth
The Gary New Duluth community, the private sector and the City of Duluth are working together to redevelop the GND REC into a fully functioning Community Center and Recreation Area. The GND REC has completed construction of a state-of-the-art urban style, concrete skatepark designed by nationally recognized skate park designer Mark Leski, aka “The Wizard.” Grindline Skateparks, Inc. completed the skateable surface in 2024. 

Best Ski Shop
Continental Ski & Bike
Since 1955, Continental Ski & Bike has been proudly serving all types of skiers and cyclists, including new and veteran riders, nordic and alpine skiers, road and mountain aficionados, and recreation and transportation skiers and cyclists.
Runner up: Ski Hut

Best Sporting Goods Store
Northwest Outlet
Northwest Outlet manager Chris Terwey believes the reason the store was voted Best Sporting Goods Store has something to do with the large selection of items they keep in stock year-round and their expertise and customer service. Among other things, he says they carry a good selection of Columbia, North Face and hiking boots. He also thinks the store is a great place for someone to stop by on their way to the Boundary Waters. ”We have a lot of Boundary Water-specific backpacks,” said Chris “I don’t think a lot of people find things like that at a lot of other stores.”

Runner up tie: Tortoise & Hare, Marine General 

Best Yoga Studio
Svalja
Svälja Whole-Being’s mission is to better equip practitioners for navigating life’s joys and sorrows with skill, presence of mind, and grace. All of their yoga guides are certified yoga instructors from an accredited school. Each instructor has additional specialized training in trauma-conscious yoga and is oriented in their unique Whole-Being Well-Being Yoga Approach.

Best of People & Media

Best Actor
Steve Solkela “A Christmas Comedy Carol,” Rubber Chicken Theater
Rubber-faced and rubber-limbed performer known for playing the accordion on unicycles and skateboards, lone member of “Steve Solkela’s Overpopulated One Man Band,” half of the music duo Berzerk Blawndes! with Kaylee Matuszak (see Best Actress), part of the Rubber Chicken Theater troupe, resident of Palo, Minn. (chances are if you live in St. Louis County, you don’t know where that is), destined for the Finnesotan Hall of Fame. 

Runner up: Ole Dack

Best Actress
Kaylee Matuszak “A Christmas Comedy Carol” Rubber Chicken Theater
Inspired by Brandi Carlisle to become a musician, Matuszak has become a regular solo acoustic performer at many local establishments and festivals. She grew up around her father Brian’s comedy theater and is carrying on the family performance tradition.

Best Album in the Last Year
Tie: “Leading Lady” Kaylee Matuszak
Berzerk Blawndz! (Steve Solkela & Kaylee Matuszak)
A DULUTH MINNESOTA BASED BAND, WITH COMEDIANS KAYLEE & STEEV WHO ARE GUARANTEED TO CLEAR YOUR DENDRITES OF GUNK, AND PURGE ALL THE BOREDOM FROM THE LAND WITH THEIR MUSIC, WIT, AND CHARM. USING ACCORDION AND GUITAR AS WEAPONS, JUST LIKE IN VIKING FOLKLORE TO REND YOUR SWEET SELF ENTERTAINED WHILST FORGETTING THE CAPS LOCK ON.

Best Athlete (college)
Max Plante
According to the EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide, Plante, a hockey player for the University of Minnesota Duluth, “is one of the most skilled passers in the draft, especially off the backhand. He feathers pucks through the tiniest of openings. Defensive pressure only empowers him; he takes advantage of assertive defending by ripping a pass right through it. He deceives enough to open lanes, but also knows when to make the quick pass for the counterattack.”

Runner up: Koi Perich, Minnesota Golden Gophers football and Esko native.

Best Athlete (High School)
Jacion Owens
Owens was a three-year starter for Esko High School, a team captain as a senior and an all-district selection. He graduated in 2024 and is now a freshman and defensive back at University of Minnesota-Moorhead.

Best Band / Musician
The Northwood's Band
The variety band from Two Harbors played its first gig in 2014, with brothers Hunter McCullough, then 16, Colton McCullough, then 14. Original member Dennis Pearson graduated from UMD last year and now attends graduate school in music. Dalton Hanson joined the band in the fall of 2018. Hunter and Colton McCullough have an acoustic side project called, naturally, The McCullough Brothers.

Runner up: Steve Solkela

Best Band Name
Big Wave Dave & The Ripples
We love you, Dave! And all the Ripples! And the horns! And the funk! Rocking since 2011!
Runner up: Berzerk Blawndz!

Best Book (released in last 12 months)
Tie: 
“Travels of Terror: Strange and Spooky Spots Across America” by Kelly Florence & Meg Hafdahl.
UMD alumni Florence and Hafdahl host the podcast “Horror Rewind” and have authored a series of “The Science of … ” books, covering topics such as witchcraft, monsters, serial killers, Agatha Christie and Stephen King. In their latest book they traveled around the U.S. to find the most thrill-inducing spots for horror, history and true crime. Duluth makes the list for Glensheen, of course.

“The Trumpire Strikes Back” by Richard Scott. The second collection of Lucifer for Congress cartoons, which have appeared in the Reader Weekly for more than two decades (we didn’t rig the contest, we swear) featuring a perennial candidate who can’t win because he’s a flaming liberal in a conservative district and his name sounds like sacrilege. Along the way he gets to comment on increasingly exasperating current events, making this a chronicle for the century.

Best Community Activist
Brian Finstad
Superior resident Finstad, who previously won this category in 2022, calls his activism “a second job” to his first, as real estate appraiser But his second job is actually many, and most have something to do with history: City of Superior Planning Commission, Heritage Preservation Commission, Mayor's Housing Task Force, president of the Friends of the Bird Sanctuary, project director for the Northwest Sands Auto Trail Project, volunteer for the Douglas County Historical Society, and more.

Runner up: Joel Kilgour

Best Community Festival (Last 12 months)
Superior Porchfest
Superior Porchfest is a grassroots, family-friendly and free community music event held in Superior neighborhoods on six Thursday evenings throughout the summer. There are 12 acts playing at 12 venues for two hours. Grab a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic and join your neighbors for a night of music. Because this is a grassroots effort, there is a way to get involved. Learn more at superiorporchfest.org. 

Runner up: Two Harbors Heritage Days

Best Concert in the Last Year
Trampled By Turtles at Bayfront
Local boys made good nationally have been a perennial favorite at Bayfront since 2013 (with a couple of years missed during the COVID era) and yes, they’ll be back this upcoming July 6. These shows sell out, so get those tickets asap.
Runner up: Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson lost TBT? Well, maybe if he lived in Duluth …

Best Dance Club
The Flame Duluth
Duluth’s first LGBTQ Club, The Flame in Duluth has been winning this category ever since they opened in 2012. They have a full dance floor, professional sound system and lights, plenty of space to socialize and mingle, and a generally cool vibe. It’s a great place for anyone looking to hang out and have some fun to be themselves. Also notable, great happy hour specials on weekdays, and don’t forget the hottest place to be in Duluth for the annual Pride Festival. 

Runner up: The Boardroom

Best Free Event (last 12 months)
Bentleyville
Twenty acres at Bayfront Park are covered with 5 million lights and nonstop Christmas music. Over 300,000 attend, many of those repeat visitors coming back for more. 
Runner up: Superior Porchfest

Best Local Artist
Annmarie Geniusz
Geniusz is an interdisciplinary artist/illustrator, a Canadian-American indigenous artist of Cree-Metis descent and a Duluth resident for 16 years. She is best known recently for her botanical illustrations and large scale chalk murals at festivals. She has been working at regional chalk art festivals for four summers now, spanning four states. Her work often involves whimsical characters and narrative inspired scenes. She draws inspiration from her long history as a conservation volunteer, her hiking addiction and her love of sci-fi/fantasy. 

Best Local Elected Official
Tylor Elm
Superior City Councilor Tylor Elm usually works on solutions to problems “where the rubber meets the road.” Often this is literal. When a constituent complains about the pot hole that keeps making him spill his coffee, he calls up Tylor. Tylor then goes down to meet this valued member of the public and checks out the pothole for himself. “These meetings were usually outside anyway,” said Tylor. “So, this kind of meeting is not much different after COVID.”

Runner up: Minnesota State Senator Jennifer McEwen, District 8 (Duluth)

Best Local Play in the Last Year
Jersey Boys
Duluth Playhouse’s revival of the Tony-Award winning Broadway play, a biography-musical of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. It ran in September 2024, kicking off the 110th anniversary season.
Runner up: 9 to 5

Best Local Website
Duluthreader.com
Alright alright alright! We are the queen of the entire universe! Thank you, Reader readers! 
Runner up: Duluth Monitor

Best Newspaper Columnist
Emily Stone
Stone, education director at the Cable Natural History Museum, has been writing “Natural Connections,” which appears every week in the Reader, since 2011. The column won second place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America 2020 Excellence in Craft Contest. She has collected her favorite columns into two books, also titled “Natural Connections” and “Natural Connections Two: Dreaming of an Elfin Skimmer.”

Runner up: Jill “jillybones” Fisher, Reader music writer

Best Open Mic
Wussow's
It’s all ages, sign up starts at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. All talents are welcome to share in 15 minutes of entertaining the crowd. Guest hosts rotate in running this very fun and longlasting open mic.
Runner up: Jade Fountain

Best Radio Personality
Christine Dean, 103.3 The North
Christine started her radio career at age 17 in her hometown of Sauk Centre. She first came to KUMD as a student news intern and announcer, then spent many years working in commercial radio in Duluth before returning to the station. In 2008 she became the Music Director and is the producer of Live from Studio A, KUMD’s live performance and interview program.

Runner up: Jason Manning, 95 KQDS

Best Radio Station
Tie: 95 KQDS
The North 103.3
The North is a public radio station with the studio based at the University of Minnesota Duluth. KQDS has been No. 1 for classic rock for more than 40 years.

Best Reporter
Dan Wolfe, KBJR
Wolfe started at Northern News Now in June 2016, winning two individual Emmy Awards and two individual Edward R. Murrow Awards in his time at Northern News Now. His awarded stories include in-depth investigations into Duluth's housing crisis, an investigation of Minnesota's dwindling moose population, and an adventure story that put Dan in the middle of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for several days and nights in the dead of winter.

Runner up: Laura Lee, KBJR

Best Small Employer (20 or less)
Earth Rider
Earth Rider opened in late 2017, started by Tim Nelson, co-founder of Fitger’s Brewhouse, staffed by former brewers of both Bent Paddle and Thirsty Pagan. 

Best Story Swept Under the Rug
Mayor Roger "the Rabbit" Reinert's girlfriend appointed by the Mayor himself.

Best TV News Station
KBJR
In 2022, KBJR (Channel 6/CBS 3) and KBJR-DT2 (formerly KDLH) merged their news departments under the branding Northern News Now. Its morning and 10 p.m. newscasts are simulcast by both the NBC and CBS subchannels, while the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts are exclusive to KBJR. 

Best TV Personality
The Northern News Now weatherman grew up in Brimson, graduated in 2015 from Two Harbors High School, and graduated from Saint Cloud State University with a major in Meteorology and a minor in Mass Communications in 2019. When he isn't checking up on the weather, he's probably out with his band, The Northwood’s Band (see Best Band) as lead singer, drummer and keyboard player.

Runner up: Adam Lorch

Best TV Program (local)
Northern Life
Briggs LeSavage, Hunter McCullough and Ryan Haff host a lifestyle television news show airing weekdays at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Northern News Now.
Runner up: Minnesota Historia

Good Cop
K9  Radik
Born in 2019, K-9 Radik is a German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix, originally from Hungary. He joined the Superior Police Dept in June 2021 after completing training and certification in narcotics detection, apprehension, tracking, evidence recovery and searching. His partner is Officer Tyler Rude. While he’s serious when he needs to be, don’t be surprised if you see him in the summertime running through the sprinkler.

Runner up: Megan Jones, Superior Police

Person of the Year
Tie: Dustin Fawcett
Fawcett is one of the driving forces of the Duluth comedy scene. A performer and producer, he is growing the local scene to include multiple open mic nights at different venues, as well as serving as the host and booker for the Gopher Hole Comedy Club.
Runner up: Scott Lillo

Best of Services

Best All Ages Hangout
Tie: Duluth Folk School
Skyline Social & Games
The Duluth Folk School was created in 2015 to fill a need in the Duluth Community to help people learn how to make things. It was also created to be a “third place” where community could actually happen — where folks could gather to learn, network and enjoy. It Bought and refurbished 1917 W Superior St. in 2017.

Skyline has bowling, volleyball, axe throwing, live music, duckpin, cornhole, bocce ball, cribbage, leagues and tournaments for most of the above, arcade games … is there anything they don’t have?

Best Auto Repair
Kolar Toyota
Part of the Kolar Automotive Group in Hermantown (also servicing Chevrolet, Buick, Hyundai, GMC and Cadillac) Kolar Toyota has expert technicians on staff to handle repair needs or oil changes, tire rotations, battery replacement, brake repairs and all other Toyota Factory Scheduled Maintenance.

Best Barber
James Wright 
Wright began working at Lakeside Barber, a mainstay of the neighborhood since the 1930s, when he was a high schooler in the early 2000s. He became owner in 2015.

Best Catering
Kurtz Catering
Kurtz has served thousands of guests at weddings, family reunions, graduation parties, funerals, corporate banquets, and holiday events since Al Kurtz founded the company in 1979. But they prepare the food at a location that is kind of hidden, in a building blending into a quiet Billings Park neighborhood that you might just think is an oversized garage.
“We are in a building behind a house,” said owner Paul Kurtz, Al’s son. “We pay commercial property tax on the building. I rent the house out to one of my employees.”
People driving by might be surprised how much business is going on in this particular block of Ohio Avenue. “I have 16 commercial ovens in my kitchen, nine doors of refrigerator, a walk-in cooler, and five doors of freezer space,” Paul said.
Casual onlookers might notice the vans parked next to the low-key headquarters. These vans carry food to about 575 events.
Runner up: Duluth Grill

Best Chiropractor
Aspenridge Chiropractic, Cloquet
Owner Chad Spillers is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a certification in chiropractic treatment, spinal trauma and acupuncture. He has embraced various techniques, including Traditional Chiropractic (Diversified), Arthrostim, Flexion/Distraction, Thompson Drop Table, and Activator techniques. His expertise extends to Chiropractic Acupuncture, custom foot orthotics and physical exercise rehabilitation.

Runner up: Dr. Carl Miller, Lake Superior Chiropractic

Best Day Care
Happy Time
The answer “What Day Care? Duluth is a day care desert!” got quite a few votes, due to the shortage – now widely referred to as a crisis – in Duluth, as daycares are dropping like flies due to costs, reduced federal funding and workers drawn away by higher paying jobs. There’s still this place, which was opened in 1969 in Lincoln Park by Delores Anderson and is now run by her grandaughter, Kallie. Happy Time began as a basic need for child care outside of the home and grew in licensed capacity from eight to 85 children. The curriculum is grounded in research and application of early childhood theories. 

Best Dentist
Dr. Kyle Hammer, DDS
The back of your mind may wonder about letting a guy named Hammer work on your teeth, but the front of your face is totally cool with the results. Dr. Hammer is a practitioner at Port City Dental in Duluth and has over 10 years of experience. He graduated from University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2013.

Best Doctor
Dr. Beth Fischer (see Best Optometrist)
Runner up: Dr. Sarah Astorga

Best Florist
Artistic Florals by Leslie
Owned and operated in Superior by Leslie Hietala since 2016, they offer a large selection of handmade, artfully designed floral arrangements as well as unique gifting products.
Runner up: Flora North

Best Golf Course
Nemadji & Enger Park
The views throughout Nemadji, a public golf course, offer panoramas not found anywhere else near Superior. Nemadji Golf Course is a 4-star Golf Digest-rated championship golf facility featuring 36-holes with five sets of tees catering to all skill levels. Designed by world-renowned course architects Stanley Pelcher, Don Herfort and Roger Packard, you will be sure to test your skills.

Runner up: Northland Country Club

Best Green Business
Duluth Grill
The Duluth Grill is well‐recognized for its efforts to support a local, sustainable food system, plus it has compostable to-go containers, beekeeping on the roof, energy-saving lights and shades and veggies grown in raised beds made of reclaimed wood.
Runner up: Whole Foods Co-op

Best Hair Salon
Adeline Inc.
Adeline Wright, a multidisciplinary artist who also happens to be a hair artist. A LGBTQ+ community icon, she launched a boutique salon “for open-hearted people” in 2001 and moved into the current location in the East Hillside neighborhood in 2011. She uses natural, non-animal, environmentally friendly products.

Best Local Bank
National Bank of Commerce
For more than 80 years, National Bank of Commerce has been serving the communities of the Twin Ports in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Our readers must notice that NBC donates to the Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund, hosts regional economic seminars and is a good community neighbor; returning NBC to first place in this year’s voting. Steve Burgess, CEO, says, “We exist to help the people, businesses and organizations within our region achieve greater things, grow within our economy and live full lives. Their recent pledge is another example of how NBC makes that possible.” NBC has several branches in Northwest Wisconsin and one at 13th Avenue East and Superior Street.

Runner up: North Shore Bank of Commerce

Best Local Credit Union
Superior Choice Credit Union
SCCU started with 26 members and less than $100 in a grocery store in Superior 90 years ago and has since grown to 30,000 members and 13 branches across Wisconsin and Minnesota. 
Runner up: Members Cooperative Credit Union

Best New Business in the last 12 Months
Tie: Foxes and Fireflies
Longtime Superior Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood opened this bookstore last year in the Old Post Office of Superior. The city hadn’t had an independent bookstore since JW Beecroft closed in 2007. Not only does it sell new and used books, it’s intended as a social meeting space that just so happens to include books for sale.

Runner up: Outdoor North

Best Optometrist (individual)
Beth Fischer, OD
Fischer, who works at Vision Pro Optical in Cloquet, is the perennial favorite in this category, having won three times in the last four years (and runner-up in one). Fischer graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo and got her Doctor of Optometry at the Pacific University College of Optometry in Oregon.

Fischer also keeps winning Best Doctor but that category is intended for medical doctors. Readers keep having trouble selecting a clear favorite doctor, maybe because there are so many to choose from and the definition of “doctor” is a little fuzzy.

Best Photographer
Tie: Joe Polecheck
Northern Huddle Photography
Joe Polecheck is a Superior-based photographer who is the featured artist in March at Split Rock Lighthouse. “For me, photography is a medium through which to experience and share the wonder of this planet,” he writes.
“Northern Huddle” is a reference to owner Amy Arnston’s husband, retired Esko High School football coach Scott Arnston; no surprise a lot of her work is sports photography. She’s won several awards for her work as a freelance photographer from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. She also specializes in family photos, senior photos and drone photography.

Best Real Estate Agent
Sand Jokela
Sand holds an Associate of Arts from Itasca Community College and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and Marketing from The College of St. Scholastica. Outside work, he enjoys traveling, camping, and coaching youth hockey and baseball. He is unique in many ways, including his first name, inspired by a Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood duet.

Best Retirement/Assisted Living Facility
Edgewood Hermantown
Edgewood is a North Dakota based company with senior housing facilities throughout the Upper Midwest. The sprawling estate in Hermantown is definitely impressive, with clean, spacious, well-lit rooms and shared spaces. Runner up: Keystone Bluffs.
Runner up: St. Anne's.

Best Service (non-restaurant)
Vision Pro Optical
Their team of eye doctors and staff are dedicated to creating an exceptional experience and that starts in the exam lane. Optometrists will thoroughly evaluate your eyes for any diseases or conditions and update your eyewear prescription to ensure that your glasses and contacts provide crystal-clear vision.

Runner up: Kari Toyota

Best Ski Hill
Spirit Mountain
Now in its 51st year, Spirit Mountain was proposed and designed by former Olympic skier George Hovland with the assistance of late Mayor Ben Boo. Today it’s considered one of Minnesota’s must-see locations with beautiful views of the lake from the 22 Alpine runs, 175 acres of skiable terrain, 700’ vertical drop, 5 chair lifts, 3 surface lifts. Ski and snowboard lessons, family rates, fat-tire biking, largest terrain park and half-pipe in the Midwest. There’s also winter day tubing and glow tubing at night under the lights. The two Nordic centers feature 2.5 km of Nordic specific trail and 22 km of groomed cross-country ski trails (classic tracks and skating) through dense hardwood forest.

Runner up: Mont du Lac.

Best Use Of Taxpayer Dollars Last Year
Free meals for all in public schools
Roads
Well, of course.

Best Veterinarian Clinic
Happy Tails
Owner Dr. Justin Dahl graduated from Superior High School in 1995 and got his veterinarian degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He worked 13 years with Grand Avenue Veterinary Clinic in West Duluth, then moved back to Superior to open his own full-service clinic in 2015. His goal was not only good service but affordable service. They note only treat cats and dogs, but rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils and rats and farm animals, namely sheeps and goats.

Runner up: Superior Animal Hospital

Best of the Material World

Best Antique Shop
Father Time Antiques
Here’s a typical question messaged by Facebook to Father Time Antiques in Canal Park: “Have any Star Wars stuff?” The answer, of course, was, “You bet.” You can explore more than 10,000 square feet of antiques from more than 50 vendors in one location as you look for the perfect sign, piece of clothing, furniture or whatever you have been hunting for.

Runner up: Duluth Antique Marketplace

Best Architectural Treasure
Aerial Lift Bridge
Constructed in 1905, three years before the Model T. Between 1905 and 1925, when a lifting road was added, people rode a gondola across the canal. It has stood with this city through its many changes and has drawn countless visitors to our port city.
Runner up: Congdon Mansion

Best Art Gallery
Tweed Museum
The art museum on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus has a growing permanent collection of more than 11,000 objects and aims to continually improve access for present and future generations through exhibitions, institutional lending, on-request viewing and digital/online portals. It’s a cultural asset and resource for students, faculty, staff and the people of Duluth and throughout Minnesota. 

Best Bookstore (new)
Best Bookstore (used)
Zenith Books
Both new and “gently used” books can be found at this West End gem, which has declared throughout the pandemic that books are essential. It’s no surprise that Zenith also won the Best Used category below. “I would like to say how grateful we are,” said owner Bob Dobrow. “We have a tremendously supportive community and great customers. We and our customers love reading and books and we try to foster a very inviting space community-based space.”

Runner up (new): Barnes & Nobles
Runner up (used): Amazing Alonzo Paperback Exchange

Best Bowling Alley
Skyline Social & Games
Open daily for arcade, ax-throwing, bocce ball, bean bag, cribbage, duckpin, summer volleyball, dining, events, parties … everything! Also, of course, traditional bowling with 22 lanes. Six lanes are VIP-style with comfortable couch seating. With weeknight bowling leagues, there are usually still lanes open for public bowling. 

Best Car Dealer
Best Large Employer (21 or more)
Kari Toyota
When Edwin Kari and his sons started a bicycle repair shop from their home in the 1920s, they probably did not have the slightest notion that it would transform into one of the leading businesses in the Twin Ports a century later. The Kari family has transformed much over the years and have used the wealth of experience to bring the Northland a great car dealership that is truly appreciated by their many loyal customers.

Runner up (Best larger employer): Aerostich

Best Fashion (men)
Mainstream Fashions for Men
They call it the “Mainstream experience” – delivering the image you want to present in clothing. This downtown Duluth store has been serving the men of the Twin Ports since the early 1990s Customer service is their point of pride, as their goal is to help men find the perfect look in suits, sport coats, shirts, sweaters, jeans, outerwear and accessories.

Runner up: Ed Barbo's Columbia Clothing

Best Fashion (women)
Shopkeeper E. Maurices Labovitz opened a small women’s clothing store in Duluth in 1931. Today it has 900 locations across the U.S. and Canada with most of its stores in small towns. The 11-story national headquarters, built in 2016, is the largest commercial development in Duluth history. But due to market challenges they have had layoffs both last year and early this year.

Runner up: Trailfitters

Best Fine Jewelry
Security Jewelers
When the original Seiler founded the company almost a hundred years ago, he did more than choose a great name for the store that would be in his family until it was sold in 2018. He started a diamond dynasty in Duluth that would be loved by generations of customers for their quality products and reliable and friendly service. They have won this category for many years. 

Runner up: Nummi

Best Hotel
Best Lodging-Romantic Getaway
Pier B
One of the most impressive hotels in town with its unique location overlooking Bayfront and Canal Park. Although the hotel is relatively new (as of 2016), the silos built on the property by Huron Portland Cement Company are more than 100 years old. Its opening was a sign of the tourism boom in Duluth, but apparently it’s the kind of high-end modern hotel that locals want to stay at.

Best Movie Theater
West Theatre
The West Theatre first opened on Christmas Day in 1937 as a streamlined modern variation of Art Deco, with seating for 595 people. The building closed as a theater in the mid-1950s. It housed several other businesses as well as spending some time vacant, until Bob Boone, owner of The Reader, purchased the building in late 2016 with the dream of restoring it to its Art Deco glory as a theater. The grand opening took place in 2019 and it has gained a reputation as an excellent concert and convention venue and movie theater.

Runner up: Duluth 10

Best Music Instrument Store
Music-Go-Round
The world’s largest musical instrument resale franchise, so no surprise that it wins in this category again. A lot of their instruments and equipment are used and in excellent condition. The store is filled with great-playing instruments and gear that can be “taken for a test drive,” making it a better bet than picking up something off the internet.

Best Record Store (new)
Best Record Store (used)
River City Records & Books
A robustly spacious store with incredible inventory and a welcome remedy for anyone bummed about the future of vinyl after Electric Fetus closed in 2021. Hayward resident (originally from Superior) and record collector Todd Hanson opened the store in the Lincoln Park Craft District in October 2023 with manager Dury Nelson. They also carry new records, compact discs, DVDs, books and comic books.

Best Second-Hand Store
No clear winner

Best Shoe Store
Benders
A family-owned store for shoes, clothing and gifts with locations in Duluth, Hibbing and Grand Rapids. They offer personalized shoe-fitting, measuring your feet and guiding you in selecting footwear with the proper support and best fit possible. If you’re dealing with foot problems and discomfort, schedule a complimentary personalized foot evaluation with their certified orthotist.

Runner up: Tortoise and Hare

Best Tattoo Studio
Skin Deep Tattoo
Tattoo and piercing shop on Tower Avenue in Superior, staffed by Matt Osterlund, Jason Routley and Maggie Jenkins. They previously won the Reader’s poll in 2020 and 2023.

Worst of the Northland
Worst Local Elected Official
Pete Stauber
Well, whaddya expect. Duluth and Superior are blue towns and the Reader’s readership is largely blue, so the pro-Trump House representative is reliably going to win this category as long as he’s in office. Still, if he’s remembered at all in the history books, will it be as anything more than a J.D. Vance wannabe?

Worst public restroom
Miller Hill Mall - Food court
Perennial winner. They don’t seem to be listening, but people take notice.

Worst Road
27th Avenue West
Tower Avenue
Woodland/Snively Intersection
Tower Avenue mention here is a bit of a surprise, given its recent renovation and beautification, but apparently it’s no better to drive on.

Worst Use of Taxpayer Dollars
Bike Lanes
Money to developers
not dealing with homeless panhandlers
Spirit Mountain
$27,259,200 for the DPD
$597,300 in overtime for cops in an already overpoliced city