Phil's Tara Hideaway

We visited Phil's Tara Hideaway after a day of walking along the St. Croix River in Stillwater. It has a charming vibe and pretty healthy food. We had some bread and butter and a Greek salad. For entrees we both had Walleye (one pan seared and one hazelnut crusted). We had good service and a good experience.

I really like the food here! It is very unique for the area and the portions are large. Cheese curds were still slightly squeaky and the veggies were fresh! The chicken was moist and not dry at all.

The food options were very unique and a pleasant change from the typical bar/ restaurant in the Midwest area. The drinks were well balanced, and the food had so much flavor. I will be back!

French fries were average, pan-fried walleye was good, but not great. The real concern was how noisy it was in there. Almost impossible to have a real conversation with anyone not sitting directly next to me.

My husband and I went for dinner and we had an awesome experience. He ordered a seasonal beer and I got a glass of wine to go with my entree. We got the brussel sprouts for appetizer and the cured bacon was wonderful. He ordered the Tara steak with mushrooms and smashed potatoes which were delicious. I got the duck breast entree and it was so good! We also shared the baklava for dessert which was warm and super nutty. The service was awesome and we left happy. It was a nice treat for us since we had a gift certificate and we don't get out much. We had a great time.

A very unique, quaint, cozy set up - log cabin style. The bar is small and seating is tight, so prepare to get to know your neighbors. The baby octopus was absolutely delicious but the oysters were sub par and didn't taste nor look fresh. This place has a great reputation regardless of any review. I definitely plan to return and see what else they have to offer.

We had a great server, an excellent bread pudding dessert and very good fries. The seating is cramped and gets loud when it's full and our entrees were all fair but nothing great.

This is our new favorite restaurant! We’ve been hearing from everybody you’ve got to try Phil’s, and it surely did not disappoint! Reminds me of a northwoods Wisconsin bar/restaurant. Service was incredible, we had the nicest waitresses. Food came out quickly, and it was just dynamite! Just fantastic, and prices were very reasonable. I wanted to try the whole menu. We’ll be back many times with family and friends!

Phil's Tara Hideaway is great! The atmosphere has a Wisconsin supper club vibe (and plenty of parking unlike downtown Stillwater). We had a large group but we got a 5:00 pm reservation no problem. Our waitress was great! Very attentive, quick, and knowledgeable about the menu. Now for the food. Do yourself a favor and order the Athenian Fried Potatoes. They won't disappoint! My husband ordered the special which was a steak and mushroom risotto dish. PHENOMENAL! Please add this to your regular menu, Phil's! The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and the mushroom risotto was salty, creamy, and delicious. I ordered the Hazelnut Encrusted Walleye and was underwhelmed. It lacked flavor as compared to the other dishes. Overall, I can't wait to come back and try more menu items!

Food: Not great. Its not awful but it is definitely not worth the price Service: Friendly. Ambiance: While the place is nice looking, it's cramped, busy, and INSANELY loud.

Never disappoints! Great food & service every time. Perfect for a date night, friends, etc. Cozy feel & comfortable vibe.

Small, quaint little place. Service was quick, not super personable, but did a good job. The food was fantastic. We will absolutely be back for different menu items. We tried a daily special salmon linguini, pan fried walleye and the Athenian potatoes. Whatever you do, just order the Athenian potatoes.. don't ask questions, just get three orders.. they are garlicky, buttery, feta filled, just delicious. The linguini and walleye were also good, but nothing too spectacular. I can't wait to come back for a steak and more potatoes.

We have been to Phil's MANY times but first time review.This place is a gem. Yes, it's crowded and noisy but the food and service are unbeatable. We eat out quite frequently and you can't get better food/cocktails/service for the price. Highly recommend!

It's hard to pin-point where this place fits in. It's fancy food and dishes, but it has a loud and vibrant atmosphere. The log cabin vibe is really cool. You'd expect the food to not be as good as it is... but I was impressed. The Pork was cooked perfect medium rare. Again, I wasn't expecting them to hit this, but they did it perfectly. I especially liked the green sauce that accompanied the dish. This place can be packed so it might be wise to go at off-peak times... especially because the tables are really close together.

A very local vibe that I felt like everyone knew each other. Yet, the service was congenial and made us feel right at home. Out of eight guests, we all liked the various entries we ordered. Phil's is a must visit site.

Service was amazing! Waitress knew the menu, offered drinks, desserts. Every staff member that we interacted with asked us how our experience was going. Beware of lighting, as it's quite dim. A little hard to hear my company at the table but these factors did not outway the great food, and wonderful costumer service.

Surprising excellent. Great pork chops, lovely service. Potatoes were tops too. Ok ok ok

We showed up around 6:30 on Saturday night and the restaurant was pretty busy. The host went out of his way to put two tables together for our group of 6. This was my second time at PTH and I give it 5 stars both times. I am SAD because I have driven by this place so many times and just assumed it was a basic American bar food joint. No. PTH is like a supper club with bonus greek fare in a charming cabin atmosphere and fair prices. PTH serves my FAVORITE restaurant brussels anywhere- roasted with bacon and Gorgonzola- yum! Our steak was perfectly cooked to our liking and the Athenian potatoes are so flavorful and melt in your mouth. We have always had wonderful service too. Highly recommend!

This place was really good years ago. The four of us had the walleye, the burger, broiled shrimp and gyro sandwich. The shrimp was so terrible, it must have been farm raised. It was in a bowl of butter to try to mask the fishy flavor. It was rubbery and hard to cut. The orzo rice for the side tasted like cardboard. The gyro was bland and fell a part instantly once touched and became more of a salad. The walleye was flavorless and inedible. The burger was the bright spot but the fries were so salty that i would have needed a pitcher of water to wash them down. I couldn't go that bc it was too hard to get refills from our server. The ambience is the same as always...an old school charm but the tables are stacked on top of one another so you're bumping elbows with your neighbors. They could be at least had the fire place on tonight with it being so cold or offered a soup selection. Neither were available. I'm sad to say we won't be back here anytime soon. I hope they can improve on things in the mean time, but I fear that Tara's is becoming like every other place post-Covid...more expensive, less service and poor food quality. Cooking at home seems to be the only option these days ‍

Pretty slick. So this place is busy AF but if they tell you it's an hour and a half wait, it'll be faster. No reservations like Bourdain but without the heroin. Great service. I think the steaks are the way to go but they have this steak/seafood/gGreek thing going on. Super lively albeit loud spot. It's worth the haul from Minneapolis to Stillwater.

We won't be returning. This used to be a "go to" spot for us for years, when Phil was in charge and the food was tried and true. After dining at Phil's when it first re-opened after covid, they were not following the covid distancing rules. When we asked why, they did move us to a corner away from other patrons. Everybody wanted to make ends meet during and after covid, but most places followed the rules, We took a 2 year hiatus from revisiting. We finally took a chance and revisited. They were out of shrimp???, which was always our go to. The waitress was sick and hacking around our table, ...we were told they no longer offered the small side dinner salad with their Greek dressing (our other go to). Gyros was not the same, chunkier , not well-browned or as tasty. Sad to say good-by to a one time favorite of ours.

I challenge anyone to find a better Greek salad than they serve here! They have several Greek specialties on the menu as well. We tried the chicken Corinthian was tasty and interesting (like a fancy Greek pot pie ) we also had the filet mignon and athenian potatoes.perfection! I ordered a specialty cocktail can't remember the name but it was soo good ! 100% recommend the food! The only one downside is (I know they want to Use all available space) but you are literally hip to hip with other tables and it feels claustrophobic when it's busy. Avoid peek dinner hours if you don't like the packed in and loud environment.

Pros: Service was outstanding The food was great! (Beef stroganoff penne) Cons: Some of the bread pieces were stale It is very loud (someone's grandpa was drunk) Crowded Overall: The food and service was outstanding! Although these are very important for any restaurant the bread was kind of stale and the restaurant is very crowded and loud. 3/5

This place is unexpectedly amazing. The inside looks like a cabin with tables tightly but efficiently organized. The Athenian potatoes are to die for good. They have a perfect blend of seasoning and are topped with feta. The burger was juicy and perfectly made. They have a patio area which will be nice in the summer. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, but not annoying. The crowd when we went was all adults which created a nice atmosphere. Only thing to take note that the parking lot is mostly gravel, so with the spring melt the ground was a bit squishy. Definitely a place not to be missed when you're in the Stillwater area.

The food is incredible. Very diverse menu, and good service. The lamb and gyro dishes excel. It is a little congested, and and a little pricey, but overall great.

Great food selection, great service, incredible prices, we shall return...a lot. Cannot say enough good things about this place. A true diamond in the rough.

This restaurant is fine dining and worth trying at least once. It's very hard to get a reservation and only open certain days, so the best way we got in was by showing up close to 4pm and it was already packed. We got lucky and didn't have to wait. The staff was great and made awesome recommendations for food and drinks. I really enjoyed how flavorful the prime rib was and the baked potato side I chose was worth it as well. I love au jus and definitely added to the taste, however I found it hard to cut such a big piece of meat without spilling the sauce. Medium Rare was perfectly cooked and would def order it again. Parking lot is super small, but holds enough cars for the amount of people they can sit. The prime rib comes with horseradish and I'm not a fan, however my mother got the same meal a week prior and said the horseradish was amazing and added a spark to the meal.

Always AMAZING!!! Been going here for 20+ years, it's a little hidden gem!! Every dish is delicious,

The food is good but the place is noisy when it is busy. They could do with a bigger selection of non alcohol beer and wine.

Photos to add to my previous review...somebof the delicious meals we had. Always 5 star quality, great service and atmosphere.

This place is a hidden gem. We had guests in from Illinois and took them on the trolley in Stillwater, which was fascinating. We found this by checking out Yelp for restaurants. Yum!!! I had the Greek salad and gyro plate which was great! My husband had the gyro sandwich that he said was also very good. The other two had the Pastitsio Dinner. They had never had such a dish and thought it great and would order it again. And, the service was fantastic! This to me is a destination restaurant and will be worth the trip going back.

Amazing food. This place has been there as long as I can remember. Waitstaff is excellent. A bit noisy but not terribly so.

Finally! I had the time and pleasure of visiting this Stillwater establishment! I frequent Stillwater quite a bit but this restaurant isn't in downtown Stillwater. I had pictured this place to always just serve steaks and shrimp but oh boy was I surprised to see that they offered so many Greek items on the menu. Having been too many Greek Islands this was a treat. Our bartender was great we talked about his time in Greece and his love for the food. Our visit was during the weekday in the late afternoon right after they opened for the day at 3:00. The phone was ringing constantly for people to make reservations. They only make them during the week and by phone it seems. We tried Grilled Octopus Citrus marinade, charred lemon, olive oil, fresh herbs which was amazing. The complementary bread basket. We shared the Seafood Penne Mojo Verde Rock shrimp, bay scallop, roasted red pepper, roasted tomato, caramelized onion, house cured bacon, fresh chive which was a huge portion (I did include a photo of this) we had a few drinks and also some Ouzo (which is a common Greek drink). Can't wait to go back and try more items on the menu!

Tiny place, huge flavor! Been wanting to check out this little gem for a while now. I heard it was good from many friends and it truly didn't disappoint. This place is small and they pack you in like sardines - such a unique little spot. By 5pm on a Saturday the whole place was full - keep that in mind. Service was wonderful. Enjoyable meal in a cozy environment, whats not to like!

My favorite place in Stillwater! Cozy atmosphere and top- notched service. I have had almost every entree on the menu and I am never disappointed! My favorites are the perfectly cooked and seasoned ribeye, scallops and the Mediterranean pork chop ( Never dry with wonderful seasonings! This place is timeless!!

7 diners. Octopus, Steak Skewers, Lobster Salad, entrees of Duck, Scallops, Walleye, Steak . . . not a compliant in the bunch ... quite the opposite. And, great drinks, no matter what was ordered. It is a must every time we visit Stillwater.

One of my absolute favorite places to go in the Stillwater area. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food and service are phenomenal. I would hesitate only a little on calling it 'fine dining' because of the atmosphere, but the food and drink are on par with upper scale places. The place is quite small and in a log cabin style building, so it might be easy to look past it. The building was, quite literally, hidden until the new bridge went in a few years ago. It does get busy quick and I don't believe they take reservations, so do be prepared for a slight wait if you go during normal rush times. The drink menu is always a fun start to your meal. They only have a small number of wines by the glass, but the cocktails are fun. I actually prefer them as an after dinner treat. The gyros and fettuccine are my faves here. I would also note that portions are HUGE, can easily split or take leftovers. I always get a side of Athenian potatoes no matter what I order and the pear gorgonzola salad is also top notch. There's something for everyone on the menu, from burgers to pasta to grilled meats. You can't go wrong with a stop here.

Great service, ambience and food. Love all the Greek food choices on the menu-will definitely be back!!

Food was good. It can be noisy and crowded but we went early on a weekday and it was fine.

Excellent service and food. Great cocktails. Can get crowded. We ate at 5:00 pm and it was fine, no wait.

Oh my gosh we had such a good time here even though it just the two of us. Very lively atmosphere, log cabin decor, fast service, and the kicker was the food was a surprise. Very good. I wish we lived closer to this place.

Visited 10/1/22. Located on the side of the highway, Phil's Tara Hideaway is truly a little hideaway that I'm glad I got to stop at. Super fun woodsy decor, a bit not what I was expecting when I saw the Mediterranean inspired menu, but super cute nonetheless. We started with the grilled feta and the onion rings. I think because they have such different cook times and our waitstaff and kitchen staff worked so hard to get them out at the same time, the cheese could've used a few minutes longer and the onion rings were no longer hot and had gotten a bit droopy. Both still very delicious, but we would've been just as happy getting them at different times. Otherwise, we also split the penne adriatica which came in big sized portions and that the staff split for us when the found out we were sharing it. Definitely appreciated all of the thoroughness from staff and when I eventually come back I look forward to trying more things from the menu!

I had the Seared Duck and Potato Gnocchi, and it was honestly one of the best meals I have ever had in my life!

I can honestly say this was one of the WORST restaurant experiences I've ever had. I ordered a $38 ribeye (Medium) with steak fries and button mushrooms. The steak was RECTANGLE shaped! Since when is a ribeye rectangle?? It was gritty, dry, overcooked, tough and gristly (not marbled like it should be!). I don't even know what cut of meat this was! Mushrooms were cold and no fries. The server took 15 min to stop by the table and I had to flag her down to stop her. She GRILLED me as to why I didn't like it. She asked me 3 times why! By this time everyone else was close to finishing their food so I just asked for a caesar salad with chicken instead. Salad came ($10.00!!!) with no chicken. I swear... HALF of the salad was croutons!! When the server FINALLY came back (another 15 min later) the server argued with me that I didn't order chicken. I should know what I ordered. No apology. Charged me $10.00 for the CROUTON salad. Oh, and if you go there expecting to talk to the others in your party, good luck. It's SOOOOOO LOUD you can't hear anything without everyone shouting which makes everyone else shout!! TERRIBLE!!

Good food, average service, poor ambience. It crowded and noisy restaurant that consistently has good food at a reasonable price.

Tara Hideaway has wonderful food, drinks & service. Really nice Greek food with an overlay if the usual American/Minnesota choices: very tender steaks, walleye. Generous feta cheese that's actually flavorful (unlike some Greek restaurants). Best gyros ever but for great lamb chops you still need to travel to Chicago's Greektown. Tara Hideaway is a gem, always busy but accepts reservations through Thursday & you can usually be seated quickly weekends if you arrive by 5.

The Tara burger with smashed potatoes was out of this world. Perfectly cooked--Harissa heat was magical. Service friendly, fast and attentive. Hidden gem!

OMG! The drinks the Gyros, Greek salad, the Athenian potatoes, the service were all excellent!

Owner/Manager is a mega duche. So offended how we were treated. Almost mocked us when trying to get a table for a group of six. Will never return.

Truly a hidden gem, Phil's Tara Hideaway has some of the juiciest, most delicious steaks around. I've made a dozen or some trips here over the past few years to celebrate special occasions and am consistently blown away by the quality of the food and the exceptional service. Phil's receives my highest recommendation, real darn good food

Hello Well I do not know how to explain Phil Tara's. Maybe this will help! The menu goes from $14-$50 a plate! It is an old cabin looking place with less expensive and more expensive. A cabin that meets a unique sandwich bistro, that meets fine dinining!! And the customers match the menu! Super laid back with that mix. It was my first time and they pack the house even on a Tuesday! My Sea Bass was great and my wife had the Pork Tenderloin. Great as well! We will be back!

The porkchops were excellent. Allways a nice treat to visit Phil's Tara Hideaway

It's not as good as it use to be, before Covid. Maybe try it again. Wish they had a patio in the summer

The Hideaway is a Stillwater icon and my first visit - for lunch - didn't disappoint! I can't believe that I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and I've never been to the hideaway! I made a couple of half-hearted attempts...but always came at the wrong time when they were packed with a long wait. The funny thing is that the place isn't a "hideaway" anymore. Now that the new highway has come through, leading to the giant new bridge, they chopped down all the trees and the restaurant is clearly exposed to the highway and the frontage road. I happened to be in the area and two of us stopped in for a late lunch at 3:00. There was only one other table since dinner starts at 4:00. We made it in. It's a really small place, with a small front dining room and a small back dining room. It's constructed of logs and it has the full-on vibe of an old log cabin, complete with a smokey pine smell and a large ornate fireplace. Very cool! I know their thing is steaks but I wasn't aware of the Greek theme. We weren't able to try steaks (bummer - we were too early) but our lunch selections were awesome. Our cheese curds were cooked to perfection with an awesome creamy peppercorn dipping sauce. My friend's Gyro Sandwich (with Athenian Potatoes) was savory and excellent with generous portions. My Tara's Burger (with Athenian Potatoes) was also great and it had an interesting, yummy feta cheese topping. Two thumbs up for the Hideway! -Daddy Maxx Retro

Christine was our fantastic waitress. They have PEI oysters which you can order from a variety of preparations. I ordered two Millstreet Rockefeller & it was like a clams casino prep which was delicious. Hubby ordered cheese curds for an appetizer which came with a yummy in house Greek ranch dipping sauce. I had a pomegranate martini; also delicious. Hubby ordered a filet with broccolini. He very rarely eats his steak without A1, but his steak did not need it. He ordered sauteed onions which were carmaluzed pearl onions to his delight. I had shrimp prepared Greek style. Very good with roasted tomatoes, pearl onions, garlic, & hollandaise. The hollandaise was a bit broken but the flavor was still layered & good. I chose saffron risotto for my side, which was good. Our meals were delivered hot & timely. We like this little Hideaway.

We came to Stillwater to stay at a local B & B and of course, dinner at Phil's Tara Hideaway to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. You will not be disappointed no matter your reason for dining. Exceptional food and service. I had the Tara Steak and my wife had the small sirloin. Both were cooked to order and perfection. The Gorgonzolla salads are excellent. It could be happy with the salads along but the steaks really make a full meal. The salted baked potato and the mashed are both good. We came on a Sunday early evening and it was no problem getting a nice seat at the window near the fireplace. The quaaintness of the log cabin feel is romantic.

Phil's is a 'go to' spot in Stillwater. Great service and wide variety of menu choices. My faves are Gyro dinner or walleye, but everything is fabulous.

Please do not read any reviews about this joint. You should not come here. First, this is a cabin. Who wants to have a fancy dinner at an f'ing cabin? Second, you won't be able to find the place. Modern America built roads around Phil's such that you will never find the place. Should you actually find the place [which you won't] you won't have any idea where to park. Somehow, in the 20 years since I last visited, they paved a nice big parking lot nearby, which I refuse to acknowledge, because, you know.... So, not to get distracted - oh shit, there's a squirrel . My partner wanted a straight up big fat piece of beef medium rare and Phil's delivered big time. I came in planning on a salad and indulged in a steel head trout special, which was delicious and I'm burping up two days later. So, my summary is... don't come here. You won't be able to find it. There's no place to park unless there is. And, oh, one more reason not to come to Phil's. Because it is a cabin, it is very noisy. So at some point me and my very satisfied guests were screaming at each other over the din of the other happy people. I have to say that this was a really awful experience, mitigated by the nice breeze and view from the window and the super awesome waitress. I was suspicious that perhaps these folks were my kin or wanted to lift my wallet. Another reason to stay the f' away.