The Informalist

Lovely upscale dining experience. Our party’s selection covered the Informalist’s touted speciality, wood-fired pizza, a cheeseburger with French fries and garlic aioli, a ribeye steak, and gnocchi. Everyone was quite happy with their selection. The lemon tiramisu for dessert was sublime!

Hubby and I came here for dessert to celebrate my birthday and (as usual) this place is fabulous! I love the decor. There is always something beautiful to admire. The service is casual and top-notch all at once. We love their food, but we ordered their gluten-free butterscotch creme Brule and a couple of drinks. The pudding was divine and the perfect size to share and enjoy! Give this place a look: the gluten-free items and accommodations are awesome, and the people are lovely. Perfect date!!

Amazing atmosphere and food. The Thai Basil Gnocchi is incredible (add chicken). And all of the pizzas are amazing.

Great location, great atmosphere. I’ve visited EC several times and have always wanted to come. On a weekend morning, there weren’t many servers, and although the restaurant wasn’t crowded, it still felt quite busy. I ordered brunch and a Margherita pizza. The food was delicious, but there were a few flaws, like the eggs Benedict being overcooked, with no runny yolk at all.

We had stayed at this hotel last Winter and decided to come back to the restaurant for breakfast while in town, we walked in to find the temperature inside the restaurant to be around 65 degrees with the Ac cranking away? I asked why the Ac was on since it was early morning and cool outside but colder inside, we asked if they could turn off the Ac but they said they don't have control over that???. Tought to enjoy a meal when you are freezing. Management should take a look into that , as climate control is important too.

Man what a hidden gem, when you see a 60 plus dollar ribeye your hopes get raised and it was worth it. Chef Joey killed the preparation and delivery and our server ryan was brilliant. Didn't try the pizza but the steaks and salads were wonderful. The drinks were very good and I had the best Arnold Palmer ever.

Joe introduced me to a fine Bourbon called Angel's Envy. I made it into the Informalist thanks to Molly's recommendation- it was the just right prompt. "Everyday I walked by without giving it a try- after having a relaxing drink and a slice of pie....I can't tell you why." Love the atmosphere for a relaxing adult evening in a vibrant Downtown. I added spicy honey to the banana jamma pizza 🍕 😋 😍 I highly recommend 👌 you stop in for a drink and experience the penny bar first hand.

This is a great restaurant attached to the Lismore Hotel. The ambiance is a relaxed modern feel. They do have an outdoor patio. The service was great here. They did not hover but was never left wanting. I started with the brussel sprouts. They were crispy on the outside and firm in the middle. They had good flavor. The pork chop I had for my meal was mediocre and a bit smaller than I expected. The smashed baby reds and sautéed bacon and kale were the best part of the entree. The quality of the food was good, but not outstanding. Considering the price for the entree, I would expect a larger portion or better flavor/quality. Overall, my experience was good, and I will give them another opportunity.

Definitely try this place it awesome especially the pork belly Benedict !! Staff was friendly and ambiance was cozy !!

Food was unique and delicious. Heard the pizzas were great too, mad we didn't try one. Mussels were our favorite. My steak was great too.

We enjoyed dinner before an event at the Pablo Center. It was a great location. The service was good and the food was excellent. I look forward to returning.

Stopped by midmorning on a rainy day. This restaurant is inside a hotel. The walls have musical notes and have a cool vibe. The service was good. My friend had a bloody Mary and I had a classic mimosa. They were the perfect drinks for a rainy day. I had the eggs Benedict without ham. The hollandaise sauce was delicious. It was exactly what I needed. Nice place to stop in for when in Eau Claire.

Very nice. Expensive but nice. Very aesthetically pleasing. Couldn't Even hear the people next to me. Nice spot

I was in town w one of my favorite peeps. She has a hankering for home made lemonade. I thought I would ask if they had any. They did. Freshly made for her and she loved it. The bartender was a gem and didnt joke about it at all.

What a surprise to find this great spot in my hotel! The food was delicious! (Totally not "hotel food"). The staff is welcoming, and helpful. Indoor, or outdoor, stop in for a quick bite with a beverage, or a leisurely meal. And there is breakfast too! Such a deal!

First time stopping here and after looking at places this one caught our eye. Located in downtown Eau Claire we went there around 8 pm. We found parking right next door. And we got seated in a timely manner. The ambiance was a laid back but also gave bougie vibes. So definitely a little upscale. They did have some vegan options and I decided on the cauliflower. I didn't think it was anything special, it was good. I think my favorite thing was the I Love Lucy drink which tasted almost like a Mexican frozen treat. Definitely paying for the vibe, the pizza did look good but the price wasn't it. Our server was AMAZING, she had such a great attitude and explained the food and drinks. Also informed me and they chefs are able to make almost anything vegan. I would love to come back another time and try the pizza (they do have Aa vegan cheese option).

I love the vibe here. There's a bar & restaurant. We ordered non-alcohol drinks and they were so good. You can order pizza, burgers or pasta their menu has a wide variety. Our server was very friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back again!

If you're near Hotel Lismore, do yourself a favor and grab a pizza at The Informalist. The Yellowjacket (pepperoni with hot honey) is amazing. Two people can easily split one, unless you want those tasty leftovers all to yourself. Service was a bit slow, despite going shortly after opening on a Sunday night. Cozy vibe inside.

So, I'll be frank. Brunch was a disappointing mess. Service was perfunctory at best--my water glass sat empty from even before our food came out, and it stayed empty until we left. We watched two of our three brunch plates sit on the pass... and sit...and sit. Our food sat under the heat lamps for at least 15 minutes, and it showed when it arrived. The pancakes were dried out and so dark I actually thought they were burnt. The eggs on the eggs Benedict sat under the heat lamps on the pass for so long they were no longer poached, they were between over medium and over hard. We would have told our server about it, but he couldn't be bothered to stop by and check on our meal until we were essentially finished. I still love the pizzas here, and dinner has been pretty consistently good for a while, but brunch is probably off the table for us for the foreseeable future.

The weekend brunch is okay. It's not the worst I've ever had, but not the best either. The overall menu is rather lacking in my opinion, with a limited selection of food items. Last visit I had the huevos rancheros and they were overall a bit underwhelming. Temperature of the food was a tad cool, and overall, there was nothing to impress me. Fresh and local ingredients are great and everything, it was just unfortunate that they weren't combined into anything that blew me away. The Bloody Mary I had was pretty good, but for the size of it, the thing was overpriced. Despite that, at least the beverage selection was good. Have never had a problem with service on any of the times I've visited. It's just one of those places I find to be overrated for what it is. Some of those I've dined with here have been blown out of the water by it. I just never have been.

Great place with both indoor and outdoor seating. Love the atmosphere of the wine bar on one side and the open kitchen on the other. Floor to ceiling windows open to the street and the outdoor deck give you great views if you don't happen to be facing the open kitchen. Not as many wines as you would imagine a wine bar would have but they do have an extensive beer menu. Points for making their own hot pretzels which were just ok but the mustard and beer cheese dipping sauces were outstanding lick the bowl outstanding. Loved their take on the Chicken parm with the sun dried tomato sauce and the fresh burrata topping, some new unique flavors to an old stand by. Shout out to Luke for the great service. I recommend checking this place out

HOME OF THE $39.00 Salad !!!! A $39.00 Caesar salad? Yup, this is the place . Ordered a Caesar salad with some Salmon. The salad was tiny with some cheese and busted up croutons. Dressing was junk The salmon that came on it was underwhelming and about half the size of a dollar bill. Complete rip off . Follow up; you can pride yourself into thinking anything you like but that fact remains , that even in these high inflation days , that 39 for a tiny salad and 3x3" piece of salmon is a good deal is simple fooling yourself. Good luck

Had: Brussels sprouts: amazing Beet salad : amazing Pizza of the day: see detail Steak of the moment First the double tree hotel is amazing. Their cocktail/roof top(2nd floor roof) is great. $6 old fashions on Tuesday I believe. So far on our trip up north the food has been disappointing. Went to several highly rate restaurants and the experience/food just meh. But we are coming from Coastal Alabama area so comparing areas is unfair. The pizza... Lemon, lavender, and chicken pizza .... Who wants lemon and lavender on a pizza... But wife loved it The steak was amazing... probably the top 15 steaks I have had... and when considering the price bumps it up to the top 10. The chimichurri topping was SO good. The beet salad was very impressive; same with the brussels sprouts. Service is fine; not great I have crazy thought just to plan a trip and stay at hotel.

The experience was good the appearance of the restaurant is so clean and classy the server was so nice our food came out relatively fast and the food was so good the pancake was like a thick crepe bacon was good biscuit was not an ordinary biscuit So I would recommend it but don't order the biscuit

Eau Claire, Wi. I'm updating my review to reflect on my latest experience here. It seems like many of the failed experimental dishes are gone but the level of food quality and taste has gone up a notch in my opinion. I come here at least once or twice a year and this years offerings were outstanding. I sill like dining on the patio in the late evening with NO BUGS. Once again we were seated as walk ins with no problem.

Had the Gem salad, which wasn't much more than butter lettuce, some dill, and a few thinly sliced radishes. Barely a salad. The pizza is wood-fired and really pretty incredible. Open air kitchen allows those sitting at the bar to see the chefs and pizza artisans work. Overall, a little too pricey for what it is, but definitely worth a stop in..

This spot is known for their pizza.... But I went for breakfast. The oatmeal was absolutely delicious. I don't normally order oatmeal at restaurants but I'm glad that I did. Service was fantastic. I'd love to go back to test out the za!

The atmosphere and service is really nice, but the food isn't great and it's very pricey for what you're getting.

I really wanted to like the place because of the ambiance and it being a date night/birthday celebration for my wife, but it was overpriced and the food was very below average.

Breakfast...,Really good Eggs Benedict! Service can be spotty. Vegetarian options. Not the best coffee.

I was in town for a research conference in the spring and am still dreaming about their pizza and drinks. The Yellowjacket pizza was soooooo good and I would've never considered honey on pizza otherwise. The crash and burn drink was the best alcoholic beverage I have ever had in my life, it was so dilly. As a pickle lover, the crash and burn was sososososososo amazing. The restaurant itself was clean and quiet and the servers were so nice.

Unique and tasty. We really enjoyed this place. I recommend it for anyone looking for something different

The pizzas were delicious, very creative flavor combinations. The setting was very trendy and the wait staff was attentive

I love a good farm to table restaurant. This isn't 100% farm to table since their menu is so exquisite, but it makes me feel better that I know where this is coming from and it helps support local. Their menu is small, but there is something for everyone. They have everything from curry to steaks. I promise you shouldn't be disappointed. I had the mushroom risotto and my co worker had the curry. We shared the carrots as an appetizer and split the apple dessert. We were NOT unimpressed. Service was great and quick. If we stay downtown again we will be staying at the DoubleTree and eating here again.

Ok, so my husband and I FINALLY was able to visit The Informalist!!! First of all, we came here before but we only had diet sodas. We watched them make Wood-Fired pizzas and he had just eaten at the travesty of a restaurant "The District"....don't eat there!!! Anyways, we thought the food smelled SO GOOD and it was very romantic in there with the dim lights and candles on the table. We knew we had to come back and indulge ourselves, and indulge indeed! We dined in at The Informalist yesterday 8-13-22. We noticed that they had an outdoor area, but after being out there for a few minutes, it seemed a bit chilly to enjoy the patio, so we went back inside. What I really love about the restaurant, besides many things is the fact that they have a smaller menu, but it's good to not have too many things because it can get hectic and you have more of a chance to not do it the correct way. We ordered a side Caesar Salad and a Supreme pizza, which the pizza seemed to only come in one size. We omitted the green olives because we don't like them. When we got our salads, we were floored by the flavor. Instead of the typical croutons they were like bread crumbs or crumbled croutons. It was a nice change. I do think the salads could have had a little bit more dressing, but otherwise, it was great! You can tell the dressing is house made which I'm always a fan of that! It seemed like the service was really fast, because before we knew it, we got our pizza! Let me tell you something, it was AMAZING!!!!! My husband and I enjoyed it so much. The burnt ends from the leopard spotting of the wood fired oven. The crust was thing and not thick! We couldn't have been happier with our service and our food. Justin was a great waiter and wasn't clingy or trying to hard. He was natural and that's what I love. Sometimes waiters and waitresses can hover, which shows that they are trying too hard. We will definitely be back to this place! We will be more adventurous with our pizzas too! I want to try other flavors, etc! This was the best place I've eaten at in Eau Claire!!!! FINALLY, a great place to be in such a long time it seems!!!!

The service was really good but the food quality and the way it was prepared was not worth the price. The environment was modern and nice. Your going to help pay for the hotel though, it's attached to the Hilton.

Cool place. Great service. Just was a little underwhelmed. Much of the menu is flatbreads -- which is cool. But to me, pizza is pizza. I don't need to go to a relatively fancy place to eat flatbread. They were closed for a long time due to covid so they were on my list of places to visit (my son goes to school in Eau Claire). Just wasn't super thrilled with it. Not wonderful, nothing wrong, just OK. Our waiter was very friendly and the service was great. No issues at all there.

Great vibe Somewhat limited menu but good food. Definitely nice find for Eau Claire.

Husband and I were looking to celebrate Valentine's Day a day earlier to avoid long waits or a crowd on the day of. On a whim we stopped in at 5 pm, fully prepared to be told the restaurant was full. Pleasantly surprised when they were able to seat us immediately, even thoughtful enough to hold a table for us while I was trying to find a parking spot. Definitely recommend the Lion's mane "crab" cakes- I would come back just for this and this alone. I had the scallops which were a seasonal special and they did not disappoint. Husband had the pineapple pizza which was great also. Looking forward to coming back to try more!

We had a pretty fun date night at the Informalist (3.5/5) to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. It is below the DoubleTree hotel and located in the heart of downtown Eau Claire. Setting was modern / classy and reflected many of the more higher-end places you would see in Hong Kong or NYC. A bit surprised to see not too many people seated on a bustling Saturday night but overall staff was attentive and helpful with menu selection. Ordered - Hushpuppies (2/5). Very dry and donut-y. - Triple Meat Pizza (3/5). Yummy and does its job. I felt the meats were a little disorganized and could have been allocated better. - Pho Drink (3/5). This tastes like a Manhattan. There is nothing Vietnamese about this besides the garnish of mint and star anise. We got bonus macarons which was very nice of the staff. That was tasty! Our checks also came in a guest-list moleskin which I thought was creative and something I had not seen before. Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for fun Saturday night date spot or if you're a tourist that is a big foodie like me! Cheers-

Food was Ok - had the seafood pasta, olives for appetizer. Staff was a little disorganized and didn't realize I had been sat for almost 15 min before greeting me. The space was attractive, very clean, and had good energy (not too loud, not too quiet).

Great brunch spot and they have nice weekly specials for date nights and upscale/casual dining. Service has been good every time we've been in. Quality ingredients, prepared well, chef has complimentary flavors and textures to all the dishes we've tried. It's a little pricey but they source a lot of local ingredients and pay their staff livable wages, so I'm happy to support them.

This place has a nice atmosphere, that chic yuppy style spot. Really nice outdoor seating. The wood fired pizza is very good. Red sauce is more sweet than tangy. The crust is great, crispy burnt style. They cook the basil, I don't like this but it is ok. The Margherita pizza is good, if you like NY style I suggest ordering your own style with red sauce and mozzarella, you'll get more mozz. Overall, for pizza heads, a good spot!

Very expensive. Limited menu. Service was ok. Stood at east entrance for 3 or 4 minutes without response. Went to west entrance. Response, too bad!

excellent food, interesting dishes very expensive and i've only been there three times but each time i found the staff really annoying your mileage may vary

Everyone in my group was very happy with their food and so was I! The service was great and they also had exceptional coffee. There was also a very nice classy ambiance. It would be perfect for a date night.

Fabulous wood fired pizzas and excellent service every time! Absolutely love this place and make it a priority to go.

Food mediocre Ambience good Service good Price good Was here for Mayo clinic visit and were extremely hungry.

This was the Breakfast Nachos. Very yummy. Would definitely order again. Had a great Sunday breakfast on the patio. Our server .

We had the pizza and it was excellent. Sat on the patio on a Thursday night while music played across the street. What a beautiful night along with some great food

In an overnight stay in Eau Claire we ate at the Informalist because it was in the Lismore hotel and convenient. I was surprised by how many good looking choices the menu had. We shared a pizza and a green salad as it was fairly late. The service was great. The server was attentive, timely, professional and made some recommendations which were appreciated. I'm not used to all employees wearing masks anymore so I found that odd. The pizza was very tasty. It had three cheeses and a bit of honey infused in the baking process and was delicious. The salad was lettuce and 3-5 tiny radishes tossed in oil. Very basic and effortless but it hit the spot. The restaurant has a great ambiance, is clean and the prices were high but not a burden so I'd eat here again. One thing I've never seen before was that the menu suggest it is not necessary to leave a tip as the prices are raised so staff can have a living wage.

Awesome food just a little to expensive for the small amount of food you get the customer service was great but again the food proportions are too small for the amount of money that you spend

Chicken pasta is the best pasta I have ever had. Service is very friendly. The ambiance is great. Nice place to eat. HIghly recommended.

Excellent food, great service! Had brunch menu- eggs florentine and a skillet daily special. Highly recommend!

Amazing food, atmosphere and staff. Everyone was very friendly and helpful when we had questions and the ambience is calming.

We had such high hopes and expectations from The Informalist. We were in town to see a show and have a celebratory dinner for our daughter's 13th birthday. I had made a note on our reservation that we were celebrating her birthday and assumed that would be passed on as it usually is when we make reservations online at nicer establishments. I referred to our daughter as "the birthday girl" a couple of times when we were placing our orders in hopes she'd pick it up, but she did not. What I do want to recognize is that the food was good. I didn't fully understand the undressed and uncooked mustard greens with the pork chop, but the polenta was so amazing that it made up for it, the pork chop wasn't bad but the polenta really outshined it. My daughter got the beef bolognese and we tried it, we all agreed it was absolutely amazing. My husand said his steak was great, but it did not come with the German potato salad as advertised on the menu, it had some plain fried potatoes. Despite the food being good, the service brought the entire night down. I don't know if our server was having an off night or was possibly new. If she's new, I hope that some more experienced servers give her some pointers on managing loads and providing the excellent service someone would expect at this pricepoint. She was very nice, but rarely checked in on us. We had obviously finished our meals (empty plates, napkins on the table) and we sat there for about 20 minutes and saw another server point us out to her. It took her another 10 or so minutes to come and check on us. While we were sitting there doing nothing, we had decided to get desert elsewhere, because the night no longer felt special at all and we were looking for something to end the night on a high note. I'd suggest having your staff watch the TED Talk by Gavin Kaysen about service and the experience and the feeling of dining at a place like what The Informalist should be and can be. At this pricepoint and set expectation, nobody who dines here should have an experience like we did. We save dinners like this for special occasions and almost always at this pricepoint, we have a phenomenal experience. Sadly, this just wasn't the case here.

The food was great, albeit a bit pricey. The restaurant is very cute. Our server was very attentive. My latte was delivered Luke warm, probably because they get those from EcDc next door.