Black’s Ford Eatery in Wayzata

Kelly Hailstone/Heavy Table
Kelly Hailstone / Heavy Table

Editor’s Note: Blacks Ford Eatery is now closed.

It seems fitting that Black’s Ford Eatery was named after the original restaurant owners’ favorite little fishing hole in Montana. Coming from the east along Wayzata Bay, even the most perceptive driver might miss this lovable treasure, amusingly tucked between Pilates Minnesota and Fitness Together in the Wayzata Village Shoppes strip mall, on her way to downtown Wayzata.

A counter-service cafe serving breakfast and lunch by day, Black’s Ford began to offer a full-service dinner menu April 17, with live music on Saturdays from 6-9pm. The menu offerings consist of dependable, American plates: pastas, sandwiches, chicken, and fish (no red meat on this menu). The selection reflects consideration for health-conscious diners – the Southwestern Sloppy Joe is made with seasoned ground turkey and most of the meat entrees are grilled.  A couple of the pasta dishes come smothered in thick, peppery alfredo sauce, a few in light tomato sauces. Plain Ole Chicken, simply grilled fowl and pan-fried potatoes, is on the entree list, as well as walleye in four manifestations: as cakes, in tacos, broiled, and breaded and pan-fried in a traditional “shore lunch” platter.

Kelly Hailstone / Heavy Table
Kelly Hailstone / Heavy Table

Best Bets: The Cheesy Joe, an alternative to the Southwestern version, is still served spicy but with a mild, heavily seasoned heat, tamed by the creamy monterey jack/cheddar blend cheese mixed into the meat, that lingers on the tastebuds. A welcome bonus is the big sesame bun, with undersides grilled in butter, that ensures the perfect and elusive meat-to-bread ratio. Also noteworthy are the walleye cakes, buttery and crunchy on the outside with a steaming, downy inside that holds a piquant balance of salt, lemon, onion, lush bread, and flaky walleye.

Black’s Ford Eatery
862 E Lake St
Wayzata, MN 55391
952.473.2940
OWNER: Melissa Sporn
HOURS: Mon 11am-3pm; Tues-Thurs 11am-8:30pm; Fri 11am-9am; Sat 8am-9 pm; Sun 8am-1pm
BAR: No, but serves beer and wine
RESERVATIONS/RECOMMENDED: No
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN: Yes/No
ENTREE RANGE: $7.50-$9.50 breakfast and lunch, $9.25-$16.95 dinner