"I went to Sven and Ole 's for years before the pandemic, during the pandemic when it was carry-out only, and now I was just back there last week this summer. During the pandemic in 2020-2021 and last summer 2022, they were pretty desperate for staff. Like many of the businesses in Grand Marais and along the North Shore, they count on international staff coming in to work long hours in the busy tourist summers. The pandemic, the economy, and the extremely high cost of housing on the North Shore (thanks, Airbnb has made staffing hard, so they had to cut back on their hours and menu. This year, they are back to limited dine-in service, and I saw 3 friendly Japanese students, in addition to local teenagers, on staff. Staff appeared hard-working but not stressed. The food is the same wonderful Sven and Ole 's pizza that you know and love. Half of the dining room was open, and all the old-time local decor brought back memories of visits in previous years. I waited less than 5 minutes for a table to open up and less than 30 minutes for my pizza on a Saturday evening. So glad that Sven Ole 's is still open! It 's definitely worth a visit to this North Shore icon. Recommended! (The for sale sign is for the building, not the business."
