Ozark House Restaurant

Best ribs we’ve ever tried. First time visit here as I heard their food was good. I have to say they did not disappoint. Melt in your mouth ribs, not greasy or fatty, good sauce. Awesome! We all had them and agreed we would come back again. Nice atmosphere, pleasant and comfortable. Reminded me of supper clubs back when we lived in Wisc. Very polite and friendly staff. Definitely coming back.

Been eating at Ozark House for many, many years. It has declined a lillte bit every single year but the loss of quality and service has compounded itself to a lousy restaurant with awful service. I said before last time I wasn’t going there again but decided to give it one more shot because I like the facility and the good memories. Alas, they were even worse than in the the six months I stayed away.
Shame on the owners for letting this place decline to a point lower than mediocrity.

I discovered the Ozark House many years ago when I attended ISU and have loved it ever since then!!! If I’m in the Blo/​No area I make sure I visit the Ozark House. This is not a chain restaurant and their food is outstanding. My favorite item is the broiled Icelandic cod and I usually get that every time as it is done perfectly. Their BBQ sauce on their ribs and chicken is amazing too. The stuffed shrimp is very good too! We have never been disappointed in the food at the Ozark House. The atmosphere is a bit dated, parking can be a challenge and the service can be so so as it gets pretty busy on weekend nights. If you are looking for an unique dining experience with excellent food that is not a chain restaurant, then I recommend you check out the Ozark House. You won’t be disappointed in the quality and taste of their menu offerings. Sooooo good!!!

This place was a little below average at best. It’s in a location where not much traffic goes by and probably for good reason. The layout of the place is a little cramped and the look is outdated.
I did enjoy how small and simple the menu was, but their food is nothing to scream about. Drink of choice for me was a maragrita which tasted watered down. Given that this place was a steak and seafood spot I can’t complain that much.
I ordered the special of steak and shrimp. Compliments to the chef for actually making my steak medium but it really lacked in flavor.
The employees didn’t seem too happy and the manager walking around didn’t seem like she wanted to be there.
Some minor changes could really spark this place up. Get rid of those table clothes. It’s a big waste of material, money and material.
All in all, this place is just… plain…

This place is old, dingy, and boring; literally a retirement home dining room as someone else put it. It is smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and you would think this is either someone’s house, or… you guessed it, a retirement home. The food… While it wasn’t «bad», it was not great. I would rank this in the same caliber as a public school hot-​lunch. And it wasn’t cheap, for the price, you can basically eat at any other sit down restaurant in town and enjoy something with some pizzazz, and a decent atmosphere!

Attended a Christmas party here in a back meeting room. It was very strange because we had to walk through another party’s meeting and there was only a folding partition between our area and theirs which made it very loud. The food was ok. The beef was way over-​cooked and dried out. The waitress seemed very distracted or overwhelmed or something. We had a party of 20 and she was by herself and was very unorganized and difficult to get drinks from, even a simple iced tea. The room was dark and everything was very outdated. It seemed more like a moose lodge rather than a restaurant.

I really want to give this the fourth star, but I can’t. I remember eating at Ozark House as a kid, and it pretty much hasn’t changed since then, which, ambiance-​wise, is a good thing. The service was excellent and friendly as well. The ribs were good, and the french onion soup was excellent. The scalloped potatoes were borderline inedible, and the «house special» cheese appetizer was… crackers and dry cheese spread. A mixed meal. Ozark House is one of the few restaurants in town that isn’t on Veterans, and it is locally owned and has been since it was opened, so that counts for something.

I’ve never been to prison, I’m pretty sure prison food looks and tastes about the same.
If you think this is what a Wisconsin supper club is like you couldn’t be farther from the truth. This is like a retirement home dining room without the retirement home.
A group of four arrived at r730. We were meeting from different points and online it looked great. When we arrived the parking lot was packed. Usually a good sign. Pleasant clean older supper club atmosphere.
First was the wait staff. Clueless, not a clue on any point of service. I dig the old school waiter thing but maybe if they were out of high school and properly trained as servers. It was by far the most disorganized service ever. Running amuck is all I can think.
We were told it was busy and they were running out of food. Quite obvious by the meager portions.
BBQ pork sandwich was three slices as thin as possible without shaving (which would have been better actually) bathed in glowing red cheap translucent BBQ sauce on a bun that collapsed when you picked it up. All alone on a large oval plate. So lonely. Not even a pickle or half cent sprig of parsley even. Like a meal in a David Lynch film.
My niece also ordered the pork, she did enjoy the slaw but actually chuckled a bit when served. It was that paltry. We are average adults. The portions were tiny. Even by standard portion recommendations.
Another member of our group ordered the Ozark burger. Nothing special
Last but least. The final member of our table ordered the ribeye. It was done perfectly. Nice size. The winner dinner of the group.
I don’t mean to sound harsh but I can’t really recommend a reason to dine here. Yeah the steak was better then rest of meal but that’s not really saying much.
I have lots of luck while traveling finding the «locals spot» and most times it pays out. This was not that time.

We ate at Ozark House with a large group (50+) on a Thursday evening. We were greeted by several employees and directed to the meeting room in back. Friendly atmosphere, but décor is dark and pretty dated. Comfortably seated at tables of 10, we were quickly asked for drink orders. Given a selection of entrées to choose from — fried chicken, shrimp, ribeye, baby back ribs, & catfish. I had full order of baby back ribs and my wife had the petite ribeye.
A nice tossed salad was distributed, with crisp iceberg lettuce, peas and shredded carrots (wish there was tomato too). Choice of ranch, honey mustard, or French dressings on the table. The waitress brought fresh hot bread, that was excellent.
For a group this large, the entrees came out in a reasonable time. I was overwhelmed by the size of the ribs. I had two slabs, each 4″ x 8″ stacked on the plate, accompanied by a baked potato. The ribs were covered by a tangy, sweet, barbeque sauce. I believe that these ribs are the best I’ve ever had! Lots of meat, with little fat and no grissel. The ½ rack is definitely a meal, but get the full rack & enjoy the rest of this great meat at home! As for the petite ribeye, it was a nice piece of meat and cooked well, but not tender or particularly juicy.
Overall, we enjoyed our 1^st experience at Ozark House. We’ll be back for those ribs again!

The service was really good. The food was average. I had the prime rib. Lots of grissle.

The décor is «old school», wood paneling, dark carpet, dimly lit with low ceilings. The host and servers were excellent, very attentive. The food is where the problems begin and end. We started with a spinach and artichoke dip appetizer. The dip itself was ok, but they chips that accompanied were stale. The salad consisted of wet lettuce and a few peas, tomatoes, carrots and chopped radishes. The long island we ordered was very sour and we had to add more water to make it palatable. Our meals were fried chicken and a shrimp skewer. The shrimp were not seasoned, the vegetables were soaked in some kind of greasy sauce as was the rice. The au gratin potatoes were mushy and not seasoned at all. The fried chicken though was crisp, juicy and vey well seasoned. Overall I don’t think the meal was worth the $ 52. Although the chicken was good, everything else was sub-​par. We noticed the crowd seemed to skew older (50’s and above) so maybe the lack of seasoning is because of the preferences of that demographic. I will not eat there again.

My waiter literally took 15 min to great us, then another 15 to bring our drinks. I got the filet and it was vastly undercooked and I asked for medium rare. The price for the service and food is not worth returning.

We went here on a Saturday night at 6:30pm. Was really hoping for a nice dinner with friends. We got there first, I walked in to get a table while hubby went across town to find parking.
Kidding…but parking is BAD here.
I walked in, the hostess walked up and looked at me. I said we needed a table for six. She just stood there and stared at me. Finally saying, «Do you have a reservation?» I replied that we didn’t and she said, «Okay, hold on.» She wasn’t rude, but it was weird. About ten minutes later she comes back and seats us.
The place is definitely old school but it’s not unpleasant décor. The clientele is definitely older, and our group likes to laugh… so we had to control ourselves a little bit.
The waiter was a nice young guy but we sat there for an HOUR before he finally took our order. We get several different dishes, from the «Famous BBQ», to Fried Chicken, to the Ribeye Steak with sides of beans, au-​gratin potatoes, twice baked potatoes and salads.
The food arrived, they were all «good» but nothing to write home about. The potatoes were grainy and they use velveeta and cheese slices on the potatoes, certainly not what I purchase as cheese. The steak was tough, the BBQ was okay, fried chicken was okay. We ordered dessert, same, they weren’t bad, but not worth the price charged.
We walked out of the time capsule and quickly admitted none of us would EVER return to this place to eat.
The locals can keep it.

Gone here for years. This is a place the locals go. Ribs, au gratin potatoes, slaw are the MUST.

I’m going to go against convention and say this place is awesome.
The reason for this is because, as someone else mentioned, this is an unreconstructed, north woods, knotty pine paneled, Wisconsin-​style supper club. The menu is limited, as in focused, it’s quiet, and that is good. They know what they do well. All the classics are here. I tried a ribeye one night and a half fried chicken another night, and we closed out the place with a carafe of wine and intense conversation. The food is very good. I had no complaints, except the youthful service can be a bit eager sometimes. As the only person of color in the restaurant besides a staffer, I did not feel unwelcome although I did feel a bit conscious, coming from the city and all. If you want Outback or another chain restaurant, there are plenty others. This is an original, it is local, it’s delicious, I had a great time, and deserves your custom.

The best Ribs in the area for sure. I went here In may and had the prime rib dinner and it was great. My last visit though my dad told me to get the ribs and it was best recommendation i got. They were excellent and a true full slab, not like some of the chain restaurants where they call a ½ slab a full slab.
My gf got the salmon and she said it was really good. Weekends can get pretty busy between 5−7pm, but its worth the wait. I saw several people getting the fried chicken so i might try that next time. The prices seemed average too, and not real pricey, but i wouldn’t mind paying extra anyways for a real good meal.

I’m certain that this will be the worst dining experience that I will have for the rest of my life. I am African American, and I went to Ozark’s in 2002 with a White classmate and her co-​worker. The staff made it very obvious that they did not want to serve me. When I walked in the door several of the patrons stared at me like I did not belong there. I went to the bathroom to check my clothes thinking is there something that I’m missing? Dressed appropriately in a casual black suit with money to pay my own bill, yet I was treated like I was less than human.
When considering my options for my order the waitress snatched the menu out of my hand. I ordered a Ginger Ale and I’m not completely sure what she brought me, but it didn’t taste like Ginger Ale. When I stated that the tasted flat she quickly snatched it and spilled it all over my clothes without apologizing. I considered walking out, but I was forced to wait while my classmate and her co worker finished their food. The waitresses walked by several times giving me angry looks for no apparent reason. Sometimes, she would mumble under her breath and stare at me shaking her head. The interaction between the waitstaff and my classmate was great. The waitstaff was friendly from start to finish in all of their interactions, but towards me she fell just short of slapping me in my face. She looked so angry and I believe it was solely because she did not want to serve me.
I was afraid to eat the food and it just sat on my plate untouched. When it was time to go the bus boy asked if I wanted a to go container and before I could answer he grabbed my plate and headed for the kitchen. Finally my classmate said,“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you!” I realized that my now former classmate and co-​worker acknowledged the mistreatment, but since it wasn’t happening to them they were able to enjoy their food. I considered reporting it to manager, but I realized that if multiple waitresses are looking at me like they hate the air that I breathe and even the bus boy has an attitude that it would probably be a good reflection of how the manager will behave as well.
I grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood and I did not know what racism felt like until I walked into Ozark’s. Although, it was a painful experience, I’ve accepted that the world has changed, but there are still a few idiots and most of them work at Ozark’s! It’s ten years later, but I seriously doubt that Ozark’s has changed their «White Only» policy.
Looking back this experience inspired me to work twice as hard to advance in my career, so that people like the ones at Ozark will NEVER be my peers. I’m eating at much better places now. I’d like to thank Ozark for their unwarranted, and very blatant disrespect. I think that they need to be reminded that the 60’s are over.
While this was by far the worst dining experience of my life, I’m grateful having experienced it. Whether they wanted to serve me or not… :) they still had to and I still walked out of that place and continued to better my life.

I think Ozark House has lost its touch. We had our rehearsal dinner here over 8 years ago I thought it was pretty good. We recently visited to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 60^th birthday and it was terrible. First of all, they were out of their stuffed shrimp so my wife had to order something else. I ordered the fillet mignon and it was just ok; just like what I cook at home. The side dishes are served on separate plates which is very annoying. The food is nothing to write home about.
The atmosphere is is not that great as well. The dining room is covered in paneling from 1971. It looks as though it is a time capsule. If dark and drab is what they are going for, they nailed it.
The waitstaff is just ok. They are a bit slow. If you have a party of 8 or more they automatically add gratuity of 18%. Who does that anymore?
The only reason I would go back here is to comply with my mother-in-law’s wishes. I can’t argue with her.

Eating at Ozark House is a strange experience. You walk in to a very dark and very dated dining room with an oval bar at one end. You look around at all the tables and realize, you are the only person in this restaurant under the age of 30. You look again and realize, you are the only person under 40. You check the corner booths to be sure, and yep, you are the only person under the age of 50.
You get seated by some very friendly staff and take a look at the menu. Some items are listed as «favorites» (which I guess means they acknowledge the others dishes aren’t as good). You order and sit back and enjoy some of the bread they brought to the table.
A short time later your food arives. Based on the prices you were probably expecting good tasting food that is plated nicely. You are wrong. Your food comes out on a plain white dish with absolutely no attempt at presentation, with each side dish on its own plate. All your food would fit on one plate, but instead it comes on 3 plates.
You enjoy your food because it is cooked well and tastes good, but wonder the entire time, why they have dark wood paneling. Did they eat in the basement of Beningo’s and think, «this is how an entire restaurant should be decorated»?

Ok, at first this place appears to be an «old person’s» joint. But that’s just because they’re all devoted fans. They just don’t have Unilocal!to prove it.
The food here is amazing. We had these folks cater their famous fried chicken at our wedding reception. So, yea… get the fried chicken!
Their prime rib is amazing (when available). I personally always get their mesquite bacon-​wrapped shrimp. Oh, and if you’re luck to be there when they have their smoked buffalo wings, GET THEM! They are fantastic beyond fantastic.