Ward’s House of Prime

Very disappointed with Wards. We went on a Saturday night, excited to have some top quality prime. Unfortunately my prime was nothing but fat and gristle. I understand that prime has a good bit of fat for flavoring, but there were literally 4 bites of meat on an $ 80 piece of prime. Pity, as the ambiance and service were both great. Unfortuantely the poor quality of the prime will cause us to not return.

When we first moved to Delafield earlier this Fall, we made it our mission to find our new watering hole. Definitely did not expect Ward’s to be our choice as it seemed to be on the fancier side. The food is delicious and the service is amazing, well worth the price. We are very much looking forward to enjoying the fire pits this summer on the patio!

I decided to check this place out since I’ve heard so many good things. It was a chilly night when I went, but people were sitting outside next to the very cool firepit and having drinks. I imagine this is one of the cooler outdoor eating spaces in Delafield.
Upon walking in, I was immediately blown back by the delicious smells of prime rib. We were seated upstairs and as far as I could tell, they seat most tables upstairs and more casual diners/​bar patrons downstairs. Our waiter was a little offbeat, but extremely friendly, and made jokes throughout the night. I’m not sure everyone in my party was amused, but I thought it was sorta nice for what could be a stuffy uncomfortable place. I ordered prime rib with their soup of the day. The cheese soup was very creamy and rich, perfectly seasoned. I always get a little skeptical of creamy soups, so easy to mess up if they try to use too much flour to thicken or make it too watery, but this one was very delicious with a great texture. We also ordered some appetizer ribs — fall of the bone with a great BBQ sauce. But even better, our waiter mentioned that they had a blackened prime bite appetizer that wasn’t on the menu with this delicious horseradish dipping sauce. It was so good — and that sauce was heavenly. Our prime ribs came out perfectly cooked and perfectly drowned in au jus. The meat was tender, au jus was savory and the right amount of salty to go with the meat. One of my friends ordered some Parmesan cheese fries for his side, which were barely covered with any Parmesan and looked like a bag of frozen fries that they cooked — sorta disappointing. The mashed potato was pretty standard, and the twice baked was probably my favorite of the three at my table. The presentation of food left a bit to be desired — the sides came out on essentially bread plates, which were huge in comparison to the sides. Also someone at my table ordered the filet which they served on the same plate as they served the 24oz prime rib — it looked so sad by itself on such a big plate. I would also pass on dessert. A slice of banana cream cheesecake was ordered and it definitely did not look like it was made in house. But I would go back for a big steak filled night anytime!

To say my husband and I were disappointed would be an understatement. The lobster bisque was watered down and had a distinctive «canned’» taste. My husband’s prime rib and mashed potatoes were luke warm; his «carmelized» brussel sprouts were burned. I ordered the crab and avacado salad expecting beautiful lump crab with thick slices of fresh avacado. The greens were almost to the point of being considered wilted, the small, thin slices of avacado were overripe and the crab was pulverized and overpowered with mayonaisse and red pepper. Needless to say, we will not be returning and will not recommend this restaurant to our friends.

I have dined at Wards on three separate occasions. I have come to the conclusion that it was my luck two out of three times to have a loud, obnoxious, over served table next to me when I came with intentions of a romantic dinner. Two out of three times I ordered the filet only to be served an over pounded /​tenderized/​salted steak. Three out of three times I found my side salad the hilight of my meal and also the bill over $ 200.00 before tip.
If you want an amazing meal along with amazing waitstaff and the greatest bartenders in a private setting I reccommend Kurts Steakhouse hands down.

The most amazing waiters Rick and Eric made our experience so enjoyable! The food is remarkable and the new patio and live music made me feel as though I had travelled for days to end up at a luxurious town on the water. A vacation far far from home. We only live 25 min. away! I had Prime Rib and my husband NY Steak. Grilled to perfection. The wine list is extensive but not overwhelming. Very affordable and not over priced. I happen to know a few things about wine. I can’t wait to visit in the winter too. I bet it still holds its charm. I noticed some fireplaces and large TV’s. Year round Ward’s of Delafield invites memories to be made with any occasion celebrated there. Enjoy!

This restaurant offers an unmatched dining experience with an extensive gourmet menu. I was absolutely blown away with the professional wait staff and the variety of Prime Rib options. Save up your pennies though, folks. While the menu boasts «cheaper» options, the Prime Rib can range from $ 30 to $ 200 depending on the cut. I decided to try the «Grilled Salmon with Spicy Asian Inspired Sauce» and I am convinced it is the best fish entrée I’ve ever tried…
Low-​Down: Best resturant west of Waukesha

I am reviewing this restaurant based on what I encountered during my last visit (attempt). I made reservations for 7:30 for 2 of us. I am in a wheelchair right now due to some health issues, so I asked if the restaurant was wheelchair accessible. The gentleman on the phone said yes, so we went. When we got there, we found that there were only two handicap parking places which were taken, so we let the valet park our car. The problem was there was no ramp on the curb and cars are parked along the front of the building with no space left in between for walking, and especially not for a wheelchair. We found a way to the sidewalk and saw there were steps leading into the building, so my husband went up to ask if there was another way in. The hostess showed him to the ramp on the side of the building and he came back to get me. We had to move some white plastic chairs out of the way of the ramp entrance and then he pushed me up the ramp to the door. Here we found a customer sitting at a table in front of the door, so we couldn’t get in this way. THEN my husband pushed me around the front of the building on the porch that went to the other door in front again, but there were two big green chairs and a table in the way. I had to get out of the chair while my husband manipulated it through the furniture to get back out. I got back in the chair; I was in tears, people were watching, along with the hostess who finally came out and asked if we needed help. My husband told her no upon my request because we had had enough by this time of trying to get in. We went back to the valet to get our car again and dealt with the car and curb situation again, when a man came out, who I assume was the manager and asked us to come back, but we declined. I was embarrassed and upset, and really just wanted to get out of there. Later that evening, I went online to complain of their inaccessible restaurant, but have not received a response.

The prime rib was fabulous. As it should be considering its what they are known for. The chicken was mediocre at best and for having reservations it was quite a long wait. The drinks at the bar were wonderful and the staff was extremely knowledgeable on wine selection.

We thought we’d try this local restaurant but will not return. For the price I would expect an exceptional beef product. That is not what I received. My filet was nothing special, I have made better at home. My husband’s steak was not flavorful nor tender. Service was ok, nothing special, we waited a long time to receive the bottle of wine we ordered.

We have eaten there a number if times. Great to finally have a nice restaurant in lake country that does not feek like a country bar converted into a steak place. They did this up right. Prime is excellent. Filet is great. Libster and scallops were good. Keep in mind the name. HOUSE OF PRIME. Need i say more
A little loud but not unbearable. Also a little on the pricey side but not anything more than what you would pay downtown without having to take the drive and find parking.
Our new favorite spot

Traveled here all the way from California. I wanted to find a nice place to eat in frigid Wisconsin. This steakhouse seemed like an excellent choice.
The food here is pretty good. I got the prime rib medium rare and it was cooked to perfection! They also bring out some cheddar rolls, which are very irresistible. My Girlfriend had the filet and scallops, which was also looked good. She did complain the scallops were overlooked and did not eat them. We know they are tough to cook sometimes.
We ordered a bottle of wine with dinner. The bill at the end was pretty pricey. I recommend you bring some dough to spend. Overall good experience and service! I would recommend this place to my friends.

We gave Ward’s another try last night. The hostess was polite, requested table was available, We were seated quickly. The manager was professional as he made his rounds. We ordered drinks and presented with bread. The bread tasted of freezer burn and was dry. We ordered appetizers and our dinners. The crab cakes were delicious and the fresh greens salad and home made salad dressing as well. We should have stopped there. I had the prime rib and lobster special and my date had the 6 oz. filet and lobster. Both lobsters were only OK. My prime was nothing special and my dates steak was beaten to death and salty. The chocolate cake was the highlight. We really want to like this place and be regulars but I am only going to give them one more chance. With drinks, dinner and dessert, tip we could have done a lot better for less somewhere else. ($ 245.00)

Absolutely fabulous! The drinks were delicious and my steak was done perfectly:) I also loved the fact that most of the customers were dressed up! Ward’s Delafield will definitely be our destination date night out!

Thank the lord a good restaurant has opened this far west! They know the prime rib game. I had the small cut and it is MORE than enough. The double baked potato is amazing and it the best place to go after a day out on the lake.

We had dinner on Sunday, slow and quiet which was nice. Service was good and atmosphere was great, downstairs gets loud with the bar, which isn’t an issue upstairs. The steak was excellent (medium well), tender bone in ribeye, there didn’t seem to be any options of toppings for the steak; hollandaise sauce etc. Which may be an issue for some, however a well prepared steak rarely needs any extras and this was no exception. The flavor was excellent and had a slight melt in your mouth sensation.
My wife had the sea scallops which were perfectly seared and of proper texture and flavor. All in all we had a wonderful dinner and highly recommend Ward’s. Oh and don’t miss the lobster bisque!

This place is beautiful on the outside and inside. It gets crazy busy and loud but I like it! It means they are the place to eat at! We both got steaks with mashed and twice baked with veggies. Everything was amazing!!! Five stars all the way! Wine was great and service was spot on!

My wife and I were excited to try the new Ward’s House of Prime in Delafield. We had a 5:45 pm reservation on a recent Friday evening. The bar areas was busy when we arrived, but the upstairs dining area was virtually empty when we were seated at a very tiny table for two, next to a table of four. The area was so cramped my wife could barely get past the rear of the next table to sit at our table. I was seated next to the stairs and felt as if I was going to fall down the stairs if I moved too far to the right. There was only one other table of two in another room, so there was really no reason to seat us in that location (the dining area was still virtually empty when we finished our meal and left). Even our waiter had trouble reaching our table and apologized for the tight space. Unfortunately that didn’t help, but that wasn’t his fault.
Ward’s is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant and charges accordingly. One would expect such a restaurant to then serve the highest quality food, and since it is primarily a steak and prime rib restaurant, one would especially think the meat would be superb. Unfortunately, that was not the case. While my prime rib dinner was tasty (because of the au jus served with the meat), it was one of the toughest pieces of meat I’ve ever been served. It was so difficult to eat it that my jaws were sore the next day.
Sitting so close to the next table, we could not help but overhear their reactions to their food. They were also complaining about the quality of the meat.
On the way out, there was a bar patron who was obviously over-​served and had fallen over into his plate.
Needless to say, we will not be back to Ward’s Delafield location. There are many other fine dining options in the area, all of which offer better service and food, and most at prices less lofty than Ward’s.

This was a treat for a new restaurant in the area. Although well established in Miwaukee it was nice to see Ward’s open another restaurant in the Lake Country. My filet was perfect, tender and cooked medium-​rare as I ordered. All of the sides were great as well, twice baked potato and asparigus plus a homemade bread basket.
We sat at the bar and the bartender was great, she was friendly and showed us a photo of the 168 oz Prime Rib they serve. Half a cow. You can eat at high-​tops in the bar if you like and it is filled with TV’s. The night we were there the Olympic’s and other sporting events were everywhere you looked. The waitresses were great and very outgoing which made the experience even more enjoyable.
If you want to eat in the up-​scale area you go to the 2^nd floor. My friend just made a reservation on a weekend and was lucky to get a table two weeks ahead of time, so be sure to make a reservation. They are on OpenTable, which makes it easy.

My wife and I went to Ward’s tonight for dinner. We had 6pm reservations and arrived at 5:30pm to find a half full bar area. We grabbed some drinks (house Pinot was fair, but sidecar was great) and then were seated promptly at 6pm. Bar staff was attentive, drinks were good and they seemed to have a good handle on things.
The bar area was great with new finishes, high top tables, TVs, and a fireplace. Stairs led up to the dining area. We were seated in a corner and our server introduced himself and went through the menu, soups, etc. We received warm bread and butter and took a look at the menu. At this time, the Delafield location has an abbreviated menu compared to the downtown location. The full menu is coming soon (we were told). I ordered a bone in filet ($ 47) done as medium+ and my wife ordered the six ounce filet. She ordered the house salad and baked potato and I upgraded to the iceberg wedge with a twice baked potato. We also ordered a side of onion strings (to compare to Jake’s, which are the best in town).
Salads arrived quickly and were both very good. Good dressings, good balance of items and good portion size. We were ready for our steaks! The steaks arrived and looked and smelled great. Both were done to perfection and were spot on. Bone in filet was super tender with great flavor. Regular filet was the same. The baked potato was just average and actually quite small. The twice baked potato was smallish as well, but very flavorful. The onion strings looked great, but actually arrived quite cool (not even lukewarm). We asked to have them replaced with a fresh order and they were quickly taken away and a fresh, hot plate arrived within minutes.
The dining room filled up as we dined with some larger groups. Our server check-​ins became more infrequent. In fact, it was 15 minutes between the time our dinner plates were cleared and when our server visited us to ask about dessert. We ordered the «homemade» chocolate cake and a brandy alexander for dessert. Another 15 – 20 minutes passed before they arrived. The chocolate cake tasted of freezer or refrigerator and was not great. The brandy alexander was blended well and one of the best I’ve had.
Then we waited another 25 minutes without a server even checking on us. A different server than our original server dropped off a bill without saying a word, despite there being a full piece of cake remaining between us. Then we waited another 15 minutes with a credit card in the check before I gave up and took the check to the hostess desk downstairs to pay the bill. It was around 7:40pm when our plates were cleared and about 8:45pm when we went to the hostess desk. The hostess apologized for this and our server appeared along with the general manager. They did take one of the steaks off of our check for the long wait and apologized. At this point, the dining room was full and the bar was hopping as well.
We are really pleased with the possibilities and hope Ward’s takes off in Delafield. Love the food and we are sure that some of the service wrinkles will be ironed out as well as time goes on. Good follow up on the service gaffes during our visit ensured that we will return.