Ishnala

The restaurant was amazing. The view was incredible. It was the coolest place I had ever ate at. The portions were small compared to the price. I was really disappointed with the steak. It was ok at best. Not sure how they cook it there. But there were no grill marks and lacked flavor

Although I waited 2 hours to be seated, the food was great. delicious and the service informative and friendly. I had the roasted duck with orange sauce entrée. This also came with a salad I could not finish and a savory looking cheddar baked potato I did not touch because I was so full. I cannot say if they honor reservations if I did not make one but I understand why many tourists may want to dine here and enjoy the view of mirror lake while they wait. Also some cute photo ops… they have a teepee and an authentic native canoe! Pretty awesome!

Vineyard Filet — a new item — adding a few updated items to the standard menu and even though I love their duck, I had to try this. We love the beautiful location — with a kind of «can’t believe this is the Dells» feeling after driving through town, but it’s the true Dells — beautiful scenery on the lake, very good supper club menu, excellent service, large portions if you are able to take home leftovers, but not inexpensive…

What an absolutely wonderful dining experience. Beginning with cocktails while overlooking the lake to appetizers and our main courses ranging from duck, scallops, a succulent rib, and an amazing ribeye — all with complements.

We have dined at many good supper clubs in the Northwoods area and were delighted to find Ishnala in the Dells. No need to go into detail – all the good things have been said in previous reviews. However, there is one menu item that hasn’t gotten its due – the duck! My beloved is a duck lover. Ishnala’s duck was crispy, juicy with a delicious stuffing. He rolled out of there a happy man.

I can’t get enough of this place
The atmosphere the food and the service at great
if you come across this restaurant you better go there!

Ishnala is open only during the tourist season. The Ishnala experience begins with the entrance road; a long, narrow & winding drive through the forest. Excellent views and superb service are bonuses to the excellent food. The restaurant is built on the side of the bluff overlooking Mirror Lake with large windows providing great views of the lake. Several bars on the premises offer great views as well. I am quite partial to the BBQ BabyBack Ribs while my wife enjoys the French Onion Soup, Tenderloin, and Lobster. We make an effort to eat at Ishnala at least once a year. The beautiful views while eating a pleasing meal makes Ishnala a wonderful dining experience. Meals range between $ 30 and $ 50, depending upon the meal chosen.

Would probably rate at a 4.5 stars. Dinner was very good, service was exactly as expected, and the view was beautiful.
They don’t take reservations and at 4:45pm on a Saturday the wait was already an hour. By the time we left it was over 2 hrs so that would be the draw back as well as being on the pricier side of things. It’s not a super quiet restaurant but not like a sports bar where you can’t hear yourself think (this kind of stuff bothers my husband).
The setting reminds me of summer camp, so it’s a beautiful area while waiting however not super fancy amenities (pink/​blue very dated bathrooms) and I think that makes it charming but it’s not a black tie kind of place if that is what you are looking for.
Even though our table wasn’t at the window, we still had a great view of the lake.
The food was excellent and the portions were nice, we feel we got what we paid for and would definitely visit again.
I would recommend showing up early and being patient because of the wait times.

When we arrived, we were met with about an hour wait. Normally this would be an inconvenience, but instead, it sent us to the beautiful lake view bar where we sipped our beverages and took in the amazing scenery. The staff were all friendly and accommodating, but it was the food that will keep us coming back. Amazing steaks and you have to order the au gratin potatoes. Save room for dessert if you can. The key lime pie was out of this world!

Amazing views, beautiful atmosphere. The food quality and selections are great as well. Our second visit since September 2015, will be a tradition going forward.

Fabulous old school supper club. First of all the interior is absolutely beautiful. The views and the surroundings are gorgeous.
Most important the food is delicious. Bread, salads, main courses are excellent.
I am not a steak eater but their seafood is amazing. The shrimp was incredible and the hash browns are outstanding.
This place is probably a little expensive for Wisconsin, but would be dirt cheap in a large city.
Likely a special occasion for many residents.
Luckily, I don’t live nearby because I would be there everyday and likely a little chubby!

Closed until May! I’m so sad … really wanted to go there end of March.

A classic Wisconsin Supper club. Great tap list and the bloody mary is a meal by itself. Food /​service is very good (although pricey). View of the lake is awesome! Wisconsin Dells has very few places to get a higher end meal possibly because Ishnala has cornered the market. Highly recommend out of town folks looking for a good meal in the Dells make the trip out to Ishnala.

I’m a bit biased here, as this is one of my favorite restaurants, but my rating comes from perspective of coming here for 30 years. This place has consistently maintained a high standard of service and quality. There are always the classic steaks and seafood on the menu with updates to adapt to changing tastes. Good wine selections and desserts are sublime.
Note to Ishnala — please bring back the relish tray!!!

We visited the night before they closed for the season to celebrate my birthday and boy, were we impressed!!! Everything was perfect… the atmosphere, the timing, the food. The wait at the bar was just right and we were called to our table. The bread service was wonderful and the cheese spread had to have had a touch of goat cheese. So yummy!!!
We order the duck and the tenderloin and prawns. The salads were excellent and I remember even commenting about how I wished all restaurants served salads of such quality! The steak was cooked to perfection and the prawns were almost like lobster. So much meat!
Next time we will save room for dessert and go when it stays lighter longer. We will be back!

Ishnala– don’t ever take your billboard down– it’s working. On my frequent drives to Western Wisconsin to visit my folks, I always wondered about Ishnala based on their iconic freeway billboards. I looked up the place about a month ago and thought– «Classic Wisco supper club?! Gotta try it before the season ends!» (they’re only open May-​November 1)
Of course, due to its slightly far proximity to Madison and slightly pricey menu, I kept in mind merely as a special occasion option. Last night, my boyfriend and I celebrated his birthday here: it was flawless. Like the receipt cheekily states– the only thing Ishnala overlooks is Mirror Lake.
From the moment we pulled up in the parking lot to beckoning tiki torches and Rat Pack tunes, to the minute a sweet, bubbly hostess offered to take our photo in the «Wilderness Display» area on our way out the door, Ishnala was a true dining *experience*, not just another dinner out.
The food was absolutely outstanding. We got the $ 99 special to share– a 24-​ounce boneless ribeye, two lobster tails, asparagus, potatoes, and salads. The ribeye was flavorful, tender (could be sliced with a butter knife!), and marbled but not at all gristly or greasy. My Caesar salad was garnished with a Parmesan crisp, fresh anchovies, and just the right amount of dressing. The lobster was perfectly toothsome. We ate every single bite, and each one was better than the previous. The little touches– cheese spread and crackers when we were seated, individual butter melting dishes, flawless au jus– were so nice, and the meat and lobster cooked to perfection. Loved our rustic surroundings and the view of the lake and forest, service was excellent, and we had to get dessert (death by chocolate) which was just as divine as the meal.
I’m glad we went late in the season, or we’d be breaking the bank returning again and again. As it is, I am looking forward to a trip to view a summertime sunset with a succulent steak next year!
Classic, iconic, woodsy– worth the money and the trip.

In my opinion, this is the best, upscale, restaurant, in the Dells.
I know: the Del Bar… Kaminskis Chop House… Fields at the Wilderness… and the Double Cut Charcoal Grill, are all revered, as the most sophisticated, pricy, and the ultimate destination, of most Wisconsin Foodies.
Ishnala, however, encompasses a beautiful setting, perched on a precipise overlooking Mirror Lake, as well as a Lodge-​like venue, that accentuates the feeling of an old time, Wisconsin Supper Club.
It is tucked away, in the backwoods, outside the Dells, proper. The signage, directing you to the restaurant, needs a little updating.
We were a party of six, including one precious 12 year-​old.
The hostess, couldn’t have been more gracious, making us fell like we had been here, dozens of times.
Our waitress, was the consumate professional… efficent, knowledgeable, and knew, all aspects of the menu.
Our appetizers arrived, and were absolutely fabulous. The French Onion soup, was deep in flavor, nestled underneath it’s gooey cheese umbrella.
The Cheese Curds, and Stuffed mushroom caps, were «spot-​on.»
My son and I ordered pork chops. They were perfectly charred, yet still juicy and flavor-​full.
My wife’s walleye, couldn’t have been more perfectly cooked. My daughter-​in-​law, raved about her Scallops.
The boys had chicken-​fingers. I think being «picky,» is a. part of their DNA, yet, not a peep out of them.
We had crème-​brulee, and raspberry cheesecake.
My only quibble, was that the wine, was over-​priced. $ 32.00 for a bottle of wine, with a metal cap, is unfortunate.
All in all, one of the most enjoyable meals, I have eaten, since moving to the Dells.
The restaurant, was closing for the season, the next day, so… as a local, I will have to wait for 7 months, to return.
As a «Special Occasion» destination… this restaurant, CANNOT BE BEATEN!!!

Show up early, people! For real!
We arrived just before 5 pm on a Saturday only to find that there was already a half-​hour wait. Stepping onto the property of this place is like going back in time to 1950s camping movies. Mirror Lake is right there in front of you; Rat Pack music is being piped in through speakers; and the supper club itself looms out from behind the trees.
We were seated at a very corner table and while the sun was in our eyes a bit as it was setting, we had great views of the lake.
My father ordered a beer and I ordered an old fashioned to start. I was asked if I wanted whiskey or brandy (I opted for whiskey) and whether I wanted the drink «sweet» or «sour». Having never been asked this before, I didn’t know what to answer, and so the waitress brought me a sweet old fashioned. My god, I took one sip and spit it out. It was like drinking a Shirley Temple. I ordered a glass of wine instead and, incredibly, neither the old fashioned nor the wine showed up on my bill!
Is this place kind of a rip-​off? Maybe. They try to upsell you on adding extra lobster tails to your dish, and asparagus as a side instead of green beans is an «upgrade.» But the food was actually better than I was expecting, and I polished off my prime rib and baked potato. We split the mousse for dessert and while it was a lot of sugar, it was nothing compared to that old fashioned.
Props to our waitress, Anya, for the superior service. Who knew places like this existed still?

Ishnala was the epitome of perfection, ranging from its stunning view of the lake and the forest to the mouth-​watering food. Ishnala is one experience that I most definitely will not be forgetting about anytime in the near future. I could not have asked for a better experience than what my fiancé and I received. The beauty of Ishnala itself as well its surroundings almost made me forget where I was… perhaps I do sound cliché, but Ishnala’s entire ambience was flawless.
The wooden architecture of the restaurant set against the backdrop of the woody pines, reflective lake and the sunset was absolutely astounding anf tranquil as could be. I could continue raving about the scenery itself for several more hours, but you’re going to have to trust me and see it for yourself.
Because Ishnala doesn’t take reservations we arrived and had to wait for about 45 minutes to be seated which I had absolutely no problem with because we were able to walk down the steps to the beachfront where I enjoyed a nice little splish splash. We then went to one of the bar areas (yes they have more than one bar area!) for some drinks during our wait. I ordered a cocktail (but I cannot remember its name) and my fiancé got a scotch… and boy, did the bartender hook up that scotch by filling it about ³⁄₅ of the way. The bartender we had was a little rude, but we didn’t let it bother us because everything else about Ishnala was perfect.
After waiting for the time previously stated we were able to sit fairly close to the window. By the time we got sat it was dark inside and that made for quite the romantic dinner.
We’re greeted almost right away by our waitress, Christie, who was an absolute pleasure to have. She was wonderfully sweet and enthusiastic, and not to mention prompt with bring out all of our food and drinks despite have many other tables.
Now for the food. Oh my goodness — I can’t even describe it without craving it again. We started off with the duck strips which are similar to chicken tenders only way better and more tender and juicy. We then got a salad prior to our entrée (and we substituted Cesar salad for an anddditional cost) and the salad was awesome. I’d have eaten the whole thing (because it’s actually large) had I not wanted to save room for my entrée. So for my entrée I got what is typically referred to as the Surf and Turf which consists of a filet (medium well of course) and two lobster rolls! I’d never had lobster before so I’m extremely happy that I tried them here because they were the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted, especially when dipped in melted butter. Omggggggg, yummy! If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it’d be their lobster, hands down. Now, my fiancé got the seafood platter which was equally as good — it came with scallops, lobster, shrimp and salmon and all on an actually fish-​shaped platter… tell me that’s not awesome. Both of our entrees were about $ 50 or so, but remember it’s all about the experience. The food was rich and melted in your mouth so you can’t complain about that. And do forget about dessert — I’d recommend getting the flourless chocolate made with ganache and chocolate mousse. They have other options but this was wonderful!
Please, please, please go here because you will not regret it! This is a wonderful business, but more than that it’s a wonderfully ambient place to relax and enjoy some time we’ll spent with your significant other, your family or friends.

Really great classic supper club hidden away in the woods near Wisconsin Dells. I’d seen the sign for years and we finally decided to stop on our way down to Madison from Minneapolis.
It’s a bit tricky to find but they’ve done a good job with signage. You will take a bunch of turns down small country road then head down what feels like a path into a campgrounds (which it is), pass by the tacky tee-​pee archway and arrive at this gem of a restaurant. You will feel like you are a thousand miles into the wilderness when in fact you are very near the roaring interstate.
The wood framed, lodge-​style restaurant is literally perced above a secluded private lake with large picture windows and a wonderful view. We were luck to get right in and started with some classic old-​school cocktails (Old Fashioned of course in this part of the world), then on to steaks and shrimp and potatoes and salad. You will definitely leave here feeling full.
Definitely a place to stop and dream about the good old days.