I actually needed to wait a full 3 months before writing this review, just to calm down. Â My family has vacationed in the area for over 30 years, and for at least the past 20, we would eat at The Guides at least once during our vacation. Â This year was no exception.
Two of us made a reservation in late May for a July 4th dinner. Â We arrived on time, checked-in at the bar, and were told, "You're late." Â Apparently they had written down the wrong time by 30 minutes. Â Instead of working with us for a solution, Â we were told they would be unable to seat us because our table of had been broken down. Â Then the Chef came out of the kitchen - (he has known us for years) - and started yelling at my 82 year old Mother. He blamed her for the problem, and demeaned her to such a degree that made her cry. Â In my 53 years, I've never seen an owner of a restaurant behave so badly.
It is interesting to note that the sous-chef and one of the long-standing waitresses have left for another fine dining restaurant.
There is no chance that anyone in my family (and hopefully you as well good diner!) will never return. Â A very sad day.
This is one of the stranger restaurants I've been too. Â They really take the "rustic" approach to heart - the decor is very homey/woodsy/feels like your grandma's house. Â They had a Christmas tree up in July, which was odd. Â The food was probably four stars - nice to get a fresh rainbow trout on occasion (though it was a little dry and definitely on the expensive side.) Â It also appeared to come with about 8 sides, which was super confusing. Â I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this place ...
Review Source:This was the worst restaurant experience I have ever encountered. I have managed many restaurants and am a foodie at heart, though has no bearing on this review. Too many people work too hard for their money in this economy and dining out is supposed to be a treat not a horrible experience like this.
When entering the restaurant we heard arguing coming from the kitchen. The argument seemed to stem from the server wanting to leave or being cut early. She was screaming about unemployment and other issues customers do not want to hear about. There was no bartender and no one to greet us at the door. After about 10 minutes the server appeared she apologized, but then proceeded to go back into the kitchen and continue arguing with the chef/manager (aka Jimmy). Eventually the sous chef seated us.
With the meals you are given several courses. A relish tray, soup, salad and bread. I'm not sure why anyone would need so many sides to go with their meal. When asked for our choice of soup our options were creamy garlic (strange), french onion, or baked french onion. Considering the options we decided to choose the baked french onion. Presented with these options I assume most people choose the baked french onion because it sounds the best. What we were never informed of is that there is an up charge for the baked french onion of $4 per person. When the entrees range from $25-$40 you don't expect to pay an additional $4 per person for something you aren't aware you will be charged for and it probably isn't necessary for most people. It is a shady ploy on the restaurant's part to increase your check average. Additionally they charge for every single soda refill without your knowledge so you can expect your bill to be significantly higher than what you were expecting.
From there the experience continued downhill. I received a baked potato that looked like it had been reheated several times. It was not fresh and had almost a greenish color to the skin. When I asked for a different side the server seemed to take it personally. The replacement side of broccoli with Hollandaise was a joke. The broccoli was steamed but was so tough it could not be cut with a fork. The "Hollandaise" was orange in color and looked like a broken cheddar cheese sauce. I assume the toughness of the broccoli was due to sitting in a steam pan for hours and not being cooked to order.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> does have coupons for this restaurant, but the owner will try to find a way not to honor it. If they do honor it they will do so with a surly attitude.
When asking about the additional charges on the bill the server (Terri) became extremely rude and defensive saying that all "supper clubs" charge for soda refills. Â I have dined all over the US and the North woods and haven't been charged for a soda refill in at least 10 years. Your restaurant is so backwoods you don't even know that the rest of the world has moved on and realized nickle and diming their customers results in pissed off customers and NO REPEAT BUSINESS!
When speaking with Jimmy he became extremely rude, upset and stooped to using profanity even with my 12 year old son present which is totally out of line and inappropriate. Jimmy, watch an episode of Restaurant Impossible and learn the meaning of CUSTOMER IS KING.
Finally I must say that due to the overpriced menu, the dated decor, the rudeness of the staff and the shady way they operate their business, they should be out of business. I also know that many of these positive reviews are bogus and are the last ditch effort of this failing business to survive. As well as offering fake discounts on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> and then finding a way to charge their customers to make up the difference. Good luck Guide's Inn maybe when you are out of business you will figure out that to survive in the hospitality industry you actually have to provide something you have no concept of and that is CUSTOMER SERVICE.
This place has class. Â The wait staff is excellent. Â The food is very good and upscale. Â The prices are reasonable for amount of food you get and the head Chef and owner is great. Â He is genuine and takes the time to talk with each table, ask them how their food is, answer questions about the menu, and then go cook for you. Â
I could tell that everything is made with heart and passion. Â A wonderful place in the Northwoods. Â You can't go wrong eating here.
My family and I dined at the Guides Inn last night and had a very enjoyable meal. We have been coming to the Northwoods of Wisconsin my whole life and I must emphasize that this is a five star place for up here. Â It does not necessarily compare to a five star establishment in, say Chicago, but for the Northwoods, it's as good as it gets. A big improvement on the traditional supper club fare, even though some of the items are "traditional" supper club favorites.
The menu is relatively unchanging from year to year. Â Steaks, Veal, Fish and Chicken, well prepared, nothing flashy, but generally good and reliable, and everything is freshly prepared. Â The soups are all homemade and rotate daily, I've yet to have one that wasn't delicious.
It's a good value when you consider that your meal comes with a relish tray AND soup AND salad AND Bread and your Entree. Â Normally these days you see the prices and expect that everything else is extra-- not the case here. Â
My wife has noticed that some of entrees tend to be overly salted, if we have any criticism, this would be it.
I've seen several reviews that ask why Chef Jimmy is running around the dining room. Well, for one thing, isn't is refreshing when the person responsible for the food is truly interested in what you think of it? Â This is one of the charms of this place, and I wouldn't change a thing. Â We were there on Monday night, it was not busy, and Chef paid us a visit at least 4 times-- in part I think because he was so tickled that my 9 year old was telling him how much he (genuinely) liked the food.
I indicated on my review that the place is not good for kids. Â This is generally true, the pace of service is on par with a European restaurant (not rushed), and most kids will get antsy. However, it's also a credit to the place that even their kids meals are not the lowest common denominator-- they actually make the chicken fingers from scratch. Â
Save room for the homemade gelato (ice cream) and sorbets. Â Usually several flavors and something unusual. Two of last night's flavors were strawberry rhubarb and root beer. Â Both very good. Â
A few pieces of advice:
The place is not terribly large and the pace of service is leisurely .
Reservations are only taken for groups of six or more. Â
They are closed on Sundays, plan accordingly.
While skiing at Big Powder Horn over New Years a couple years ago a group of friends and I made dinner reservations at the Guide's Inn on New Years Day. We braved a bit of a snowstorm to drive an hour+ south to what turned out to be one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Upon arrival we found out that we were the only party  that evening and instead of being turned away we were welcomed and treated to phenomenal service. We were treated to a private dining room, Frank Sinatra, snow falling out the window of the cozy cottage dining room, a warm welcome by the chef, and a private waitstaff. Not to mention the food was amazing. We enjoyed our dinner so much that we stayed to have dessert despite being full from the large 4 course dinner. I have dined at the Guide's Inn on several occasions while vacationing in Boulder Junction during the summer, but would highly recommend it to winter travelers as well. The gardens are beautiful in the summer, and the restaurant is very cozy in winter as well. The Shrimp St. James and baked french onion soup are my favorites. Definitely a must do if you are in the area.
Review Source:The food is five stars if you're used to eating at fast food joints. The food is good and we would probably go more often if the bartender was the least bit friendly and the "chef" wearing his two foot tall chefs hat was a little less arrogant. If you can handle that then you might enjoy the restaurant. I give it a three.
Review Source:I've been coming to the guide's inn for the past 10 years while on vacation and I have to say I've eaten A lot of great food but some of the best has been here. It is a hidden treat right in the northwoods, everything is made from scratch and is incredible. You can't go wrong with the beef Wellington or shrimp saint James, also make sure to get the French onion baked and the hot bacon dressing on the spinach salad it's a great surprise. Also it may be tough to find room for it but the home made ice cream from scratch is well worth it If you have the room. A meal like this would cost 50-70 dollars in chicago but the wellington is only about 30. I highly recommend it!
Review Source:A great find in the Wisconsin northwoods. Get the pan-fried walleye...the best! Meals come with delicious soup, salad, warm bread and an appetizer tray. You never have room for dessert but sometimes you just have to order it anyway because the homemade ice cream (especially raspberry chocolate) is so delicious. Yum! Wish I was there right now! Been there more than a dozen times and have never been disappointed. This is the favorite place of practically all my family members who live up there or visit the area.
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