Lindsay K.
Yelp
In summary - beautiful spot, incredibly friendly staff, decent food/drinks, overly pricey food, but not worth a return visit (worth a first-time visit if you are looking for the experience). Would maybe come back for drinks/appetizers but it's not topping my list.
I came here with some family as I'd heard how beautiful this spot was and wanted to experience it for myself. I was told the wait times are insane; as such, we went on a Saturday so we could get there right when they opened at 2:30pm. We arrived just after 2pm, and there was already a decent line going out to the parking lot to get on the dinner list. There is minimal shade in this line, maybe consider bringing yourself an umbrella? You can put your name on the list starting at 2:30p, and the first seating was at 3:10p. This was a little early for us so we opted for the second seating closer to 4:30p.
There are four different bars you can hang out and grab drinks/appetizers while you wait for dinner, so we went to the outdoor one. It's a bit annoying that you have to close out any time you switch bars, but oh well. The bartenders are incredibly nice/friendly and try to get people attended to quickly despite big lines. We grabbed a table but tables were gone within minutes and there was no seating left in the covered shaded part of the bar when we got there. The entire drive in has signs talking about their #1 best old fashioned, so obviously I had to try that. I ordered it with their house brandy since they have it made exclusively for them. A very underwhelming old fashioned, I'm not sure if it's just a bunch of out-of-staters who don't typically drink old fashioneds, but I think there are many other places in the area that do it better. I thought the taste was pretty bland and it was so full of ice that it got watered down in minutes. For a place that is accustomed to tons of people milling about and waiting, I was very surprised at their lack of seating. Also minimal shade areas. There's plenty of physical space to just put a bunch of chairs so people can at least sit down and put up a cloth shade covering. Thankfully we were all able bodied so we just found a shady spot on one of the paths and stood there until dinner was ready once we left the first bar due to sun and really loud music.
When we were seated for dinner, we had a great view along the large windows inside looking out on the water. However, the sun was directly in our eyes and it was really hard to see. I had to wear my sunglasses indoors and there are no window coverings to accommodate for this sunny interference. I was shocked to find out that they offer no fish fry on their menu (even on Fridays) -- I didn't know you could be a Wisconsin supper club and not offer this! I went with the chicken cordon bleu, which was cooked very well (as in good). It came over a bed of what I think was wild rice which was also cooked incredibly well. The meal was yummy, but nothing that knocks your socks off and nothing I couldn't get somewhere else. The menu prices were a bit (a lot) outrageous and a lot of things I could find at a nice restaurant in a big city for less. Our waitress was incredibly kind.
I hate to sound like the negative nancy, but for all the business and hype of this place, my expectations were very much unmet. That said, if this is a bucket list thing you want to do (as it was for me), definitely take the time to go. Just be ready for the wait -- we left Ishnala at 6:00pm and when we walked by the host stand they were informing a couple that it would be a 4 hour wait for dinner. If I did end up coming back for whatever reason (it's a neat place to take out-of-towners), I would only do drinks and appetizers without doing a dinner seating and I'd get there early so I could try to snag a chair. Any chair. So, definitely go to Ishnala and judge for yourself -- based on how crazy busy they are, my lackluster opinion is obviously in the minority. And I will definitely emphasize again, all of the staff here are super nice, helpful, and welcoming.