The Waterfront Restaurant & Tavern

We had early Friday evening reservations on a last minute getaway. Admit to being concerned about finding a great place to eat in LaCrosse when we are spoiled by Chicago. We asked for a window seat and watched the sun set on the water while our outstanding server Johnathon provided a lovely, relaxing evening with great food. Had fun with the escargot — loved the cheese & bread to go with them. The tuna tartare starter was also terrific — we should have split an entrée after that. When the huge entrees arrived, we knew leftovers were in our future. We especially worried that the stuffed pork might be overcooked but it was not. Innovative combinations and well prepared food combined with a beautiful venue and excellent service made this a memorable night.

Expensive as heck, food was good. Was price worth it? Ehh…
Your paying for the experience I guess

Had dinner here on New Years Eve. Service was spot on for such a busy night. Crab cake-​excellent. Seafood bisque-​even more excellent! The variety of salads we had were unique and delicious. The pork, snapper and scallops entrees and side of king crab were divine! The only disappointment of the evening was the filet, which was ordered medium but served RARE. For the premium price ($ 38) we expected it cooked properly. So only 4 stars from me.

Best steak I’ve ever had. Ever. Best Mac and cheese I’ve ever had. Ever. Best salad I’ve ever had. Ever… I’ll definitely be back!

I have been a handful of times and every time it is perfect! It is a little pricey but, you get what you pay for! Everything I have ever ordered is perfection! The service is fantastic! I am more than satisfied from appetizer to dessert. I can’t think of one restaurant I would rather go to! This is my happy place

This place has the best up scale atmosphere in town. However, I have had issues on all three of my dinning experiences here. My first trip involved an overdone steak, and an over salted chicken dish. My second trip involved a mediocre walleye dish for $ 30. My third visit involved a delicious steak dinner. The issue this time was that our waitress asked if mushroom and onions were Ok with our entrees and if anchovies were Ok with our Caesar salads, we said sure not realizing that she was going to charge us $ 4 for onions $ 5 for mushrooms and $ 6 for anchovies… $ 30 for $ 4 worth of extras. Three strikes waterfront is out.

Absolutely the best dining experience in La Crosse! Quiet, spacious, excellent food and service!

Great restaurant to dine, especially during the warmer months. Their out door seating is cozy and it overlooks the river. I wasn’t impressed with their crab cake. It didn’t appear to be made fresh. It seemed as if the crab cake was frozen and they simply heated it up and served it. The steak (8 oz filet) on the other hand was excellent, flavorful and cooked to perfection. Their «smores» dessert with graham cracker vanilla ice cream is a must have! I look forward to my next dining experience at this restaurant. The service was great as well.

This place is a class act. I was thoroughly impressed by the beauty of the surroundings, both the elegance of the interior/​décor, and the views of the river. I had the beer cheese soup, the lobster roll, and the Smore’s/ice cream dessert. All were very amazing. The service was very attentive and I was impressed with the courtesy and professionalism of all staff with whom I interacted. Makes me wish I lived in La Crosse Wisconsin.

Been twice now when traveling to la crosse. Great service and great food! One thing I will warn is ask about Market Price, I accidentally ordered a very expensive king crab meal one night. It was delicious but wooooooo doggy was it $$$. Regardless fabulous spot!

Came on a Monday, so weren’t expecting the best service. We got what we expected. Service was blah and the food was edible, but menu not imaginative at all.
Wine list is decent.
Seems like a place you would take your date to prom in 1994.

My girlfriend brought me to La Crosse for the first time the weekend of May 23^rd for my 28^th birthday. We had fun hiking, going to bars, walking around downtown, and going out on the Mississippi River.
But I have to say, eating here on my birthday evening was truly the greatest treat I could’ve asked for, and the highlight of my trip to La Crosse.
The atmosphere was flawless, a warm summery outdoor patio with unobstructed views of the sunset over the river; and a three piece jazz band playing perfectly into the ambiance.
We ordered our appetizer and entrees; shared a crab cake that was decent and an assortment of breads and crackers that were excellent. Ordered a brandy old fashioned sweet, which resulted in ordering four more before the night was over– these were absolutely brilliant.
I ordered a $ 40 steak with $ 3 extra for caramelized onions, and I’ve never been so glad I overspent on onions in my life. The cut and quality of the meat was beautiful and tender. Lightly seasoned and extraordinary flavor.
Upon telling the waitress it was my birthday she suggested a lemon cheesecake that she brought out, on the house, with «happy birthday» written in chocolate cursive on the edge of the plate.
What an incredible, gorgeous, memorable dining experience! We will surely be back.

Sorry. I don’t see the 4 ½ stars. We were on motorcycle trip and the local concierge recommended the Waterfront (said she ate there often). The restaurant was booked up til 8 so we were told the same menu was available at the bar, so we ate in there.
The appetizers were good however, the cheese curds were NOT cheese curds, the three of use agreed they were mozzarella. All three of us all ordered burgers medium rare (based on the burger rave from the waitress). All three burgers came out medium well. Service was good, but the food wasn’t 4 star. Three is the best I can do…

Service was amazing, food was out of this world. If you are searching for cuisine experience and not just good food, this should be a stop. Great view of the Mississippi River fron the waterfront.

Excellent and interesting bartenders serving good food, drink and cheer. You’ll feel welcome, as I felt. View is exceptional.

Beautiful place. All decked out for the holidays. Food was nice, but service was lackluster.

Fantastic lunch. Nick did an amazing job! The duck special was fresh, the wine was smartly recommended by Nick and overall atmosphere was great. Thank you!

We swung in for a quick drink on their patio by the river. The heat lamps make it very comfortable even though it is cool out. River view is awesome and the gin loaded olive martini is awesome. Smoked Bleu Cheese stuffed olives make it the best martini downtown.

It was a beautiful summer evening overlooking the Mississippi during sunset.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We started in the bar area for drinks, once we requested a table they had no issue transferring our bar tab to our table, always a plus.
The service was exceptional, Ryan was our waiter and he had amazing knowledge about the menu and all his choices were right on.

Is it really sad that going to the Waterfront is one of the things that I miss the most about living in La Crosse? I had dinner there last night with my most beloved and dear friend– we weren’t able to get a table on the patio as they don’t take reservations for the outdoor area. We sat inside and had a lovely waitress, as always. They recently changed their menu but the the service is always outstanding and the food is always out-​of-​this-​world-​amazing.
Last night we started out with a crab cake. This crab cake was not a crap cake like you get at many dining establishments. It was almost completely made of crab and had a beautiful, harmonious texture. I kinda loved it.
Next we had the beet salad. It rocked. It always does.
For entrees, we had the Pecan crusted steel head trout with fingerling potatoes. This was probably the best– no, it was the best steel head trout I have ever had. Cooked to perfection with a slight nutty/​smooth texture and a beautiful citrus butter that came in a baby orange to be poured over the top. Not soggy, not dry, just fresh and delicious and oh so tasty.
We also had the shrimp and scallops with linguine. There was one gigantic shrimp that our waitress deshelled table-​side and two nicely sized scallops on a bed on linguini that contained lobster, garlic, slivers of Parmesan cheese and a wine reduction sauce poured on the outside. The scallops melted like butter under my fork and were seared to perfection. It was absolutely delightful and piping hot; the leftovers made for a delicious lunch today too. If I could recommend anything for you to try here, I would recommend these three things :) I can’t possibly pick a favorite!