Silver Lake Country Inn

The ribs are awesome the service is slow but great. The place is small and outdated but that keeps the price down so if you’re looking for a five star restaurant then don’t come here. But if you like ribs and location doesn’t bother you then this place is for you. Reservation recommended.

I made a reservation for my family of 4 (2 kids age 5 and 12) for Wednesday All you can eat shrimp and ribs. We arrived for our scheduled dinner time (5:30pm) and only had to wait approx. 5 min for our table to be ready.. The building is very old and very small. There is a fire place in the «main» dining room which is the size of a large living room. There is a slotted decorative wall which separates the entry way walk way from the bar area, which also offers high table seating to the right and to the left is the «main» dining room. On the wall which is at the end of the bar, there are 3 booths, which need to be updated as it’s very cramped and the benches are rickety and not at all comfortable. Definitely not a space for those who are claustrophobic.
Items Ordered: (1 – 5 stars)
*Mozzarella Sticks — 2 stars
*Ribs/​Shrimp combo (all you can eat) 3 stars
*Kids grilled cheese, open face — 1 star
*Cheeseburger — 2 stars
We ordered an appetizer of mozzarella sticks, as our kids really enjoy them. Typical mozzarella sticks. They were wrapped in wonton wraps, not breaded. You could tell they were homemade however, as far as I could tell, they used pre-​packaged string cheese, the thin small kind, which left something to be desired. They were small and nothing special. I have actually made better ones at home.
Along with me and my husband’s dinners, we had the option of soup or salad. My husband ordered salad and I opted to upgrade to the French onion soup in a crock, which is an additional charge. We received our soup and salad, which took a little longer than to be expected, to come to our table. The salad was your basic house salad, nothing too different from what you would find any where else. The French onion soup arrived in a crock and was looked delicious, oozing with mozzarella cheese over the top. I was pretty excited when it arrived, as a good French onion soup is one of my favorites. I cut through the cheese with my spoon to find a small piece of bread underneath and through the bread to the soup. The soup was barely soup and seemed to be made with some type of cream as it was extremely thick, more of an onion stew. It was very strange. There was no broth consistency what so ever. The flavor was a bit too sweet and rich for my liking as it was a cream onion base. The cheese was okay, but nothing really stood out past the point of presentation. And we all know, you can’t get by on looks alone.
The restaurant was very busy, for it’s size and there seemed to be not too many waitress’s working (as it’s too small for too many to be working as it is). So service was sub par however, our waitress was very friendly and made up for the slow service with how friendly and nice she was. (her name escapes my memory other than it was an older lady with what I would say is a younger persons name). Even though she was very friendly and nice, I tend to get cranky with really slow and un-​attentive service. So that’s not a good combination for me, personally.
Our dinners came and nothing was visually impressive. The ribs were mediocre in size (which I didn’t mind since it was all you can eat). My sons’ burger and fries looked like a typical burger and fries. The burger was cooked to medium to well (which medium rare was requested). My daughters grilled cheese was served on a bun, open faced, which was advertised in the menu, but it was less of a grilled cheese and more of a microwaved cheese bun. It looked disgusting, personally. And I really don’t think she touched it, but she didn’t complain so that was the bright spot of that. My shrimp were basic, smaller sized, frozen, breaded shrimp served with cocktail sauce, that could have used a little more horseradish. Too much ketchup. The ribs weren’t fall off the bone delicious. (side note: I had recently eaten at a restaurant that had the most amazing ribs and had pretty high expectations of Silver Lake’s ribs as I have heard so much about them). They were baby back ribs with a layer of bbq sauce lathered over the top. The sauce tasted like it was straight from the bottle and really lacked a zing. The ribs were tender, but not tender enough for my liking. They didn’t fall off the bone what so ever. I didn’t reorder, my husband did. He got the honey mustard, which I tried, and it was completely boring.
All in all, nothing stood out in this meal and I was pretty disappointed. I’m not sure what the craze is about this place. There are too many places to try, to go back here again.
**Have cash when you go, no credit cards.
*** I could have written more than 5000 characters, but I had to take A LOT out in order to fit this review to standards.

The food here is delicious. Portions are generous and the price is terrific. However, bring cash or a check book because you can’t pay with a card.
The restaurant itself is small with lower ceilings. Parking is not plentiful. Cars are packed in and angled making arriving and leaving difficult. We had reservations but were placed at the high top table by the bar. Within 15 minutes of arriving, the bar area became so crowded that people were milling around and bumping our table, and the front door was being held open allowing cold air to blow in.
The staff was friendly and courteous. I have never had a bad meal here. The French onion soup is more of a cream style soup and is not to be missed. The ribs are as described by others– fall off the bone tender.
Great food at a great price. It makes the other issues worth the trip.

Best all you can eat ribs and shrimp around (Tues-​Thurs). Add Perch to that on Wednesdays. Can’t beat the price either. I highly recommend reservations.

If your looking for a great dinner spot during the week this is the place. Small friendly spot located just west of town. If you don’t know about this place, you wont find it on your own for its a hidden gem. Tues-​Thurs all you can eat ribs and shrimp (lake perch also on wed) for only $ 12. The rest of the menu is great as well. Whats the catch you would ask? Nothing. The food is spot on, great bar for a few cocktails, nice people all around. Get here early or have a reservation. Just know however though they do not accept credit.

Good food at reasonable prices. Be sure to try the ribs! The staff is very friendly. Be sure to say hi to Rita the bartender on Thursday nights.

My girlfriend made a reservation on a Friday for the place and we got there 5 minutes before we were supposed to. Hostess ignored us like we were invisible and we were the only ones standing there at the time. Finally checked in and had to wait. Others came in and had there names put on the list. When a table freed up she sat people who came in and didnt have reservations before us. Asked the hostess why she sat them first, she didn’t have an answer. It was busy, but I’ve never seen someone so disorganized before. Would’ve loved to try the food but had enough of bad time dealing with the hostess and decided to leave. Won’t ever go back do to this experience.

The service was excellent, the ribs were so tender they fell off the bone, the fish was perfectly fried. I’ve seen other reviewers suggest that if you order the «all you care to eat» selection that you don’t get free refills. I’m not sure if that used to be the policy but I had several refills and was only charged the once. Price was was also really reasonable. It’s jam packed on the all you care to eat nights so make a reservation.

I’m amazed this place only averages four stars. As an old-​time Wisconsin supper club this place rates at the top. The service has always been excellent even though crowded. The ribs and shrimp are excellent especially when you consider the price. They don’t accept credit cards which is fine with me. As far as I’m concerned they must sink the 4% merchant charges savings into quality food. Take your cash and be ready for a great tasting dinner.

Finally found our Walleye spot. Sweet baby walleye was delicious. Definitely worth the drive. Cozy bar with friendly efficient bartenders, great drinks. Rustic dining room. Dinner service was timed perfectly. Looking forward to trying some of their weekly specials. Bring cash!

The food was excellent! A very great atmosphere to dine in. The service was great. The All-​You-​Care to eat was fantastic! I especially loved the all you can eat ribs, shrimp, or both. I also am a big fan of the French Onion Soup. That is by far, the greatest French Onion Soup I have ever tasted. A great amount of food. I left the restaurant feeling full and taking leftovers home. It is worth the money. Speaking about money, they only take cash. No credit cards was accepted.

This place is your small town supper club, which I find to be fantastic! Great food and service. Fish fry was wonderful. Could use some music though.

Tried this place out Friday night to celebrate my sister’s birthday. We had reservations for 8 people and just had to wait a few minutes to be seated once they cleared the table. The hostess and another gal were constantly helping out the waitresses clearing tables, bringing drinks, and food to the tables.
Dining area is small and seating is tight, but it was fine. Food portions were huge for the price and we were stuffed when we left. The fish fry was excellent and the Alaskan baked cod was perfectly seasoned and cooked.
All of our needs were met and staff were overly accommodating. The pay by cash/​check was not a big deal as we had researched this place ahead of time and were prepared. There is a big sign on the door that states this policy. Although a bit inconvenient, it was not a big deal. Definitely worth the trip down the snowy hill to the lake!

Don’t go without reservations. Better yet, don’t go at all.
We didn’t have reservations last night. They didn’t tell us that the wait would be 2 hours. After we finally sat down, they had run out of ribs. We were given menus to choose alternate entrees. Another ten minutes passed, no service. We were not the only patrons leaving without service. They were obviously unprepared for the crowd.
Five years ago we ate their ribs. Nothing special. At that time I said I’d never go back.
Cheesy atmosphere, overcrowded, overrated, on a Tuesday night.

This is one strange place. Out of the way, small and long waits, even if you have reservations.
The wait time can tell you something — the food is excellent. I am a local and have eaten here many times and never been disappointed with the food. The ribs, in my opinion, and the best anywhere — truly fall-​off-​the-​bone.
Come Tuesday through Thursday and have all you can eat ribs and/​or shrimp or fish (depending on the day).
I shouldn’t be saying the above. It will just make the wait times longer.

OLD FASHION WISCONSIN HOMETOWN FISH FRY!
WOW AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET!!!
YES Its SMALL
YES HARD TO FIND„ Out of the way!
CROWDED YES!
BUSY YES REAL BUSY!
My Girl fried took me here past Friday and she knows I like a great fish fry they seem to get hard to find lately so we stick to our old haunts and they are very, very few! on arrival the place was packed she had made reservations and has been here years past, we were seated surprisingly fast for how small and busy the place was on Friday night 6:30P.M. as by the time I worked my way back from the bar with drinks we were being seated, BTW the location with all the snow out side & in the lot made me feel I was at a quaint UP North location !
Ok back to the service Great and Fast, We ordered I had the Fried Sweet Walleye, She had a Baked crusted haddock I think OMG! My order came out with 3 THREE strips of Walleye larger than the plate, warm German potato salad MMM GOOD, Coleslaw and warm home made dinner rolls fresh! all was Fabulous, I cut my order in half for lunch the next day, the only down side was my coleslaw was a bit dry I think the container was not stirred prior to serving NBFD! I like my coleslaw creamy and some what running all over! Her fish was great as I tried some too!
Prices CHEAP! $ 11.95-$ 13.95 range for a FF Fry isn’t BAD!
Service FAST!
Parking TIGHT!
MAKE RESERVATIONS EARLY!!!
Location COOL as in like up north Minocqua, Three Lakes,
FOOD Great!
ONE BAD THING FOR YOU YUPPIES! NO CREDIT CARDS TAKEN Cash & CHECK ONLY!
They also have ALL YOU CAN EAT DEALS, I am not a fan of but rumor has it their RIBS ARE TO DIE FOR! will report back!

I’ve now eaten here 4 times. 3 of the four times the service was pretty bad. EXTREMELY long wait times to get a table. Slow service when we finally GOT a table. This last time I decided I’d be smart and get a reservation to avoid long wait times. Well. we had to wait an hour and 15 minutes to get a table (what’s the point of a reservation?). That’s an hour and 15 minutes PAST our reservation time.
Same thing happened last time, but no reservation. We went in and were told «15 – 20 minutes for a table» An hour and half later, we got a table.
Food IS in fact decent. If I was just judging them based on food along I’d vote 4 stars. Good fish fry (get the Walleye) reasonable prices. But heck, why take reservations if you can’t serve people at somewhat close to the reservation time. God help you if you get stuck on one of the three tables in the bar. People shoving into you, noisy.
Parking is an issue. VERY limited parking. On a Friday night getting a parking spot is tough. Hmm. park in the street and block traffic (it’s on a very narrow lake road). Oh wait. I’ll park in the boat launch area because during the winter people are just LINED up to launch their boats into the frozen lake. Yes. there IS a no parking sign in the boat dock area. Probably should not have parked there, I freely admit I ignored the sign, which cost me 10 bucks.
Thank you Washington County Sheriff for the 10 dollar ticket. I guess next time I should park in the street and block traffic since the road is barely wide enough for 2 cars. And there were SO many people trying to launch their boats IN THE DEAD OF WINTER
Great way to encourage people to use local businesses.
All in all, after 4 trips and the latest parking fiasco, the taste of the food (3 ½ stars, NOT 5) isn’t good enough to erase the bad taste of slow seating, poor service and bad parking. There are plenty of Friday Fish Fries in the area that are equally good if not better for the same price. This was my last trip to the Silver Lake Country Inn.

What a strange place. The oddities kept coming at us all night. First, I called to make reservations and the person who answered the phone had to ask me to repeat myself over and over. Finally, she explained, «I’m sorry, someone is talking to me here, and I am very distracted.» Strange.
When we arrived, we found the place as one would expect an older lake restaurant. It looked like an old lake restaurant, and it smelled like an old lake restaurant.
Our server was very friendly and competent. She explained the special in great detail and was kind enough to bring me samples of their different rib sauces. That was nice.
My wife asked for iced tea, which they don’t serve. Odd. I asked for a diet Coke or Pepsi which they also don’t serve (instead they have Diet RC, which isn’t as good). Odd again. I ordered the «all you care to eat» ribs and shrimp, and my wife ordered a chicken dish.
We ordered separate meals for each of our three children. The waitress warned us that if the kids were to eat from my plate, I would not be able to order more. This seems like a reasonable policy that would have been better left unexpressed unless one abused it. In any case, my kids wouldn’t eat ribs or shrimp unless forced, and I don’t like to share. Still, more sensitive diners would have found her warning offensive.
Our food was fine. My wife’s chicken dish was very dry around the edges, but the center was juicy. Better cooking technique would have improved the dish. The ribs were falling off the bone and delicious from one end to the other. The sauces were also excellent, although rather salty.
I ordered another Diet RC (ugh) after sitting for a while with an empty glass. In a cautionary tone, the waitress warned me that they do not offer free refills.
After our meal, we got our bill, and we were delighted to see how affordable the meal was. I dropped my credit card on the bill, and the waitress told us that they don’t accept credit cards. Bizarre. She explained that it helps them keep their prices down. I understand that it costs them a percentage of every bill charged, but come on! There’s a reason why almost every business in the nation accepts credit cards.
The restaurant could benefit from not only a good cleaning but also a revisiting of their strange policies from drink choices, off-​putting rules and regulations, and their policy of accepting credit cards. Although we enjoyed the food, we probably won’t go back. Their attempt to keep prices down to minimum goes too far. I would rather pay a little more and not be stuck over and over with their strange policies.

Went to Silver Lake for a fish fry. Very good food but be sure to get there earlier. Very busy fast. Nice quant place by the lake. Would definetly go there again.

Now THAT was an awesome dinner! All-​you-​care-​to-​eat lake perch and ribs combo for $ 11.95??? Are you for real? Back home in the Bay Area that meal would have cost $ 22.95! Perch fried to perfection and meat so tender, it’s falling off the bone. But I can’t say enough about the service. We had a reservation for 9 people. We were on time but our table wasn’t ready. (lots of folks show up for all u can eat — go figure.) We hung out in the bar, ordered some drinks. None of us complained to the host or anything, even when 10 mins had gone by; the place is really small and we were all very understanding. All of a sudden, the host shows up in the bar with not one but TWO baskets of the most delicious onion rings I’ve ever had to apologize for the delay. That’s how you get repeat customers, people!
The waitress was always there with a drink and dinner order. She was engaging and complimentary and extremely charming.
Oh, and the lake location is also stunning. I WILL BE BACK ON MY NEXT TRIP!