This place has awesome food that's for sure. The cheese curds hold true to north woods style tradition, then their rack of ribs are falling off the bone and could hold their own at bbq contests thousands of miles away. Yet the real creativity comes with the Loonatic Burger. My lord this 1 pound monstrosity is literally one of the best burgers I've ever sunk my lips into. I STRONGLY recommend tying it! read more

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! FIRST OFF, I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE RENTED THE CABIN THRU "VACASA.COM" VACATION RENTALS. We also spoke to the onsite owners Missy & Wayne when we arrived at the cabin, about issues we immediately observed. The owners were sarcastic and didn't want to resolve the issues we brought to their attention. They told us to talk to the company that we had made the reservations thru. So here's our experience at The Gateway Lodge & Resort - the "HoneyMoon Cabin" rental. My husband & I rented this cabin for Labor Day weekend. Cabin was so bad we only stayed 1 night (& ONLY stayed that night cause we were too exhausted from driving all day to drive any further to find new lodging). Besides the bugs flying around in the living room/dining room space, there was mold in the bathroom, inadequate very dim lighting throughout cabin (with half the overhead lights in kitchen not working), bedding was old, worn & dirty, kitchen was inadequately stocked (when I opened the silverware drawer there were "3" forks (1 of which the prongs were bent), the only seating provided in the cabin was an old worn dirty futon (with springs poking thru) and a small dining table with 2 uncomfortable chairs), the gas fireplace did not work (even though Vacasa-the property mgmt company we rented from- advertised that there was a working fireplace). When we asked Missy & Wayne about the fireplace not working they laughed & told us that our fireplace hadn't worked in over 2 years and that they had planned to remove it but just hadn't gotten round to it. WiFI didn't work, outside dining table was dirty, the "free" to use canoes were corroded with dirt & looked as though they hadn't been cleaned in a long, long time. Moving on to what appeared to be (3) FIRE/SAFETY HAZARDS INSIDE THE CABIN. 1. PICTURE ATTACHED -In our bedroom, there was a breaker box on the wall. Beside it there was a large handful of long wires that apparently came from the outside of the cabin thru the wall and into the bedroom. They were just hanging there with a piece of tape around them. 2. VIDEO ATTACHED -In the living room-Above the fireplace-sitting on a shelf, is an ancient CD player and sound system that did not appear to work, but were plugged into the same electrical outlet that the fireplace is plugged into. (Keep in mind this gas fireplace was plugged in even though it hadn't worked in over 2 years, according to the owners). You can see there are 4 items plugged into the one wall outlet on the right side of fireplace; and 1 item plugged into the electrical outlet on the left side of fireplace, with numerous wires hanging down & stretched up & around. 3. VIDEO ATTACHED -The inside HVAC unit was not enclosed. Unit was installed inside the bathroom on left hand side (you can see the curtain hanging in front of it in the video). Instead of it being installed with proper enclosure as required by Wisconsin code, It was installed in the bathroom with no enclosure - only a full length curtain to hide it from sight. My husband & I immediately requested a full refund the same night we arrived at the cabin, and are still being given the run around by Vacasa.com property management. I am now pursuing thru the assistance of the WI Dept of Agriculture/Trade & Consumer Protection Bureau!!!! read more

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Be careful of the establishment. credibility of what can be deceiving especially with gambling and raffles. Ambiance is wonderful. Beer cold. Bathroom clean. Pit stop only. The End. read more

We spent a week at the Gateway Lodge, the cabin met our needs and was well up kept. We did have a problem during the week that did get handled. Our biggest concern was the complete lack of customer service. Check in time was 3 pm, we arrived at 3:20 and were told that cabin was not clean and we would just need to be patient, no eta of when we could get in. We finally were able to get in at 5:20. There was no apology, just a very rude "we are doing the best we can with no help". We felt like an inconvenience, a simple call telling us that check-in would be delayed would have gone a long way. Communication prior to our stay was nonexistent as well, I had to call to find out check-in time, a simple email or letter with some specifics around our stay would have been nice. read more

I DO NOT RECOMMEND! I have to give one start to post my review, I really give them zero stars! Just got back from a stay at the Gateway Lodge and I have to be brutally honest, I couldn't wait to leave! We arrived Wednesday around 1pm to check in to a not so hospitable owner! We called several times prior to arrival to confirm bar/restaurant hours and accommodations! During check in we were notified of a 3% charge for using a credit card, the bar/restaurant did not open till Friday (the website currently says open 11-close everyday BUT Tuesday)and they did not have a key to one of the cabins we rented! We were told it would be ok, they don't lock their doors either! The next day we stopped by to inquire about the key and we were told we should have by the afternoon, we stopped by after a day of riding to still no key and no answer at door or phone! We called Wayne and instead of apologizing for our inconvenience he told us about everything he felt we were doing wrong! We rented 2 cabins and disclosed we had a dog in our party, when speaking with Wayne regarding the key he told us the dog was only allowed in one of the cabins we rented, when we mentioned we were not told this at check in he said "common sense should tell us"! He said the chemicals to clean after a dogs stay are expensive and they need to clean better after a dogs stay, really Wayne, then if your so concerned about the peoples allergies ya might want to clean the fans in ALL the cabins and on top of the refrigerators! The dust on the fans was so bad we couldn't turn them on! Also, ya might not let YOUR dog in the bar/restaurant! When we checked in there was a golden retriever in the bar/restaurant, I hope you used those expensive cleaning products before you served customers on Friday! We travel and stay at a lot of resorts, this is the first time we felt like we were being watched or that we did not feel at home, we couldn't control the temperature in our cabins, if we needed to adjust the temp we had to call, good luck getting someone to answer the first time you call! read more

Four of us spent a week in one of the cabins at Gateway in 2012 in January for a snowmobile trip. We take our trip every winter, we will NEVER return to Gateway. The cabin wasn't bad but the lodge staff acted like it was painful for them to wait on us while we were eating supper in their establishment. The owners run the lodge and the restaurant. The wife was our waitress, she spent more time playing with her newborn grandchild than attending to her paying customers. All four in our group got the ribeye, none of them were cooked properly and the sides were average at best. We will not return to Gateway Lodge. read more

Dispute over boat rental. Discussed 4 days of rental, left day early, still charged for 4 days. The lady owner "Missy" said the contact explains the start time and end time, it does not. Missy was explaining contact language meaning to fit her need. One item was if key is not returned they charge $25, agree with that to replace a key. She said that means an extra day is charged if she has to get the boat key from me, I do not agree. She did not get the boat key from me, I gave it to her when I paid for the gas. She came to room to check it and got the room key from me, as I was cleaning the room before I left. I cleaned the room as did not trust the business after talking to the owners and other guests complained about them. read more

While staying as guests we arrived last night about 9:30pm and got all settled in and walked over to the bar. The food was amazing! We were blown away. Tonight while out riding today we made sure to leave room for some tasty appetizers when we got back for a night cap. We got in the bar about 9:20 and had to wait for 10 min at least to get someone to take our drink order. We were excited to sample a few appetizers. Then we were told the kitchen was closed.....yeah, at 9:30. All we could have was pizza. Which sucks because the the night before we were having appetizers at 10:30! What gives?!?!? read more

Was snowmobiling on Flambeau Flowage and stopped for dinner. Only myself and one couple were there. The couple were on vacation from outside the area. I ordered a salad with baked cod and garlic smashed potatoes. There were two tomato slices on the salad. They were frozen and tasted strange. The lettuce was crisp. The baked cod and potatoes were good. Except for the salad, I was satisfied with the dinner. Nothing great, but hit the spot. What ruined the dining experience was when the female owner started loudly expressing her political views on immigration. Her views are more extreme than anyone in office. I grew up in the area and believe her views may have been welcomed by a few of the locals, but more than half the people across the country would find them offensive. When this started, the other couple there quickly asked for their bill and left with half their dinner eaten. I was too hungry, so had to sit and listen. My suggestion to help this business is to keep political views to yourself. Talk fishing, weather, snow conditions, local history, etc. Instead of leaving full and satisfied, I left upset. read more

Stopped in on a Thursday night. Got the fried pork tenderloin special. It was great. Service was prompt and accurate. Everyone seems nice. Would recommend it. If I'm ever back up this way I'll definitely be going back read more

Me and my family ended up stopping to eat some dinner. The menu offered many different options and the interior pictures looked promising. I have to say this was the worst service I have ever received at any restaurant. The moment we walked in we weren't greeted or helped to be seated. There was only one other couple there at the time and the waitress ignored us. The waitress was so incredibly rude from beginning to end. She ended up forgetting to place an order and blamed us for forgetting to order the food and never said sorry. The food is expensive with the quality of food you'd find inside a corner store mini market. I would never recommend this place even to my worst enemy. The service and food were absolutely terrible!!!! DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DONT STOP HERE! read more

I wish I could recommend the Gateway Lodge. The surrounding lake and woods are picturesque, and some of the cabins are quite nice and new. (Some cabins are in awful disrepair. I was left with the impression the property is in transition.) The bar is cozy, though I cannot recommend the restaurant. We ate with a large group, and the food preparation was amateurish at best, and in some cases positively unappetizing. The thing that was most offensive, however, was the behavior and comments of the owners. They seem to enjoy making loud proclamations espousing narrow and uninformed political opinions. It can make guests feel quite uncomfortable. No matter what your politics, any business owner should recognize that half their clients likely voted for the other guy, and it's best to at least be respectful of that. read more

Terrible service. The woman owner was very rude the whole time we were there. From when we checked in, to when we checked out. We felt like were were inconveniencing her when checking in. We paid a lot of money for a cabin and boat and were told you can pay by check. Then when we got there, they told us they don't take checks and had to pay with credit card and they tack on a fee for credit cards. what a joke. The boat had problems starting and the cabin was nowhere near the lodge! They never told us that when making the reservations plus, no A/C. The owner told us over the phone that it had air and when we got there, it didn't. Plus, they didn't even own the cabin! The husband/owner told me over the phone that they bought the cabin last year. After driving from the lodge to the cabin, 15min, the other owner/wife, "Mrs. Happy", said they don't own it. They would have to call the owner to see if they could put A/C in it. Worst place we've ever stayed. All the money we gave them, they should be taking care of us. They were unfriendly, rude and the wife has an attitude problem. Seems like she's stuck there and she'd rather be someplace else than in the middle of the northwoods. read more

I haven't stayed at the Gateway, I stay across the waterfall at the Haven by the Falls...but I've gone to the Gateway Lodge for dinner and drinks many times. I'm usually hesitant to order fish or Prime Rib when "up north", but not at the Gateway! I love the Prime Rib and I can't leave the Canadian Walleye alone. Salads are always fresh and fantastic. The French Onion Soup is one of the best around! Great selection of different beers for being out in the middle of nowhere. :) read more

Do not stay here !!! The cabin we rented was a dump ! So dirty it was not fit for my dog to stay in. We tried to get our money back and the coward of a owner was hiding. I am a businnes owner myself and was apalled by this experience. read more

We always stop here at least once during our ATV trips. Food is excellent and consistent. This trip, we had the ribeye and tenderloin sandwich. Salad bar is fresh with good selection. Friendly server and owners. Best food in the region. read more

Whether you're going for Thanksgiving dinner or stopping in off the snowmobile trail for a hearty lunch, the food is excellent. We enjoyed a full course turkey and ham dinner for Thanksgiving 2012. As far as lunch goes, the pulled pork is out of this world! The location is very scenic and worth a cruise down FF off of Highway 51. Be sure to see the Lake of the Falls before or after your visit to the Gateway. You won't regret it! read more

We have always had a great experience at Gateway Lodge. Food is excellent. I would recommend ribs, sandwiches, had salmon and oysters last weekend. We have invited friends for dinner there and actually visited twice on our trip up-north this time. Oh and don't leave w/out trying the flowage fingerlings'. Definitely family friendly, we'll be back! read more

Stopped for dinner, I had the BBQ sampler, it was ok. Fried chicken and walleye fingers were tasty.

Great service and excellent food. My wife and I went here for a late dinner on our honeymoon last fall. We both ordered the prime rib along with crab cakes as an appetizer. I also ordered mushrooms and a couple shrimp to go with my beef. Everything was excellent. Our prime rib was much larger than expected (I ordered the king portion and my bride ordered the queen). Needless to say we came away with two meals worth of yummy leftovers. Also, when we told owners (who took our order and prepared our meal) that it was our honeymoon, they gave us a complimentary dessert shot. Wonderful service and wonderful people. We will be going back again this fall. read more

We had a late change in plans and spent our 2 week vacation here. Our cabin was spacious and updated. The owners we very helpful and friendly. If you needed anything like were to fish, what other sites to see,they were great on giving advice. The place was family oriented, new swing set, canoes, and kayaks to use. They also have pontoons and fishing boats to rent. It is out of town but worth the drive. We loved how quiet it was. It was very convenient to go to eat at their restaurant/bar. It is run by a family so it might take a few minutes to get bait or get waited on but was very satisfied with our service. And loved the campfire Wayne started each night. We have already booked out next vacation there. We will be renting one of their new houses. It's big enough for kids and grandkids can't wait for next summer. We think they are VERY reasonably priced. We were scrambling and only could find dumps much more expensive than here. They are also pet friendly. That was another hurdle we had when finding a place.Thanks again Missy,Wayne, and Brittany see you guys next summer. read more

We stayed at the Gateway Lodge and had a great time good fishing and hiking. The beauty of the Lake and surounding area is beyond words. The cabins are new, clean, spacious with a view of Lake. Campfires at night and fishing during day life don't get better. The Restaurant and Bar makes for entertainment a good group of friendly people run it. The special was prime rib with double baked potato,salad, green bean,buns. The prime rib melted in your mouth very good choice. My friends had chops and perch both we're satisfied when we left. We booked again with them to stay next year. read more

I live in Madison and have been going to our vacation house in Mercer for many years. I must say that the owner Wayne and his wife Missy have changed the Gateway to a very nice place since they took ownership in approximately 2006. The Gateway lodge is awesome, It is a very nice place and set up for multiple choices in dining. Which includes looking out at the lake, nice bar setting with dining tables, or a more formal dining in the other area of the restaurant. I have 3 kids age 5,3,1 and they have love eating at the gateway. I have taken numerous friends and family members over the years to dine at the Gateway and they all been very impressed with menu selection. The loonatic burger is great, The ribs are fantastic, The pork tenderloin sandwich is also very good. As far as the person that wrote the negative review from Green Bay. She commented about the cabin rental. She is clueless as this is for restaurant reviews. So I feel I should add the following. I was walking with the 3 kids on one side of the road and she crossed the center line and almost came into the ditch on the our side of the roadway. So we were almost hit by her as she drove while on the cell phone. I was fishing just out from the cabin and she was arguing with her husband and it was not about the cabin. So my guess is she had a fight with her husband and wanted to leave and she was looking for any excuse to get her money back. And the cabin she rented is the most rustic rental. I have been inside this rental several times and it is nice. However the Gateway has a honeymoon cabin that is incredible and several houses that are some of the nicest house in Northern WI for rentals. read more

If you are in Mercer, stay away from The Gateway Lodge restaurant. My family and I went to the Friday night fish fry and awful is too good a word. My husband ordered the Walleye, which costs $17.95 by the way, and was received burned and uneatable. My husband took one bite and almost vomited. Our dog wouldn't even eat it. That is just one example. The rest of the food was just fair at best. The servers make you feel like your intruding on them. For a business that seems to basically depend on vacationers, you would think they would be a whole lot friendlier. read more

Spicy Bloody Mary. We stop here every year on our snowmobile trip. Great steaks too. Right the trail and the flowage.

Rented the "Aspen" cabin for three nights. The price quoted over the phone was agreeable, but we were surprised with additional per-person fees when we got there. The website listed Wi-Fi and DirectTV... NOT! The Wi-Fi was so weak we could barely connect. Yes, there was a DirectTV box, but it only got 3-4 local channels and about 20 infomercial channels (broadcast on a disappointingly small TV). Due to a recent spike in LP gas prices, they asked us to use space heaters instead of the normal heat, which I could understand, but that meant we couldn't use the fireplace either. (and I noticed boxes on the thermostats preventing us from controlling anything anyway!) It was obviously fairly recently remodeled, but lacked any decor... one picture on one wall in the whole place. 2 or 3 rickety hangers in the closets. Toilet paper that was thinner than anything I've ever seen. Terrible parking situation for vehicles towing snowmobiles. Overall, it's too bad... I just expected better for the price. read more