A grand old Clear Lake restaurant is circling the drain. Woefully bad wait staff and service, outrageous prices and not worth a visit. My wife and I made a visit there tonight after over a year away (and I am a almost 50 year customer)...never again to return. read more

The service was terrible today. I get the feeling that they were way under staffed. I was standing by the bar and the lady there just ignored me. The usual bartender will ask how many or how can I help you as you walk in the do read more

July 2025. I stop there once a year. Food and service is usually good. Last night (July 17) was a disaster. Not many people in there. Service was crazy bad. Our servper forgot about us several times. Should have walked out after the first round and cheese curds. Ordered sandwiches and we were there for almost 2 hours. maybe it's time to turn the keys over to the Surf and they can open another restauran. read more

This place has a cult following. People wait outside to be sat at the first seating. They don't take reservations. I don't know why. Service is almost like a production line. Waiters walk down the line of tables and take drink orders. Then they slam the bar with orders. Then they come back through and take all food orders. Then they stack the kitchen with orders, then food slowly trickles out. Salads were basic side salad lettuce, carrot, blah blah blah. Lame. I ordered the ribeye. It came out soaked in what looked like au jus on an aluminum pan/plate. The potato and salad dressing were pretty good. The food is too expensive for the mediocre quality. I don't want to stand outside in the cold waiting to pay too much for this. I don't want to go back. read more

Had great food friendly service. Prices are costly these days do that was expected. Had a great time will go back again

Unfriendly staff, couldn't tell you about the food. Stood there for over 5 minutes waiting for a host/bar tender at the bar like the sign said to do. She looked at me several times and continued to chat and laugh with her friends at the bar rather than seat me. When she finally came to seat me, her attitude was as if I put her out to seat me. While there was plenty of seating available, since I was by myself I was pushed to sit at a tiny leaning table at the door. I left, I will not be treated like this. It's a shame, I was told the food was good, I guess I will never know. Maybe she was having a bad day. If I make it back to area, I might try it again... read more

Really really great food, not cheap but really good ambiance and friendly waiters. The sizzler is a good choice for most people and I would recommend eating there not taking it to go. read more

Always excellent service and consistently good food here. Which actually, I've noticed higher quality items here than most restaurants in the area. For instance, in the summer you are not getting a hard not ripe tomato on your burger or sandwich, it's always ripe and juicy. You can tell they put in the extra work to ensure they are putting out the best of the season. Highly recommend!!! read more

Great service and amazing food! I had the prime rib and husband had the ribeye. Cooked perfectly and delicious.

I've been a "Clear Lake Weekender" for about 8 year and this was my first time making a visit to The Half Moon (THM). It can be easily overlooked by Ge Joe's By the Lake, The O.P., and several other locations. Finally made our way to THM on a Saturday night. The parking lot was packed and so was the inside. We didn't have a wait though except for someone to great us. A sign was out that said please wait to be seated but we got ignored a couple of times. Someone greeted us and said a table for 4 was ready and we stood there kind of awkwardly waiting for her to show us where to go. She was then like "oh, do you want me to show you?" Ha, yes we do. The atmosphere is totally dinner club style. It'd be a great place to get the most out of a happy hour. You can get gin and tonics for $2! Crazy. I was amazed to see one of my most favorite beers on their beer list - a Bell's Two Hearted Ale - get this - for only $3.50! Saturday night was a Prime Rib special for $18.99. I ordered that and it came with a salad, potato and loaf of fresh baked bread. The salad dressing was AMAZING. It was definitely homemade because I have never had a ranch dressing that was so thick and creamy. MMM. The blue cheese dressing was just as good. I ordered hash-browns as my potato. Outstanding. They were crispy on the outside and steamy and actually buttery on the inside. The prime rib was cooked wonderfully. I ordered it medium-rare and it came out like that. I would've liked the prime rib to have come out seperately rather than in an au jus. It was too salty for me. Be prepared to wait! Your dinner order will take about 20-30 minutes to come out. It's worth the wait though. read more

Half Moon Inn - Saturday Night Prime Rib Special (Queen Cut 10oz-12oz) - American Near Me - Clear Lake, Iowa

We were in need of food and stopped in looking for a bite to eat, but it was mid-afternoon and the kitchen was closed. However we noticed a small bar in the back so we had a seat back there for a couple of beers. As a bar, it wasn't really much to speak of. The bartender wasn't very conversational (but not rude or anything), and the beer selection was pretty limited. The menu looked pretty interesting but since we didn't get to try the food I'll give the bar three-stars for being so-so. read more

Half Moon Inn - a half moon inn sign and a half moon inn sign - American Near Me - Clear Lake, Iowa

Our go-to restaurant in Clear Lake when we're looking for a nice dinner & atmosphere to enjoy with family and friends. I love the smothered chicken breast and they serve a lovely prime rib dinner. This is a supper club type restaurant with a classic chicken/steak/seafood menu, great service and consistently delicious food! read more

We went here for a special anniversary dinner and our son wanted to treat us as we celebrated our 30th anniversary. The service was terrible. We had our food delivered after our appetizer and salads and the waitress never checked on us once to see if everything was ok or if we needed anything for almost 45 minutes until we were all done. Then a simple want a dessert drink and that was it. No; Thank you for coming or anything. The sad part is she did check on friends at the bar several times and the place was half full so it was obvious she had no interest in making our evening special. The food was OK, but the sirloin ordered medium well was served medium to medium rare and the pork filet was like rubber and the tater tots were served very cold. The walleye was very good, and our kids liked the chicken tenders. It is really too bad when you spend $180.00 on dinner, and it turns out to be a waste of money. read more

This place is a hidden gem! The food is amazing every time I take someone there they take someone else. The ribeye is amazing the prime rib is awesome! And the wallet is to die for!! Hash browns with cheese and onions are my favorite! This place is great. Service is wonderful portions are huge. read more

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Very good food but a somewhat limited menu. The steaks are always great and I have the hash browns with cheese and onions. Good drinks but the service can be a little slow so don't be in a hurry, enjoy the evening. read more

My parents, husband and I decided to try Half Moon last night. Some of us were pleased with our food and some others weren't so pleased. It was the first visit for everyone in our party, so a hostess or a sign that says "seat yourselves" would have been nice, but we found neither. After standing in the front door for a few minutes, another patron told us we could go ahead and seat ourselves. We walked toward the back to find an open table that would seat four and were seated at a just-cleaned table. Our waitress was pleasant enough, but some of the staff was not personable. Perhaps it is because we aren't regulars, but I didn't feel overly welcomed. The margaritas seemed quite popular, but we stuck to the beer. They don't have any beer on-tap, so if you are looking for a draft, you won't find one there. I ordered the charburger, which is your basic half-pound burger, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. Pickles came on the side. I changed the standard chip order to tater tots, which was my mistake. I should have ordered the regular french fries. My burger was delicious and juicy, so I was pleased with it. My husband and father both ordered the bleuburger, which is a half-pound burger with bleu cheese broiled on the top. My husband got his plain ("none of the healthy stuff") and my dad ordered grilled onions with his tomato and lettuce. My husband ordered the steak fries, which weren't seasoned and were a little dry, which was his mistake...again, he should have ordered the french fries. My dad didn't order anything to go with his burger (he ate off our plates). My mom ordered the MJ special, which can be a hand-battered and fried or grilled pork tenderloin that comes with french fries. My mom was not impressed with the pork tenderloin - she thought it needed some trimming and said it was too porky. Her fries, however, were the hit at our table since the rest of us munched off of her plate. Bottom line, I would probably go back again. The burgers were delicious and I'd order the french fries. A table next to us ordered onion rings and they looked delicious, so I might try those as well. read more

Great service and food! The prime rib is top notch and crazy big! Get there early as seating fills up fast!

Solid food every time we go there and always extremely friendly service. Our favorite spot in clear lake.

This is one of my favorite places to go with my family for birthdays and things. Very low key and great food. Debbie the owner is amazing so are the rest of the staff A+ read more

We checked this place out online and read good reviews so decided to try it. Don't judge it by the outside (nothing to see) or even by the decor inside (looks like an old supper club). Judge it by the fantastic and friendly service you will receive, and the delicious food you will eat! We had the barbequed ribs, which were so tender you could pull them off the bone easily with your fork, and the filet, which was perfectly done and absolutely melted in my mouth. Our server was very friendly, and was there when we needed her or asked for her, but not bothersome at all. We will definitely eat here again! read more

Out of baked potatoes, didn't have sirloins, got blue cheese dressing instead of the ranch that I ordered. I love the food at the Half Moon, but have to say I am a little disappointed tonight in the service! The service wasn't bad, but got worse as the dinner progressed. After we were told they were out of sirloins, she did suggest the pork chops that were very flavorful. Had to ask for refills more than once and when we were the only customers left, trying to flag her down to pay the bill was next to impossible after she said she would come back to pick the bill up. She was busy eating her own dinner at the bar. I ended up having to take the bill up to the bar to pay. The meal was a good value at less than $35.00 for a great dinner and drinks. The food was a 5, but the service I'm going to have to give a 3 for an overall rating of 4 stars. read more

Went in kinda late around 9pm so had no problem finding a table. They do need a sign that says seat yourself for out of town visitors. A waitress came over with water and crackers a few mins later and gave us menus. We all ordered meals that came with salads which were a good size with nice ripe tomatoes and eggs on top & dressing on the side. I got the filet mingon wrapped in bacon. Was ordered medium rare and cooked very nice. For the side I got steak fries which were nice and hot when they came out! Mom ordered the ribs which fell off the bone they were so tender! Baked potato for her side, was kinda small but hot when it came out. Dad got the pork chop with hashbrowns (with cheese and onions) on the side. Pork chop was a little dry(-1/2 star), hashbrowns were very good! We got bread with our entrees but by then had eaten a couple packs of crackers and didn't want it. Maybe if it came out with the salad. (-1/2 star) Service was a little slow Decor was some town photos, a couple moon photos and some mirrors from what I could see from our table. Had a small bar there as well that looked to seat about a dozen. read more

Great service from Sara the wait person. It's a busy place but... It's worth the wait. Always takes about 30 to 45 min to be served after ordering. We just relax and have A couple drinks while we are waiting. Highly recommend the Ribeye dinner read more

Best steak place in Clear Lake. Love the prime rib on weekends and the hash browns are good too. The service is usually good but lately the service has been a little off. Hopefully that will change. The food is always great!! read more

Tonight was the worst food and service I've ever had . They can do better we were in the restaurant for 3 hours food was very slow coming out of kitchen and then was cold when it made it to our table. read more

The 6 of us waited 1 hour to be served, we were ok with that, then sat at our table for 1/2 hr to get our menus, then another hour to get our food. The table that was seated after us got waited on and their food before us. I know they were busy during the Kite Fest but really never again. I wanted to get up and leave but was out voted. read more

Raspberry vinaigrette dressing was very good, loaf of bread added a nice touch to the meal and they served a great medium rare filet mignon; I chose to have the bacon remove prior to grill the filet. No reason to add a layer of fat around a perfectly cut of tender beef. read more

Had lunch with a client there and was pleasantly surprised. Client had a sandwich that he said was very good, and I had the Chef's Salad which was very good also. Waitress was very pleasant and accommodating. Nice atmosphere. Will stop again. read more

This is by far the best restraunt in Clear Lake. The staff is extremely friendly and their cheesballs are to die for(personally i like them their amazing homemade ranch). French fries are good and their hash browns with cheese are a nice treat. Their burgers and juicy and the filet is pretty good too. If your in the mood for fish I love the shrimp. Prime rib ranks pretty high up there as well. read more