Went on a Friday night. We made a reservation, but it seemed there was still immediate seating. Staff were all delightful and the atmosphere is cozy for a winter evening! The food was fine. All entrees come with 1 trip to the salad bar, which had a large selection of fresh vegetables and other goodies (delicious soups, potato salad, fruit and more). The rolls brought to the table were incredibly fresh. I got the half rack of ribs, which were probably the leanest ribs I've ever had. The meat was a little on the dryer side and the sauce didn't add a ton of flavor, but it was still a satisfying meal. read more

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Great service and happy hour. I love their salad bar and the food is generally very good and served hot. They need to reduce the amount of salt in their food however as it will prevent us from returning. read more

The best part for me was white table clothes and that entrees included salad bar and soup. It is a complete salad bar and I was excited to have pickled herring. My family that had soup were impressed by the amount of meat in the chili and veges in the tomatoe vegetable soup. I ordered prime rib and regretted it because the meat was just lukewarm. That may be because prime rib rests. The bread was nice. read more

Food here is always amazing! Service is always friendly and fast. Kind of overpriced, but not too bad.

Despite decent service to others I know in the past they fell way short this time. We were seated within a few minutes of getting to the restaurant however after 25 minutes of waiting we were not even offered beverages or even the typical ice water that most places bring to you automatically. We walked out and will not be back anytime soon. I was quite shocked based on the reputation but it goes to show that a reputation something that they need to live up to each time and not something that is granted. read more

To be fair, I did not have to pay for the food nor did I choose this restaurant. My coworker and I were there for a work event and the dinner menu was set. The choices were chicken cordon bleu, fried shrimp and sirloin steak. I chose the fried shrimp, and my colleague had the sirloin steak. The house salad was fresh, and the baked potato with butter and sour cream was fine. The main entrees were average. I finished off my shrimp but most who ordered the steak and chicken ate half and wasted the rest. The wait staff were friendly so no complaints about the service. However we had to walk to the back of the restaurant to the meeting room where the event was held. This meant that we had to walk past the kitchen and it was not pretty. Stuff thrown on the floor, and it looked dingy. Based on this, I wouldn't come to this restaurant on my my accord again. read more

We should have known better than to stop for dinner when we saw how empty the parking lot and bar were. We ordered dinner, mine was a 6 oz sirloin, cooked medium. My husband ordered chicken. Our dinners arrived and my steak looked like a ball of hard crust. Cutting into it, there wasn't even a tiny spot of pink inside. I took one bite and decided it wasn't going to work. Our server came over a little bit later and offered to bring it back to the kitchen, but by the time they cooked another steak my husband would have already finished his dinner. I was a bit surprised that no manager came to apologize, no offer of money off on the bill, and no offer of a free dessert. So I had a salad and a baked potato for dinner for $26.95. Even home cooks know how to use a meat thermometer. I'm surprised that they wouldn't know that at a restaurant. read more

Hard to believe this place continues to serve food. Should just do drinks and basic bar food.

Went to Rex's Inkeeper Friday might at a family members suggestion. Never Again for me. It has gotten so expensive and the quality has gone way down. My Cousins Daughter in Law and I both got the Salmon. For $26.95 I was expecting a decent size piece of Salmon it was very small, even on the very small plate they put in on, which would have been bad enough, but it was barely warm and the put so much melted salted butter on it! My bake potato was about the same temp as the salad. The waitress never brought out bread basket just put some cold rolls on out plates when she brought our dinners out. They only decent thing was the soup and salad bar. Which I could have paid about $15 for. Then the placed a party of 20 plus people in the main dining area, they were SO LOUD, we couldn't even hold a conversation our selves. I dont know what has happened here since the original owner passed away, but IMO, they have really gone down hill. Give me the MAPLE TREE any ole day. I won't be going back to REX'S!!! If it hadn't been for the salad bar, I would have given them 1 star. read more

Good food Salad bar great Service good! Quiet Great drinks Needs to update bar! Clean read more

Likely one of the worst places I've eaten. $90 meal for two diners and one appetizer. Coke is from a can, no refills. Shrimp cocktail is 7 small shrimp. We had a ribeye and a sirloin. $32.95 for a sirloin smaller than my palm and 4 broiled shrimp, no seasoning, no flavor. Prime rib was medium, so had to order a ribeye. Oh and the sides are potato or vegetable. The vegetable was corn. Maybe step away from the carbs. Service was good, waitress was kind. Salad bar was basic. When we left, hostess picked up her phone, said "have a good" and stopped to read a text, then many moments later said "day". Place was clean. Salad bar clean. Won't be back. read more

Rex's Innkeeper - Seafood Near Me - Waunakee, Wisconsin

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Rex's was our " go to" place to celebrate birthdays but not after 1/22/26. Inside was very cold. The salad bar has always been outstanding and it did not disappoint with 2 soups, herring, pickled beets, numerous other cold salads plus lettuce and at least 10 ingredients to add on the nice cold dishes. I love the packaged breadsticks and soft cheese to spread on. But the prime rib which has been the standard to measure all prime rib has decreased in quality and flavor and of course increased in price. We ordered the rib plus a steak and the kitchen mixed up the cooking request. The chicken was overcooked and tough. Baked potato has drastically reduced in size. They still have birthday special. The hostess/cashier was efficient and pleasant. Our server was very good at her job and humorous , serving main course soon after we finished the buffet. I also don't like the new silverware, which seemed lightweight and cheap. But I am sorry our tradition of celebrating birthdays there has ended. read more

Great food, reasonable prices, great salad bar and great service. What more can you ask for. Best restaurant in Waunakee.

Dining room is dated and dirty. Sat under a return air vent that was caked with dust. Salad bar is crappy iceberg lettuce, which was already browning at the edges. All the other items had been mixed by other patrons and no staff had cleaned up the area. My NY Strip looked like it was microwaved and then sat in a plate of "juices" to gain flavor. It was gross. Waitress was very short and only came to take our order and drop off the check, no drink refills or ask how were we're doing read more

Got there at 6pm Monday night sign says chicken & dumplings our waitress tells us there are only 2 chicken & dumplings left she would put our order in right away. 2 of us ordered the chicken and dumplings and had a long wait for food to arrive. Waitress brings 2 plates of baked chicken 4 pieces each & one biscuit dumpling. It wasn't what we were expecting chicken was dry not enough gravy 1 person had salmon that was dry and overcooked. I suggest better description on signs so customer knows exactly what they are getting. I don't like baked chicken or white meat my plate had 3 pieces of white meat and a leg. Not sure why it took so long to get our food. Very disappointing all around. read more

The restaurant is big with a nice bar area. My old fashion was not muddled. The best thing of all was the woundful salad bar including soup. They brought us yummy hot bread. We each had the ribs, which was good, not great. The service was excellent. read more

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I've only been to Rex's once, but it was a good experience. I was with a group of 7 for lunch. We all ordered the salad bar and I think everyone was pleased with the variety available. The cream of mushroom soup was outstanding. I'd go back again just to have it. I wish they would have had real bacon bits on the salad bar, I didn't think anyone used those little red bits anymore. We were there quite early, so the lunch crowd was just starting to come in, and our server did an excellent job. We had an individual room with a round table which made it very easy to have conversations with everyone. Good experience. read more

I've been to Rex's for a few occasions. Side-story - my parents used to live a block or so away - and every Sunday mid-morning we could smell the kitchen ramping up for the day. There's nothing like the smell of onion rings wafting around the neighborhood... mmmmm.... Rex's, I'm sure, is popular amongst the locals, mostly. A place to gather and share a meal, tell stories, and enjoy some food and drink. For me, the salad bar is what makes this place. I'm trying to eat healthy, and this provides a nice option for that. Some diced chicken or ham would be a nice addition (for those of us looking ot make the salad their meal), but overall it served it's purpose. The steaks are decent, and their fried food hits the mark. Service is good - I've never had an issue with the folks working here. Always friendly, always quick with a refill or whatever you need. All in all, Rex's is fine. I'll end up there again, I'm sure - but it's usually not by choice. It's someone else's choice. And I'm fine with that when it comes up. read more

Likely one of the worst places I've eaten. $90 meal for two diners and one appetizer. Coke is from a can, no refills. Shrimp cocktail is 7 small shrimp. We had a ribeye and a sirloin. $32.95 for a sirloin smaller than my palm and 4 broiled shrimp, no seasoning, no flavor. Prime rib was medium, so had to order a ribeye. Oh and the sides are potato or vegetable. The vegetable was corn. Maybe step away from the carbs. Service was good, waitress was kind. Salad bar was basic. When we left, hostess picked up her phone, said "have a good" and stopped to read a text, then many moments later said "day". Won't be back. read more

Rex's Innkeeper - Seafood Near Me - Waunakee, Wisconsin

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Amazing steak! One of the best I've had! Great kind owners. I definitely highly recommend this restaurant. Great salad bar too.

I am guessing a bad night but we went on a Saturday night and ordered the tenderloin special for 40 dollars. Was the toughest gnarly steak I and another diner have had in years. Mentioned it to the waitress and sent them an email with no response The service and salad bar were good but not happy with the entree or lack of response read more

Loved this place had prime rib there with my father Steve Lawler when he was in from California. read more

Rex's Innkeeper - Seafood Near Me - Waunakee, Wisconsin

Stopped in for lunch with a friend during the workday. Definitely has an older crowd for lunch, but was pleasantly surprised! The dining rooms were clean and the salad bar was well stocked with fresh ingredients along with two delicious hot soups. I added a side of shrimp, kind of wish they were lightly tossed in the boom boom sauce instead of being smothered with it. Friendly wait staff and bartender, might have to become a regular lunch visitor! read more

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The food is not very good, much better upperclassmen in the area. Our server kept leaning over our table in an odd way.

We had a celebration for my granddaughter's marriage and her mom's (our daughter) 50th birthday. Rex's did a wonderful job. I wouldn't change a thing. Food, beverage and service were perfect. read more

Love this place! It's like an old fashioned Wisconsin super club, lots of room and excellent service & very good food & friendly people. Friday they had a dance band-a really fun time! We'll come back often because we love this place and love Waunakee too. Thanks for a great time! read more

Great in the late 70's and early 80's, hasn't changed much except food sucks. Bartenders lean towards rude

If you ask me it looks and tastes like 1988... Unfortunately Inn Keeper is not a quaint roadside old school Wisconsin supper club. In all reality it's the hometown crowds favorite tired restaurant or for the older set who likes big ol' salad bars and traditional American food. By no means is this fine dining. What pushed me over the edge is having a reservation for four and being cramped at a table that seemed to usually seat two. The dining room was also a pig-sty. The kids busing tabes leave piled up dirty dishes in tubs and don't bother to pick up pieces of salad that were lying all over the floor. Pretty sure folks who used to eat at Ponderosas love it here. If you must go because someone in your party is nostalgic about the place there are a few things that you can enjoy. The bar is worth a drink or two featuring your standard Wisconsin set-up, sports on TV, "for amusement" machines to feed, and most notably a knowledgeable bartender. The prime rib was okay at best and is also on the regular menu with the exception of Friday's when they serve your quintessential Friday nite fish fry. For my money, this place is hard pass and not worth the drive to Waunakee. Surely there are plenty of places close by with much better food and attention to detail. read more

The review is based on a recent wedding reception held at Rex's innkeeper. Upon entering the banquet room from the parking lot, I definitely got the "Supper Club" feeling. The room is actually made up of two smaller rooms. The smaller area where appetizers (snacks) and greeting tables were set up over the dance floor. Also, there is a bar between the banquet room and the main dining room. The larger portion of the room was set up with the balance of the tables. Even though between the two areas, there were enough seating for 200 people. There plenty of space between the tables and the public area. There was also a smaller bar in the banquet area. The couple had opted to have Family Style. The Fruit Salad, the Pasta Salad and the main entrees (baked chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables) were brought to the table all at the same time. I thought that was a little odd, but it's Wisconsin...... The wait staff were very attentive to all of the tables and guests. After the main meal was completed, the staff quickly cleared the dirty dishes before the cake was served. After the meal, the staff had dismantled the tables dancing area. Again, the dancing area seemed large enough where had plenty of area to dance and enjoy themselves. Overall, it was a great experience attending a wedding at Rex's Innkeeper. read more

Great food and service. I had the Queen Prine Rib and broiled shrimp. The shrimp was a little bit bland, but, cocktail sauce fixed that right up. I arrive at 6pm and the restaurant wasn't very busy. It was nice and quiet. I enjoyed the atmosphere very nice! I highly recommend this Supper Club, in Waunakee Wisconsin. read more

During our times of curbside and takeout.......shrimp tacos will be well worth it! I have been seeing this special for lunch on Fridays, but wondered about Friday night fish fry night??? We called last Friday and they accommodated our shrimp taco request. Not sure if this was a special request, but I suggest it be put the the MAIN menu. These tacos are the BOMB! Great job!!! read more

Rex's is an aging supper club. My parents like this joint and it is a locally owned place. It feels like it's hanging on... It's really one of the only proper sit down dinner places in Waunakee. The food is predictable and it does still have the beloved Wisco Supper Club Salad Bar. read more

Dependable fish fry and daily specials. It has been a reliable supper club in area for many years

If you want a great old fashion salad bar with two kinds of soup you will be in hog heaven here. Rex's has been doing this for years and it's very good. Beef barley soup and clam chowder on This Friday at noon. Pasta salad, potato salad, picked beets and herring, and all of the usual fixings for an ice berg lettuce salad. Lots of other choices as well. For a salad bar with that supper club feel this is the place. Give it a try! read more

Came here with family of 16 people, the service was great, the food was good, I ordered steak tenderloin and lobster tail entree, the steak was perfectly done and the lobster tail was good, it else comes with salad and soup buffet with entree, the soup was very salty, would not recommend but the salad bar was good. read more

This was my first time dining at Rex's Innkeeper. I went one night for a friend's birthday party. They were going to seat us in a back room but my friend does not walk well so when we asked to change tables, they helped us move closer to the salad bar. That was thoughtful. We ordered a bottle of wine and ordered. Most of us had the prime rib dinner. One friend had the coconut shrimp. As we waited, we got salad bar items. Salad bar was full of old school items but there were a lot of them. So it really pleased my older guests. The side dishes with the Prime Rib was a bit disappointing. My friends got the hash browns with onions and cheese. They found them unremarkable. The added items were just laid on top and had not really melted or mixed in. To quote the birthday girl "the onions and cheese didn't really add anything" to those potatoes. The hash browns might be pre-made and warmed to order. I had the rice and that was pretty unremarkable, too. So lesson learned...order the baked potato or fill up on salad bar items. The Prime Rib was cooked beautifully for all of us. Our Shrimp eater really enjoyed the coconut shrimp and her baked potato. To sum up, it's worth going to Rex's. Good folks work there and it's simple supper club dining. read more

Worst fish ever. Never again. Fish was old, too salty, inedible. Hashbrowns were a lump of mush. Service was outstanding and staff very friendly, great atmosphere, but the food just sucked. Need a new chef apparently. Would give 0 stars if it were an option. read more

Don't get me wrong. The food was good and the waitress was nice. However I wasn't overly impressed with their Mother's Day brunch. Prices were a little high and the selection wasn't huge. Would have been nice to have waffles, pancakes or French toast as an option. read more

Rex's Innkeeper - Mother's Day brunch - Seafood Near Me - Waunakee, Wisconsin

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2 stars is a stretch... 1 is for Valerie our server who was fantastic and 1 is for the beverages. Everything else was an extreme disappointment. As much money rolls into the place there should be updates to the decor (smoke stained ceiling tiles still hang, yuck!) and the food quality and choices are so sad. The prime rib was disgustingly fatty and full of uncuttable tendons, over cooked chewy baked potatoes and just flavorless food overall. The host forgot us, was extremely overwhelmed by her job plus then was wandering and running in to people. Nothing in that place was homemade, or unique no reason to go there. Won't be going back. read more

My uncle treated my wife and I here for dinner a few nights back. It's definitely old school, but has its positives. The salad bar is decent. I was impressed by their mushroom soup; it was creamy and flavorful. My wife wasn't a huge fan of it for some reason, and she loves mushrooms. We started with the beer battered mushrooms. I can't remember if I liked it because my wife ate most of it (the mushroom lover who didn't like the mushroom soup). I had the broiled walleye, which probably wasn't the best choice on the menu. It was bland. I chose hash browns for my side. Pretty sure they used a slice of Kraft singles American cheese and plopped it on top. Not impressed. My wife loved her prime rib. She ordered the queen-sized 12 oz portion. It was cooked medium-rare as she requested, but maybe a little bit more bloody than I could stomach. But she likes her meat moo-ing, so she was satisfied. It's a pretty thick piece too. Not gonna be on our list of regulars, but it wasn't terrible. Next time, I'll avoid the fish and go for some meat. read more

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