Ment to be a zero star review Don't eat here if you have any allergies went here for my graduation dinner and called ahead explaining my gluten allergy and they told me no problem we cook everything separately well let's just say they didn't know anything I was brought ice cream on the house for graduation and it was cookies and cream full of gluten there where croutons on my salad gluten again I didn't eat any of that I wasn't fazed by that stuff I was upset cause my entree gave me the worst allergic reaction I have ever had. It was Horrible I'm still recovering and to add on top of it the food wasn't even good the chicken tasted microwaved the potatoes where burnt the appetizers where all contaminated my motheres stake had to be redone because they don't know what rare to medium rare is and when it was done right it was completely covered in salt. To top it all off the bar tender was making smug remarks to us when we left like we where to loud or we shouldn't have asked out waiter for so much we were never above a whisper and we asked our waiter questions about my allergies. I wish I could zero stars Do not recommend read more

Love this restaurant!! My family has been coming up to Boulder Junction since before I was born (so over 28years) and every year we make sure to have dinner at The Guides Inn. Between their amazing food and the beautiful picture windows looking out onto their garden (be on the look out for hummingbirds) it is the perfect setting. My favorite foods there are : ~Appetizer platter( I ask for my own, that's how much I love it) - which comes with a veggie pate and liver pate ~French Onion Soup ~Chicken Oscar (Boneless breast of chicken, topped with sautéed asparagus, shrimp and Hollandaise sauce). read more

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We have been coming up to St. Germain for years as a family and usually eat dinner locally. However, we met a women while shopping that recommended the Guides Inn for Friday night Fish Fry. We decided to make the trip to Boulder Junction to try it out and we were not disappointed. This was by far the best dinner we have ever had in the North Woods. We loved it so much that we went Friday and Saturday for dinner. Chef Jimmy Dean is wonderful and came out to spend time with our table. We had a variation of fish, beef, and duck dishes and everything was fabulous. The chef grows his own herbs which he uses in all his dishes and everything is made fresh daily. They also have a new flavor of ice cream each night which is made fresh every morning. We will come back to St Germain next summer just to go back to the Guides Inn! read more

The Guides Inn - Chef Jimmy Dean - French Near Me - Boulder Junction, Wisconsin

Disappointing, considering the reviews and word of mouth reviews. My husband's meal was a 1 star, mine a 3 star; so I split the difference for my rating. My husband had rotten, jelly consistency lettuce on his salad; along with extremely rusty pieces. Lacking quality control on a basic. The real tragedy was his ribeye. Ordered medium-rare, and came to the table medium-well. The chef should lose his job for being that far off. My duck special was fine. The reduction sauce was thinner than expected, but flavorful. The wild rice had no flavor. For the price, definitely not worth eating here, considering all the supper club/finer dining options in the north woods. read more

Guides Inn has consistently good quality and is good value for money. Entrees include appetizer tray, soup or juice, salad, bread, and a vegetable. If you have a reservation, you'll be seated at the reserved time! I've never had a bad meal here. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in the state! It's a classic supper club with the homey, Northwoods feel. The bartenders make a great old fashioned and jimmy the head chef will walk you to your table. Not only is the service great but the food is even better. Many of my friends and family have had their walleye and state it's the best they have ever tasted. I get the chicken coq au vin which is delicious-thin chicken breast cooked to perfection with the most amazing mushrooms. Top it all off with their homemade ice cream! Caution, this place is a hot spot and will fill up fast on the weekends. read more

Rachel was our server and did a great job of bringing out our delicious and well prepared food. Mike started out by greeting us as we were just in the door. He mixed up a great bourbon old fashioned. Chef Jimmy was visiting with some patrons prior to starting service for the evening. He also stopped by our table during dinner and thanked us for choosing them for dinner. (No, I am not a plant or paid for my review as some people feel the good reviews are not honest) We enjoyed a well paced meal. The courses came out where we didn't feel rushed. The soups and salads were very good. Their liver pate is super which comes on their relish tray. My wife loved the seafood in puff pastry and I had some of the best lamb chops ever. I even got a couple of extra chops added above the number in the menu. Desert was the in house prepared chocolate raspberry ice cream. Get this! I have to compliment Rachel as I saw how professional she was with what apppeared to be a slightly cranky older lady. Rachel was able to make sure her dinner was to her liking in the end. Good job! read more

My family and I have been going to the Guides Inn for years and have never had a bad meal or experience. We went back last night and had the best meal we've ever had! The previous owners son who has taken over is doing an amazing job keeping up with the delicious menu items. The specials, soup and ice cream all did not disappoint either. We look forward to our meal here every summer we're up north! A must try. read more

Excellent "up scale" dining for up north! The food was delish - walleye was particularly good and they make their own gelato, which was excellent. The service was friendly and very accommodating- The Chef even came our to greet our table! I would give five stars, but it was a bit on the pricy side; they wouldn't allow an adult in our party to order a hamburger because it was only offered on the kids menu; and my 10 year old was bummed that they didn't have bbq sauce. All in all, I would recommend it! read more

Our family went here one afternoon over labor day weekend. It wasn't very busy, but the service was horrible and it took about 3 hours from the time we walked in until the time we left !? The smug bartender seemed content in making us wait at the bar and suggesting we order several rounds of drinks while we waited for a table to get cleaned up. The wait staff took their time with our appetizers and entrees. The food ended up being pretty good, but the portions were small. I'd never go back here, don't waste your entire evening! read more

A great find in the Wisconsin northwoods. Get the pan-fried walleye...the best! Meals come with delicious soup, salad, warm bread and an appetizer tray. You never have room for dessert but sometimes you just have to order it anyway because the homemade ice cream (especially raspberry chocolate) is so delicious. Yum! Wish I was there right now! Been there about 20 times and have never been disappointed. This is the favorite place of practically all my family members who live up there or visit the area. read more

My family and I dined at the Guides Inn last night and had a very enjoyable meal. We have been coming to the Northwoods of Wisconsin my whole life and I must emphasize that this is a five star place for up here. It does not necessarily compare to a five star establishment in, say Chicago, but for the Northwoods, it's as good as it gets. A big improvement on the traditional supper club fare, even though some of the items are "traditional" supper club favorites. The menu is relatively unchanging from year to year. Steaks, Veal, Fish and Chicken, well prepared, nothing flashy, but generally good and reliable, and everything is freshly prepared. The soups are all homemade and rotate daily, I've yet to have one that wasn't delicious. It's a good value when you consider that your meal comes with a relish tray AND soup AND salad AND Bread and your Entree. Normally these days you see the prices and expect that everything else is extra-- not the case here. My wife has noticed that some of entrees tend to be overly salted, if we have any criticism, this would be it. I've seen several reviews that ask why Chef Jimmy is running around the dining room. Well, for one thing, isn't is refreshing when the person responsible for the food is truly interested in what you think of it? This is one of the charms of this place, and I wouldn't change a thing. We were there on Monday night, it was not busy, and Chef paid us a visit at least 4 times-- in part I think because he was so tickled that my 9 year old was telling him how much he (genuinely) liked the food. I indicated on my review that the place is not good for kids. This is generally true, the pace of service is on par with a European restaurant (not rushed), and most kids will get antsy. However, it's also a credit to the place that even their kids meals are not the lowest common denominator-- they actually make the chicken fingers from scratch. Save room for the homemade gelato (ice cream) and sorbets. Usually several flavors and something unusual. Two of last night's flavors were strawberry rhubarb and root beer. Both very good. A few pieces of advice: The place is not terribly large and the pace of service is leisurely . Reservations are only taken for groups of six or more. They are closed on Sundays, plan accordingly. read more

We were happy to meet a local resident in Manitowish Waters who led us to have our dinner at this great supper club. It has the old supper club feel with some modern items on the menu (the lettuce/spinach was green and not the awful iceberg you sometimes get in these places) We had the stuffed Walleye special which was outstanding. My only wishes were that the french onion soup had been briefly broiled with a gruyere (we received a parm (French, not Italian) cheese shaker) and also my salad was swimming in dressing (so ask for on the side). A broader wine by the glass offering would have helped too. Of course these are my personal tastes. Service was great. Otherwise, we will definitely return on our next trip. read more

First time at the guides inn . Service was fantastic, very prompt and friendly . We started with the cheese curds. Absolutely fantastic . Relish tray was great with home made bread and liver pate . Loved all our meals . Our party had the stuffed walleye , 2 rib eyes and the grilled walleye ... Other than my steak being slightly over cooked (I ordered med rare)it came out med well .. It was still fantastic. The stuffed walleye was amazing . Don't forget the spinach salad with warm bacon dressing . The chef also makes homemade ice cream All were great , we had the peach ... Amazing We're here for a few more days and we're going back ! read more

Just a fantastic wisconsin supper club. The liver pate is awesome. I had the beef wellington which was done perfectly we had 9 people in are party everyone was very happy the walleye was the best. Thanks Jimmy read more

Overpriced and underwhelming. Service was extremely slow. The BBQ shrimp entree was the most disappointing. $30 for six small shrimp and it was in no way even remotely close to "New Orleans style" as the menu claimed. read more

This place has class. The wait staff is excellent. The food is very good and upscale. The prices are reasonable for amount of food you get and the head Chef and owner is great. He is genuine and takes the time to talk with each table, ask them how their food is, answer questions about the menu, and then go cook for you. I could tell that everything is made with heart and passion. A wonderful place in the Northwoods. You can't go wrong eating here. read more

Best meal we have had in a long time Tuna steak was cooked to perfection as well as the scallops Would recommend this 5 star restaurant !! read more

Everything at the restaurant is made in house. I just ordered the rack of lamb and it was medium rare as ordered. Service was great and you have to save room for the homemade ice cream! The Guides Inn is "The Finest " read more

Now I could be extremely biased since I've been coming here since before I could walk and it's a "tradition" and blah blah blah but seriously this place is just amazing. I literally order the same meal every time I come to The Guides Inn, reference the photos, the grilled scallop appetizer is one of those things were you think to yourself, "am I really paying this much for 4 scallops?! (5 depending on weight)" and then you taste it and of course then and you say to yourself "screw it I'll take another!" And my God have I ordered another... and we won't talk about the one time I ordered another twice... I mean they're literally so good whenever I order them I let anyone I'm with know that they are MINE and MINE only! Absolutely no sharing... unless I've had too many of their killer Makers Old Fashioneds and then I tend to get generous. I really should stop myself at one of those but damn they're good. Moving on, this place is an absolute gem. I mean who doesn't love a good relish trash... and if you don't know what a relish tray then you've obviously not been a local or visiting "Wisconsinite" long enough. Or been to a great supper club before for that matter. Now I may order the Duck Breast Medallions every single time I come to Guides Inn but that doesn't mean that everything else isn't absolutely fabulous. I've never seen a restaurant with so many Veal dishes before and they're all killer. The blackened Ribeye is my boyfriends favorite dish to order and I do looooove to steal a bite or two off of his plate. It's so good. The lamb chops, sooooo good. They serve you so much too which is always a bonus. The Beef Wellington and Salmon Wellington are also fabulous things to order but I still order the Duck every time. I just can't get myself to order anything else. Always get the fries. They're so good. Jimmy Dean makes some homemade ice cream that's pretty f-ing good too and even though you literally have no room because you've eaten a relish tray, soup, salad, homemade bread, and then your entire you still manage to order some. Go to The Guides Inn. You may hurt... but you'll be so satisfied. I always am. read more

The Guides Inn - French Near Me - Boulder Junction, Wisconsin

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I actually needed to wait a full 3 months before writing this review, just to calm down. My family has vacationed in the area for over 30 years, and for at least the past 20, we would eat at The Guides at least once during our vacation. This year was no exception. Two of us made a reservation in late May for a July 4th dinner. We arrived on time, checked-in at the bar, and were told, "You're late." Apparently they had written down the wrong time by 30 minutes. Instead of working with us for a solution, we were told they would be unable to seat us because our table of had been broken down. Then the Chef came out of the kitchen - (he has known us for years) - and started yelling at my 82 year old Mother. He blamed her for the problem, and demeaned her to such a degree that made her cry. In my 53 years, I've never seen an owner of a restaurant behave so badly. It is interesting to note that the sous-chef and one of the long-standing waitresses have left for another fine dining restaurant. There is no chance that anyone in my family (and hopefully you as well good diner!) will never return. A very sad day. read more

I had the duck and my wife had the scallops. The duck was ok, the scallops were overwhelmed with butter, pesto and salt. For what the cost was, we felt our experience was underwhelming. My wife did like the French onion soup. read more

I've been coming to the guide's inn for the past 10 years while on vacation and I have to say I've eaten A lot of great food but some of the best has been here. It is a hidden treat right in the northwoods, everything is made from scratch and is incredible. You can't go wrong with the beef Wellington or shrimp saint James, also make sure to get the French onion baked and the hot bacon dressing on the spinach salad it's a great surprise. Also it may be tough to find room for it but the home made ice cream from scratch is well worth it If you have the room. A meal like this would cost 50-70 dollars in chicago but the wellington is only about 30. I highly recommend it! read more

I don't see a lot of reviews from this year, so I wonder.... I thought it sucked. The server was offended when I just wanted a Spinach Salad and Baked French Onion. To tell the truth, with two picky teens in tow, I just couldn't afford much else. We met the chef in the parking lot (smoke break?) and he was really arrogant and explained that he was the only good French chef in the Northwoods. He told us what to get, and, lo and behold.....it was the most expensive thing on the menu! I was incredibly disappointed as we were taking a favorite nephew and his wife out for an anniversary dinner. My husband has been going to Boulder Junction every year for about 65 years and this is the worst meal/service/experience he's had. read more

How many french chefs do you know in the North Woods? This guy can cook. I love this place. Walleye is terrific. So is the warm bread and spinach salad. read more

Great relish tray for openers. Tasty french onion soup and spinach salad. Excellent walleye dinner cooked perfectly with unique, crispy french fries. Food is delicious and well presented. Service was pretty good. Prices are high. Our family has been coming here for many years and The Guides Inn long history of excellence is well-deserved. read more

Excellent as usual! The Beef Wellington is divine! My husband and I always have the shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. The chef is so kind and always makes his rounds through the dining to check on his customers. The homemade desserts are incredible! Awesome food! Once in a while we have had a server who seemed quite overwhelmed and was unfortunately subpar but our review remains a 5 because the food and atmosphere is fantastic and the chef is incredible. read more

The food and service at Guides Inn was outstanding. The atmosphere was pleasant however our evening was spoiled by the visit from the Chef. We made reservations for 6 people and one cancelled literally 5 minutes prior to our reservations time. The Chef treated us like little children and scolded us for not calling to let them know of the change in our party. We brought out of town family here as we enjoyed our previous meal. They were so humiliated by his treatment that they couldn't wait to leave. Thank goodness our waitress was extremely pleasant. read more

First trip to this restaurant in Boulder Junction. We were early so had a pleasant conversation with the bartender over cocktails. They begin serving at 5 and no problem being seated on a winter weeknight. There were 5 specials and I had the pork shanks over garlic mashed with a Rich brown gravy. That came after a generous appetizer, a cheesy broccoli soup and a bacon dressed spinach salad. We finished sharing a dish of homemade butter pecan ice cream. All in all a great experience, a little more pricy but well worth it. My wife had the house special fried walleye which was equally delicious.. We will go back. Probably try Fri. Fish fry next. read more

We love this place once ate here three nights in a row don't miss this In Boulder Junction. read more

The Guides Inn - One satisfied customer - French Near Me - Boulder Junction, Wisconsin

It had been a while since we dined at The Guide's Inn, but it was just as good - actually as great - as we remembered it. This is a Wisconsin Supper Club treasure - everything you expect and more. There is something special and nostalgic about that relish tray and crackers. The cocktails are generously poured and delicious. I had the walleye; my husband had duck and we both purred throughout dinner. The butternut squash soup was amazing. If you are in the Northwoods, you don't want to miss this place. read more

Had a reservation for 6 Saturday night and 2 had to cancel last minute. My wife gave our name and told the older bartender our situation. He immediately started to harp his displeasure with our new number of 4. He stormed away to see what could be done. He came back and was so rude! Told us we would be 7th in line and it could be one hour to hour and a half. He could have been a little nicer but chose to be rude to my wife. I will never step foot in this place again. The North Woods is suppose to be laid back and friendly. It's like that up there except for this gentleman. Never been treated so poorly in 26 years up here. He should be washing dishes in the kitchen,,,not at the bar! read more

One is made to feel welcome at this outstanding Northwoods restaurant. Great service, food is outstanding, walleye excellent, entire meal was A+. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed. Will look forward to visiting again. read more

My family has been going to The Guides Inn every family reunion for the past 10 years. Unfortunately, the past few years have been disappointments, and this last visit was the worst of all. When we made the reservation, we were told that we could all sit at two tables and the families could have separate checks. When we got there, we were separated into many tables (what's the point of a reunion if you can't talk to each other?). The chef personally came out and berated us when we asked for separate checks at the beginning of the meal and asked to push a few tables together so that we could talk with each other. He was so arrogant and rude it was unbelievable. To top it all off, the food was mediocre (it used to be great!). The only thing that actually tasted good was my side salad (hard to mess that up). Needless to say, the entire family (over 20 people) unanimously agreed that we will never be eating there again. read more

It's easy. Get the walleye, give five stars. The chef is great and is really good with his ice creams. I'm sure other entrees are good, but after the walleye what's the point? read more

You can't go wrong eating at Guides Inn when you are anywhere near Boulder Junction. Although they don't take reservations (unless a group of 6 or more) the wait for a table is usually not too bad and you can pass the time away at the bar, chatting with the affable bartender. Best to go hungry because with a relish tray, soup, salad and side included with each meal you will leave as stuffed as their delicious tasty Cranberry Stuffed Walleye, which is my summer favorite. We also recommend the Spinach Salad, Onion Soup and Beef Wellington. My husband had the Jamaican Walleye special and thought it was delicious, with just the right amount of kick. The service is solid and if you are lucky the Chef will come out and say hello! read more

It doesn't get better than this in the Northwoods. Not only is the food excellent, well prepared and abundant, the atmosphere and service at The Guides Inn are unparalleled. We have been coming here since 2011, and have never had a bad meal or unpleasant experience. Even the inevitable wait at the bar is enjoyable with everyone having friendly conversations over a few drinks until their table is called. Jimmy Dean, the owner and Chef, takes great care in every dish he prepares. He frequently comes out to greet and speak with clients, adding a personal touch to everyone's dining experience. Dinner at The Guides Inn is the highlight of our week-long vacations up north and will continue to be one of the things that keeps us coming back year after year. read more

This was the worst restaurant experience I have ever encountered. I have managed many restaurants and am a foodie at heart, though has no bearing on this review. Too many people work too hard for their money in this economy and dining out is supposed to be a treat not a horrible experience like this. When entering the restaurant we heard arguing coming from the kitchen. The argument seemed to stem from the server wanting to leave or being cut early. She was screaming about unemployment and other issues customers do not want to hear about. There was no bartender and no one to greet us at the door. After about 10 minutes the server appeared she apologized, but then proceeded to go back into the kitchen and continue arguing with the chef/manager (aka Jimmy). Eventually the sous chef seated us. With the meals you are given several courses. A relish tray, soup, salad and bread. I'm not sure why anyone would need so many sides to go with their meal. When asked for our choice of soup our options were creamy garlic (strange), french onion, or baked french onion. Considering the options we decided to choose the baked french onion. Presented with these options I assume most people choose the baked french onion because it sounds the best. What we were never informed of is that there is an up charge for the baked french onion of $4 per person. When the entrees range from $25-$40 you don't expect to pay an additional $4 per person for something you aren't aware you will be charged for and it probably isn't necessary for most people. It is a shady ploy on the restaurant's part to increase your check average. Additionally they charge for every single soda refill without your knowledge so you can expect your bill to be significantly higher than what you were expecting. From there the experience continued downhill. I received a baked potato that looked like it had been reheated several times. It was not fresh and had almost a greenish color to the skin. When I asked for a different side the server seemed to take it personally. The replacement side of broccoli with Hollandaise was a joke. The broccoli was steamed but was so tough it could not be cut with a fork. The "Hollandaise" was orange in color and looked like a broken cheddar cheese sauce. I assume the toughness of the broccoli was due to sitting in a steam pan for hours and not being cooked to order. Restaurant.com does have coupons for this restaurant, but the owner will try to find a way not to honor it. If they do honor it they will do so with a surly attitude. When asking about the additional charges on the bill the server (Terri) became extremely rude and defensive saying that all "supper clubs" charge for soda refills. I have dined all over the US and the North woods and haven't been charged for a soda refill in at least 10 years. Your restaurant is so backwoods you don't even know that the rest of the world has moved on and realized nickle and diming their customers results in pissed off customers and NO REPEAT BUSINESS! When speaking with Jimmy he became extremely rude, upset and stooped to using profanity even with my 12 year old son present which is totally out of line and inappropriate. Jimmy, watch an episode of Restaurant Impossible and learn the meaning of CUSTOMER IS KING. Finally I must say that due to the overpriced menu, the dated decor, the rudeness of the staff and the shady way they operate their business, they should be out of business. I also know that many of these positive reviews are bogus and are the last ditch effort of this failing business to survive. As well as offering fake discounts on Restaurant.com and then finding a way to charge their customers to make up the difference. Good luck Guide's Inn maybe when you are out of business you will figure out that to survive in the hospitality industry you actually have to provide something you have no concept of and that is CUSTOMER SERVICE. read more

I have eaten at Guide's Inn several times. Food is fine, overpriced but hey, on vacation so you expect it. Normally I'd give it 3, maybe 4 stars - but not for my last visit. I was there just by myself, stopped in and saw the parking lot was basically empty. Walked in and asked for a table for 1. They said it will be at least an hour - I was floored, the restaurant was 80% empty. I asked why and they said they only have two tables that are set for one person and they are both occupied. That made no sense to me with all of those empty tables. Then I said why don't we pretend I have a party of 2, but the other person is there yet. They said no and sent me on my way. Not sure I'll ever go back - who is the manager who made this crazy rule? Really disappointed with the Guide's Inn. read more

While skiing at Big Powder Horn over New Years a couple years ago a group of friends and I made dinner reservations at the Guide's Inn on New Years Day. We braved a bit of a snowstorm to drive an hour+ south to what turned out to be one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Upon arrival we found out that we were the only party that evening and instead of being turned away we were welcomed and treated to phenomenal service. We were treated to a private dining room, Frank Sinatra, snow falling out the window of the cozy cottage dining room, a warm welcome by the chef, and a private waitstaff. Not to mention the food was amazing. We enjoyed our dinner so much that we stayed to have dessert despite being full from the large 4 course dinner. I have dined at the Guide's Inn on several occasions while vacationing in Boulder Junction during the summer, but would highly recommend it to winter travelers as well. The gardens are beautiful in the summer, and the restaurant is very cozy in winter as well. The Shrimp St. James and baked french onion soup are my favorites. Definitely a must do if you are in the area. read more