Wisconsin is a state that's blessed with both incredible natural beauty and the best supper clubs in the entire country. And there's nothing better than a supper club that takes full advantage of a beautiful natural setting. The Badger State's best example of this - if you ask me, anyway - is Ishnala, a beloved Wisconsin supper club that's perched on a lakeside cliff within the 2,000-plus-acre Mirror Lake State Park. Ishnala is not only one of the best supper clubs in Wisconsin, it serves up all your classic favorites with a panoramic view that just can't be beat.
You'll find Mirror Lake State Park just south of the Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton area, on the way to Baraboo. The centerpiece of the park is its eponymous lake and its wooded shoreline, which is outlined with sandstone cliffs and etched with hidden coves and narrows.
There are a few homes and structures, such as boathouses, on the lake's shore. But the most prominent is historic Ishnala Supper Club. The restaurant has been perched above the lake since 1953 - predating establishment of the park by more than a decade - and some of the original structures on the property are more than a century old.
Clearly the original owners of Ishnala picked one heck of a location, because the area surrounding the supper club became Mirror Lake State Park about 13 years after the restaurant opened. Today, you can access the restaurant via its own, long, winding driveway; by boat from the lake; or by hiking in on the park's 19-mile system of connected trails. Cliffwood and Sandstone Ridge Campgrounds, in particular, are just a short hike from Ishnala.
Once there, the views rival those from anywhere else in the park - especially if you love sunsets. And the vistas from Ishanla are, hands-down, some of the best you'll find at any restaurant in Wisconsin, if not the entire U.S. Ishnala is open seasonally from May to October, and it tends to be busy - especially on weekends. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, so you should be prepared to order a drink and enjoy the views while you wait for a table. But the wait is worth it. The food is always top-notch.
Any visit to this incredible Wisconsin supper club is an experience to remember. Learn more about Ishnala, including its hours and seasonal dates, on its website. Visit the supper club's Facebook page to see the latest updates and specials. When you visit Ishnala, it'll likely be part of a stay in the Wisconsin Dells; and I think you'll like this affordable, waterfront Airbnb for a base camp - it's just minutes from all the best things in the Dells, including Ishnala.
Have you visited Ishanala Supper Club in Wisconsin? Tell us about it in the comments, and be sure to shout out your favorite restaurants with views in Wisconsin.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!