The menu and restaurant have been overhauled. Have went 3 times since the update and the service has been attentive and the food has come quickly. The patio is great as it it's covered and if it's a cool evening they have heaters in the ceiling. Food I've tried. Banh Mi was tasty, the pickled onion and carrot went great with the meat. Signature burger was excellent. The pepper jelly + Bleu cheese is a good combo, as the jelly keeps the cheese from being overpowered, and I love that they use arugula and not lettuce. Osso Bucco, the pork shank was done perfectly. The risotto was a tad rich for me. Lobster corn dogs were a great appetizer. Came with a grilled half lemon, arugula, and tarragon creme. The creme is a bit like a tartar sauce, but a better flavor. You get 3 small corn dogs. I loved that they actually give you enough lemon. Had enough for all three pieces and the arugula. They have a decent selection of tap beers and they also had a $5 rum punch that was refreshing on a warm day. So if you are reading reviews in mid 2025 or later, you might want to sort by new as they have changed things up. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - New Menu (May 2025) - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

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Food is good but they removed the fish tacos and they also removed the chicken waffles. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - Water - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

New owners totally revamped the menu and made a major upgrade to the quality. Yes, you pay for the upgrade but it's totally worth it. I heard they will be changing the name to reflect their more upscale approach. Loved our beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and asperagus ($42) and mushroom linguini with chicken ($24). We will definitely be back! So glad we gave the new owners a chance! The ambiance is the same as before... with outdoor seating and a view of the spillway and Lake Onalaska from part of the restaurant. read more

I stopped by this week to pick up a to-go order for my family and called ahead, only to be placed on hold for 10 minutes. Assuming they were busy, I drove the three blocks to the restaurant to place my order and wait. When I arrived, there were only about three tables occupied and four people at the bar. I placed my order and ended up waiting 30 minutes for just two wraps and two appetizers. They were out of basic condiments like ketchup, and no one even offered me water while I waited. Seems standard when you're waiting for a $75 tab, maybe not? Meanwhile, the staff had plenty of time to loudly complain about the place, which everyone at the bar could hear. There were also two women sitting at the bar who seemed to know all the staff well. I'm not sure if they were regulars or had some connection to the owner, but they were chatting with the servers, gossiping non-stop about who's dating whom at the restaurant, screaming about politics, and eventually started to annoy the other patrons nearby. It was clear they were comfortable, but their behavior showed little regard for anyone else's experience. The shining star of the experience was the coconut shrimp but that's unfortunately not enough to ever get me to spend another dollar at this place. read more

Three of us met for dinner on Wednesday and I feel our waitress ( sorry, didn't get name but blonde gal) was particularly good. We needed to chat and some of it was private and a bit emotional. She was excellent at timing, getting our order etc and then settling bill but leaving us to finish our talk. All of us had decent food too. One had homemade soup that was delicious. I have had several disappointing visits before so perhaps the new ownership has helped. read more

The food was excellent and so was our drinks. The door was open and once our food came, the flies were horrible. It made the actual dining experience less. We sat inside so we did not need to deal with the outside, so this was disappointing. read more

So glad we gave this place another try. New management and a new menu breathed a breath of fresh air into a great restaurant location. New menu items are fresh and tasty. New wait staff was attentive and on point. Be prepared, not your typical bar food but there are burgers, main dishes and some creative appetizers. read more

We came here for an early lunch, there were about 5 other tables. We ordered cheese curds to start and it took almost 30 minutes to get them. It didn't look like they were short staffed. They are also not actual curds but chunks of cheese breaded and fried. I ordered a shrimp "healthy bowl" with citrus soy sauce and really enjoyed it. My friend got a sunset salad and said it was one of the best she's had. the drinks were really good too! Only 3 stars because of the wait and the 'curds' read more

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Not a fan of the new menu. I loved the old one. They removed all of the things I loved. May be for some but not for me.

I'm disappointed to rate David Reay's as such but my meal was not good. The cheese curds are exactly what you've heard from your friends. Huge molten curds with a good pull. This and my lovely server Grace are why you should go to David Reay's. But the Mississippi Crack Chicken is honestly kinda gross. The texture is mealy, overchopped mush, like it's been chopped in a food processor and forgotten a minute too long. I guess there was cream cheese in it? I could not taste any bacon or ranch or anything else added in, including salt. The pepperoncinis seemed like there were too many but they were the only saving grace to the sandwich. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - Half order of cheese curds - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

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After reading the mixed reviews, we were pleasantly surprised when the food and service were good. The menu is decent and the prices were reasonable. Did not give them 5 stars because I am a foodie, and let's be honest, it's not Lovechild (IYKYK). read more

The food was kinda basic for me but I still enjoyed the food. Went there once but I'm not sure if I would go again because I could probably go anywhere else for the same or better salads, burgers, and cheese curds. The experience and service were decent though. read more

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Food is great if you can get it. Service has gone downhill in recent years. It's been 25 min, still have yet to put our drink order in. ‍

Yesterday I was treated to lunch at David Reay's, and that meal represented the third time that I have visited. They have a huge deck and outdoor space, so Covid wasn't a concern. The food was much better than it had been on my previous two visits; I heeded the recommendation of the party's hostess and ordered a chicken avocado wrap, and the entrée included a side of sweet potato fries. I never would have ordered fries, but the others encouraged me to try them. Wow! The wrap itself was huge, and provided me with lunch plus a doggy bag with dinner for my husband. I tried to bring some of the fries home so that he could try them too, but they didn't travel very well... I'm not sure how to resuscitate them! But they were SO GOOD! At this time I have to acknowledge the amazing service that "Ashley" provided. These days of staff shortages have perhaps set my bar lower, but I truly believe that she was exceptional. She anticipated our needs before we could even signal her, and she was friendly without being cloying. She patiently answered questions of the others in the group and I never once felt that she was artificially chatting us up for a tip. (I had no control of that anyway, since I was the guest at a birthday party.) I just hope the management notices that she should be in the position of training new servers, for her attitude and her work ethic were exceptional. So why four stars instead of five stars? I feel bad about down-grading this place because of its location, but the steady stream of traffic in front of us was truly a disappointment. Parking across the very busy road is inconvenient when driving less-mobile guests. Exhaust from trucks that were exiting the Interstate co-mingled with the noise from the increasingly busy local traffic on Rose Street...it's a shame, but it's a reality. I don't mention this unfortunate situation to steer people away from this venue; I totally realize that it's impossible to relocate this restaurant. I just feel that future guests should be aware of these issues; unpleasant surprises like that could result in poor ratings for a place that is otherwise excellent. So please be aware of the location's less-than-wonderful distractions, but ABSOLUTELY schedule a trip there. I can almost GUARANTEE that you will love it! (And ask for Ashley!) read more

This is supposed to be the Bennie bowl. Two poached eggs with hollandaise over potatoes, ham, and cheese. Not only did it take 40 minutes to get this, two pancakes, and an order of eggs and potatoes to get to us, but they made hard boiled eggs. Yeah, no. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - Well, this is supposed to be the Bennie bowl. . - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

Normally when we come to town we LOVE going to David Raey's. Today it was not good. While our server was trying very hard to be personable, he had to be overly apologetic. Pretty sure they were short staffed but if that's case, warn customers and you would have more patience. It was not busy at all and it took way too long to get everything including our water. The food came out luke warm. My husband had the chicken and waffles. It was a minute piece of very rubbery chicken and he ate chunks of butter because it didn't melt on the luke warm waffle. I wish I could post a much better review but that's not the case. read more

Decided to give it a shot and was very happy with the service and food. I ate at the bar, my drink was well made and presented beautifully. I ordered the taco special "Buffalo chicken tacos" side of sweet potato fries. Tacos were again made presented well and yummy, the sweet potato fries were perfect. Also it super important to have a good bartender and mine was a great one. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - Bar Area Tuesday Taco Special - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

I wrote a review 9 months ago and the owner asked us to give it another shot so we did tonight. It took over an hour to get our food and there were not many people there. My husbands meal was not what he ordered. The waiter said sorry they gave your sandwich to somebody else. He was so hungry he tried it and was not happy, but because the waiter didn't stop back for a while he ate it. He told the manager Sara about it and she said there was nothing she could do about it since he ate it and did not bring it to her attention right away. He said he brought it to the servers attention right away. She offered us free drink tokens for the next time but don't think we will be back strictly because of the wait time and how the manager handled it. Gave it 2 stars because my salad was great. read more

We stopped in here Sunday morning at 9:25 as our regular favorite was too packed. We waited 5 minutes at the vacant hostess desk until a waitress breezed by and said to grab a menu seat ourselves. Another 5 minutes and a different waitress took our drink orders. She came back with coffee and water and took our food orders at 9:36. At 10:00 she came by to refill my coffee (the only time) and I asked about our orders and was told they are being made as we speak. At 10:15 we finally got our food, which was meh, but presentation was wierd at least. A breakfast bowl in a real bowl, not a soup dish, with two slices of toast on top covering the food. No plate to put the toast on and no jelly for it. My "poached" eggs were more like flattened hard-boiled eggs. All in all, not worth the wait and barely worth the price. It appears that management is unwilling to hire enough cooks and the waitstaff needs training. This was our third visit and we both agree that it will be our last. Too bad since it is so close to where we live. On a side note, there is no parking sincce the owners converted their large parking lot into a "park" so patrons are stuck parking on the street or illegally in other business' lots. read more

They were grossly understaffed and depended on the bartender to do serving too. We were not warned that the wait time would be extended. The food looked really good when it came out--nearly two hours after we arrived. Even the drinks took too long to come out. By then our party of 9 had to scarf the food down to get to our next event. I felt bad for the bartender. She shouldn't have to deal with the lack of staffing--that's a management issue. read more

Service was absolutely brutal, and a nice long hair in my food. McDonald's has better class and service.

Disappointed that the menu didn't reflect what was actually available.the service was super slow. I finished my meal before my wife got her side. The ambiance was Great. The bill didn't reflect what we ate. read more

David Raey's has a nice atmosphere, beautiful views along with good music while you wait. Regrettably, I would not recommend dining at this local eatery unless you have no care or concern for how long it will take to receive your food. We've come here on multiple occasions over the years, most recently on February 19th, 2023. Unfortunately wait times have only gotten longer and that is evident when noticing the lack of guests during a prime dining time. When we arrived we were one of 8 tables with 4 wait staff, it took over 45 minutes to receive our order For a party of three. This has become very typical of David Raey's unfortunately. Very slow service. We will most likely not be dining at David Raey's until hopefully something changes in management or staff to make the process more enjoyable for the patron. read more

David Reay's was absolutely AMAZING last weekend for our wedding dinner with family. The atmosphere was elegant, service on point, and food was delicious. Thanks again to Ryan and the staff for helping coordinate and put together such a perfect experience. My wife and I highly recommend checking this place out, not only for a meal, but also for any events or dinner party ideas you may have. read more

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Food was "ok" and service was really slow and were out of several menu items. Ambiance was pretty decent

This place has ok food. Not great service. I've been here several times. There is a common problem. THE SERVICE SUCKS! I've walked out twice because I did not have a server. I even said to a waitress as I was leaving that I left because I did not get service. Her response was. OK. I would come more if the servers had a sense of urgency. read more

Went on Mother's Day, the restaurant was not even half full and it took over an hour for our server to bring 3 drinks and take our orders. Then she comes back 30 minutes later and says we only have one serving of Crack Chicken" left. So we had to find something else for a family member. 45 minutes after the commotion we finally start getting our food, nope they had enough chicken for the 3 orders. I had pulled pork that was so dry it was like eating cardboard. 2 people that had the "crack chicken" said it was very dry as well. I know it was a holiday of type but, the service and food were very very under par. Not sure we would ever recommend them or stop back. It's a shame as the Mac and cheese is amazing. read more

Food was so amazing. I got a pulled chicken sandwich and my friends got mac and cheese. Both were insanely delicious. The service was also amazing. Our waiter was also dealing with extremely rude customers and she was handling it amazingly. Overall, would recommend! read more

Food was good, service was BAD they slammed the check down, i was done with my food they didn't come like 20 minutes because the place was empty but the big cheese curds are good. read more

The service and food were both very good and would have given 5 stars except the kitchen screwed up on our 1st order of walleye slides and forgot the walleye. Waitress comped the order and brought us one with fish this time. The burger and grouper tacos were tasty and plenty of food. Will look forward to our next visit read more

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This restaurant has never recovered from the pandemic. We have been to this restaurant several times before and after 2020. This mornings breakfast was the first time back in over 6 months. The fact that we had no problem getting seated was a strong indicator of what was to come. The staff while friendly is woefully untrained and in way over their heads. The hostess was overwhelmed in a restaurant that was 25% full. The wait staff was waiting on tables spread so far apart it made them completely inefficient. Our waitress was kind enough to tell us they were way behind and she was accurate with that statement. If there "is" management, they deserve an F. Too bad because this restaurant has so much potential. I don't expect to return anytime soon. Dave S. Be careful what you put your name on. It's not Skogenlike. read more

Stopped in with the family at 11am on a Sunday. Hostess happily informed us that while she'd be glad to seat us, we couldn't order food for another 45 minutes. I guess we were just supposed to sit and drink until they figured out how to cook a lunch? I'm cool with that but my 2 year old would prefer food. Sort your stuff out. Transitioning from breakfast to lunch is not rocket science. McDonalds can do it, I'm sure you can figure it out. From reading your most recent reviews, this might be the least of your problems. read more

To add to the list of other reviewer's recent poor experiences: Been there twice now, not impressed each time. Food is bland and is below the level a typical mall restaurant chain. This review will focus on the fish sandwich. Ordered the fish sandwich this time and after taking one bite, I could see that it was still RAW. Not even close to being fully cooked. The fish was far from white and flaky. More like clear and mushy. My friend's chicken was also under cooked badly. It's not even close. It's not that hard to deep fry something, surprised their cooks couldn't even handle this. Also, the fish sandwich is two typical fish fry cuts, long and cylindrical. This is does NOT work on a sandwich. When you put a brat on a sandwich what do you? You cut it in half because trying to eat sandwich with a cylinder shaped meat is messy and frustrating. Now, think about adding two cylinders to the sandwich. Unbelievable, they need to quit putting their fish fry cuts on sandwiches. Get a cut of fish meant for a sandwich. Very disappointing. The food took FOREVER to get out to the table, which is a surprise given how under cooked the food the was. I was willingly to give them a second chance after a lackluster first effort. Now, I get a basically raw sandwich. I will not be going back again. Culver's fish sandwich is like 20 times better, for a lower cost, and quicker service. I will not be going back again for a third time. With all of the great restaurants in the driftless, why would you waste your time, money and taste buds at this place? Totally disappointing and underwhelming and hoping that I don't get sick. It seems like they are not even trying here and is just for profit only. No care for the customer. Avoid like Kirk Cousins avoids throwing to his WRs. read more

My family is new to the area. We've been looking for a good place with quality food outside of downtown La Crosse. We found David Reay's three weeks ago and just had our third visit. The soups and salads are great. Fresh and tasty. My partner orders the bone-in lemon-garlic wings every time. They are so good! Always hot, always good. I'm not a fan of the beef gravy, so, unfortunately I haven't tried a few entrees that I'd like to. I loved the tenderloin tips. The sautéd mushrooms are delicious! My daughter gets the chili cheese dog every time and it is definitely the best one I've ever had. Overall, the food is so good and always fresh and/or hot. The service has been good. It's never wonderful, but overall, we get what we order in a timely manner and are checked on at least once. We plan to come back! This has become one of our favorite places! read more

Never again. I went with four friends last evening to celebrate a birthday. I hadn't been out in a long time and was hoping to have a good experience with great friends. One friend ordered fish tacos. She told the waitress ahead of time that she didn't eat anything spicy or even slightly spicy. Instead, the fish tacos were cold and too spicy and the onion rings were burnt. She didn't want to reorder because our meals took over an HOUR to come to the table. Another friend at the table ordered a sandwich (I think the Patty Melt). She complained that the sandwich was pretty much only meat and cheese and missing the other toppings. My meal was the last to arrive (way over an hour). I ordered the Nachos. They were mediocre at best. Sauce from a jar, missing the green onions. Nothing to write home about. Lastly, the waitress came and asked if we needed anything. We told her about the issues and she said that she would talk with someone about it. Never apologized for the wait and never came back with remedies. We weren't the only unhappy table, there were several around us complaining as well! Never again will I be back or the ladies at my table! read more

Solid place, good happy hour. They have constructed a wonderful 4 season patio that overlooks Lake Onalaska. But HOLY SMOKES it's loud in there: sound just bounces around between the steel roof and the concrete walls. Hang some curtains or put down some AstroTurf or something. read more

My family moved to this area about 2.5 years ago. This restaurant immediately rose to be the top of our favorites list. We especially love the Asian Lettuce Wraps, the Wings (bring those back?) and the burgers and tacos, but everything here is great really. Top that off with a great server named Grace (look for her signature pixie haircut and a dash of green). She was so fun, personable and caring with us. We ask for her every time! read more

This place has lots of promise but never quite seems to deliver. I'm a local. I've eaten here a half dozen times. As a tavern, the place is great. The cocktails are top notch. They have a great selection of beer. As a restaurant, the place is over-priced and underwhelming. The food quality and consistency needs work. The Wisconsin staple of fried cheese curds should be a slam-dunk. Unfortunately, greasy and not very good. Other places do it better. The Asian chicken lettuce wraps... ordered once and found them quite good. Second time, inedible, salty and disgusting. Their pot roast has been consistently good. Friday night fish fry was said to be good by others at my table. Tonight I paid over $12 for a burger that was so dry it was gray and crumbled when bitten. I told the waiter... He agreed it was terribly over-cooked and thanked me for understanding that the kitchen was busy. "Usually, they're better. I could have them make you another one but it'll take a really long time. Next time you come, ask them not to cook it so much." I didn't finish it. He might have taken it off the bill but he didn't. Meals here have been either so-so or simply no good. The venue is nice. If you're going for a cocktail then this is a great place. I really want to like this place but after several misses, I'd recommend going elsewhere for a meal. read more

Came for an early lunch networking meeting. She got the crack chicken sandwich and I got the pulled pork. Both tasted delicious. Now obviously I'm a big fan of cole slaw and had a side helping of it also. It did not disappoint. Our server was attentive and funny. But if I would change one thing I wouldve order it without the bun, that might be a personal choice but the bun just seemed a little big for the sandwich. read more

David Reay's Modern Diner + Tavern - Pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and crispy onions. Cole slaw side. - Diners Near Me - Onalaska, Wisconsin

It took 45 minutes for a simple lunch order. The cheese curds everyone talks about were 3 X 3 inch bricks of.... well, I'm not really sure. The restaurant doesn't have a designated parking lot, therefore customers have to find street parking around one of the busiest intersections in Onalaska. Oh....and the food was no better than Nutbush....it just had nicer furniture. read more