Dined here on Mother's Day, for brunch. We had a 2pm reservation, which worried me a bit as it was late in the brunch schedule. Well - there was *nothing* to worry about, other than where I was going to put all of the delicious food I was consuming. There was not a single item/chaffer that wen't empty for more than a few minutes. Everything was hot, fresh and well-made. Desserts were plentiful, too. Linda was our server, and although she was new, she did a fantastic job and checked on us many times. Thanks, TB!!! read more

My husband and I decided last moment to go to Thunder Bay for Sunday brunch recently, and we were happy that we could be seated immediately. We both have always loved the salad and soup bar there (matter of fact, I'll often just order that for lunch or dinner), and as always, the soups were hot and tasty and the salad bar offerings were fresh, and the area was well maintained and cleaned. There were several choices for both breakfast and lunch entrees; I enjoyed the fried fish and beef burgundy, while my husband said both the fried chicken and the beef (I think it was prime rib) were good, but the beef was on the tough side. The French toast was puffy and moist, but the Belgian waffles were hard and bone dry. The scrambled eggs were rather dense, but the bacon, sausage, and cheesy potatoes were, we agreed, flavorful. The dessert selection was meager, primarily cookies and some bar cookies, and the breakfast pastry selections were rather tasteless and beginning to harden. I'd guess they'd been out for awhile. Our pleasant server was prompt with keeping our beverages topped off and clearing the table. This restaurant, due to its rustic look, is always darker than most restaurants; as this was daytime and our dining air had few windows, brighter lighting would have been nice. read more

Our visits here have been hit or miss the last few times but we wanted to try once more today. We entered at 2:45 and saw a huge buffet setup for Father's Day. We sat at a bar table and asked about the buffet and the bar tender told us it was $38 and also that it was usually $28, but that whatever was out was all that was available until it ended at 4:00. Not really inviting in any way, but we were not interested in it in the end so we let the odd comment go. We asked for menus and he asked if we wanted to order a drink. We said yes and did so. When he brought the drinks back, he also brought two menus but said none of the food was available until after 4:00 because the kitchen was busy with the buffet. So, we were given menus but had to wait over an hour before we could order off it? Why didn't he say so when we asked for the menus in the first place? Nothing was available, not an appetizer, not even soup. So we drank the wine we ordered which was supposed to be with our meal and asked for our bill. The guy was less than friendly, and we left with no looking back. We have tried repeatedly to find a good time to go here, but no matter what it seems the staff is unhappy, the kitchen is picky and we are not of any value to anyone. Strike 3 for us. What a shame. read more

In reply to the manager. Here's my chicken picatta. This is what I had for leftovers. Didn't think of taking a photo at the restaurant. Boiled chicken. Does not look appetizing at all. I did say in my last review. Soup and salad bar was good. I couldn't update the first one. read more

Thunder Bay Restaurant - Chicken Picatta - American Near Me - Pewaukee, Wisconsin

The food ordered was pretty tasteless. But, the soup and salad bar made up for the entree. I heard the brunch is good so I might go back for that. read more

Stopped by for lunch. Had the club sandwich and the salad bar. Both were excellent. The salad bar was loaded with fresh veggies, homemade salad dressings and delicious made from scratch soups. The sandwich was on delicious grilled sourdough with a garlic mayo. The service was attentive. Will definitely be back. read more

What's not to like at the Sunday brunch! I hadn't been here in decades and my family asked me to meet them there and I'm so glad I did! It was incredible! So much to choose from but you need to make sure you are hungry and then some! From a prime rib carving station, fish, chicken, mac and cheese, all the breakfast items you can imagine including made to order omelette, many pastries and sizable salad bar! read more

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We came here for Easter Brunch and did not leave disappointed. The brunch was scheduled from 9-4, and we could only get a 3:30 seating. I was concerned, thinking we would just get the tail ends of the buffet but not to worry as they were still filling the steam tables with fresh items until way after 4. When we got there around 3:15, it was totally packed and a lot of large groups waiting to be seated. The hostess was very friendly and seated us right away. This brunch consisted of breakfast items, made to order omelets, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, french toast, biscuits and gravy and for the lunch/dinner items they had a large salad bar complete with shrimps and cocktail sauce, smoked salmon, spring mix ,chopped romaine lettuce, all your favorite salad toppings, potato and macaroni salad, cottage cheese, and fruit salad. At the carving station they had prime rib and glazed ham. There was also bbq ribs, fried chicken, beef burgundy, mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese, a vegetable medley, and best of all, a champagne fountain. The dessert table had some mini pastries, muffins and macaroons. I did see some people with large chocolate chip cookies on their plates but they were all gone by the time I got there . Note about the photos, there is no photo on round 2, which consisted of the carved ham, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and vegetables because I had eaten most of it by the time I remembered. What did this all cost, you ask? A mere $38 pp. for adults. I just wish I could have gotten more photos, but like I said, it was extremely crowded and I did not want to annoy the other customers. I give this brunch buffet an easy 5 star review read more

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We met another couple here and had dinner together. The decor is simply fun. Our server, Carlos, did an excellent job--attentive & friendly. Two of us had Jambalaya and it was excellent! Fish and chips were a hit with another in our group. The only ding is that the prime rib was just okay--not a hit (trying something else next time). Overall, this place is highly recommended! read more

Started off with this supposed lump crab cake which turned out to be a scoop of canned crab browned on 1 side! Way over seasoned and way too salty. I'm still not sure what the pile of stuff was in the center which had zero taste or flavor. I then received my entrée which was their failed attempt at Bouillabaise. It had 4 shrimp, 2 scallops and mussels that had nothing in them and what was supposed to be clams which were horrible. The meal was below par and horribly prepared. Would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

The first thing I noticed was the small plates at the table were not dry. Then, of course, the food made me violently ill. My body made me vomit it up a few hours later. The service was also bad as I did not receive one water refill until the check came. The restaurant was well over half empty on a Saturday night. Not busy. No excuse. I would not eat here unless you enjoy this type of experience. read more

We had the worst dining experience of our lives. After being seated and waiting almost 2 hours, we left after the salad course. The kicker was when we asked the manager where our order was and she said it had only been in 20 mins. That is when we left. Rude waitress due to probably being understaffed and over worked. Never again. read more

Way overpriced. 33 bucks for a perch dinner that was subpar at best. This place used to be really good. Now its overpriced.

Delicious food, had the pan fried walleye and was outstanding. Wife had crab cakes and salad bar. Both great. Service was awesome.

While my prior visits have been good, our recent visit was far from satisfactory. Our party of four visited last Friday for a fish fry and salad bar, based on prior visits we wanted to take another couple to enjoy the meal. While the fish was decent, although the salad bar was mostly empty containers. What made it worse was three of the four people in our party became very ill within a half hour of finishing the meal. Based on what we all ate we figured our stomach issues were most likely the result of the salad bar. Paying $150 for a meal that was very unpleasant is problematic and although I dislike leaving negative reviews, we were extremely dissatisfied. read more

Our large party of 25 arranged in advance to enjoy a meal after a family member's memorial service on a Saturday night, November, 2025. I could not have been more pleased with the accommodations (the lovely Porch Room), the delicious food, the attentiveness and professionalism of the staff, and the ease with which these arrangements were made with the Thunder Bay Grille Pewaukee, WI location ahead of time. Do not hesitate to reach out to them for your next small or large event--you will have an enjoyable experience as well as a delicious meal. Thank you to the Thunder Bay Grille Pewaukee, WI team! read more

Brought two friends for dinner last night who'd never been there before. One was very disappointed with the price of the fish fry and only two pieces of fish for that price Plus I'm like every other fish fry in the entire city, no coleslaw. I usually like the food here but once again left pretty sure that you don't care anything about salads given the mediocre iceberg lettuce salad served with my dinner. Chunks of the core and generally the most unremarkable salad ever!! Our dinners arrived about 3 minutes after the salads which was disappointing. Our waitress brought our (separate) checks (dropping them off quickly and leaving even though she said she would be there until closing) without ever asking if we wanted coffee or dessert. read more

Service was great, our waitress was great and super nice but, food was not worth the price at all, wouldn't plan on going back

Thunder Bay ruined our Thanksgiving. We love Thunder Bay. We have booked many family gatherings here, including hosting over 150 people at my parents 60th anniversary before dad passed. We were down to just ten of us this year, from more than double that in years past. When we booked a 3pm gathering a month ago we did not see any problems. We arrived and checked in. We were told we would be split into two tables, which we accepted. We were then taken into separate rooms, on opposite sides of the building. Five people seated at a table for six, and five at a table for eight. Two tables for four were immediately adjacent to the table for six, and a table set for ten was right next to the table for eight. We pointed this out - asked her to please consider putting us together. "I know what I'm doing." "You have to have separate tables with different servers." "Just let me do my job!" I said, "You know a bad Yelp review will follow if you do this. We're not going to fight with you." The second table near us stayed open for ten minutes after we sat down. My family sat together. My brother's family sat together. But we didn't sit together. Our waitress was very nice but said she couldn't do anything because the manager had decided. Twice my brother went back up and asked again. "She's doubled down and was quite rude." We had troubles paying for the bills together at the end. Where we normally would have enjoyed getting together as family, we could have stayed home and saved almost $500. And while every other person was nice, we simply couldn't get over "Laura" (I believe) because separating our family on Thanksgiving. Coming from both a service and public facing background, I hate to throw anyone under the bus like that - but as my brother said she "doubled down" when we asked, nicely, repeatedly. Other employees had to apologize for her behavior. And what was once our favorite "go to" place I'm not sure we will return to. It wasn't just a misstep, it was an arrogance and ruined memory. Nobody goes out together to get separated and sit alone. Giving a second star only because the other employees don't deserve what she did, and we have so many family memories at Thunder Bay from years past. read more

Thunder Bay Restaurant - Laura, who insisted our family be separated, ruining the whole point of getting together for Thanksgiving. - American Near Me - Pewaukee, Wisconsin

4 adults 3 young children Service was very good couldn't have asked for better. Kids meals were chicken tenders, mac and cheese, French fries,quality mac and cheese, high end Cavendish style fries and real chicken strips not ground chicken parts. Also for kid serving very large portions. Adults salad bar, steak, Bouillabaisse, fish and chips Bouillabaisse was different as it was a thick tomato sauce base. But was reportedly very good , steak was done as ordered and tender salad bar was very nice lots and lots of choices and nothing was anything but fresh. Fish chips were a disappointment fish was very tough actually used a knife to cut the fish. Also the batter had a bitter after taste and really no up front flavor chips were the Cavendish type nice and crispy Ordered some ice cream as a treat for the kids. Nice serving of vanilla with Oreo crumbs and gummy's Don't know if it is just the service or not but the kids ice cream was not charged for. Our waiter was on the spot attentive and very good with the young. Great bread basket and cheese curd appetizers had to be the best I have ever had. Hopefully the fish was just one of those things that can happen. Prices are what one would expect, not a place for a cost effective family meal but for a nice dinner outing defiantly. read more

Had a small private event here. It was a good choice. Staff and food were great. I would come back for sure!

Love the salad bar! Great service and I felt the prices were just on point with the quality. My husband gets the French onion soup anytime it's on the menu and he said it was delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

Thunder Bay Restaurant - Salad bar - American Near Me - Pewaukee, Wisconsin

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The service every time I come here is great. The theme and ambiance of this place is always great. The location inbetween lake country and Milwaukee is great. Where is this place lacking? The quality of food. If this was not corporate owned and the restaurant manager or chef or franchise owner could pick their own dishes to prepare and quality of ingredients, this place would be hopping all the time. read more

Kelly was so nice and she was so kind and she was so quick! we love coming here since she is the best!

So accommodating on a Sunday night! We tried two other places that were not staffed and couldn't take our group of 10. We had no problem getting seated, served quickly and all the food was fresh and flavorful! We arrived an hour before close and they did not rush us out at all! The French onion soup was amazing and our table thoroughly enjoyed burgers, salads and pastas! All were great! Very inviting place and fun atmosphere! read more

I had dinner with friends at Thunder Bay. What a broad selection of the usuals with a twist and some unique dishes as well. Started with shrimp and crawfish fondue, which was better than I imagined. Overall I would recommend for an evening of above standard dining. read more

Poor service, tepid food, overpriced. I had not been here in years, thought the group should give it a try. Definitely will not be returning. The nice ambiance does not make up for the hour it took from ordering to getting our food. The only saving grace might be the salad bar that looked pretty decent. It was a cold day and we all wanted hot food which we didn't get anyway... read more

Always, always, love Thunder Bay whenever we are in the area. And where else can you find an endless soup and salad bar?

Amazing seafood! I've been here numerous times and loved everything I tried. Also love the fireplace in the dining room. I'll be back!

Came with a group of 8. Haven't been here in decades but used to really like it. Decor hasn't changed a bit. Found the menu to be somewhat disappointing and fairly pricey for a casual restaurant. Husband had a burger and it was just okay, I had a ribeye that was fair. It was cooked properly and the broccolini ($7 upcharge on a $46 steak) was quite good but the steak itself did nit taste like a ribeye- not marbled or rich but rather somewhat chewy and very bland. I actually found myself salting it. There were grill marks but it didn't seem to be grilled. Two people had salmon and seemed pleased, one had bison meatloaf and everyone thought it looked quite impressive. In law who chose the place said his friends loved it, he had chicken alfredo. However, one member of the party had shrimp alfredo and was served a half filled pasta bowl of white sauced pasta and none of us saw any shrimp. The waitress upon serving commented when she put it down, "I know it looks like there aren any shrimp in there but there are, I checked." When he began to dig around and found the few shrimp they were quire small and white, more like bait shrimp, the dish was $22.00. Service was pleasant though not attentive and we were there so early (4:00 for dinner, again in law choice) that perhaps a refill of water glasses would have been nice. Not awful, not great but my husband and I definitely feel they are phoning it in. read more

Pretty good place. I got a bison burger it was $15 and cheese. I think it was a dollar or two more. Service sitting at the bar was mediocre. Not being busy. They could've refill my water a little quicker without me having to ask as well, having to ask for the check was annoying as well. overall I'll be back because I'm staying at this adjacent hotel for the next 10 days. So I'll be back and I'm sure things will remain the same with the service. The food going out there looked really good. read more

Thunder Bay Restaurant - Bison, burger - American Near Me - Pewaukee, Wisconsin

The food was delicious and the service was friendly. You should expect the ambience of a sports bar setting.

I arrived and sat at the bar. The bartender looked at me and said nothing. She went and did a few other tasks. She came and asked what I wanted to drink and I asked for a glass of water. The counter in front of me was dirty and I asked her if she had a towel and coukd she wipenit. She grabbed some cocktail napkins and wiped it and then grabbed the water glass for for me. I left without eating When I called back and told the manager Scott about my visit, he didn't really seem to interested. He mumbled something about the bartender not knowing their standards. I think I now know why there about 4 guests there. They don't have any standards. In the post Covid19 Era, this is unacceptable. I went to Chili's instead. read more

One of the best salad bars in the area and a varied and very tasty menu. Services always top-notch. Highly recommend.

Great choice after the first one failed because popularity has made it a mob scene. Thunder Bay has a cavernous interesting "native American" decor with a remarkable post-Covid salad bar. Tables are expansively positioned to avoid Covid concerns with crowding. Friday night fish fry, baked or fried cod with choice of potato. All "as much as you choose to eat", salad bar and soup included. Great service. Six of us were happy about the find. read more

Thunder Bay Grill is a very nice, warm, inviting establishment. We were greeted and seated promptly. The waiter was great. He didn't rush us at all since we weren't in any hurry to order. My wife had a Cobb Salad and I had the Shrimp Jambalaya. The Cobb Salad was just OK. Was suppose to have avocado and finally after searching my wife found a slice. For the price, it was lackluster and boring. The Shrimp Jambalaya.....well..... Jambalaya has sausage in it. It is the 1st ingredient in the pot. It grounds the flavor as it is built. Then add the trinity (Green bell pepper, celery and onions) and some heat...a cayenne pepper or jalapeno, Cajun seasoning and some crushed tomato. Well this isn't how Thunder Bay makes it. It was one note....bitter tomato was all you tasted. The shrimp were over cooked on a grill and had absolutely no flavor. The shrimp should ALWAYS be cooked in the Jambalaya. Why you ask.....another layer of flavor. This dish comes with a cornbread muffin. It was no better. The pan it was cooked in seems to need a run through the dish washer. the muffin just had a funky taste to it like it was rancid cooking oil. You could just use Jiffy in cup cake cups and it would be a lot better. This isn't the 1st visit to this venue. Neither visits were stellar. I didn't review the 1st visit because I figure you always give the place at least a second try. Well today was my last time there. The $50.00 fine for bad food. Hope y'll have a better experience. read more

Not nearly as good as it once was. First of all, they got rid of their amazing biscuits with cinnamon butter which was pretty much the only reason to go to Thunder Bay Grille other than their salad bar. We stopped in after having not eaten there since well before COVID. I have to say the quality has very obviously gone down hill. We both ordered the fish fry. The batter for the fish fry was too bready and it was really salty and the fish didn't taste very fresh. I also ordered the French onion soup which came lukewarm and it was maybe only 7-10 spoonfuls. It looked like they microwaved a piece of Sargento pre-sliced cheese on top. Possibly the worst French onion I've ever had. 2 stars for the service. Waitress was friendly and attentive. Other than that - this restaurant went way down hill. It's too bad - this restaurant used to be really good. read more

Eat here always as I travel in from out of town. Food is excellent and two salmon dishes are excellent, pasta wonderful and a great caesar salad. Wonderful staff- always friendly and helpful so if I could give this a ten I would. Warm inviting place with great staff -- it's a must go to!! read more

Can't say my experiences have been great, but it's an OK restaurant which seems to cater (literally) to a lot of larger groups. I've found service to be disinterested and generally lacking but the food is decent. Still, it seems a bit strange to forget the tartar sauce on a fish sandwich and also to serve it with a largely tasteless coleslaw but the fish was good quality and fried well if slightly under-seasoned. Pastas are decent though not necessarily anything to write home about which seems to be the story here overall. The restaurant is huge, the kitchen is huge, and if you've got a work group, a birthday party, a retirement party, a funeral gathering, or just about any group it's probably one of the better options because large groups are not easy from a space or service standpoint. But based on my lackluster experiences plus similar stories from local friends I won't necessarily be racing to come back here. Unless staying at one of the nearby hotels of course and if I'm ever back at the Holiday Inn next door I'll probably return because it's about as easy as you can get. It is what it is. read more

Server was great nice and charming. We order the 4 cheese stuffed mushroom appetizer. 4 mushrooms came out quickly but when we bit into them the mushrooms were frozen. For the price we paid $12 for four mushrooms I thought the mushrooms would be fresh. My wife had the bouillabaisse and she enjoyed very much. I had Cajun shrimp chicken pasta. The chicken tasted reheated and not fresh. Everything else was ok but not great. read more