Landmark Restaurant At Old Rittenhouse Inn

We made a reservation only after confirming by phone that the restaurant could accommodate dietary restrictions (vegetarian + gluten free). The reassurance we received over the phone - and the advertisement of “vegetarian options available” and “We’re happy to accommodate special dietary needs with advance notice.” - were in stark contrast to the actual dining experience we had. The menu had NO vegetarian entrees. One of the vegetarians in our group ordered the pasta - modified to come without the shrimp. Our server, who seemed frustrated with my dietary restrictions, reluctantly checked with the chef and the only vegetarian + gluten free option they came back with was to order the seared ahi tuna without the ahi tuna (no joke) - which meant that I had a dinner of rice and vegetables. It was delicious as far as rice and stir fried veggies go, but I was expecting more supportive service, a bit of culinary creativity…. and understanding that a vegetarian entree still needs a protein.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Marie gave us wonderful service and we had great omelettes for breakfast with a fresh made white chocolate raspberry muffin from the bakery. Beautiful historical building that we will stay in next time in Bayfield!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a wonderful dinner at the Rittenhouse. The whitefish special was delicious as were the appetizers and dessert. Marie is a delightful server and the atmosphere is elegant. We would love to dine there again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is so good and the service is amazing!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We dined here on a Monday night. Food was excellent. We ordered the airplane chicken tasting menu and tricolor gnocchi with shrimp.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We dined here on a Monday night. Food was excellent. We ordered the airplane chicken tasting menu and tricolor gnocchi with shrimp.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Beautiful Victorian style building, service was top notch. The weekly bruschetta with caramelized onion, fig jam, and blue cheese was delicious as the sweet and savory was perfectly balanced. Seafood risotto special was perfect with a great variety of seafood. Lake Superior white fish with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce was excellent. Desserts of creme brulee and peach upside down cake topped off our meals perfectly. I highly recommend this restaurant. The setting, service, and food are all well worth the price.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Weekly Bruschetta

Beautiful Victorian style building, service was top notch. The weekly bruschetta with caramelized onion, fig jam, and blue cheese was delicious as the sweet and savory was perfectly balanced. Seafood risotto special was perfect with a great variety of seafood. Lake Superior white fish with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce was excellent. Desserts of creme brulee and peach upside down cake topped off our meals perfectly. I highly recommend this restaurant. The setting, service, and food are all well worth the price.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Weekly Bruschetta

We didn't have a reservation, and though they were busy, Jack went out of his way to secure a table for us. I was delighted with their vegetarian options. The vegetable soup was excellent, and the green salad with dried figs and walnuts was wonderful, too.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

These stars solely go towards our phenomenal server Jack as well as the kitchen staff. Our food was delicious and Jack was incredibly kind and helpful! He even came to check on us outside while waiting for our table after our set reservation time as opposed to the underdressed hostess. The restaurant itself, however, was outdated, crowded, and disappointing for its reputation. We were celebrating my parent's 50th anniversary (which was made note of upon making the reservation), and no special accommodations were made, despite noticing an empty bottle of wine outside with a note that said "happy anniversary" for a previous party. Further, the party we were sat strikingly close to (friends of another server) was extremely loud, intoxicated, and conversing about a topic that was extremely upsetting. I strongly recommend requesting Jack as your server, otherwise, I would not recommend this restaurant during your visit to Bayfield.

Note to Innkeeper: It was not made aware to me that I can purchase champagne, flowers, etc. In that case, I would have done so. I am not condemning the restaurant based on the actions of another party alone, but the atmosphere of the restaurant overall.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 4

After the Apostle Island Grand Tour, I called here on a whim. They had an opening and offered parking, right there you save $20 during Apple Fest! It was a special meal in a memorable place. I'll never forget it.

The gorgeous house was worth the visit. The wait staff was attentive and efficient. The bus left us at the sidewalk and walking up and down the driveway was a challenge.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Whitefish

The Landmark Restaurant at the Old Rittenhouse Inn was a great culinary experience. The food was beyond delicious and the service was spot-on.

We've been to the Rittenhouse Inn for many years, it's been part of our annual trip to Madeline Island and I've recommended them to many friends. I was surprised when my friend, who was in Bayfield last month, said she was very disappointed with the meal. After last night, I am no longer surprised. First, the menu is far less complex than in years past; I was disappointed in the lack of creativity and range (again, compared to past years). Both of us "settled" for the surf and turf. While we waited, we were entertained by a fellow diner giving detailed feedback to the server about everthing wrong with his meal (he wasn't mean or rude at all-in fact, he would always preface his remarks by first stating how good it tasted-and then offering 5 minutes of very specific critique). Our server then told us that the kitchen was behind (there were maybe 10 couples in the entire space), later she relayed to us that the chef was concerned that our steaks were not done enough (even though we specifically stated we prefered them under-cooked) and so he was "cooking them further" under the heat lamps. Not sure what that accomplished for the ribeye, but it completely destroyed the shrimp, asparagus, mashed potatoes and the light cream dipping sauce. While the staff is wonderful and the location ideal, I think there's a serious issue in the kitchen that needs to be resolved.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 4

We were excited to bring our fish gter s & their husbands to experience a gourmet dinner here. We ate & stayed here on our honeymoon and we’re celebrating our anniversary, a daughters anniversary and other daughters birthday. Missed the wonderful menu descriptions by Jerry. Our waitress was attentive but the food was only so so. Husbands steak was mostly fat and the shrimp were over cooked. Pointed out the pile of fat on husbands plate but she just said “Yeah that happens” The other meals were OK - not spectacular. Desserts were so so. Very disappointed in what we hoped would be the highlight of our family weekend celebration