Gateway Lodge and Resort - Mercer, Wisconsin

Mathieu L.

For our New Year’s Day dinner we gave Gateways Restaurant a try and they exceeded our expectations. From the service to drinks to food nothing was disappointed. Even “Jersey” the Golden Retriever was fun to hang out with. If your looking for wonderful service, give this restaurant a try.

Stephanie H.

Our new favorite place to eat! Another great meal in the books. All the food we have had has been superb. Tonight was no different, we went for prime rib and burgers for the kids. Portions are great and you will never leave hungry!

If you are looking for a great classic Northwoods experience and outstanding food this is the place to go. Staff is friendly and amazing. The owner takes obvious pride in the food he prepares and makes time to talk and visit with the customers.

Thank you!

Julie H.

We have been coming here for boat rentals for a few years now, as well as dinner, and we will definitely continue to do so. The owners are absolutely fantastic. They are friendly, helpful, and we have some great conversations in passing. The boats are great and make our vacation much easier to manage, and the food is fabulous. (The elk steak is the best!) I highly recommend them for the atmosphere and overall great business.

johnhill1966

We stayed on 10-15 July. I highly recommend the Aspen cabin. It is not owned by the Gateway - it’s privately owned and very well maintained. The owners are located just east of the cabin and are super friendly and helpful. The owners allowed us to fish off their private dock which was very nice.The location of the Gateway lodge is pretty convenient. It’s on a paved county road and is only a little over 5 miles from the Trail 17 intersection if you plan on riding your side by side.Although the Aspen cabin itself is great, it’s not located on the “property proper”. You have to access it via a private driveway that is about 100 yards past the Gateway bar. This isn’t so bad, but no one tells you this and (upon arrival) you have to scout it out to figure how to find it. Additionally, if you bring a trailer, you’ll have to back down a long, narrow driveway or park your trailer across the road. Not a big deal, but the Gateway should probably e-mail you a map of how to get to your place. You’ll also have to walk across an abandoned property (that isn’t mowed) to access the restaurant/bar, docks, etc. The only 2 cabins that are actually situated on the lake inlet with pull up parking are the Honeymoon and the Hunter’s Den. When I mentioned my concerns to Missy (who I’ll get to later) that a map would’ve been nice, she was uninterested to say the least.I never met Wayne (the co-owner) in person. We only communicated via e-mail. Let me just say that communication isn’t one of his strengths. Prior to arriving, I had several questions and one small request…that he provide me a receipt after he received my payment. None of my questions were answered and I never got a receipt. He did tell me that he received my payment a week after my check cleared my bank and after I had to ask him for the 3rd time.We did get a chance to meet Missy (the other co-owner) on Thursday afternoon at the bar. I want to be as nice as possible here….she’s just plain grumpy and unattentive. She seems like she could care less (or even put off) that you’re a paying customer. My wife and I were the only ones in the bar and the dog greeted us by licking our legs before she even acknowledged we were there. Finally she took our order for 2 Bush Lights (don’t judge..ha ha) and not so promptly served us 2 Coors Lights. She seems so put out and never engaged us in any way. We did tell her we were staying in the Aspen and at that point (4 days into our stay) asked us to fill out our check-in paperwork. Wow! How was this going to happen if we didn’t walk into the bar and approach her? And with one day left to stay, why did it matter at that point? Either way, it seems that Wayne and Missy have a lot to learn about running a small business. We didn’t eat at the restaurant so I can’t comment on the quality of the food, but I’m sure it’s good after reading several positive reviews. I can tell you that you won’t find a place in the area that charges higher prices. We found that the restaurant at the Great Northern Hotel in Mercer was about the best deal around. Around the Corner pub was also very good.
The parking is limited and like I mentioned earlier, if you bring a trailer, you’ll be asked to unhook it and park it across the road. The Aspen is great, but the 2 small cabins on the lake (Honeymoon and Hunter), which are fully owned/maintained by Missy and Wayne, are a little rough. I can’t speak to the larger, more expensive 2 story place (Pine Tree), but it looks newer.

Wi-Fi access was constantly in and out of service.

If you’re bringing your boat, the docks are pretty flimsy and I only located one working power outlet. There’s a gravel/sand grade that goes into the water but it’s not suitable for launching. You’d have to put in at the State Park which is just around the corner about a ½ mile. We were here for an entire week and no one rented any of the Gateway’s boats.

If I had to sum it up: The Aspen is great, the location is good, the facilities are satisfactory and the customer service is poor.

Christine S.

My husband and I stayed at this resort for the annual pumpkin run ATV trip. We had the best time and enjoyed the owners very much. They run a top notch place and we can't wait to go back next year. We stayed in the Hunters Run Cabin and everything was perfect. We ate at their restaurant/bar and had a wonderful steak dinner and great service!

Douglas G.

This is our "go to" place to eat. The decor is beautiful and the food is excellent. Doesn't take long to understand how much pride goes into their culinary work. Owners are very nice with welcoming personalities.

michelle B.

We went there for dinner it was the worst experience. The server was very nice however the female owner was less than desirable. Asked a question on the food the server could not answer the owner gave us one word answers with her mouth full of food. We got the crab cakes couldn't even stand the smell of them they smelt like a fish cleaning station. I tried the salmon over cooked and the worst fishy taste ever, potato not cooked all the way. After throwing away a full order of crab cakes and salmon they still handed us a $70 bill over priced food stay away.

Jackie F.

We stopped in on a Saturday at 2:00 for lunch. Sandwiches were okay. But the customer we saw and heard from the female owner and her daughter and the drama was unforgivable. One man came into the bar to check in and was told to “just wait and it’s going to be a while”. Then he was ignored for 20 minutes and told to come back at 3:00 when check in was open. Doors were slammed shut by the Daughter because she was mad at an employee. Several people ignored. My advice is the lack of customer service and high drama equals a good place to avoid.