Dawn Manor Restaurant, Bar & Speakeasy — Restaurant in Lake Delton

What can I say about Dawn Manor Restaurant, Bar & Speakeasy. JUST WOW!!!!! WOW! WOW! WOW!

Dawn Manor is a fine example of what a 5 star restaurant should be. It is just amazing. Fantastic. Delicious. Perfect. Awesome. Incredible.

We didn’t know about them before this trip. A good friend on my social media page recommended it. I just can’t say WOW enough and I’m so happy we stopped in. It’s hard to find any other restaurant in the area to compare to. Ishnala is the closest comparison and I think Dawn Manor wins. Especially because we only had to wait 3 minutes to be seated. Our wait time was amazing too. They have the most comfortable chairs to wait in.

To start off, they are promoting their Dream Soda, so they serve you complementary tastings. I can tell you that it is beyond dreamy. It is AMAZING! It’s hard to describe the flavor. It reminds me of something that would be served in the Harry Potter movie. Mysterious. It kind of has a butterscotch flavor. But I can’t stand butterscotch and I’m head of feet for Dream Soda. There’s nothing else like it.

We had the potato soup. It was phenomenal. I didn’t know potato soup could be this good! But it can and Dawn Manor serves it. Then they go and top it off with burnt end bacon pieces and it makes it mind blowing. It put my famous potato soup to shame. So good.

We both had the prime rib with lobster tails. Their prime rib is on point. 5 star all of the way. So tender and juicy. The lobster tails were a good size. I’d say 5 oz if I had to guess. They were tender and juicy as well. Everything was cooked to perfection.

I tried the leek scallops which I was not a fan of but I ate them anyway.

Our service matched the food. Top notch. Ozan was our waiter. He did an amazing job taking care of us and we are very appreciative for the 10 star service.

The look of the place is incredible. I love the atmosphere. Next time I will spend more time walking around and appreciating the art and the building. I love history and Dawn Manor has a rich history.

Here’s a tidbit. In 1855 Abraham Vanderpoel, a friend of Abraham Lincoln and a signer of the Wisconsin Constitution, purchases land in the former city of Newport, Wisconsin, just a few miles from Mirror Lake and has Dawn Manor built with Potsdam sandstone.

From what I understand, there is a hidden speakeasy bar inside. I can’t wait to find it the next time we come. Make sure you take a look around when you are there. That’s my biggest recommendation when you visit. Explore while you are there.

We are thankful it was open on the holiday. PLEASE TRY DAWN MANOR!!! You won’t be...

We were really hoping for a great experience, but what I would say is it was "just ok". The speakeasy in the basement was cozy: dimly lit, lots of seating, Old Fashions were good and their homemade "Dream" soda was good. The server was friendly. We had our 4 alcoholic drinks and he never came back. When we needed to go upstairs to eat, we tried to pay our bill but when we went up to the bar to the server, he said it wasn't him who we had to pay, fair enough. But we had to wait quite awhile to get someone to let us settle-up. It was almost $70 for 4 drinks which seemed quite high to me. Half of us had to go upstairs to be seated while the other 2 stayed down waiting to pay. We were taken to the top floor and it was SO loud. We could not hear the server or really each other. You had to basically shout to have a conversation. The server was very friendly though and the food came out very fast.The food: we ordered the horseradish deviled eggs, bacon- wrapped dates, and brussel sprouts. I will say, all 3 appetizers were good. The main entrees: Cheddar-stuffed meatloaf on bed of garlic mashed potatoes with veggies, covered in mac and cheese. This was the best dish of the 4. The meatloaf itself lacked in flavor but the mac and cheese, brown gravy made up for that and it was pretty good. The 2nd entree was prime rib with parmesan& leek au grautins. The prime rib had no real flavor and was tough, but it did come medium as requested. The potatoes were overdone and very dry. Third entree was ribeye with garlic mashed potatoes. Meat again was bland, but the garlic butter topping helped. Potatoes were good. Fourth entree was chicken Caesar salad and bowl of loaded baked potatoe soup. Again, the chicken just had no flavor but the Caesar dressing was good. The soup was good. Trying to give a fair and honest review . Overall, the food was decent but nothing really great and much lack of flavor in the meats. The atmosphere for eating was not at all relaxing on the top floor, maybe better on main floor? The lighting in the restaurant was very bright, could be dimmed a bit for ambiance. The only restrooms are in the basement and have to either take elevator or stairs and the women's bathroom had a pretty bad sewer smell. All of the staff were very friendly. The price point based on the quality of the food and atmosphere was high to me. I'm glad we tried it but probably won't be back. Maybe we'll try it again after they aren't so new and can work through...

I really wanted to love Dawn Manor. Nestled in the heart of Wisconsin Dells, this charming new spot has all the makings of a great local gem: cozy ambiance, a creative menu, and some of the friendliest service I’ve experienced in a while. Unfortunately, the food didn’t quite live up to the setting or the service.

Let’s start with the positives. The staff at Dawn Manor are incredibly warm and attentive. From the moment we walked in, we felt genuinely welcomed, and it’s clear they care about giving guests a good experience. The drink menu also had a fun twist—particularly the Dream Soda, which was surprisingly refreshing and one of the highlights of the night.

That said, the main issue here is the food—specifically, the lack of seasoning. The flavors were just flat. We ordered the potato-crusted walleye, a dish that sounded promising on paper but was executed with almost no flavor. There wasn’t even salt on the table to try and salvage it, which felt like a miss for a place serving dishes that really needed a flavor boost.

Next up was the meatloaf, served over mashed potatoes and topped with macaroni and cheese—a quirky combo that had potential. The textures were fine, and the dish was comforting in its own way, but once again, everything tasted under-seasoned and dull. It felt like they were holding back on flavor across the board, which is frustrating when the kitchen clearly has ideas worth exploring.

The cheese curds were decent—crispy, not too greasy, but still lacking the savory punch you expect from a Wisconsin classic. With such fierce cheese curd competition around here, being “just OK” doesn’t quite cut it.

Overall, Dawn Manor has a lot going for it—great service, a cozy atmosphere, and a menu that shows ambition. But until the kitchen gets more confident with seasoning and boldness, it’s hard to recommend the food wholeheartedly. I’ll be rooting for them, though, because with a few adjustments, this place could be a standout. Here’s hoping they find their...