Foolery's on Okauchee Lake — Restaurant in Town of Oconomowoc

Wow. This was the worst food I've had in years! The crab rangoon, onion rings, and french fries were not only fried in the same fryer, but the grease was also very old. As a former restaurant owner, I know food, and they were disgusting.

The swiss cheese on the cheeseburger was not even melted, and the med-rare (as ordered) burger was overcooked to medium. The bun was greasy on top, so much so, that my friend only ate half of half of her burger alone, with no bun. My filet mignon was extremely overcooked and tough (on "Steak Night"), and my onion rings were greasy and burnt and everything had this weird smell to it. I even asked the server to smell a fry, cause it smelled rancid. Even the server said she had just had some fries and they were not good.

They took my steak charge off of our bill, but fully charged us for the nastiest burger and fries I've seen in awhile. The crabmeat rangoon, when cut open, had a grayish tint to the filling, and the filling was very "thick on the tongue." For $14, it should be excellent. We were both starving but could only choke down one rangoon each! They tried to reinvent the wheel with their version of crab rangoon. Hint: If it's not broke, don't fix it!

We never received a physical check with which to review our charges. The server just came up at the end of the meal, announced all of the food we were served but didn't eat, told us the price, and that it was the amount that we had to pay. Our bill was sight unseen. It is VERY suspicious, for obvious reasons, when a restaurant doesn't produce receipts for their patrons.

This was a VERY bad experience. The server said it was because it was during the week, and that we didn't get "The weekend cooks!" The bill, even without my steak charge, was still $49 plus tip! For bad food, and in my case, a completely inedible meal. I did have two tall drinks with my meal, but they were single shot vodka drinks, and my friend just had lemonade. So that can't be the reason the bill was so high. But again, a patron can't know if they never receive a bill to review!

I want someone to call me tomorrow about this. The server said she talked to the manager on duty, but no one ever even came over to talk to us. And how do you decide to charge a patron for a completely unacceptable burger? You can't say we didnt complain. We did. So please do not disrespect me with excuses or accusations. Just make it right. I have emailed you as well, where I gave you my phone number to call me...

EDIT: The owner of this place needs to learn humility and accountability. It's interesting that every single time someone makes a negative review, he responds back calling them liars or insults them. Very tacky and a sign of bad ownership. A simple apology and some ownership goes a long way. Unfortunately, this forced me to have to lower my review...

I had a negative experience on Saturday evening. My kids and I went there around 5:30 pm to grab dinner. There were 4-5 tables of people and a handful of people at the bar. There were 2 servers/bartenders working. We sat at a table and waited. And waited. And waited 5-10 minutes for someone to come to our table with menus. She left them and said she'd "be right back". Another 5-10 minutes go by before she comes back. During this time, I noticed that the other girl was clearing some glasses and dishes, but could have easily stopped over to grab our drink order. She definitely noticed us sitting there with no drinks and could have come over to take our order. Our server finally came back (to her credit, she thanked us for our patience) and took our food and drink order. I ordered a cherry vodka and Diet Coke and then we waited some more. Again, I noticed our server was at another table and the girl behind the bar was once again not making any drinks and sort of wandering around. I went up to the bar to ask for our drinks and she was clearly annoyed and said something to the effect of "I saw your order and she was looking for the cherry vodka. I'll make them for you." She came over with my kids' drinks and told me that she was out of cherry vodka so I asked for vanilla instead. She said she didn't have that either. By this time, I'm completely annoyed with the service, the waiting and her lack of customer service. We ended up walking out. Just an FYI, we went up the street to Hideaway. There was ONE bartender there. We sat down, he was at our table within 1-2 minutes with menus, came back 2-3 minutes later to take our order and brought our drinks almost right away. He had a FULL bar and another 1-2 tables. Not sure why your employees weren't able to handle the customers you had, but you will lose business if that...

5/2025 Update: We love Foolery's for a laid-back meal. As the weather warmed up, we headed over for a dinner on the patio. On a Friday night, it was busy, but we arrived by 5:00 and got a table quickly. Others who came after had to wait. Families are able to get a good dinner with their young kids, and sitting on a lakefront is always relaxing. Be sure to come on the evenings when Badgerland Ski Club is performing right off the shore; great entertainment! Don't forget the picnic tables on the sand at the lakefront; it's a nice place for kids to be active if they want, while others get a nice meal. The food is good and the servings are large. We took home about 1/2 of our meals for another dinner. The drinks are good too. Our server was able to give us a little sample of the daiquiris so we could decide which one was right for us. The only drawback was how busy the servers were due to the crowd on this nice, warm evening. While it was not a problem for us, some families with kids were getting antsy to get their bills so they could leave. But that is what happens when you have good food and a fun place to eat.

Original post 2023: I love an outside meal and Foolery's is just what I want for a simple meal and great margarita. I sit outside and watch the boats go by and always get cheese curds to start. Whether I am having a full meal or a light snack the menu has what I want. And so far nothing has been disappointing. A salad, burger, wrap or anything else on the menu is worth the price. I wish the weather allowed us to enjoy this gem all year round. Don't miss the chance to watch Badgerland Ski Team perform on some evenings while...