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The Mariner's Inn, Madison, WI

The Mariner's Inn

4.8
4.8
1858 Reviews
$30 and under
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 18 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Great for scenic views
When Bill and Betty Von Rutenberg opened The Mariner’s Inn in 1966, they set out to provide a steak and seafood dining experience like none other. Mouth watering, delicious steaks aged to perfection and an assortment of seafood from lobster to the famous Friday Fish Fry.
Bill and Betty’s sons, Bill, Jack, and Robert, along with their crew, now carry on the tradition of outstanding hospitality of von Rutenberg Ventures. Waterfront dining on the patio and a sunset over the marina make dinner at Mariner’s an evening to remember. We offer five options for dining. Dine-in, expanded outdoor seating, carryout, curbside, and dockside. Try our monthly summer Lobster Boil. You can now enjoy the lobster boils by dine-in or takeout! Advance reservations required.

To make a reservation that is larger then 8 people please call us.

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:30 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

What 1,858 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Madison

    Best Overall

  • Madison

    Best Food

  • Madison

    Best Service

  • Madison

    Best Value

  • Madison

    Kid-friendly

  • Madison

    Great for outdoor dining

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Mariner's Inn offers a "wonderful atmosphere" with a "classic Wisconsin supper club" feel and "spectacular" food. Diners delight in "excellent steaks" and "delicious seafood," often complemented by "friendly and attentive" service. The "scenic waterside views" and "live music" create memorable dining experiences, making it a "great place to celebrate."

1,858 Reviews
  1. Dwight

    Charlotte2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a great experience, the food was very good, the salad was phenomenal. The steak was really good not quite deserving of five stars, but very good nonetheless. The walleye was exceptional. I would give this a 4.9 across the board. 9.8 out of 10

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  2. Norman

    Chicago1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of my favorite seafood / steak restaurants. It has that old world Wisconsin look. The food is amazing and the service is top notch. The fried cod is the best I’ve ever tried. The atmosphere is warm and nostalgic. Every trip to Madison, we go to Mariners.

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  3. Cameron VIP

    Las Vegas1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always an awesome experience. One of our favorite spots in all of Madison.

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  4. larry

    Milwaukee25 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always an awesome experience, I will miss this place

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  5. nathan

    Milwaukee1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing Steak and Shrimp, wonderful and friendly staff, delicious drinks!

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  6. Gini

    Milwaukee1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was excellent. This is a really nice place with a supper club feel. It’s very clean. We were seated close to a huge bank of windows that looked out over the water (ice) and it was snowing… it was very pretty! We couldn’t have asked for a better server! I don’t recall his name unfortunately. But he was funny, polite and attentive. He made sure we had everything we needed and our food was served with just enough time between courses. They had a special menu for Valentines Day. Dinner came with a salad which we both enjoyed. All of the ingredients were really fresh. I ordered the clam chowder as well and it was very tasty. For entree’s - hubby had the salmon and said it was delicious! I ordered the Mariner’s Shrimp and neither of us have ever seen such large shrimp…and the batter was so light and tasty. It was a little if the expensive side but we enjoyed it. We will definitely be making reservations here again. Thank you to The Mariner’s Inn and our server for the wonderful Valentines dinner!

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  7. Michael

    Milwaukee17 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Rob once again did an excellent job taking care of our table.The walleye is the best😊

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  8. Christina VIP

    Milwaukee6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This restaurant is a wonderful gem located on the north side of Madison. From the craft cocktails to the perfectly cooked tenderloin filet and Ahi Tuna—this was a wonderful dining experience. Neither of us saved room for dessert but I had some serious FOMO after seeing what the other tables ordered. This is a great spot that’s off the beaten path to celebrate a relationship milestone, friendship or a host a business dinner.

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  9. scott

    Milwaukee13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food. Friendly service, warm environment, Highly recommend

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  10. Stephen

    Milwaukee1 review

    3.0

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Overall experience was good. It was restaurant week so choices were limited. While the food was good, we felt some of the portions were small especially the salad and dessert, and had to pay extra for potato. Also no bread was served. Enjoyed the ambiance so would go back again when not restaurant week and hope the value would be better.

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FAQs

The Mariner's Inn offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (608) 246-3120.

The Mariner's Inn is rated 4.8 stars by 1858 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 18 times today
Google Map for The Mariner's Inn

5339 Lighthouse Bay Dr, Madison, WI 53704

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:30 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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