Ponderosa

Momma D, you were the best server we have ever had, the food and the atmosphere are great. I hope we made your night with the tip, you 100% deserved it.

Onto the food

Great Fried chicken good mashed potatoes and desserts were top-notch for a buffet. don’t listen to these bad reviews, all restaurants have bad days and the good ones learn from them. This one is one of these good restaurants. So people in the area, make a stop at Ponderosa and ask for Mamma D to be your server, you will not regret it.

This place is amazing, I can't say it myself, but my Mom felt very nostalgic here. The food is great, and the service is even better, smiles and happiness everywhere you look. It reminds me of a Golden Corral, but smaller, so I am not as suspicious of this establishment's hygiene. If I get a chance, I will come again, 10/10.

Brought me back to my childhood. So happy they have kept many of the same dishes and recipes, chicken taste the same, the baked potato’s were great, the Alfredo was amazing. Every taste was a memory of the past. Worth the stop or visit if you’re in the Dells, so sad this is the last one around, wish they’d expand!

Growing up in the 80's, we would frequent Ponderosa. As time went on and the food industry was cultivated into what we see today, this chain of steak buffets slowly dwindled down to 17 locations nationwide as of October 2022. With that stated, we mostly stop here for the nostalgia. Although it might not be as fancy as the newer steak houses, they still serve up a decent and tasty steak at a reasonable price. It includes the buffet as well. Our server was extremely attentive and went above and beyond to make our experience that much better. The only suggestion I would make is to have the parking lot cleaned up and resurfaced. It takes away from the overall look of the restaurant.

Food was good and the staff were consistently cleaning the bar area and replacing food to keep it fresh. Good salad bar area. Other items included ribs, fried chicken, chicken tenders, wings, meatloaf. Make your own tacos. Cup of ice cream was offered when we were close to finishing. Some other desert items available at the bar.

Nice restaurant if you're looking for a American style buffet with lots of choices, and you can even get a steak or shrimp with it for just a few bucks more at dinner time. There main highlight is there fried chicken which is quite good as well as there chocolate cake. I also really enjoyed there taco bar as well!

It is TRUE!!! It is REAL!!! Like a dinosaur...this is the ONLY remaining Ponderosa in the world...and exactly how you remember it from 1985! Broiled steak, perfect baked potato, and the most perfect salad bar complete with the maccaroni salad. Ask for, 'Mamma D," to serve you. She is an Angel on Earth and has been loving her job there since 1996. Tip her extra, as she will earn every penny and take care of your family as if you are one of her own.
The hours are limited to being open on the weekends only in the off season due to lack of employees.
Please support this national treasure...give your kids the same family memories of going to the Ponderosa as all of us have...

Amazing food!
The buffet was stocked! ..and yummy
Great staff and very clean atmosphere. Fun to relive a family tradition from years gone by. Thank you Ponderosa for a superb dinner!

What a great buffet!! The food is delicious and freshly made ... We ordered a meal and the buffet . We were greeted with warm and friendly young ladies 👌😄 the meal was wonderful as well. The steak was cooked perfect & wonderful taste, and the salmon was good. Thank you for making our lunch enjoyable.

Exceeded expectations. Ponderosa restaurants have disappeared in our area, so we were excited to give it a try here in Wisconsin Dells. The buffet was excellent in its own right, but don't forget the main meals... worth the extra few bucks. Service was pleasant and attentive.

Ponderosa! What can I say? Brings me back to when I was younger. The food was good and so was the atmosphere. Our server, Diane, was awesome! She knew what I wanted before I could ask. Suck a pleasant woman. Oh I did notice that they had magic bars. These are so hard to find! They tasted fantastic! If you like steak and a nice buffet, go to ponderosa! They won’t disappoint!

Edit: Went back for a second visit in Dec 2023 and still going strong, review below is from 11 months before that.

I loved Ponderosa growing up but I figured this would be the last time I went. I had... low expectations for this place being that it's only open 3 days a week and there are hardly any restaurants in the chain. Instead I was very much taken aback at how clean the buffet was. At how fresh the salad bar was, and at the variety of options at the buffet.

Now, to be fair this isn't gourmet food. And some things were better than other things but, everything was fresh and appetizing. Of course the wings I'd been craving for the last few years were thankfully there but everything else was all pretty good. With a 2 and a 6 year old, I'm a fan of American style buffets because it gives a decent variety where I can find something they like. In the end we all left satisfied.

Sometimes when these chains die off they end up just withering away but in this case, this seems to be one of the restaurants in the chain that was just too good to close.

Great place, we went for the buffet and ordered steak for take out. The waiter kept our cups full with whatever we were drinking and cleared the dirty plates and utensils off the table promptly. The buffet was stocked with plenty of food and when it got low the cooks were out quickly to replenish it. It's a nice place to take the family for a quick bite or a sit down meal.

Ponderosa has always been a favorite. Large selection on the buffet. Food refilled frequently. Staff is friendly and efficient. The restaurant was clean and well maintained.

Had a wonderful waitress Kelly so kind to my disabled sister ❤ brought tears to everyone eyes cuzz was a childhood memory going to the ponderosa

Food was fantastic!! Fresh, hot and just like I remembered it to be. Loved the salad and chicken wings. Skip the steak plenty to enjoy on the buffet.

Mary was an EXCELLENT server! The buffet was very full and great, and my chicken and baked potato was perfect! We will definitely be back!

I see a lot of bad reviews but I think this is a great location. The food is always great and hot and fresh. The staff is always nice. The memories made here last forever. I think when your a ponderosa family you understand that loyalty is important. The food will take you back to when you were a kid eating here. There is not many left and this is the only one I know about! keep it up !

We have been coming to ponderosa for the past 15 years. When we come to the dells it's tradition to stop there on our way home. The last couple times the food was not the best and we didn't think we'd come back again. Well, we gave it a try and wow! The food was delicious. They have improved and it's also a good price. I loved the ribs. I hope they keep it up and we hope to come back next year.

We have not been to a ponderosa in close to 20 years. We were so excited to find the only one in Wisconsin on our way home from camping. They did not disappoint! Loved the food. It was fresh and not dried out. Service was amazing as well. Thank you all for the hospitality! Keep up with the awesome job you are doing.