Gilly's Island

Gilly's IslandGilly's Island
Gilly's IslandGilly's Island
Bar, Eatery

414 Broadway
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, 53965
United States

// CLOSED //

Formerly Essen Haus
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.3
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
6
pDev:
15.15%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

2.69/5  rDev -18.5%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5
This place was great when it was the Essen house. Now that it's a family friendly pub I'm not as excited about it.

They still have a lot of the old German decor and charm of the old Essen house but it's been "painted" over with family friendly lipstick.

The selection is decent but nothing special. Franziskaner lager which tasted rather buttery. Which had me questioning how clean the lines were.

The server was pleasant and prompt. No complaints there.

We didn't order any food so can't comment on that.

Overall just another tourist trap on the strip in downtown dells.
Aug 07, 2011
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

2.54/5  rDev -23%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5
2010: Essentially still the same as last year, very little in the way of decent beer, I had a Spotted Cow here. They still have Spaten and Kostrizer, but that's about it for decent beers. Monk's right down the street has great food and at least some passable beers like Lake Louie cream ale, Capital, and a few others. They covered up the cool mural in the back here with more dumb tiki decorations.

07-27-2009
Essen Haus R.I.P. It is now "Gilly's Island" as of Jan. 2009.

Desperately seeking a getaway from the largest tourist trap in Wisconsin, I sought out Essen Haus, only to find that it had changed names/ownership, but retained a somewhat decent beer selection. There were a couple patio tables outside on the main drag, and "saloon style" swinging screen doors on the front. On tap was Kostritzer, served in a .5L dimpled mug, but it tasted slightly aged. There were a few other German remnants like Paulaner & Hacker Pschorr in bottles. There were still two ceramic brown & gold tap towers, and an antique back bar. The dining room past the bar was airy with some murals of Bavarian social scenes, and Spaten banners with the checkered pattern of the Bavarian flag. This too seemed to be a holdover from the previous establishment. The "new" decor consisted of multicolored construction paper letters above the bar spelling "Gilly's Island" and some margaritaville lights, with a potted palm or two thrown in for good measure. The service at the bar was fairly brusque, and seemed like seasonal help that didn't really care that much.

Corner Pub in Reedsburg is worth a look for the beer traveler. You could kill an hour here to avoid the shops though.
Jul 27, 2009
Photo of Blakaeris
Reviewed by Blakaeris from Iowa

3.55/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
This is a German style restaurant with the typical German brews on the beer menu. However, given the difficulty of finding real tasty beer in Dells I was very pleased to try a few Spaten Optimator and the Spaten Franziskaner Dunkel was very fruity and delicious.

The waitstaff knew virtually nothing about beer. But they were friendly and attentive.

The food was decent German style fare. I had the Ramoulade, and my wife had the Wiener schnitzel. Both were pretty good. The sour kraut that is served with every dish was sweeter than expected, and quite outstanding.

If you're in the Dells, this isn't a bad spot to relax and enjoy a few.
Sep 24, 2008
Photo of wheatyweiss
Reviewed by wheatyweiss from Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4
Good tavern atmosphere, if the furnishings area a little sparse.

Good selection of beers on tap, served in the appropriate glassware. The bartenders/servers actually knew a little about the beer being offered.

When I was there I had:

Franziskaner Hefeweiss
Spaten Optimator
Paulaner Hefeweiss Naturtrub

I had lunch there, the special. It was a peasant pork stew served over rye bread and it was delicious for probably being made out of leftovers. It was a spicy pork stew made with a tomato base and served with sour cream in top. Cheap too at $5.00 a plate.

Given it's seasonal nature, I wish there was more local support for this place cause it would make a great winter hang out.
Feb 26, 2008
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3
Being in The Dells put me in mind of being in Atlantic City and I mean that in a positive way. Broadway in The Dells is like The Boardwalk in A.C. – lots of little kitschy shops to pop into as one leisurely strolls along the boulevard, taking in the sights. The Dells’ Essen Haus was right on Broadway, and so, I naturally popped in.

Entering, the m.d.s. was to the immediate left with the long, laminated wood bar to the immediate right. The back bar was a wide, long mirror and carved wood assembly with two ceramic tap towers, each with six taps for a total of twelve. These included Kostritzer; three Spaten; Warsteiner; two Franziskaner; three Spaten; DAB; and two Hofbrau Haus (Munich) beers. Along the left wall were a series of high-backed wooden booths. Past them, on the left, was a cooler with a mix of (mostly German) imported beers. I saw nothing notable, but given my location at the time, I was happy to have found even that selection.

Still left, past the cooler, was a set of steps leading up to a second floor dining area with a great view of the street. Further aft, on the left and back on the first floor, there was an outdoor biergarten that was accessible through a doorway. The center area of the first floor was another dining area with more booths along the right wall, aft of the bar. The kitchen was all of the way aft on the left with a small stage on the right. On the occasion of my visit, an accordionist was playing various German tunes. The washrooms were down a short passageway along the right wall and if you go, be sure to look at the bric-a-brac display of salt and pepper shakers along the way. Finally, I need to mention the two murals of Alpen drinking, dining, and dancing that flanked the downstairs dining area. They were magnificent.

I still preferred the original Essen Haus in Madison (Mad City), but this one was enough for me while I was in the area. Plus, it gets back to the question that I posed in my Hotel Donaldson review in Fargo, NoDak – what do you want to focus on when writing a review? Are you looking for only the negative, or are you trying to accentuate the positive? Me, I go for the latter.
Jan 07, 2007
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

3.86/5  rDev +17%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Ok, so there are roughly a dozen beers on tap including a great selection of Weizenbiers (Paulander, Hacker-Pschorr, Haufbrau, Franz, etc…) and a couple other Germans. The bottle menu has 46 listed. Half of them suck and the rest are unimpressive so take a walk over to the cooler by the juke box and check out the bizarre leftovers from Madison’s Haus. I found about 12 of the top 25 BA rated German beers along with a few decent Belgians and several unlisted local crafts that were NOT ON THEIR BEER LIST!

Prices suck, but you’re in the Dells so what can you do?

Atmosphere is a mockery of the Madison Essen Haus’s mockery of a German Bierstube. Unlike the Madison Essen Haus, the Dells’ version seems to have a “Lederhosen is Optional” policy. This is a huge mistake. Still, the staff knows exactly 80 times more about beer than the locals, which is 80 multiplied by .000123. (I can say that because I was a local for some number of years) They are very friendly and do provide attentive service.

Atomsphere is a cleaned up version of the Madison Essen Haus. The Chandeliers rock but otherwise this place is a bit sterile and very kitschy. The bar is huge and quiet elegant.

Don’t eat the food. I’ve never made that mistake and I suggest that you don’t either…if you care about your spleen…
Apr 15, 2006
Gilly's Island in Wisconsin Dells, WI
Place rating: 3.3 out of 5 with 6 ratings