What To Eat in Wisconsin
You know you are in the Dairy State when hamburgers and charcoal-cooked brats (bratwursts) come glistening with butter, and when cheese curds are served in every bar. Cool, smooth custard is another creamy specialty; and cream pies are superlative. Fruit pies – apple, cherry, rhubarb, berry – also are memorable, even if not served a la mode. Friday night is fish fry night in virtually every restaurant; and if you’re up in Door County in the summer, do avail yourself of the pyrotechnical spectacular known as a fish boil. Milwaukee is rich in ethnic foods and is one of America’s top corned beef cities.
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Other than butter-sculpture contests at the state fair, there is no better demonstration of Wisconsin's passion for butter than the butter burger, which is so popular that many restaurants where it is served don't even bother to call it that. Order a hamburger and it automatically comes soaked with melted butter. Not margarine, not flavored oil: pure, dairy-rich butter. Words cannot describe the wanton opulence of hoisting one of these big boys from plate to mouth and feeling commingled butter and beef juices running hot rivers down one's chin, fingers, and wrist. Similarly, charcoal-cooked bratwurst served in Wisconsin sandwiches comes glistening not only with its own fat, but with that of a few melting butter pats as well.
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Nearly every Milwaukee restaurant has a Friday night fish fry. From the humblest corner tavern to the finest fine-dining restaurants, count on fried fish with all the fixins (preferably potato pancakes).
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If you think of custard as the commonly-found franchised soft-serve fare, come to Wisconsin and have a cup of vanilla. It is dense, smooth as alabaster, sweet and simple. Mix-ins and silly flavors exist, but they are peripheral. Purity is what people in Wisconsin demand; and in fact it is rare to find bad ice cream or custard anywhere in the state that likes to call itself America's Dairyland.
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Milwaukee Brat House
The Brat House is a sports bar across the street from Usinger’s Sausage factory, making it THE brat destination in Milwaukee.
Jack Pandl’s Whitefish Bay Inn
Pandl's menu is large, including wonderful whitefish, walleye & steaks; the highlight is a baked German pancake. For dessert: schaum torte. A Milwaukee best!
Basil’s II
Well out in the country in north Wisconsin, Basil's II serves some of the most buttery butter burgers in the state. On the side: cheese curds!
Kopp’s Custard
Milwaukee is a city of excellent custard, and Kopp’s is one of the top purveyors, offering a unique flavor every day. Precede it with a butter burger.
Serb Hall
Milwaukee Wisconsin's Serb Hall is the largest fish fry on earth: an eating stadium restaurant serving Friday-only cod or perch with all the trimmin's.
Beerntsen’s Confectionery
Beerntsen's is a glorious little Wisconsin candy store where you can have a nice, inexpensive lunch and spoon into expertly-made sundaes.
O&H Bakery
O & H is home of the original giant Racine Kringle. Of many tasty fillings, the best is tart Door County cherries.
Ray’s Place
Ray's is a small town dive bar with tavern sandwiches and peasant soups that recall simpler times. White-hot house-made mustard is memorable.
The Wurst Bar/Foltz Family Market
The Wurst Bar is a gem of a butcher in the Milwaukee Public Market making excellent sausage to fill buns or to top brick-oven pizza.
