Sheboygan Roadtrip

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties

- Back to Sheboygan for more

Oktoberfest is here! My favorite Octoberfest beer is only found in Wisconsin. It's made this brewery called New Glarus, maybe you've heard of it? I ask with slight sarcasm. If not, I can only assume you've never been to Wisconsin. New Glarus is well known for their Spotted Cow brew but the Staghorn Octoberfest is my favorite beer they make. So I like to spend time in Wisconsin during the Fall. There's lots of spots to go. This week we take a roadtrip back to Sheboygan to see what's up.

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Il Ritrivo

The folks at Il Ritrovo are big time multi-taskers. They run a Neapolitan wood fired pizzeria that gets national acclaim as well as a wine bar and an Italian grocery store. Nowadays pretty much every town has a wood fired pizza place but when Il Ritrivo opened some 15 years ago it was definitely bringing something new to the people of Sheboygan. To their credit they've done nothing but support this place. I highly recommend trying one out if ever here or passing thru. It's as good as anywhere.

Sausage and Basil at Il Ritrivo in Sheboygan

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 Schwarz Fish Market

Sheboygan's location on Lake Michigan makes for some readily available fresh fish in these parts.
Schwarz Fish Market can be traced all the way back to 1912 when it started out as a smoked fish shop located on the Sheboygan River. over the years they expanded and went into the fresh fish business as well as prepared foods. If like me you're always down for a plate of fried lake perch this is a nice place to stop and get some. Even better is the fact you can take home some fresh whitefish, walleye etc. No doubt about it these places are a dying breed. One day they'll all be gone.

Fried Plate of Lake Perch at Schwarz Fish Market

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Union Oriental Market

I've posted before on Wisconsin's connections with the Hmong people and how they've successfully integrated into many Wisconsin towns. Sheboygan has a few spots where you can get your hands on Hmong style egg rolls and other prepared foods as well as ingredients to cook with. Union Oriental Market was stated in 1982 as a way for the towns local Hmong people to connect and what not. It's grown into a big grocery store with some very popular egg rolls. But it doesn't end with just the egg rolls. the carry-out menu from here is filled with treats like Hmong sausage and Hmong stuffed wings.

 Hmong Style Egg Rolls with a killer hot sauce at Union Oriental Market

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 Four of a Kind

Aside from beer and brats and lake perch and Hmong food there's quite a few other local Sheboygan specialties. One of them is the steak sandwich. It's called a steak sandwich but that's too generic a term for this half steak half hamburger style sandwich. I've posted on them before as they're available at the legendary Miesfeld's Butcher and they're technically called restaurant steaks. Though I believe these are usually popular at home grill outs etc some places like Four of a Kind also serve them. When paired with one of the local Sheboygan style hard rolls, which are the best burger buns in the world, this is a fantastic sandwich. Everything includes a big heaping amount of butter. Oh yeah.

Restaurant Steak Sandwich at Four of a Kind

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Frankie's Pub

Frankie's is a local watering hole popular for not just their booze but also their massive burgers. They easily feed two though in these parts some people can easily eat two. The burger portion of the menu boasts a traditional cheeseburger and also a couple of house creations. I shared a Frankie Burger with my cousin on our visit and it was bigger than I thought it was going to be. It basically took up an entire entree plate and came with a knife in case anyone wants to eat it like a pizza.

Frankie Burger at Frankie's Pub

The burgers are only 12 ounces of fresh angus beef but it's a wide patty on a large hard roll and in the case of the Frankie Burger it comes with alot of toppings. It was smothered with melted Swiss cheese mixed with some well placed Italian seasoning and piled high with sauteed mushrooms. All of that was drenched in beef gravy. The hard rolls being the sturdy buns they are held all of this together just fine. While it tasted more like a Sunday night Pot Roast dinner than a burger I thought my half was worth the calories consumed.

The insides

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Gosse's at the Northwestern House

No trip to Sheboygan for me is complete without a stop at Gosse's. Read all about it in this post from back in 2012. There's three things worth your time at Gosse's. One is the previously mentioned steak sandwich. Two is the lake perch sandwich and three is the torte. The last of those being a special dessert found all over Sheboygan but none do them better than Gosse's. I'm not sure why the torte became so big in Sheboygan but the multi layered cake is found all over. Gosse's are great.

Oreo Torte at Gosse's

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Brockman's Market

Two other stops I recommend come in the form of a small butcher shop. Check out Brockman's if the scene at Miesfeld's is to much for you. Then go get some custard at The Point over in the Falls.

The Point in Sheboygan Falls

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Il Ritrivo
515 S 8th St
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 803-7516

Schwarz Fish Market
828 Riverfront Dr
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 457-4486

Union Market
2022 S 17th St
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 457-0779

Frankie's Pub & Grill
2218 Indiana Ave
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 459-7000

Four of a Kind
811 Indiana Ave
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 457-0977

Gosse's at the Northwestern House

1909 Union Ave

Sheboygan, WI 53081 

(920) 457-8696 

Brockman's Market 

1708 S 12th St

Sheboygan, WI 53081

(920) 457-3063

Wisconsin Breakfast Stops

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- AM Eats in America's Dairyland

I've long been a proponent of the Wisconsin food and drink scene. They have their very own style and it involves lots of not so good for you things. They dont do veggie dogs, they do brats. The salads here are accompanied by 4 or 5 other relish condiments and come with about a cups worth of dressing. Wisconsin does all of the All-American things really well. This includes breakfast. No matter where you are in the state there's always a good breakfast spot nearby. Here's five to try.
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The Coffee Pot 

The towns of both Kenosha and Racine offer us Chicagoan's some pretty good food options for when we're driving thru. If you ever find yourself going North on 94 and want something to eat in downtown Kenosha than the Coffee Pot is a spot you should check out. It's a great breakfast stop.

Kenosha, WI

Breakfast was at the Coffee Pot which won out over Frank's due to a wait. We were able to snag some seats at the counter and having heard some good (and bad) things about their Corned Beef Hash I was ready to try that. She went with half of a "perk-o-lator" which is basically the same thing as a garbage plate down the street at Frank's. Egg's, sausage, onions, peppers, hash browns and cheese all thrown together into one. The large which I've had before is massive, a half order with their top notch made in house toast will be more than enough.

Perk-o-later Plate (1/2 order)

I had the perk plate last time I was here and it's a signature sconnie style breakfast that will not let you leave hungry. I like it although I'm not sure it's better than Frank's version aka a "Garbage Plate". A taste off might have to happen. The CBH was pretty good. I didn't think it was top notch but the fact that it was homemade makes it comforting but they could of used a little more corned beef. The beef to potato ratio was off. But that toasted homemade bread which is given a healthy dose of butter is really, really good. Breakfast sandwich with that bread next time. It's so money. 

Corned Beef Hash Breakfast

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Jo's Cafe

I'd known about Jo's Cafe in the Brew City for some time since it's featured over on roadfood. But despite countless trips to Milwaukee over the years I had never been to Jo's until now. I spent a few days up there doing some things and opted not to stop at the Coffee Pot in Kenosha while en route choosing instead to start my day at Jo's and see what was up.

Milwaukee, WI

From the outside Jo's as you can see is a real no frills type of place. I got the feeling that everyone in there was a local regular as both the waitress and the man behind the grill whom I believe was Jo chatted it up with those coming in to dine and others taking orders to go. Its small inside with there being a few tables which were taken by local families and a counter with maybe eight seats right in front of where all the action takes place. It felt a little like Moon's up in there. 

The view from the counter

Jo's is all about the home cooking and watching him work the grill you can see he's a pro. I was impressed with how he used every last inch of space both on the griddle and in terms of storing stuff. The fresh baked buns for burgers and breakfast sandwiches were really tempting me to go one of those ways as was the daily special spaghetti plate. I usually wouldn't think I'd be interested in eating spaghetti at 10:30 in the morn but the plates they were bringing out for others smelled great. I went with their signature dish the Hoppel Poppel (or is it hoffel poffel?) which is also a signature breakfast dish of the city served elsewhere. At Jo's they take big hunks of potato browned with onions, and add scrambled eggs and chunks of spicy salami with cheese on top if you want. Very comforting and VERY filling. It's definitely a sconnie style breakfast no doubt about that. I'd go back.

Hoppel Poppel for Breakfast

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Harry's Diner

I had breakfast at the locally loved Harry's Diner in the Bratwurst Capitol of the World recently and enjoyed my visit. Upon rolling up you'll immediately notice the reflecting silver exterior of this 1950's style diner.

Sheboygan, WI

The inside of the space isn't as charming as the outside but they do serve beer so this is a popular stop for folks looking for breakfast and booze. Quite a few people were dining in on this visit and all the ladies working the tables were running around making sure it was going smooth as the manager tended to the cash register near the entrance. I don't think this place has been around since the 50's but they did a good job of making it feel that way.

a peek inside

Harry's is only open until 3p each day (Closed Mondays) so most people are here for breakfast though they do have a lunch portion to their menu too. I'd heard good things about their pancakes and in particular the potato ones so I knew going in I'd be trying those, it was just a matter of seeing if there was some sort of combo that included some of Sheboygan's finest encased meat to go with it. Lucky me they had a potato pancake served with bratwurst and two eggs done your way platter for $8.50. The pancake comes with your choice of apple sauce or sour cream and I'm a fan of the latter so I went with that. Excellent recipe. This was a thicker well minced blend with plenty of diced onion inside. Of course the split brat to go with it was what you expect from the town that makes the best.

Potato Pancake, Bratwurst and Eggs for Breakfast

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Mickie's Dairy Bar  

If you attended the University of Wisconsin you know all about the local icon that is Mickie's. Chances are even if you didn't go there but been to Madison you know about it. The town favorite has been a student hang out since it first opened in 1946. To this day it feels like the 1950's on the inside.

 Madison, WI

Mickie's gained much if it's cult following with the sheer size of it's meals. It's a place that you can fill up past full and walk out having spent about $10. Thus it's favorite for everyone from newly arrived freshmen to the offensive line on the football team as well as longtime residents of the city. It's most always packed and that's because there's always groups of friends eating inside. The menu boasts all the classics you'd expect to find at a popular breakfast stop as well as the typical lunches.

A Peek Inside (menus old and current)

While everyone has their favorites there are some things that Mickie's will always be remembered for. First and foremost, aside from the size of each plate, is the corn cakes. These massive cousins to the pancake taste just like piping hot cornbread. When smeared with butter they really are delicious. Unless you're starting at right tackle for the Badgers this upcoming season I see no reason you need the regular order of two but at just $1 less for one you may want to bring home breakfast for the next few days. What's great about group dining at Mickie's is you get to eat these and something else.

Mickie's Famous Corn Cakes 

Other popular items include the scrambler which is pretty much a little bit of everything mixed in with what I think was four, maybe five eggs, something ridiculous that only a college kid fresh off a 15 hour library binge followed by bong hits could enjoy. Something commonly on special is the pork chops with eggs. That's what I got on my most recent visit in this past summer. The pork chops have always been cooked until well done but when chopped up into little bits and mixed with the potatoes and eggs this is a very good, and of course filling, breakfast.

 Pork Chop and Eggs

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Delta Diner

I spent some time up in Bayfield and as always did a little research on where to eat while en route. Somewhere along the line I came up with a rec for the Delta Diner which is far, far north. It's about 20 minutes SW of Ashland which sits on Lake Superior. If there were ever a place I ate at that sits in the middle of nowhere this would be it to date. Surrounded by lakes and a few gravel rocked roads with packs of wild turkeys along them.

Mason, WI

First off if you look this place up on google, theres like six different towns they say it's in. My GPS was no help at all as it wanted us to turn down a narrow snowmobile/ATV path that would of wrecked the bottom of my car. But if you're lucky enough to have a signal on your cell phone (I didn't, she did) then google maps will get you there. But you'll go down unpaved roads for about 10 miles and wonder with each passing minute whether you're going around in circles en route to nowhere. In the end though, it's all worth it.

A feel of the East Coast hidden in the Northwoods of Wisconsin

The Delta Diner was born in 2004 and if you want the entire story about how it was born and became about you can check their website HERE. The owners decided to restore what they were told is an old 1940's Silk City Diner. They wanted to put the diner in the locally historic site of the old Delta General Store which is written about in "Growing up in a Country Store: Memories and History of Delta and Ino, Wisconsin " According to that book the town and the general store came about at the same time in 1924.

Views from the counter

I'd urge all to read the link from their website about the story of how this diner came about and the history of the land it stands on. To try and sum it up in a few quotes though. "Having an authentic diner was very important to us"

"In early 2003 we contracted for a “frame-up” restoration of a 1940 Silk City Diner, due for completion in the fall of that year"

"The Delta Diner was about 90% complete in the middle of October of 2003. Living in far Northern Wisconsin we were facing a dilemma...The restorer agreed to ship the diner for completion on site so that we could complete excavation and concrete work prior to the ground freezing. In the end we cut it close, but got it done! It was quite a sight seeing the Delta Diner coming down Bayfield County Highway H in one piece on a semi-trailer"

"We expected that our chapter to the story of the “Delta Diner” would take many years to develop. Many ingredients contribute to the story of a diner. The building, its location and possible past locations, the characters that make up its customer base, the owner or owners, and its eclectic staff all paint the picture of a diner. It can take many years to have an intriguing story unfold. Without knowing it, our diner may have come prepackaged with intrigue"

"Where did the Delta Diner come from? Where did it operate prior to being abandoned “in a field somewhere in New York?” What can the identification tag on the original frame (if still on the frame) tell us about our diner? What did it look like when it was removed from the field? These are questions that can only be answered by our restorer. While we were provided a brief verbal version of our diner’s history, the promised written and photographic record has not been delivered. We have a contract that states we purchased a “restored 1940 Silk City Diner”. However, despite our efforts to obtain verification, we have yet to receive it."

A peek inside from the front/back

So to this day they dont know the exact history of what's supposed to be an old real deal restored Silk City Diner adding to the intrigue of this place. I'm not a diner expert but if this is indeed a rebuild of an original it's a damn fine copycat job. They try to make the experience as authentic as possible so this includes no menus. Everything available is on display and when your waitress comes to take your order she'll explain what EVERYTHING on it is. Her description of the Norwegian pancakes was like that of a big money making saleswoman so she had me sold on those which came recommended cooked with chopped jalapenos inside.

Norwegian Pancakes with chopped Jalapenos

Pancakes ala Norwegian are a larger more thin and airy type of pancake, similar to crepes. These were served with bacon from a local butcher in Ashland that was really thick and full of porky flavor along with a sprinkling of powered sugar and lemons. The chopped jalapenos inside worked really well. Our waitress was dead on with that one. The item I had read people praising was their PBLT which is a BLT with a piece of fried yellow lake perch on top. This too was very good. Served on locally sourced bread from the Ashland Baking Company with fresh in season tomatoes and that same great bacon, it made for a really tasty brunch paired with the pancakes.

PBLT Sandwich

I thought the food was great and even though they may not have much history as of today, you can see/feel that they're well on their way. Whether or not the restored diner was a real one or a restoration of a restoration it had that charm both from the atmosphere and the staff and also great food. One thing that caught my eye was Monday is "burger day" and that's all they serve as it's only time they're on the menu. Beef is ground fresh in house and I imagine buns come from the same baking company. I bet it's really good. The piece of homemade coconut cream pie to finish it all off sure was. Dude in the red Camaro should have rolled thru here by now.

I hope to make it back one day soon...see y'all next time

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The Coffee Pot
4914 7th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 653-8849

Jo's Cafe
3519 West Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53209
(414) 461-0210

Harry's Diner
2504 Calumet Dr
Sheboygan, WI 53083
(920) 458-5200

Mickey's Dairy Bar
1511 Monroe St
Madison, WI 53711
(608) 256-9476

Delta Diner
14385 County Highway H
Mason, WI 54856
(715) 372-MMMM 

Roadfood in Sheboygan

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-German Taverns, Butchers & Bakeries in The Brat Capitol of the World

Somehow this terrific little town always gets overlooked when talking about fun spots to visit in Wisconsin. Its the damn name I tell ya, they must’ve been pissed at their parents as a kid. Well anyway it's that time of the year for Oktoberfests and Sheboygan's gotta good one. So I thought now would be the time to share here.

Locals favorite

We stopped in at Al & Al's last year when riding the lake up north towards where WI meets MI. My friend wanted to say hello to Paul, the owner over at Al & Al's which he had met on the BBQ circuit. We stopped in around lunchtime and sat at the bar to say hi. His wife was working two large parties, one was the local alderman trying to convince her wife to run for city mayor. The current one has been in the news of late. But as we could see, she's busy enough running the restaurant. The other large group was a woman's golf outing. We sat at the bar but there's a full dinner menu here and a couple large dining rooms. We eventually got a hold of Paul and he remembered Phil immediately and was happy to see us. We were just stopping in to say hello but that turned into a few beers and a sandwich, or two.

Nice early afternoon at Al & Al's

Their schnitzel was amazing and one of the best sandwiches I had that summer. Perfectly fried tender pieces placed inside one of Sheboygan's famous hard rolls and topped with crisped up extra buttered diced onions and some brown mustard. So good we ordered another for the road. We also enjoyed Spaten's Optimator, seen in pic above, it's a great tasting beer that's very similar to root beer except with the alcohol. Al & Al's hosts an Oktoberfest every year (Oct. 5th and 6th 2012) in which the entire area around the restaurant shuts down and the streets are crowded and flooded with beer booths and food from Al & Al's. Paul puts the whole thing on with his wife and locals help for 1,000's of visitors. One of Wisconsin's best fests or so I was told. I'm going to try and go.


Schnitzel sandwich

We managed to wander around and take in the town while sneaking in a few more food stops before we made our way to Green Bay. Some great brat burgers in the land of bratwurst can be seen HERE.


Any of the old time readers that used to play with Garton Toys? Old factory turned lofts...


I'll bet this place is rocking on St. Patty's Day


The famous City Bakery

Also of note Sheboygan has an abundance of great bakeries. I look forward to trying the lesser known ones on my return trip. This time around I finally got to stop in at City and it was awesome. Living up to the hype, their baked sweets were as good as any I have had. Along with Bleodow's in Winona, MN this is my favorite bakery to date. The hard rolls I brought back were outstanding and their signature peanut crumble I thought was great. Everything was actually really good and I got alot spending around $12, which can be hard to do shopping for one, prices are great.

Cinnamon raisin concoction (I think) and a cranberry fritter

Aside from brat's and bakeries Sheboygan is also known for their steak sandwiches. They serve them at all the local fast food spots and taverns just like they do brats. Although they're a little different and are a signature of Miesfeld's, the great butcher shop in town. More similar to a hamburger than steak patty theres something about these "restaurant steaks" as they're called. They make really good tavern food and so some locals will say, "Gosse's got the best." It's a tavern located in whats also a historical landmark. The building was built in 1927 to accommodate railroad workers offering them a nice place to sleep, clean and eat while waiting to move onto Chicago via the Northwestern Railroad.


Gosse's Wisconsin Tavern located in a historical building along the railroad tracks

I only had time for a quick brew as I waited for my sandwich and although daytime hasn't prevented bars in Wisconsin from being packed, it was quiet on my visit. Gosse's started out as a drive thru in a tiny building popular for their broaster chicken, brats and steak sandwiches. The place was lost in the "Great flood of Sheboygan" in 1998. After taking a little time off the husband and wife team couldn't live without being in the restaurant biz and opened the tavern in the old hotel in town. Nice place inside and I could see this being my usual Friday night dinner and drinks stop if I lived in Sheboygan. The cheesesteak sandwich is a restaurant steak with some WI cheddar served on a hard roll with lots of butter.


Cheesesteak sandwich from Gosse's

Looks pretty plain and usual from the outside but those restaurant steaks are great as are the local cheddar and hard rolls. Like everything else they go heavy on the butter but they use raw onions which worked well with pickles, mustard and patty. Next time I'll give some other stuff a try including another local specialty, torte's, Gosse's are homemade by the owners mom and they offer up to 20 flavors, I forgot to try one this time around.


The insides

Of course no trip to Sheboygan is complete without a stop at Miesfeld's. You're going to want to bring a cooler and when you do remember you're going to want a big one, not a small. There's so much selection at this wonderland of wurst.


Legendary meat mega mall

What to write about Miesfeld's? A place with so much good going on. Famous for their grand champion brats but they offer a whole lot more including their famous restaurant steaks and brat patties too. They supply many restaurants around the area as well as houses. I'd be here every week if it was near me. I still need to do a head to head taste off until I decide who's brats are best but I love theirs here. Also I'm not sure I personally will ever find a hot dog I like better than Vienna Beef natural casing ala the greats (Demon Dogs, Gene & Jude's, 35th Street, Jimmy's etc) but Miesfeld's as noted makes great wieners too, just don't take a twitpic of theirs and then send it out for all to see.

Homemade Brats


Restaurant Steaks and Spencer Steaks (with suet)

So much more in-store...

Grilled brats from my backyard I brought back

More of my bounty brought back home: Restaurant Steak & minimalist dog, 'sconnie style

Al & Al's Stenhaus
1502 South 12th Street
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 452-5530
Website

City Bakery
1102 Michigan Avenue
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 457-4493
Website

Gosse's at the Northwestern House
1909 Union Ave
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 457-8696
Website

Miesfeld's Meat Market
4811 Venture Drive
Sheboygan, WI 53083
(920) 565-6328
Website