28 Nov Our Favorite Restaurants in Door County
During our weeklong road trip in Door County, Wisconsin, our mission was to explore all the natural beauty the region has to offer as part of the Lands’ End Heritage Tour. While exploring the area, we also found some great places to dine, snack, and sip. Because we ate at so many wonderful spots, we just had to create a list of our favorites. Read on for a recap full of ice cream, coffee, pizza, fish, and tons more!
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant:
One of the most iconic restaurants in Door County is Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, in part because they have goats on the roof!
The goats roam the grassy roof during the warm-weather months and we managed to spot them during one of their last days out for the season. As far as the restaurant goes—Al Johnson’s is a Swedish restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. The servers dress in traditional Swedish clothes, and the Swedish pancakes with Swedish meatballs are a delicious choice for breakfast. It was a wonderful way to relax on a chilly autumn morning.
The Cookery:
The Cookery serves fresh, home cooked style dishes and everything is made from start to finish right on site. My fried chicken sandwich came with honey butter, sriracha mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato and a side of dill potato salad and apple sauce. I also ordered a fresh, homemade cherry lemonade. Micah’s burger and fries were great, as well, and it was one of our favorite meals of the trip! Plus, there is a wine bar upstairs where local musicians often play their tunes. We just wished we had time to check out some of the musicians because they sounded great!
Wild Tomato:
Wild Tomato serves fantastic wood fired pizza, sandwiches, and salads. Almost everything that leaves the kitchen here is made from scratch, and they focus on a sustainable business concept. The Wild Tomato offers a wide range of specialty pizzas, but we created our own simple pie with pepperoni and chicken. I also ordered the cherry walnut salad with mixed greens, maple roasted walnuts, dried cherries, Door County Creamery goat cheese, and cherry vinaigrette. Yum!
Heirloom Café & Provisions:
This spot was so adorable! We loved both the food and decor at Heirloom Café & Provisions—we felt right at home as soon as we walked in the door. They serve a variety of very tempting breakfast and lunch options (like breakfast tacos and bowls), but we both went with the daily special which was a chicken and swiss French dip sandwich.
Pelletier’s Restaurant & Fish Boil:
Door County is famous for their fish boils, so of course we had to pay a visit to Pelletier’s Fish Boil in Fish Creek to check one out. A fish boil is a traditional Scandinavian cooking technique that involves a large steel pot over a fire. Basically, what happens is the potatoes, onions, and salt boil in a giant pot, and towards the end of the boil, locally caught whitefish is added. Once everything is cooked, the “boil over” takes place, aka fuel is thrown on the fire, which causes the water to boil over in an explosion of flames. It’s quite a show to watch!
Dinner is served with whitefish, potatoes, onion, coleslaw, bread, a drink, and a slice of cherry pie for dessert. We both opted for the “Lite Eater’s Fish Boil” which came with one 7 oz. piece of fish, but the regular order comes with two pieces of fish. Both Micah and I were stuffed at the end of dinner, so instead of getting two pieces of pie, we shared one topped with ice cream. It was a fun evening and a delicious meal!
Sister Bay Bowl:
Sister Bay Bowl is your traditional Wisconsin supper club (with a bowling alley on the side!), so we decided to check it out for their Friday night fish fry. You can’t visit Wisconsin without hitting up a supper club, right?! Add in an order for a Brandy Old Fashioned and you have yourself a true Wisconsin night out.
Chef’s Hat:
Chef’s Hat was an awesome spot for breakfast. They serve homemade comfort foods with a fresh twist. The service at this spot was on another level—we especially loved that we were offered coffee while we waited for a table! Neither Micah nor I could decide on just one item, so we agreed to go with the best of both worlds. We split a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and the ham and three cheese chef’s scramble with breakfast potatoes.
Bluefront Café:
When we ventured south to Sturgeon Bay for the day, we stopped at Bluefront Café for lunch. This cute café serves an eclectic mix of cuisine and it was packed during our visit. I had the half sandwich combo with the Asian chicken wrap and soup of the day, and Micah had a burger and fries. When we were chatting with our server, she mentioned that most of the glasswork in the café was created by Popelka Trenchard Glass. It was ironic because a visit to the Popelka Trenchard Glass studio was our next stop of the day! So fun to see the art out in multiple places in one day!
Glacier Ledge:
Glacier Ledge is small plate restaurant located at Door Artisan Cheese Company. When we were in the shop buying some cheese, we were told that it was raclette night at Glacier Ledge that evening, so we couldn’t resist coming back for dinner. We ordered cheese curds and potato and garlic crusted chicken. And, of course we had to try the special of the night—we were presented with a beautiful plate of roasted potatoes, vegetables and charcuterie, and then gooey, melted raclette cheese was layered over the plate right at our table.
Door County Brewing:
We always like to check out local breweries when we travel, so visiting Door County Brewing was another must that came highly recommended. The taproom is filled with reclaimed wood, board games, and a music stage—it was cozy and lively all in one. We arrived just before a band went on for the evening. They don’t have a full menu of food, but they do offer several types of meat and cheese boards, as well as corn dogs. In the warmer months they often have a food truck on site, too. We ordered a cheese spread board, which came with crackers, four types of cheese, meat, and pickles. And of course, they also serve a rotating selection of brews on tap!
Analog Coffee:
Analog Coffee serves a great cup of joe in a cute atmosphere. We ordered pastries and coffee for breakfast and drooled over the ice cream selection. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to head back for an ice cream treat; it looked amazing!
Base Camp Coffee Bar:
Located in the basement of the village’s Old Town Hall, Base Camp Coffee Bar has a wonderful menu of coffee, tea, baked goods, breakfast and lunch. We had coffee and pastries here, too, and loved relaxing in the cozy basement atmosphere.
Door County Creamery:
Door County Creamery sells a variety of gelato, cheese, and soaps all made from goat milk. We popped in one afternoon for some coffee and gelato. Micah ordered the mint stracitella gelato and I settled on the olive oil and sea salt. They were both fantastic, but the olive oil and sea salt stole the show—yum! They also offer a variety of farm tours throughout the summer and fall. I would have loved to try goat yoga or go on a farm tour if the dates would have lined up right!
Door County Ice Cream:
Located in an adorable historic building in Sister Bay, this ice cream and sandwich shop serves up some might tasty treats. We had a hard time picking a flavor from the never-ending row of ice cream, but in the end, classic chocolate and Door County cherry won out and both were great choices.
There were so many other restaurants and cafes that we wanted to try out in Door County, but a week just wasn’t enough to explore everything! It looks like we will have to plan another trip to Wisconsin again soon. Share your favorite restaurants with us in the comments below. We’d love to know which spots to add during our next visit!
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