A Local’s Guide to Wisconsin’s Coolest Culinary Experiences
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As the state with the third most bars per capita in America (clocking in at a potent 46.92 per 100,000 residents), Wisconsin has long been a place to toss one back. And for every thirst that’s been quenched by a can of Schlitz, there’s been an appetite for a good meal, thoughtfully prepared with local produce and dairy. Chefs have long taken to downtown Madison and Milwaukee, but lately small towns and niche neighborhoods are having a moment.
From Michelin-starred chefs popping up on a historic dairy farm, to a gourmet sandwich shop reviving a remote river town, bold and ambitious is the new norm. Here are a few intriguing culinary experiences to plan a trip around.
Seven Acre Dairy Company (Paoli)
Courtesy of Maureen Cassidy for Seven Acre Dairy Company
Seven Acre Dairy Company is putting Paoli, a rural hamlet on the eastern edge of Wisconsin’s Driftless region, back on the radar. It’s not just because award-winning cheesemaker Anna Landmark now runs the state’s smallest creamery on-site. A recent restoration has also led to the addition of an eight-room inn and restaurant.
The restaurant, Little Cloud, elates diners with visiting James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-star talent (this summer Iron Chef Jose Garces will appear). “Chefs have access to local farm ingredients and lots of butter, straight from the churn” says co-owner Nic Mink. Little Cloud’s new executive chef, Ben Serum, isn’t to be outshined; he trained in Norway and worked at San Francisco’s Monsieur Benjamin and Madison, Wisconsin’s Pig in a Fur Coat. Serum capitalizes on Landmark’s creamery creations. Think: cottage cheese with housemade crackers and black truffles, and a full-on “dairy experience” fashioned like an omakase seafood tower. Of course, the destination’s ice cream shop and Friday fish fries will satisfy traditionalists, as will a walk around the restored oak savanna landscape.
Horseradish Kitchen & Parlor Hotel (Princeton)
Courtesy of Tracy Harris for Horseradish Kitchen
When the Horseradish food truck first opened its window on Water Street in the quiet town of Princeton, people didn’t know what to make of it. But soon, the lines for creations like the Capri sandwich — a ciabatta embrace of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and pesto — were enough for owner Matt Trotter to open a café specializing in dressed-up sandwiches, salads, and cocktails.
“I really just wanted to honor the bread being made by Renard’s Bakery [down the street] and sandwiches was the best way to do that,” says Trotter. “We like to keep it fun and funky.” Sit at the bar and tuck into the Midwest Beet, a sandwich interpretation of a beet and goat cheese salad; or hit the patio, where live music drifts with the gentle rush of the Fox River.
Trotter grew up in Princeton, worked in design in Chicago and Sheboygan, then returned home with a vision that not only includes Horseradish Kitchen but the neighboring new Parlor Hotel, a cozy flashback to simpler times. Its seven guest rooms are immaculate, but the lobby is your playground: Pop a record on the player, tool around on the piano and try your hand at foosball. Trotter and his partner in life and business, Greg Wright, recently enlisted local chef and meat purveyor Dan Solberg to run the kitchen and create custom menus for hotel guests.
Lola’s Hi-Lo Lounge (Madison)
Courtesy of Erika RW Photography for Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge
Matt Gerding used to manage and book concert venues across Madison, including the renowned Majestic Theater. In 2023 he flipped the script: Along with Cadre chef Evan Dannells, he opened Lola’s, this supper club on the North Side, a quiet neighborhood historically devoid of restaurants. The “hi” means “hi-fi” as a nod to vinyl spun by DJs in a tricked-out booth. (Everything from Motown to Prince to Led Zeppelin fills the air.) The “lo” is in reference to vibes, which Gerding defines as “Wisconsin fancy.” Read: Come in your sweatpants and drink a can of Hamm’s, if you must. Just don’t miss Dannells’ global tavern dishes.
“Street food, like dumplings, is looked at the same way abroad as our comfort food, like cheese curds, is here,” he says. Pizzas are the wild card, especially a Korean variety topped with bulgogi beef and sweet sauce. Fun extras, like a wheel-of-fortune-style game mounted behind the bar, is inspired by Lola’s Tomcat Lounge in way-up-north Saint Nazianz, Wisconsin. Its colorful-character owner, Lola Otto, is 88 years old and still bartends nighty. Side trip, anyone?
Ruby Coffee (Nelsonville and Stevens Point)
Courtesy of Ruby Coffee Roasters
Nelsonville, who? This town of under 200 isn’t on your radar — yet. Ruby Coffee’s roasting facility sits on 20 acres of farmland in central Wisconsin, and includes a small café and shop, open on the weekends. Owner Jared Linzmeier swears by his process of micro lot separation, whereby coffee fruits are picked ripe from plants and isolated in batches based on what part of the farm they come from. As the outer layers of the cherry are removed and the seeds are cleaned and dried, this lot separation is maintained to create limited-edition batches. If you want to linger over a steaming mug of its bestselling Creamery Blend, head to the nearby Stevens Point café, and pair it with a breakfast sandwich with eggs sourced from Bice’s in Vesper, Wisconsin.
Ruby’s picked up the nickname “the Bon Iver of coffee,” which Linzmeier is tickled by: “Their work is a celebration and exploration of Wisconsin culture and Midwest traditions. I wonder if this means we’ve been able to introduce exciting, perhaps unexpected, coffees to the world from our rural location.”
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