In search of Wisconsin-y food in Appleton, WI

I'm heading up to Appleton, WI on Friday for the weekend and would like to find some well-prepared food with a Wisconsin flair. It looks like Frank's Pizza Palace could be a possibility, but would like a few more options. I'd be willing to drive 20-30 minutes outside of town if warranted. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

If you can do at least one meal there, Frank's Pizza Palace is highly recommended. I was in Appleton last October and just took a chance when I drove by (never heard of it). It was right out of a Chicago neighborhood. It's very similar to one of my all-time favorites - Marie's. I've come to realize that most pizzerias still around from the 1950's have all been good no matter where I am having one at!

Frank's - since 1955.
Marie's - since the late 1940's.
Zaffiro's (Milwaukee) - since 1954.
Q's Pizza - since 1959.
Wells Brothers (Racine) - since 1921 (pizza a little later)
If you are a fan of super thin crust, tavern style pizza, with great sausage, this is right up your alley.

El Azteca is a vibrant, colorful, fun place, where we've always enjoyed authentic, inexpensive, Mexican food served by friendly waitstaff. It's a diamond in the rough.

El Azteca Mexican Restaurant
201 W. Northland Avenue
Appleton, WI
920-966-0983

I recommend Mark's East Side - we recently enjoyed some great German dishes there, and there's the traditional American and fish specials too. Big portions, the quality of the meat was excellent, and the Provimi veal liver was especially noteworthy. Pretty extensive beer selection too. The owner was really cordial and took care to see that everything was good at our table.

Mark's East Side Dining and Coctails
1405 E Wisconsin Ave, Appleton, WI 54911

If you're near Brillion in the morning, Rudy's Place on Route 10 is a vey good choice for breakfast.

Hope you have a good trip.

Enjoy a "blast from the past" with roller skating car hops at Ardy & Ed's Drive-In in Oshkosh, WI. The place is an authentic 1948 Wisconsin drive-in serving burgers, fries, Chicago style hot dogs, and ice cream creations.
http://www.foodspot.com/ardyandeds/

A few years ago, my family and I had a nice meal at Schreiner's in Fond du Lac. Mado this place aint, but it carries it own unique style well. Oddly, for the Fox Lake, the speciality of the place is clam chowder, and the whole vibe is like a very vintage Howard Johnson's (and I mean that in a good way.) If you appreciate these kinda restaurants, you'd like Schreiner's.

168 North Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac, WI 54935
(920) 922-0590

The Pasty Koop is pretty Wisconsin...a small storefront pasty deli.

The Pasty Koop
135 E Wisconsin Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
Phone: (920) 830-0896

I second Mark's East Side. My girlfriend and I ended up there after I shot a wedding in Appleton last fall and we had a blast. The bar (where we sat and dined) had a old-timey Wisconsin German feel to it (with some Irish decorations thrown about--Mark is half-German, half-Irish). A somewhat unique item (for the Wisconsin area) on the menu are their deep-fried sauerkraut balls. Think something akin to a hushpuppy in size and texture, but filled with sauerkraut and battered. This is the only place I've seen them outside of Northeast Ohio. We weren't hungry enough to try the main dishes, like the sauerbraten, pork hocks, or weiner schnitzel, but the sauerkraut balls, German sausage plate, and the local German-American Wisconsin atmosphere of the place marked it a definite "must-return" location for when we find ourselves in Appleton again.

Stopped by Frank's Pizzeria in Appleton a couple of days ago. Great pizza. Cracker crust. Very old school. Cash only. Wish I had my camera to take a picture of the old-school oven they have. Woeful beer selection.

Highly recommended. Better than the fancy pizza place in Sheboygan, the name of which escapes me.

We ate at Carmellas Bistro in Appleton last Saturday night. I highly recommend it. They don't take reservations but do have a call-in preferred seating list. If it was in Chicago we would go there.

http://carmellasbistro.com/

teatpuller wrote:Stopped by Frank's Pizzeria in Appleton a couple of days ago. Great pizza. Cracker crust. Very old school. Cash only. Wish I had my camera to take a picture of the old-school oven they have.

How about dis?






It looks like he took his pizza to go - you can see the pizza bag. Da Beef would really like their sausage pizza - and I am sure he will be there soon.

NIce find!

Victoria's on College Ave. is a very old school "Wisconsiny" type of Italian place. Long winding bar in the lounge where locals hang, drink and appetize.......circa-70s dining room decor.....food is perfectly good (not great)....but never miss going for the atmosphere and that Wisconsin vibe....

And you cannot miss Cleo's.....best bar in town....wildly decorated for every holiday (though Christmas decorations never seem to come down)....just a gem of a place...been there forever, and very much a beloved institution. Also on College Ave...

Appleton is a fun town.....usually stay at the Radisson....bars and restaurants in both directions for blocks...makes for a fun evening or two......extremely nice residents, which seems to be typical of most everywhere in WI......

Appleton has always given me a Twin Peaks-like vibe. Nice locals and lovely river-town scenery aside, there is a bust of Joseph McCarthy in the Outagamie County Court House (saw it with my own disbelieving eyes), and the national HQ of the John Birch Society is in Grand Chute, a nearby suburb. Creepy.

sundevilpeg wrote:Appleton has always given me a Twin Peaks-like vibe. Nice locals and lovely river-town scenery aside, there is a bust of Joseph McCarthy in the Outagamie County Court House (saw it with my own disbelieving eyes), and the national HQ of the John Birch Society is in Grand Chute, a nearby suburb. Creepy.

I spent a godforsaken year there way in the past as a freshman in college (Lawrence U on College Ave, actually a superior school in the ACM). It is really creepy. I've been back a couple times in recent years for gigs, and Frank's is exemplary. Folks drink way too much, and most of it is crappy beer. Appleton is the home of Harry Houdini and Joe McCarthy. When I was there in college, it was also the largest city in the country with no african americans.

A statue of Joe McCarthy??? Good Lord that is disturbing...who knew????

That being said, I've never gotten any type of creepy vibe from the locals (unlike Fort Wayne where something disturbing comes out of someone's mouth on nearly every visit)...quite the contrary, even seems to have a bit of a liberal vibe if anything due to the college....have had some nice converations with random people of all ages...most everyone encountered seemed lovely (been there about 6 times)

But still, I know these are just snapshots from a visitor...living there on a daily basis might be a totally different experience.......but again, we really like it....always a fun weekend getway...lots to do in a very nice central downtown location...

ParkLaBrea wrote:A statue of Joe McCarthy??? Good Lord that is disturbing...who knew????

That being said, I've never gotten any type of creepy vibe from the locals (unlike Fort Wayne where something disturbing comes out of someone's mouth on nearly every visit)...quite the contrary, even seems to have a bit of a liberal vibe if anything due to the college

I think there's such a thing as being politically liberal but socially conservative. Wisconsin and Minnesota have been bastions of political left wingery but are not that advanced in the cultural sense.

True.....

Old thread, I know -
Spending a few days in Appleton, never been there before. Read this thread, have the list on where to start. Going with in-laws, nothing too adventurous, just wondering if there's anything newer to check out. The Frank's Pizza Palace sounds right up our alley. I haven't even really started investigating what's around there yet, but checking if anyone knows anything worth seeking out. NO big plans for anything, just cousins hanging in a hotel for a few days to play in the pool, and go shopping - apparently there's a decent mall. Bonus for Chinese-ish food worth eating, which, I assume, would be a miracle in that neck of the woods.

If you like cracker crust, Frank's is definitely the way to go. I asked a few locals for best pizza in town, one of them said it was a toss up between Frank's and Sal's. Most agreed that Frank's should definitely be in the discussion. Since we had a few hungry teenagers in the group, and Sal's was a few three dollars cheaper, and only a few blocks down from Franks, we did a pizza off at the hotel pool. Sal's was good, but more N.Y. style, and honestly, it was modeled after a N.Y. style place. It looked like the movie set of Do The Right Thing. Thicker crust, like a decent Dominos, if that makes any sense. Some of the people preferred it. Frank's was real deal cracker crust, and house made sausage. Nuff said. Clear winner in my book. If we ever come back, we'd be happy to get both again, but probably get the sal's more for the kids to fill up on. Sal's also generously gave us a dozen of their garlic rolls for free. Everyone loved them.

I highly recommend Cleos for a Wisconsin Old Fashion. The place is small, woody, cozy, and it's always Christmas there. It's on College and is a great Wisconsin tavern