9 classic roadside diners in Wisconsin that are worth a detour
At some classic roadside diners in Wisconsin, history is served up alongside breakfast and lunch.
You don’t have to look hard to find some of the best places to eat in Wisconsin. In fact, a lot of them are right on the side of the state’s major highways. Roadside diners have become a culinary staple in Wisconsin, and some of the most beloved diners in Wisconsin have been open for numerous decades, including one in Kenosha that dates back nearly a century.
It’s not just an impressive and lengthy history that classic diners in Wisconsin boast about, but their menus are a point of pride as well. With a focus on serving up breakfast dishes, lunch staples, an occasional dinner, and plenty of desserts, Wisconsin diners are a great place to dine for nearly any meal.
From restaurants that date back decades to more modern diners with classic themes, here are some of the roadside diners in Wisconsin that should be on every road trip itinerary.
1. Franks Diner
508 58th St., Kenosha
For nearly a century, Franks Diner has been serving breakfast and lunch out of its lunchcar-style diner to hungry patrons in Kenosha, and it had to travel quite a way to get there. First built in 1926 by the New Jersey-based Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company, the actual dining car structure that Franks Diner has been housed in for 99 years was transported to Kenosha on a train and then carried to its current location in the city’s downtown by six horses. The diner’s first owner was Anthony Franks, who paid $7,500, plus $325 in shipping charges, to bring his restaurant vision to southeastern Wisconsin (literally!).
Even though Franks Diner has been open for close to 100 years, its appearance hasn’t changed much since it was first transported by rail and horse. A small dining room was added in the ’30s, expanding the original 17-stool diner to include seven booths, and a larger kitchen was added in the ’40s. The small diner is best known for its garbage plates: five eggs (or three for a half plate) mixed with hash browns, green peppers, and onions, topped with the customer’s choice of meats, cheeses, and veggies, and served with toast.
2. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner
2089 Atwood Ave., Madison
Connecting Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Fond du Lac, U.S. Route 151 cuts its way directly through Wisconsin’s capital, Madison. Just a few blocks away from the major highway is Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, a roadside diner that has been operating in the city since 1990. Although the diner has only been open for just over 30 years, it has been retrofitted to look just like classic diners that date back even further.
While Monty’s Blue Plate Diner looks just like any classic diner, its menu really sets it apart. Many diners offer vegetarian options, such as pancakes or meat-free omelets, but few take pride in being havens for plant-based diets like Monty’s Blue Plate Diner does. The restaurant offers a standard menu, with traditional diner items like a Reuben sandwich and meatloaf. However, Monty’s Blue Plate diner also offers an entirely separate vegan menu, featuring items such as tofu scrambles for breakfast and falafel sandwiches for lunch.
3. Gus’s Diner
110 Keenan Court, Verona
Many diners are known for their breakfast and lunch options, but plenty of them also serve up delicious dessert offerings, including Gus’s Diner. The Verona-based diner offers nine different shake flavor options, ranging from traditional choices like chocolate and vanilla to more unique alternatives, such as blueberry and mocha.
It’s not all about the dessert at Gus’s Diner, though. The 1950s-themed diner, which has jukeboxes at most of its booths and ’50s advertising plastered on its walls, also serves up tasty meals throughout the day. Try one of the restaurant’s stacks of pancakes, including its special, the Elvis Pancake Sandwich: a short stack of two pancakes filled with bananas and peanut butter. Gus’s Diner has an additional location in Sun Prairie, which opened in 2008.
4. Anchor Down Family Restaurant
301 Ellis St., Kewaunee
Anchor Down Family Restaurant isn’t just a charming name for the Kewaunee-based restaurant. Located just a few blocks from the Kewaunee Marina, it serves as a set of instructions for hungry mariners on Lake Michigan—lower your anchors and come in for delicious diner grub.
In addition to its location near Lake Michigan, the roadside diner also sits at the corner of the two major roads that cut through the northwest Wisconsin city: Wisconsin Highway 42 and the eastern terminus of Wisconsin Highway 29. The restaurant, which is open daily for breakfast and lunch, is well-known for its homemade pies and soups, as well as its regular specials.
5. Miss Katie’s Diner
1900 West Clybourn St., Milwaukee
Miss Katie’s Diner has been serving diner staples to customers in Milwaukee since 1984, but the family that runs the family-owned business has roots in the city’s restaurant industry that go back way further. Miss Katie’s Diner is named for Katherine Picciurro, who owned the Milwaukee barbecue joint Pitch’s Lounge and Restaurant, which she founded in 1942. The barbecue restaurant, in addition to Miss Katie’s Diner, continues to be owned by the Picciurro family on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side.
The diner, located just a few blocks from Marquette University, has served many notable names throughout the years, including former First Lady Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Rachael Ray. It serves everything customers would expect from a diner, including stacks of pancakes and omelets, as well as skillet breakfast specials, like Miss Katie’s Skillet: two eggs any style, served with sausage links, hash browns, and toast. The restaurant transitions to its dinner menu every day at 4 p.m. and features dinner specials that showcase the family’s barbecue legacy, including its Pitch’s BBQ Rib Dinner, a slab of barbecue-coated ribs served with a salad and hash browns.
6. Broadway Diner
304 Broadway St., Baraboo
Many diners are ’50s themed and feel as if you’re stepping back in time to the decade of poodle skirts, drive-in movies, and early rock ‘n’ roll when you enter. That’s certainly the case at Broadway Diner in Baraboo, which was initially built in 1954. The diner, which sits a few blocks north of Wisconsin Highway 113, is a Silk City diner, manufactured by the Paterson Vehicle Company in Paterson, New Jersey.
While the diner itself has been around for a while, it hasn’t always been in its current location. The first owners of the diner car started serving food out of it in Groton, Connecticut. It made a cross-country move in 2012, when it was purchased by the Castree family, who now own and operate the diner car as the Broadway Diner. The diner is open for breakfast and lunch every day from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
7. Hubbard Avenue Diner
7445 Hubbard Ave., Middleton
For nearly 20 years, Hubbard Avenue Diner has been serving all-day breakfast in Middleton, as well as lunch and dinner, starting at 11 a.m. every day. While the diner’s lengthy menu is filled to the brim with diner staples, like pancakes, omelets, and BLTs, Hubbard Avenue Diner stands out for its weekly specials. Every weekend, the diner offers an array of specials, including a Friday night fish fry, served with fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce, and a potato roll, Sunday rib dinners, or Thursday and Saturday broasted chicken specials.
The diner doesn’t just make savory meals, though. It might be best known for its freshly baked goods: brownies, cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and, like any good diner, pies. Hubbard Avenue Diner’s pies can be purchased by the slice, or customers can bring a whole pie home. The diner has a rotating menu of pies, including seasonal options like eggnog in December and Irish cream in March. The yearly pie list is available on the diner’s website.
8. Roadside Ice Cream & Diner
1160 Menomonie St., Eau Claire
Just like any diner, Eau Claire’s Roadside Ice Cream & Diner offers a variety of savory menu options, from tacos to burgers and chicken strips. But really, it’s all about the sweet treats, especially when it comes to the family-owned diner’s many ice cream creations. The diner has been selling soft serve from the same location for more than 50 years, but it wasn’t until recently that it made a name for itself. For decades, it was a Dairy Queen franchise, but in 2018, it broke free of the ice cream chain and was renamed. Along with a new name, the diner also revamped its soft serve recipe, making it more flavorful.
No trip to the diner and ice cream shop is complete without a legend, and we don’t mean a myth or a fanciful tale. At Roadside Ice Cream & Diner, a legend takes on a different meaning: It’s a mixer made with a choice of the diner’s many mix-ins offerings and soft serve, and is called a legend at the diner because eating one is an unforgettable experience.
9. Bristol 45 Diner
8321 200th Ave., Bristol
When Glen and Tricia Nelson took over the restaurant location just north of the Illinois border, along the U.S. Route 45, in 2008, they looked to one source of inspiration: Tricia’s parents, who encouraged them to design their restaurant with the ’50s in mind. The result of that inspiration, Bristol 45 Diner, has retro booths, a vintage soda counter, and classic tunes playing throughout the diner. The restaurant doesn’t just try to recreate a ’50s vibe with its decor and music. It also hosts cruise-in events, where patrons can drive up in their classic cars and enjoy live music and food from the diner while they’re showing off in the parking lot.
Bristol 45 Diner has a diverse menu and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. While many diners stick to classic American fare, Bristol 45 Diner’s dinner options include a host of Mexican-inspired entrees, a section focused on Italian food like spaghetti and chicken parmesan, and stir-fries.
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