Best Appetizer, Not Cheese Curds (location and item) One of life’s greatest known pleasures is preceding a main entree with even more food. Appetizers, big or small... read more » 1 Chips, salsa, and queso from Cancun Mexican Grill 2 Hangar Bombs From Hangar 54 3 Mogie's Pub Spuds O'Plenty
Best Asian Food Whether it’s Thai, Chinese, Japanese, or Vietnamese cuisine, the Chippewa Valley has it all. From pho to egg rolls... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant 3 Shanghai Bistro
Best Bakery Warm up with a homemade sweet roll or a Danish kringle at Sue’s Deluxe Bake Shop (1319 Birch St., Eau Claire)... read more » 1 Sue's Deluxe Bake Shop 2 Great Harvest Bread Company 3 Bohemian Ovens (Bloomer)
Best Barbecue There’s a new barbecue king in town! Red Coal BBQ (2839 Mall Drive, Eau Claire), smoked the competition with its... read more » 1 Red Coal BBQ 2 Famous Dave's 3 Karl’s Bar-B-Q Express
Best Breakfast Spot Best Breakfast Spot was a coveted title in this year’s poll, with the question garnering more votes than almost... read more » 1 The Nucleus Café 2 Altoona Family Restaurant 3 Randy's Family Restaurant
Best Brunch One of the best things about Eau Claire is the array of mouthwatering brunch spots. If you’re looking for the best... read more » 1 The Nucleus Café 2 The French Press 3 Locavore Mobile Kitchen @SHIFT
Best Burger The juicy burgers at Girolamo’s Court’n House Bar & Grill (113 W. Grand Ave., Eau Claire) are on a roll... read more » 1 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill 2 Milwaukee Burger Company 3 Amber Inn
Best Burritos Cancun Mexican Grill (four Chippewa Valley locations) wrapped up the win for best burritos around — whether... read more » 1 Cancun Mexican Grill 2 Burrito Xpress 3 Chipotle
Best Café / Coffeehouse Talk about a dark horse! SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar (615 Graham Ave., Eau Claire) may be the new kid on the block... read more » 1 SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar 2 Racy D'Lene's Coffee Lounge 3 Eau Claire Downtown Coffee (ECDC)
Best Chef What’s a restaurant, culinary program, or food truck without a fantastic chef leading it to victory? Winning by a... read more » 1 Amy Huo (Locavore) 2 Kevin Brown (CVTC Culinary program) 3 Nathan Berg (The Lakely)
Best Chicken Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill (4890 Golf Road, Eau Claire) has done it again. Need something to keep you warm this... read more » 1 Grizzly's Wood-Fired Grill 2 Bresina's 3 The River Inn (Chippewa Falls)
Best Comfort Food With temperatures below zero and about four more months left of winter, a warm, home-style meal would sure taste good... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Randy's Family Restaurant 3 Cancun Mexican Grill
Best Dessert Ah, desserts! Whether you think of them as a means of relieving stress (after all, “stressed” spelled... read more » 1 Ramone's Ice Cream Parlor 2 Olson’s Ice Cream and Deli 3 Norske Nook of Osseo
Best Donuts Sue’s Deluxe Bake Shop (1319 Birch St., Eau Claire) takes the cake once again this year! The shop’s flavors... read more » 1 Sue's Bakeshop 2 Festival Foods 3 Dunkin Donuts - Hastings Way
Best Egg Rolls Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) didn’t just roll into first place, it fried the competition along... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Rice Palace 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Fish Fry The Friday night fish fry is a strong tradition in the Chippewa Valley, and 4 Mile Restaurant & Bar (formerly... read more » 1 Four Mile (Formerly Smith’s on hwy 37) 2 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill 3 Connell’s Supper Club
Best Food Truck Food trucks have driven their ways into Chippewa Valley diners’ hearts during the past few summers, growing in... read more » 1 The Locavore Mobile Kitchen 2 Fire Truck Pizza from Foster Cheese Haus 3 The Marigold Cafe
Best French Fries In a very close race, The Classic Garage (2111 Third St., Eau Claire) pulled in the win with its fresh-cut fries;... read more » 1 The Classic Garage 2 Culver’s 3 Red Robin
Best Fried Cheese Curds This might sound cheesy, but people are absolutely head over heels for the fried cheese curds at Milwaukee Burger Co... read more » 1 Milwaukee Burger Company 2 Locavore Mobile Kitchen 3 Dooley's Pub
Best International Cuisine Will it be gyros, sushi, tacos, or curry? Coming in first place overall for international cuisine is Tokyo Japanese... read more » 1 Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse 2 Egg Roll Plus 3 Shanghai Bistro
Best Italian Food So close and yet so far: For the first time in the history of this poll, Mona Lisa’s (428 Water St., Eau Claire)... read more » 1 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 2 Draganetti's Ristorante 3 Olive Garden
Best Local Beer (Specific Brew) If there’s anything Wisconsinites know well, it’s what a good beer tastes like. That being said, the Brewing... read more » 1 The Brewing Projekt Gunpowder IPA 2 Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy 3 The Brewing Projekt Dare Mighty Things
Best Local Brewery The Brewing Projekt (1807 N. Oxford Ave., Eau Claire) may boast some of the best IPAs in the state, but they... read more » 1 The Brewing Projekt 2 Lazy Monk Brewing 3 Leinenkugel's
Best Locally Produced Foodstuff Local restaurants and home cooks alike rely on Rump’s Butcher Shoppe (1411 Lynn Ave., Altoona) for quality local... read more » 1 Rump's Butcher Shoppe 2 Silver Spring Foods, Mustards and Horseradish 3 Chip Magnet Salsa
Best Mexican Food Queso and salsa and guac — oh my! From a long day at work to an unexpected breakup, Mexican food is the cure... read more » 1 Cancun Mexican Restaurant 2 Azul Tequila 3 Tacos Juanita
Best New Restaurant New eateries are popping up left and right! These brand spankin’ new favorites don’t just have delicious... read more » 1 Northern Tap House 2 44 North 3 The Growler Guys
Best Pad Thai Looking for something peanut-flavored, maybe with stir-fried rice noodles, mixed vegetables, and some sort of protein?... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Mahli Thai 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Pho Pho! This Southeast Asian blend of herbs, rice noodles, broth, and a protein may sound simple, although it’s... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Rice Palace 3 Noodle TeaHouse
Best Pizza Did someone say “Best Pizza in the Chippewa Valley?” Geno’s Pizza (5110 Fairview Drive, Eau Claire)... read more » 1 Geno's Pizza 2 Sammy's Pizza Palace 3 Pizza Del Re
Best Pop-Up Restaurant Chippewa Valley voters’ favorite pop-up eatery was Fontinalis, whose “rustic yet refined” creations... read more » 1 Fonantlis at Bomb Tacos 2 Burger Night at Together Farms 3 Pop-Up Brunch at Forage
Best Quick Lunch Need your lunch RIGHT NOW? Then head on over to Cancun Mexican Grill (four Chippewa Valley locations) for one of their... read more » 1 Cancun Mexican Grill 2 Acoustic Cafe - Eau Claire 3 Eau Claire Cheese and Deli (Nelson Cheese Factory)
Best Restaurant for Good Wait Staff First place-winning Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona) is like the Cheers of the Chippewa... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Randy's Family Restaurant 3 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub
Best Restaurant for Late-night Noshing OK, we’ve all been there. Starving at 10pm (or maybe 3am?) for something other than what our fridges have to... read more » 1 Perkins 2 Toppers Pizza 3 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill
Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining With the weather being ever so frightful, a nice meal outside on a warm patio sounds pretty delightful right about now... read more » 1 Cowboy Jack's 2 The Lakely (at The Oxbow Hotel) 3 The Livery (aka Cowtown Saloon)
Best Restaurant for the Whole Family Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest Pkwy., Altoona) has a number of classic meals on its kids menu, and a... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Randy’s Family Restaurant 3 Milwaukee Burger Company
Best Restaurant for Upscale Dining If you’re looking to treat yourself to a fancy night out, consider Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen... read more » 1 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 2 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 3 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub
Best Restaurant in Chippewa Falls With its array of burgers and main dishes served up in an allegedly haunted venue, the Sheeley House Saloon (236 W... read more » 1 Sheeley House Saloon 2 Connell's Supper Club 3 Mahli Thai
Best Restaurant in Eau Claire Choosing the best restaurant in Eau Claire is no easy feat. There are so many options to choose from in the local... read more » 1 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 2 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub 3 Hangar 54
Best Restaurant in Menomonie With more than 20 beers on tap and daily specials such as Sunday Steak Night and Friday Fish Fry, Jake’s Supper... read more » 1 Jake's Supper Club 2 Lucette Wood Fired Eatery 3 Zanzibar Restaurant and Pub
Best Sandwich (not burger) Hungry for a hearty sandwich in the Chippewa Valley? Look no further than Ray’s Place (838 Water St., Eau Claire)... read more » 1 Ray's Place - Hot Beef Sandwich 2 Acoustic Café - Hoagie 3 Eau Claire Cheese and Deli (Nelson Cheese Factory)
Best Steak A cut above the rest, Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire) takes its third consecutive... read more » 1 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 2 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub 3 Texas Roadhouse
Best Supper Club Nothing says Wisconsin more than a classic supper club along the river with an Old Fashioned in hand. The first-place... read more » 1 Connell’s Supper Club 2 Jake's Supper Club 3 Old Abe's Supper Club
Best Sushi Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant (405 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) is in the heart of downtown and has a menu that... read more » 1 Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant 2 Shanghai Bistro 3 Sakura Japanese Restaurant
Best Tacos We can’t help but taco-bout the best tacos in the Valley: Bomb Tacos (504 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls) took... read more » 1 Bomb Tacos 2 Cancun Mexican Grill 3 Tacos Juanita Mexican Restaurant
Best Vegan Menu Vegans of the Chippewa Valley, this part of the poll is for you. You don’t have to eat animal products to enjoy... read more » 1 Locavore Mobile Kitchen 2 Raw Deal 3 HuHot Mongolian Grill
Best Vegetarian Menu For all the animal lovers out there (or those just looking to try something meat-free), the Chippewa Valley has a bunch... read more » 1 Locavore Mobile Kitchen 2 HuHot Mongolian Grill 3 Raw Deal
Best Winemaker River Bend Vineyard & Winery (10439 33rd Ave, Chippewa Falls) is a picturesque vineyard offering winery tours, a... read more » 1 River Bend Winery & Distillery 2 Infinity Beverages Winery & Distillery 3 Autumn Harvest Winery & Orchard (Chippewa Falls)
Kind of Eatery / Bar We Most Need If Best Of readers had anything to say about it, two pickles on a toasted butter bun — hallmarks of... read more » 1 Chick-fil-a 2 Waterfront Dining in downtown Eau Claire 3 Roof-Top Bar and Grill in Downtown Eau Claire
Most Inspired / Interesting Restaurant Atmosphere The Lakely (516 Galloway St., Eau Claire) a farm-to-table restaurant in Downtown, takes the win in this question with... read more » 1 The Lakely (at The Oxbow Hotel) 2 The Classic Garage 3 Cowboy Jack's