Best Appetizer, Not Cheese Curds (location and item) If cheese curds are off the table, folks in the Valley love their chips, salsa, and queso from Cancun Mexican Grill... read more » 1 Chips, salsa, and queso from Cancun Mexican Grill 2 Egg Roll Plus Egg Rolls 3 Mogie's Pub Spuds O'Plenty
Best Bakery A large selection of homemade cookies, cakes, and bars makes Sue’s Deluxe Bake Shop (1319 Birch St., Eau Claire) a... read more » 1 Sue's Deluxe Bake Shop 2 Great Harvest Bread Company 3 The Nostalgic Bean
Best Barbecue Two-time, homegrown champ Red Coal BBQ (2839 Mall Drive, Eau Claire) serves up delicious smoked and meaty classics to... read more » 1 Red Coal BBQ 2 Famous Dave's 3 Butcher's Block BBQ
Best Brunch ALL HAIL THE NUCLEUS! Although our beloved Nucleus Café (405 Water St., Eau Claire) switched ownership last year... read more » 1 The Nucleus Café 2 44 North Gastropub 3 The Lakely (at The Oxbow Hotel)
Best Buffet When you don’t want limits on how much you can devour, a buffet is in order. Pizza del Re (911 N. Hastings Way... read more » 1 Pizza Del Re 2 Pizza Ranch 3 Jade Garden
Best Burger Creative burgers and a diverse atmosphere can be found at Girolamo’s Court’n House Bar & Grill (113 W... read more » 1 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill 2 Milwaukee Burger Company 3 Amber Inn
Best Burritos Mmmm ... burritos. Making its way into the hearts and bellies of readers this year for Best Burrito is Burrito Xpress... read more » 1 Burrito Xpress 2 Cancun Mexican Grill 3 Silly Serrano Mexican Restaurant
Best Café / Coffeehouse There’s a latté to love about SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar (615 Graham Ave., Eau Claire), the café... read more » 1 SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar 2 Eau Claire Downtown Coffee (ECDC) 3 Bridge Street Brew (Chippewa Falls)
Best Chef As Executive Chef at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire), Shawn Wamsley creates... read more » 1 Shawn Wamsley (Johnny's Italian Steakhouse) 2 Jason Shafer (Stella Blues) 3 Brian Jensen (Sheeley House Saloon)
Best Chicken Wings At Northern Tap House (5020 Keystone Crossing, Eau Claire), you have the option of house-made boneless or traditional... read more » 1 Northern Tap House 2 Buffalo Wild Wings 3 River Inn Bar
Best Comfort Food Some days nothing is better than a good plate of food to warm your soul. Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Randy's Family Restaurant 3 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill
Best Donuts If you’re in the mood for a tasty treat, head to Sue’s Deluxe Bake Shop (1319 Birch St., Eau Claire). With a... read more » 1 Sue's Bakeshop 2 Festival Foods 3 Kwik Trip
Best Egg Rolls Laid back and welcoming, Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) will make you feel right at home as you enjoy... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Rice Palace 3 Noodle Wrap 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Food Truck Whether you hit up Sounds Like Summer or Chalkfest, you’re bound to encounter a variety of food trucks. Chef Amy... read more » 1 The Locavore Mobile Kitchen 2 Fire Truck Pizza from Foster Cheese Haus 3 Dhimiters Gyros
Best French Fries When you’re looking for classic, all-American French fries, how can you be sure they will hit the spot? Try the... read more » 1 Culver’s 2 Five Guys 3 Red Robin
Best Fried Cheese/Curds Large and in charge, Milwaukee Burger Company (2620 E. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire) serves beautifully golden... read more » 1 Milwaukee Burger Company 2 Dooley's Pub 3 Northern Tap House
Best International Cuisine Serving authentic donburi and teriyaki for lunch and grilled hibachi options for dinner, Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse (2426... read more » 1 Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse 2 Egg Roll Plus 3 The Olympic Flame
Best Local Beer (Specific Brew) Our beer-drinking readers have settled on their tip-top tipple for the third straight year: The Brewing Projekt’s... read more » 1 The Brewing Projekt Gunpowder IPA 2 Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy 3 The Brewing Projekt Dare Mighty Things
Best Local Brewery We here in Wisconsin L-O-V-E our beer, and for that reason, the Chippewa Valley is home to multiple breweries. The... read more » 1 The Brewing Projekt 2 Leinenkugel's 3 Lazy Monk Brewing
Best Locally Produced Foodstuff With lots of flavors to keep things interesting, like Garlicious and Wildly Delicious, Chip Magnet Salsa is the perfect... read more » 1 Chip Magnet Salsa 2 Rump's Butcher Shoppe 3 Silver Spring Foods, Mustards and Horseradish
Best New Restaurant New restaurants popped up all over the Chippewa Valley this year. However, because the Chippewa Valley has guac a soft... read more » 1 Silly Serrano Mexican Restaurant 2 Olson’s Ice Cream (Eau Claire) 3 Wisco's
Best Pad Thai If you’ve got a craving for Pad Thai, Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) is the place to go. A... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Mahli Thai 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Pho If you need help warming up during these cold winter months, Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) offers... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Rice Palace 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Pop-Up Restaurant When you’re tired of the same-old, same-old, try something new at a pop-up restaurant. The Burger Nights at... read more » 1 Burger Night at Together Farms 2 Forage @ Lazy Monk Cultural Cuisine Nights 3 Pop-Up Brunch at Forage
Best Quick Lunch Whether you’re in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, or Menomonie, you’ve got access to one of our readers’... read more » 1 Culver’s 2 Eau Claire Cheese and Deli (Nelson Cheese Factory) 3 Acoustic Cafe - Eau Claire
Best Restaurant for a Fish Fry For those seeking to satisfy a craving for some crispy fish on Fridays, Volume One readers suggest this tasty trio. 4... 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 Restaurant for Asian Food When you’re in the mood for Asian food, downtown Eau Claire has a plethora of options. Egg Roll Plus (1611... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant 3 Thai Orchid Restaurant
Best Restaurant for Chicken Step into Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill (4890 Golf Road, Eau Claire), and the smell of rotisserie chicken hits you... read more » 1 Grizzly's Wood-Fired Grill 2 Pizza Ranch 3 Bresina’s Carry Out
Best Restaurant for Dessert (All-Around Dessert) Among all the things Chippewa Valley-ians love, dessert and ice cream rank high. After a yummy meal, swing by... read more » 1 Ramone's Ice Cream Parlor 2 Olson’s Ice Cream and Deli 3 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse
Best Restaurant for Good Wait Staff If you’ve worked as a server, then you understand the stamina it takes to keep a smile on your face despite a lack... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 3 Chippewa Family Restaurant
Best Restaurant for Italian Food With a focus on healthy, seasonal food, Mona Lisa’s Restaurant (428 Water St., Eau Claire), is a great choice for... read more » 1 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 2 Draganetti's Ristorante 3 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse
Best Restaurant for Late-night Noshing If you’re up late and you want the food to come to you, Toppers Pizza (four Chippewa Valley locations) is your... read more » 1 Toppers Pizza 2 The Plus 3 Girolamo's Court 'n House Bar & Grill
Best Restaurant for Mexican Food Volume One readers have spoken, and the best restaurant for Mexican food is once again Cancun Mexican Grill (four... read more » 1 Cancun Mexican Restaurant 2 Silly Serrano Mexican Restaurant 3 Azul Tequila
Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining During the warm months, eating outside can feel so lovely. Cowboy Jack’s (1432 Front Porch Place, Altoona)... read more » 1 Cowboy Jack's 2 The Livery (aka Cowtown Saloon) 3 The Lakely (at The Oxbow Hotel)
Best Restaurant for Pizza Sometimes you just need a fresh piece of ’za (or 10). While a ton of enticing pizza eateries permeate the Chippewa... read more » 1 Geno's Pizza 2 Pizza Del Re 3 Sammy's Pizza Palace
Best Restaurant for Steak If steak is what you’re after, look no further. Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau... read more » 1 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 2 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub 3 Texas Roadhouse
Best Restaurant for Subs and Sandwiches The first restaurant in Eau Claire to serve Grinders, Mancino’s Grinders & Pizza (809 W. Clairemont Ave., Eau... read more » 1 Mancino's Grinders & Pizza 2 Eau Claire Cheese and Deli (Nelson Cheese Factory) 3 Acoustic Café (Eau Claire)
Best Restaurant for the Whole Family No surprise to us, the three best restaurants for the whole family each have “family” in their name –... read more » 1 Altoona Family Restaurant 2 Randy’s Family Restaurant 3 Chippewa Family Restaurant
Best Restaurant for Upscale Dining If you’re looking for somewhere nice to take your date, Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court... read more » 1 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 2 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 3 Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub
Best Restaurant for Vegetarian Dining (vegetarian menu) If you want to avoid meat but not flavor, look no further. HuHot Mongolian Grill (3805 Oakwood Mall Drive, Eau Claire)... read more » 1 HuHot Mongolian Grill 2 Egg Roll Plus 3 The Nucleus
Best Restaurant in Chippewa Falls If you’re looking for great food in picturesque surroundings, Chippewa Falls has you covered. Sheeley House Saloon... read more » 1 Sheeley House Saloon 2 Chippewa Family Restaurant 3 Connell's Supper Club
Best Restaurant in Eau Claire Mona Lisa’s Restaurant (428 Water St.) has been an Eau Claire favorite for many years, serving delicious and... read more » 1 Mona Lisa's Restaurant 2 Johnny's Italian Steakhouse 3 Hangar 54 Grill
Best Restaurant in Menomonie Located in the middle of Lucette Brewing Company’s brewery, Lucette Woodfire Eatery (910 Hudson Road) offers... read more » 1 Lucette Wood Fired Eatery 2 Jake's Supper Club 3 Log Jam Bar & Eatery
Best Supper Club If a supper club is what you’re after, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, and Menomonie each have a great option. In... read more » 1 Connell’s Supper Club 2 Jake's Supper Club 3 4 Mile Restaurant & Bar
Best Sushi Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant (405 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) is located in the middle of downtown Eau Claire... read more » 1 Ninja Japanese and Chinese Restaurant 2 Sakura Japanese Restaurant 3 Shanghai Bistro
Best Tacos Having a bad day? Tacos don’t judge – tacos are just there for you. Grab one (or two or three) from these... read more » 1 Silly Serrano Mexican Restaurant 2 Cancun Mexican Grill 3 Tacos Juanita Mexican Restaurant
Best Take Out When you need to take your food on the run, check out these local options. Bresina’s Carry Out (10 Jefferson Ave.... read more » 1 Bresina’s Carry Out 2 Olympic Flame Restaurant 3 Thai Orchid
Best Vegan Menu If you’re giving animal products a hard pass, the Chippewa Valley can still fill you up just right. Egg Roll Plus... read more » 1 Egg Roll Plus 2 Raw Deal 3 HuHot Mongolian Grill
Best Winemaker Napa Valley? More like Chippewa Valley! Topping off the Chippewa Valley’s favorite wineries for the sixth... read more » 1 River Bend Winery & Distillery 2 Bemis Bluff Custom Fruit Wines (Eleva) 3 Autumn Harvest Winery & Orchard (Chippewa Falls)
Kind of Eatery / Bar We Most Need Sometimes we face a craving we can’t quite satisfy, which is why Volume One asks what kind of restaurant or bar we... read more » 1 An Indian restaurant that isn't in the mall 2 Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant 3 Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Most Inspired / Interesting Restaurant Atmosphere Vroom, vroom! If you need something to eat and enjoy a unique atmosphere, fuel up at The Classic Garage (2111 Third St.... read more » 1 The Classic Garage 2 The Lakely (at The Oxbow Hotel) 3 The Livery