Best of the Chippewa Valley

Reader Polls

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2022

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Chomping & Chugging

your favorite restaurants, chefs, & entrees

Poll Questions in this Category

Best Appetizer, Not Cheese Curds (location and item)

As much as we love cheese curds here in Wisconsin, you can’t deny these apps give ’em some competition! Coming in at No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year are the chips...

Best Bakery

Sue’s Deluxe Bake Shop (1319 Birch St., Eau Claire), with a wide array of homemade cookies, cinnamon rolls, and sweet danishes, takes the win for the eighth year in a row...

Best Barbecue

We are very serious about our barbecue in the Chippewa Valley, and it doesn’t get any more serious than at Red Coal BBQ (2839 Mall Drive, Eau Claire). The team at Red Coal...

Best Baristas

From espresso making to latte art, it takes more skill than meets the eye to brew a good cup of coffee. When it comes to the Chippewa Valley’s best baristas, SHIFT Cyclery...

Best Breakfast Spot

The Nucleus Café (405 Water St., Eau Claire), is the place to go to get your breakfast fix. The Nucleus’...

Best Brunch (includes drinks)

Again, a round of applause for The Nucleus Café (405 Water St., Eau Claire) for just having darn good food and...

Best Buffet

Though COVID-19 put a temporary stop to them, the Valley’s foodies can’t wait to return to their favorite...

Best Burger

Girolamo’s Court’n House (113 W. Grand Ave., Eau Claire) has proven for years that they make incredibly good...

Best Burritos

Cancun Mexican Grill (with a whoppin’ four Chippewa Valley locations) saved our burrito-loving souls this year...

Best Café / Coffeehouse

Coffee may be grown far away, but our readers think local when it comes to their morning pick-me-ups. SHIFT Cyclery...

Best Chef

Chef Shawn Wamsley of Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayers Court, Eau Claire) is the man cooking up...

Best Chicken Wings

Wings are part of the motto at Northern Tap House (5020 Keystone Crossing, Eau Claire) and they are everything they are...

Best Comfort Food

There’s nothing quite like stepping into Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona) for a...

Best Donuts

Looking for the best donuts ’round? Or the best round donuts? Whichever it is, search no further: The...

Best Egg Rolls

Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) is a hidden gem that offers only the freshest ingredients for their...

Best Food Event

Chippewa Valley gourmands got to celebrate this year, which is probably why there was a tie in this category...

Best Food Truck

When it comes to your favorite food trucks to stop by for a bite to eat, Dhimiters is No. 1 with its assortment of Greek...

Best Fried Cheese/Curds

Nothing screams “Wisconsin” quite like a plate of pipin’ hot cheese curds, and Milwaukee Burger Co...

Best Hangover Cure Restaurant

Milwaukee Burger Co. (2620 E. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire) soothes our aching, hungover heads with a staggering array of...

Best International Cuisine

With COVID-19 grounding most (if not all) travel plans, international cuisine hits the spot just a little more this...

Best Local Beer (Specific Brew)

Beers from Eau Claire’s Brewing Projekt took up five of the top 10 spots in this poll, and Chippewa Valley voters...

Best Local Brewery

With plenty of local breweries to choose from, the top three are just the tip of the iceberg! For the fifth year in a...

Best Local French Fries

The only thing more French than french fries is the name “Eau Claire,” and the popular side dish deserves a...

Best Locally Produced Foodstuff

From their array of flavored bacon and burger patties to fresh steaks, if you're lookin’ for good cookin’...

Best New Restaurant

Tired of your dining routine? Here are readers’ top picks for restaurants you may not have tried yet! Jay...

Best Online Food Ordering Service

Ordering food online was always a convenient way to save time, but it’s been a necessity this past year. Silly...

Best Pad Thai

Where’s the Valley’s tastiest pad thai? Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) comes first in the...

Best Pho

Egg Roll Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire) is the king of pho in the Chippewa Valley, plus they’ve also got...

Best Quick Lunch

If you’re looking for somewhere to meet a friend or get away from the office, Cancun Mexican Grill (four Chippewa...

Best Restaurant Atmosphere

Alongside the food, a restaurant’s atmosphere is a key element of the dining experience, and our readers say...

Best Restaurant for a Fish Fry

The Wisconsin fish fry tradition thrives in the Chippewa Valley. Repeatedly voted Best Restaurant for a Fish Fry, 4 Mile...

Best Restaurant for Asian Food

If you’re looking for a fix of bold flavors, fresh recipes, and mouth-watering meals, look no further than locally...

Best Restaurant for Chicken

Everyone loves a traditional chicken dinner, but Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill (4890 Golf Road, Eau Claire) ups the...

Best Restaurant for Dessert (All-Around Dessert)

Over the past year, many of us have taken solace in the simple pleasures in life – like dessert. Our readers...

Best Restaurant for Good Wait Staff

Good service is essential to the experience of dining out, so it should be no surprise that the top restaurants in this...

Best Restaurant for Italian Food

While their menu encompasses flavors from around the Mediterranean, the question of “Where’s the best...

Best Restaurant for Late-night Noshing

A long-time favorite among local night owls, Toppers Pizza (four Chippewa Valley locations) is always up for you with...

Best Restaurant for Mexican Food

It’s no surprise that Cancun Mexican Restaurant (four Chippewa Valley locations) is at the top of this category...

Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining

Outdoor dining provides more than beautiful views and fresh air; this year, it was a way for restaurants to stay open...

Best Restaurant for Pizza

Eau Claire has long enjoyed palatial and kingly pizza offerings (“Del Re” means “of the king,”...

Best Restaurant for Steak

The Chippewa Valley does more than meat expectations: It steaks a claim for the best food in western Wisconsin. Taking...

Best Restaurant for Subs and Sandwiches

It starts with bread – plain and simple. But in between lies a whole spectrum of flavor. And here in the Valley...

Best Restaurant for the Whole Family

Nothing says “family-friendly” quite like Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona)...

Best Restaurant for Upscale Dining

Few eateries suffered more in 2020 than the fancy kind, where ambiance matters (and if you need proof of that statement...

Best Restaurant for Vegetarian Dining (vegetarian menu)

The Informalist (205 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) snatches up first place for vegetarian dining with animal product-free...

Best Restaurant in Chippewa Falls

In Chippewa Falls, it’s about quality over quantity. The town is quietly becoming a culinary powerhouse with...

Best Restaurant in Eau Claire

Eau Claire’s food scene is growing and getting more and more tasty with new places and new flavors – but for...

Best Restaurant in Menomonie

Menomonie’s bustling food scene will surprise you with its depth of options and richness of flavors. Not only do...

Best Server

Best Supper Club

Nothing says the Midwest – or Wisconsin specifically – quite like an honest-to-goodness supper club...

Best Sushi

You wouldn’t necessarily peg the Chippewa Valley as a hotspot for sushi, but if you know where to go, you can get...

Best Tacos

A great taco contains multitudes. Nobody understands that better than Silly Serrano Mexican Restaurant (329 Riverfront...

Best Take Out

Instead of going out, Chippewa Vallians have been ordering a lot of take-out lately, and there’s no place for that...

Best Vegan Menu

Though the Raw Deal (603 Broadway St. S, Menomonie) took third for its vegetarian menu, it leads the poll for its vegan...

Best Winemaker

Stop by Bemis Bluff Winery (E2960 Hageness Road, Eleva) to try the custom fruit wines and take a peek at the gorgeous...

Kind of Eatery / Bar We Most Need

Sometimes national chain restaurants are hyped up in the minds of western Wisconsinites to such an extent that they...

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