Best of the Chippewa Valley

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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)

Look – we can’t eat cheese curds for every meal, OK?! (Thanks a lot, limits of the human digestive tract.) But hey – this is a great thing, mostly because we have...

Best Bakery

Everyone loves some good fresh-baked goods. Warm, fluffy, and deliciously sweet, goods from the French-inpspired bakery The Nostalgic Bean (1403 Lynn Ave., Altoona) are sure to...

Best Barbecue

Red Coal BBQ Family Restaurant (2235 N. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire) is known for flavorful meats and combo platters, but their new location offers breakfast options including...

Best Baristas

These coffee places will hit you with their best shot (or two shots, or maybe seven)! Cabin Coffee Co. (2922 Meadowlark Lane, Altoona) brewed its way up to the top of the list...

Best Breakfast Spot

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it’s crucial to choose the right breakfast place. The Nucleus...

Best Brunch (includes drinks)

Is it breakfast? Is it lunch? It’s an amazing mix of both! And here are the best places to get it. The Nucleus...

Best Buffet

The winner here, Pizza Del Re (911 N. Hastings Way, Eau Claire) is one that will live on in our memories. The business...

Best Burger

As the reigning champ for the 12th consecutive year, Girolamo’s Court’n House Bar & Grill (113 W. Grand...

Best Burritos

Whether you need something quick to eat, or you just have a hankering for some Mexican food, a big ol’ bae-rrito...

Best Café / Coffeehouse

Whether you need a new study spot, or you want to catch up with a friend over a cup of joe, these cafés are hot...

Best Chef

If you’ve tasted the steak and pasta at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire), you...

Best Chicken Wings

Nothing beats a terrific chicken wing. River Inn Bar (10418 County Hwy. X, Chippewa Falls) is known for jumbo, broasted...

Best Comfort Food

Comfort food = breakfast all day, big slices of pie, and hearty portions. Altoona Family Restaurant (2000 N. Hillcrest...

Best Donuts

If those little melt-in-your-mouth donuts with amazing flavor combos from Holy Donuts food truck don’t make you...

Best Egg Rolls

Nothing makes your tummy rumble quite like the thought of biting into a warm, crunchy egg roll. The name speaks for...

Best Food Event

Volume One’s summertime food experience, Food Truck Friday at Phoenix Park in Eau Claire, is basically a license...

Best Food Truck

Looking for a delicious change in scenery? Try a food truck. Live Great Food wins first place with its simple yet unique...

Best Fried Cheese/Curds

Nothing says “Wisconsin culture” quite like cheese curds, and the deep-fried curds at Milwaukee Burger...

Best Hangover Cure Restaurant

Sometimes after a long night of drinking, you need a little extra motivation to crawl out of bed. According to Volume...

Best International Cuisine

The Chippewa Valley is blessed with tasty cuisine from arould the world and our readers put Olympic Flame (2920 London...

Best Local Beer (Specific Brew)

Another year, another round of great beers from The Brewing Projekt and Leinenkugel’s, who routinely top the ranks...

Best Local Brewery

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

Best Local Coffee Roaster

To put it in layman’s terms, coffee roasters devise different roast times to attain specific tastes and styles of...

Best Local French Fries

Best Locally Produced Foodstuff

If you put a bag of chips too close to salsa from Chip Magnet, they’ll get sucked in. For every kind of sauce for...

Best New Restaurant

Bringing traditional Chicago-style eats to the Chippewa Valley, the best new restaurant crown goes to Southside Soul...

Best Online Food Ordering Service

Online ordering and food delivery has become a necessity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some local eateries truly...

Best Pad Thai

There is no shortage of this delicious offering in the area. Robust flavors, great service, and ample varieties put Thai...

Best Pho

With all the cold weather, there’s nothing better than devouring a huge bowl of this iconic Vietnamese soup. Egg...

Best Place For Sweets

So you’ve got a hankering for something sweet, but not sure where to go, or what you want? Check out the Chippewa...

Best Quick Lunch

Eau Claire Cheese and Deli (1636 Harding Ave., Eau Claire) is an on-the-go option you never want to miss out on...

Best Restaurant Atmosphere

Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire) brings the rat-pack era to the 21st century with...

Best Restaurant for a Fish Fry

The reigning champ for the fourth year in a row, 4 Mile Restaurant and Bar (S5786 Highway 37, Eau Claire), is beloved by...

Best Restaurant for Asian Food

With the addition of a plethora of new restaurants serving Asian food in the Chippewa Valley in 2021, the competition...

Best Restaurant for Chicken

Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill & Bar (4890 Golf Road, Eau Claire) roasts its chicken in a giant wood-fired oven...

Best Restaurant for Dessert (All-Around Dessert)

Extending Wisconsin’s best dairy to the dessert table, Ramone’s Ice Cream Parlor (503 Galloway St., Eau...

Best Restaurant for Gluten-Free Dining

Whether you’re gluten intolerant, have celiac disease, or are just looking for ways to cut a bit of gluten out of...

Best Restaurant for Good Wait Staff

Having attentive and friendly wait staff really transforms an average dining experience into one that’s...

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

Cowboy Jack’s (1432 Front Porch Pl., Altoona) a night filled with fun and food, topping off the night at 12am...

Best Restaurant for Mexican Food

The Chippewa Valley is blessed with a wide assortment of places to grab some scrumptious Mexican dishes, including...

Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining

Located next to the Eau Claire River, with outdoor seating and patios stretching along the riverside, there’s no...

Best Restaurant for Pizza

This year, the voters have given us a new No. 1: Foster’s Fireside (E10934 County Hwy. HH, Osseo). Specialty...

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

Eau Claire Cheese & Deli (1636 Harding Ave., Eau Claire) has a customizable menu for all your sandwich needs and...

Best Restaurant for the Whole Family

There’s more than just the word “family” in the names of these restaurants topping our list this year:...

Best Restaurant for Upscale Dining

Whether it’s date night, a birthday celebration, an anniversary, or you just want to treat yourself, these...

Best Restaurant for Vegetarian Dining (vegetarian menu)

Finding truly vegetarian options in the Chippewa Valley can be tricky task for any vegetarian, but these local eateries...

Best Restaurant in Altoona

What really makes an establishment worthy of the title of best restaurant in Altoona? It means offering great service...

Best Restaurant in Chippewa Falls

Sheeley House Saloon (236 W. River St.) has both history and delicious food on its side, moving from second place last...

Best Restaurant in Eau Claire

Knocking down the reigning Mona Lisa’s, Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Count) has been crowned...

Best Restaurant in Menomonie

A whole slew of restaurants in the Menomonie area make flavor their middle name. Lucette Brewing Co. and Woodfire Eatery...

Best Restaurant Worth the Drive

A satisfied stomach can make the drive home after a good meal feel a little shorter. Foster’s Fireside (E10934...

Best Salad

Packed full of flavor, the Goat Cheese Salad from Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire)...

Best Server

Honorable Mention: All servers who worked throughout the pandemic. Sometimes the difference between a fantastic night on...

Best Smoothie / Juice Bar

We're truly spoiled in the Chippewa Valley, partly because we have so many fantastic options to choose from when we're...

Best Soup

These three establishments have us channeling our inner Adam Driver in an episode of HBO’s Girls, emphatically...

Best Spicy Food

Thai Orchid ( 203 N. Barstow St., Eau Claire) understands the importance of spice, fusing that sensation with delicious...

Best Supper Club

Volume One readers yet again voted Connell’s not only No. 1 this year, but also No. 2! With two locations...

Best Sushi

Shanghai Bistro (2930 Craig Road, Eau Claire) is where you can be served by Johnny 5 – a new robotic server that...

Best Tacos

Crafting the perfect taco is an art that a lot of taco joints can only dream of mastering, but not these three. Silly...

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

No animals were harmed in the making of this Best Vegan Menu top three list, we assure you. In first place, The...

Best Veggie Burger

Whether you’re a vegetarian or you just like to try new things, these veggie burgers are the best of the best! The...

Best Waterfront Dining

Looking for scenic views with even better food? Or scenic food with even better views? Cowboy Jack’s (1432 Front...

Best Winemaker

Wisconsinites are more than just fans of brandy Old Fashioneds. This year’s Best Winemaker selections prove...

Kind of Eatery / Bar We Most Need

Speaking of waterfront dining, that’s apparently something folks are looking for in downtown Eau Claire, as...

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