Unearth The Voyage
If your holiday spirit tastes like gravy, butter, and a hint of clove, you are in the right place. Wisconsin taverns know exactly how to wrap you in warmth with plates that feel like Christmas memories. From lakeside lager halls to hidden Northwoods gems, these spots serve comfort that lingers long after the last cheese curd. Bring your appetite and a sweater, because you will want to settle in.
1. The Old Fashioned – Madison, WI
Settle into The Old Fashioned where holiday glow meets Madison charm. You smell sizzling butter and hear the clink of brandy old fashioned glasses. The bar turns merry with citrus, cherries, and just enough bitters to make spirits bright.
Order fried cheese curds that stretch like tinsel, then slice into prime rib with creamy horseradish. Beer cheese soup steams like a carol in a bowl. You will want extra rye bread to swipe every last drop.
Grab fish fry if it is Friday and finish with peppermint ice cream. Cozy, familiar, unforgettable. This is Christmas on a plate.
2. Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern – Monroe, WI
At Baumgartner’s, Christmas tastes like grilled rye stacked with local cheese and love. The walls hum with history, while the square outside glitters with snow. Order a bowl of chili, then crown it with shredded cheddar like a snowy ridge.
Cheese boards arrive generous and neighborly. You will nibble Swiss, cheddar, and curds between sips of beer or mulled cider. The grilled liverwurst sandwich is a Monroe legend, especially with raw onion for winter bite.
Warm up with tomato soup that hugs your throat. Share a slice of cheesecake. You leave smiling, pockets smelling faintly of cheese.
3. Dexter’s Pub – Madison, WI
Dexter’s feels like a friend’s living room, only with better tap lists and gravy. You slide into a booth, eyeing poutine with melty curds and brown gravy that tastes like December. The burger specials go festive with cranberry jam and bacon.
Order beer cheese soup if the wind is howling off the lake. A brandy old fashioned sweet rounds the edges of the day. House mac and cheese lands creamy, bubbling, and breadcrumb-kissed.
Servers chat like neighbors, because they are. Save room for a peppermint brownie sundae. You leave plotting your next cozy excuse.
4. Lakefront Brewery (Palm Garden) – Milwaukee, WI
Holiday cheer echoes through Palm Garden like a friendly polka. Long tables crowd with families clutching steins and plates of classic fish fry. You tear into pretzels dipped in molten beer cheese while laughter fogs the windows.
Bratwurst with kraut arrives juicy and steaming. The curds are golden, squeaky, and impossible to share. Ask for a seasonal release and raise it to the band.
Between tours, warm up with potato pancakes under applesauce snow. The river outside shimmers under frost. You came for beer, stayed for comfort, and left humming carols.
5. The Monarch Public House – Fountain City, WI
At The Monarch, Victorian woodwork meets Irish comfort with a Wisconsin welcome. The room flickers with candles and garland, and conversation rises like steam. You dig into shepherd’s pie crowned with buttery mash, rich gravy hiding tender beef and veg.
Bangers and mash warm the bones. Beer bread arrives thick, perfect for mopping. A pint of stout tastes like fruitcake without the fuss.
For dessert, go bread pudding with whiskey sauce and call it Christmas. Outside, the river glides quiet and silver. Inside, you sink deeper, feeling perfectly unhurried.
6. Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company – Madison / Wausau / Fitchburg, WI
The Great Dane nails winter hospitality across its cozy locations. You start with a giant pretzel, mustard sharp as sleigh bells. Pot roast arrives fall-apart tender, rooted in carrots and buttered mash that tastes like home.
Mac and cheese swirls with aged cheddar, stretchy and golden. Order a beer flight and find a malty seasonal that hugs the palate. Friday fish fry crunches right, lemon bright and tartar creamy.
Fireplaces glow where they can, and booths feel safe against the cold. Save room for stout brownie. You will want to linger long after last sips.
7. Rhinelander Café & Pub – Rhinelander, WI
Up North flavors rule at Rhinelander Café & Pub, especially when snow stacks like pillows. Chicken dumpling soup steams with dill and nostalgia. You cut into pot roast that sighs into gravy, mashed potatoes catching every drop.
The fish fry brings walleye so flaky it feels like fresh snowfall. Cranberry relish pops with tart sparkle. Buttered rolls soften everything with warmth.
Coffee tastes diner-strong and comforting. If you are lucky, a slice of cranberry cream pie appears. You leave with cheeks pink from cold and contentment, ready for another lap around winter.
8. Alpine Inn – La Crosse, WI
Perched above La Crosse, Alpine Inn glows like a lantern in the pines. Snow piles against the windows while plates of broasted chicken crackle with comfort. You grab a burger stacked high, then steal a waffle fry dunked in ranch.
Inside, laughter rolls under exposed beams. Hot cocoa arrives crowned with whipped cream and sprinkles. Chili smolders with just enough heat to thaw cold fingers.
Order the Friday fish and pretend it is snowflake-light. Holiday playlists bounce softly around conversations. When you step back into the night, your scarf smells like crisp air and fryer magic.
9. Pea Patch Motel & Saloon – Vilas County, WI
In Vilas County, the Pea Patch is where snowmobilers thaw and storytellers gather. You order chili that bites back, crowned with cheddar and onions. Burgers land juicy, stacked with pickles and winter tomatoes that still taste like summer.
Friday fish fry crunches like footsteps on new snow. Hot toddies arrive cinnamon-warm, hands wrapped around thick mugs. Fries are hot enough to fog your glasses.
There is always laughter at the bar, even as boots drip dry. Save room for a brownie sundae. You will swear the wood stove heats the soul.
10. Moccasin Bar – Hayward, WI
Moccasin Bar feels like a Northwoods time capsule dressed for Christmas. Taxidermy watches over steaming baskets of curds and tall pours. You sip an old fashioned while the jukebox purrs familiar carols.
Hungry? Go for chili or a venison-style special if available. Salted popcorn appears like magic and vanishes faster. Locals trade stories that sound taller with each round.
Snow swirls outside, but inside everything is warm and wood-toned. The bartender remembers your name by round two. You leave grinning, coat perfumed with fryer and winter.
11. The Joynt – Eau Claire, WI
The Joynt is small, storied, and downright charming in December. Lights twinkle over vintage posters while conversation hums. You snag a booth, warm your hands around something hot, and breathe in that cozy bar smell.
Snacks are simple, honest, and satisfying. Popcorn, chili, maybe a grilled cheese if the stars align. Drinks lean classic and comforting, perfect for long chats.
Outside, Eau Claire sparkles under frost. Inside, nobody rushes you. It is the kind of place where a quiet night becomes a memory without trying too hard.
12. Wolski’s Tavern – Milwaukee, WI
Wolski’s is where Milwaukee nights end with stories and stickers. Come December, the lights glow softer, and the bar hums with friendly chaos. You grab a beer, order simple tavern snacks, and lean into the merry noise.
The comfort food here is ambience and ritual. Maybe a hot sandwich special or chili to steady the evening. Conversations weave like tinsel across the room.
When you finally get that famous sticker, it feels like a rite of winter. Brady Street crunches under snow. You leave warmer than when you arrived.
13. Del’s Bar – La Crosse, WI
Del’s is a merry refuge when the river wind bites. Neon buzzes softly while holiday garland frames the mirrors. You slide into a booth, order a brandy old fashioned, and feel your shoulders drop.
Grilled sandwiches arrive buttery and crisp, perfect beside tomato basil soup. Chili carries enough spice to chase out the cold. Fries and curds disappear on contact.
Regulars swap cookies and stories like family. The staff keeps cups full and spirits higher. Stepping back outside, you will already miss that comfortable hum.
14. Little Bohemia – Manitowish Waters, WI
Little Bohemia wraps holiday dining in Northwoods elegance. You settle near the fireplace while snow dusts the lake. Wild rice soup arrives first, creamy and nutty, warming everything from hands to mood.
For mains, think venison with cranberry pan sauce or walleye with lemon butter. Dumplings hold secrets of grandmothers and long winters. Sides glow with butter and herbs.
Dessert might be kringle or a chocolate torte. Coffee tastes richer when the room is glowing. You step into the night feeling both refined and cozily full.
15. Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club – Wauwatosa, WI
Buckatabon leans into holiday nostalgia with relish trays and warm shanties outside. You sip a brandy old fashioned while cranberries glitter like ornaments. The fried perch arrives crisp, lemony, and exactly right.
Prime rib slices tender under horseradish snow. Parker House rolls pull apart in buttery clouds. In the heated shanties, blankets and twinkle lights make winter whimsical.
Order grasshopper pie for the minty finale. Between bites, you will feel transported to classic supper club nights. It is festive, familiar, and wonderfully cozy from first pour to last crumb.
