Wausau dining out places (Madison, Weston: house, school, college)

[Stone1]

We will be in Wausau for a 4 day weekend and was looking for suggestions from locals about good mexican food places and possibly a wings place but not a chain place like BWW.

A couple of places we wondered about are "The Bar" and "Bullshooters Saloon." We are not the wild type just like to have a couple of drinks with food and visit with friends.

We already plan for Texas Road House one night.

Thanks for any advice.

[Drover]

If you want casual but well-crafted bar food and good beer, there's a brewpub in town called The Great Dane. I've never been to the one in Wausau but I've been to their flagship Madison location. Even though the flagship location draws primarily a college crowd during the school year, it's still pretty laid-back with a comfortable vibe. I would imagine the Wausau is even more so with the college element removed. Here's some info:

Great Dane Pub - Wausau - Great Dane Pub

[Kandy]

I just went to the Great Dane in Wausau on Thursday night and it was really nice! We got the platter of micro brew beers to try - yum! The food was also wonderful and they had a great menu (with wings too!).
"The Bar" that the OP mentioned is just okay. I have not been to "Bullshooters" as I am still new here. I don't know of a good Mexican food place yet.

[hankejp]

I actually like the wings at the bar. Bullshooters doesn't really have that great of a food menu. I don't know if they have a full kitchen or not. If you want to ride a mechanical bull for a fee, then that's the place to go. There is a new Mexican restaurant just outside the Wausau center Mall in Washington Square that people have said is prety good. I believe it's authentic as well. If you don't care about authentic, and just want Mexican food, Freddy's in Hatley is a pretty good Mexican restaurant. HUGE portions, especially their chimi's. Another place that I can think of that serves wings is Pro Players on Grand Avenue, by the Schofield/Wausau border. I haven't had them there, but heard their pretty good. There are a few more Mexican restaurants in the Rib Mt. area, but I don't know if their chains or not. El Mezcal and I forget the name of the other one.

Hope this helps.

I should mention that I believe Bullshooters have live music on Saturdays I believe.

[MellieGoo]

I had a recent dining experience at the Wausau Mine. Co. Neat decor- from the outside in. I know they had a few Mexican items on their menu...and the portions were pretty quite generous. (good prices too!) You can check them out of them web. Their menu is listed on there. Just a thought...

[Stone1]

Thanks for some input, Great Dane would be a new spot, We tried Wausau Mine Pizza and it was really good. I will take the time the next couple of nights to check on line menu's with some of the places mentioned.

[Petunia78]

I lived in Wausau for 20 years before moving, and I still have family living in Wausau that I visit regularly. Here's a short list of my favorite, go-to restaurants per food category (I will post links to web sites if I have them):

Mexican~ El Mezcal has great food at cheap prices. I wouldn't call it very "authentic" though, if you want that then go to El Pitayo, located in downtown Wausau. It's located in the basement of Washington Square.

Chinese~ Chang Garden located in downtown Wausau has hands down the very best Chinese food and Sushi. They were the first to offer Sushi in Wausau, and still do it the best IMO. Be warned that they are NOT a buffet, they make everything from scratch per order. They also have a fancier Weston location that has Teppanyaki tables in addition to the Chinese food and sushi. If your looking to impress some out of town family or friends, then take them to the Weston location to eat at the Teppanyaki tables, it's fun with a group!

Chang Garden Weston

Italian~ Iozzo's is my favorite but they are a bit hard to find, they are out on Camp Phillips Rd.
They have a facebook page but not sure about a website?

IOZZO'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT - Restaurant/Cafe | Facebook

Best Steak~ I normally won't eat at or promote chain restaurants (I support locally run businesses whenever possible), but in this case Texas Roadhouse is a no-brainer. They have HUGE steaks for a good price and their sides are SUPER yummy!!! One thing to keep in mind though is that it can get VERY noisy, not a good place for a nice quiet meal!

Diner/Family~ The Eagles Nest and Tri City Family Restaurant on Grand Ave have always been my favorites, but they're technically in Schofield. They have everything you could possibly want at dirt cheap prices. The Eagles Nest has breakfast portions you wouldn't believe!!!

Best Brewery~ I know a lot of people have said that The Great Dane has good brewed beer but IMO Red Eye Brewery's beer blows there's out of the water. For those who remember, The Great Dane location was home to Hereford and Hops first. Hereford and Hops had a world class brewer who moved on to open Red Eye Brewery. Needless to say, H&H's beer was never as good after that. As far as food goes, Red Eye has a decent menu, Neapolitan pizzas etc... At the Great Dane, I ate there once and had what was pretty close to being the worse dining experience I have had in 10 years.

Red Eye Brewing Company • Wausau, Wisconsin

Best fish fry~ That's a tough one... There are MANY places that do a good fish fry, but my absolute favorite has always been; Hiawatha Restaurant & Lounge! I have been going their with my family for as long as I can remember!

That's all for now, I hope it helps! =D

[Stone1]

Just caught the latest reply and we will likely be headed up to Wausau this month. We have been going to Wausau enough over the last couple of years that we are starting to find our way around but you have some places listed which we have not found yet. A place we found last fall which looked like it could be fun was Bullshooters, sort of a newer looking place and I sort of like the cowboy surroundings.

[hankejp]

Originally Posted by Stone1

Just caught the latest reply and we will likely be headed up to Wausau this month. We have been going to Wausau enough over the last couple of years that we are starting to find our way around but you have some places listed which we have not found yet. A place we found last fall which looked like it could be fun was Bullshooters, sort of a newer looking place and I sort of like the cowboy surroundings.

Bullshooters is a fun place, when it's busy. Make sure that there's a band playing there, otherwise it may be dead. Fun, big, place though.