We spotted the Choo Choo Bar & Grill on the way to our RV campground which was nearby. I'm a railfan, so the fact that Choo Choo Bar & Grill was backed up against Union Pacific's Itasca Yard was intriguing, plus neither of us had ever seen a bar & grill that serves breakfast!
We decided to give it a try and showed up a bit after 9 AM on a Tuesday morning. From 9 AM, when the bar opens, until 10 AM when a waitress comes on duty, the owner is also the waiter, cook, bartender, and dishwasher. You may find the service a bit slow during that first hour, but you won't be disappointed by the food or the atmosphere.
I ordered the Garbage Hash Browns and my wife ordered the Eggs Benedict. The food was delicious and the portions are large enough to satisfy any appetite. We liked it so much that we came back the next morning when I had the Garbage Omelet and my wife had the Garbage Hash Browns. The menu says they make their own pizza dough and sauce, and they offer gluten free pizza plus gluten free pizza fries! Unfortunately we couldn't hang around a few more days to sample more of the menu, but next time we're back in the area, Choo Choo Bar and Grill will be our first stop. Breakfast along with coffee for two people cost us around $35 both days which we felt was a good bargain.
On our second trip we had time to speak with the owner who told us some of the history of the bar. The restaurant was originally just an old Pullman car that has been added on to numerous times. Even thought the bar and grill has been there for many years, the inside appears almost brand new. Sadly the rail yard is behind the bar so you don't get to watch trains while you eat. That doesn't stop you from taking photos or shooting video before or after you eat.
Do not hesitate to give the Choo Choo Bar & Grill a try. You won't be...
Read more*Our food was very different compared to other photos and the actual menu they give you.. If there is a menu change then customers should be told. Overall, it was an unimpressive meal stop that we felt a bit mislead on. It was our first visit here. *
There is one low top table there.
We started with the tater kegs. They were tasty but slightly frozen in the middle. There were only 4 or 5 (i can't remember) that came in the basket so not a lot. The Pickle Ranch ruined their flavor though. It was terrible.. and no we did NOT order pickle ranch, that's apparently just how they make it even though the menu says "ranch." We had ordered 2 "ranches," and got charged for them even though we didn't eat them because they were gross.
We got burgers. I was expecting a ½lb hand patty but there were two ¼lb patties stacked on the bacon cheeseburger and one ¼lb patty & two ⅛lb patties on to the Wisconsin burger...?? I'm not sure if that's how it was meant to be a another photo doesn't show that. The patties tasted similar to Sam's Club burger patties. They weren't terrible but lacked flavor and dripped in fat. The fries were not thick cut, they were shoestring fries. They had good flavor but we went there because of the photos of the thick cut fries and I personally don't like shoestring fries so to pay an extra $3.99 for something I, once again, thought I was getting was disappointing. The chips were good. The coleslaw was...
Read moreI want to start off by saying I have always enjoyed coming here ..... until last week. My son wanted to go there for his birthday dinner. We went around 530 on Tuesday and there was two tables. The bartender greeted up and gave us menus and took our drink order. After we placed our order there was a group of 8ish people come into the bar,not a big deal. Bartender for busy making a lot of bloddiea, time consuming I get it. We went to the bar to get ourselves more drinks and the cook delivered our food . Well most of it. My meal never made it to the table. The waitress NEVER checked on us and while everyone ate we tried to get her attention or hoped she would have at least checked on us. After 20 mins she came up and we let her know I never received my meal. Her excuse was in disappeared off the ticket. We waited and waited again for food the arrive. Then the bartender NEVER came to apologize or rectify the situation. She dropped off the ticket and walked away. Worse experience ever.
Great food and amazing to have gluten free options....
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