Location: Appleton
Top Restaurants in Appleton
Top Things to do in Appleton
- 1. Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
- 2. Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
- 3. Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium
- 4. Barlow Planetarium
- 5. The Building for Kids
- 6. Weis Earth Science Museum
- 7. Hearthstone Historic House Museum
- 8. Fox River Kayaking Company
- 9. Lawrence University
- 10. Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve
Where to Eat in Appleton: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Appleton is a city in Outagamie (mostly), Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles (160 km) north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 72,623 at the 2010 census. Of this, 60,045 were in Outagamie County, 11,088 in Calumet County, and 1,490 in Winnebago County. Appleton is the principal city of the Appleton, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin Combined Statistical Area. The city possesses the two tallest buildings in Outagamie County, the Zuelke Building and 222 Building, at 168 and 183 feet, respectively.
Things to do in Appleton
1. Apollon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
Reviewed By foodbro1
Apollon stands alone as a no excuses high end restaurant in the Fox Valley. Witness the venue...tablecloth, China, candlelight, attentive but not intrusive service, daily specials and fresh quality ingredients always. Popular for sure and rightly so. Weekend or PAC nights clearly require a reservation for any hope of a table. To expect otherwise is folly. Restaurants of this caliber in a major city like Chicago would require weeks advance notice for a weekend table. That a walk in would be accommodated on any terms in the setting of a full house at a peak weekend hour speaks to the care taken in welcoming all to the bounty of greek freshness. Every effort is made, always, to see to it that the customer is pleased. This is a rare commodity in the modern broken world and one that the now deceased founder, Stavros, God rest his soul, insisted upon and that the new (if 4 years can be thought of as novel) manager, Craig attends to without flaw.
Modesto is the maestro in the kitchen but has never set foot in the front of house role and why would he - his job is to execute the menu without exception from the kitchen which he does without fail.
Tonight was no exception. Snowy weekday and only one other table at 8:45 pm. Welcomed warmly and never hurried with a memorable meal relaxed until departure after routine close despite that for the last hour we were alone in the restaurant. Very, very special and unique in the fox valley.
At meals end, Craig shared that a long time patron and loved regular unknown to us had recently passed, with a wake this past Saturday, and dear family seated to mark the occasion where upon the family shared a bottle of 100+ year old Metaxa from the lost soul's bounty with the restaurant staff. That says it all. A poignant moment, a priceless gift and witness to the love from the knowing patron to the staff and house that has been rightly held dear for so long. Of course all seated are welcomed in this way and of course things so meaningful take time to execute. All who have had the reasonable patience to partake at Apollon are richly rewarded and welcomed to the fold. Beyond belief was that the family then instructed Craig to share whatever was left with others in the memory of the deceased without cost. Wow. Staggering. Tonight we were so blessed.
A gem of a restaurant far beyond the usual local fare and one to indulge in and celebrate.
I will never forget the founder Stavros dancing to the still played greek background music with the time honored Syrtaki dance spontaneously and coming to our table with joy in his heart embracing us and saying "America, what a wonderful country!". This was 5 years ago and with his picture and painting on the wall tonight I felt that he was with us still and will always be.
I lost my father this year and Apollon was always his special place. We toasted his life and memory with a meal there with his 88 year old widow, my mother and family and the current staff shortly after his passing as he would have wanted and as only they could do.
Restaurants such as this are increasingly rare and provide so much more than nutrition - this is the stuff of life.
Treat yourself and darken the door with joy in your heart and a desire to live life to its fullest. Never hurry. Life worth living is just that and always worth the wait. OPA!
2. Stucs Pizza
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 229 reviews
Reviewed By mpg0815 - Appleton, Wisconsin
My bride and I love the “low fat the chicken cheese-less”! It’s amazing and wonderful flavorful! We have enjoyed most of the “meatless” varieties of Stucs pizza and all are so wonderful!
One of our kids loves Stucs Calzones! He’s a good eater and the Large Calzone is a little much for him! He will get the small which is a hearty meal that he enjoys!
The other kid loves the salads! He commented that a pizza place makes an awesome salad! He especially loves their Apple Pecan salad!
We love Stucs for the over the top flavor and we enjoy the quality ingredients and the customer service that Stucs brings to us as a customer!
We enjoy carry out but we enjoy the dine in experience as well!
Highly recommended!!!
3. Sai Ram Indian Cuisine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 346 reviews
Celebrating 15 Years!<br><br>Our restaurant is Family Owned Since 1999. We have made a major renovations to the restaurant and our menu in 2011. Stop in today try our homemade recipies in our newly remodeled candlelight dining room. Let our friendly faces and lovely service be your guide to one of Indian's Finest Cuisines!<br><br>~ Chef/Owner Krishna<br><br>Chef/Owner Krishna runs Sai Ram along with his wife Kumari and two sons Neehar & Shavan.<br><br>We use the freshest ingredients and all of our entrees are made from scratch. We have proven our excellent cuisine over and over again with our 12 Golden Fork Awards and Best Of The Valley Award (Post Crescent) Award. We are also Winner of Trip Advisor Top Restaurant 2013 & 2014.
Reviewed By angieslp - Evanston, Illinois
We have visited here several times before and the food is pretty good and plentiful. However, wait times are long even for simply prepared appetizers. Also, if you ask for extra sauce, which is usually complimentary at most Indian restaurants, they charge extra. This seemed very mean-spirited and ungracious after the long wait for food and the number of guests at the table. We had five people in our party and a very tiny portion of cilantro sauce to go around for TWO appetizers and five meals. Cheapens the restaurant.
4. Mark's East Side
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 411 reviews
Family owned and operated since 1967. Marks is a long time area favorite for lunch and dinner serving hand cut steaks, fresh seafood and award winning German fare. Come and relax in our well stock bar featuring a wide selection of liquor, beer and wine. Open 6 day a week, lunch Monday thru Friday and closed on Sundays. Hope to see you soon. Mark Dougherty Owner
Reviewed By poipupatt - Appleton, WI
Mark’s is a popular place for lunch and dinner in Appleton. Their menu is extensive and includes German entrees along with salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood and, of course, daily specials. Everything at Mark’s is quality and homemade including the desserts! They also feature drink specials at the bar! The wait staff is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. Mark’s has been a family owned restaurant for generations. As they say, Next time out, make it Mark’s!
5. Carmella's
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 862 reviews
Reviewed By Ashley N
I’ve had a lot of recommendations to eat here but never got the opportunity until now. It is a very nice high quality restaurant with menu options that range in price so there will be affordable options for everyone. I liked the variety in the menu, it was easy for all of us to find things we liked. The staff were incredibly nice and really went above and beyond. I will definitely be going back soon.
6. Josef's Gyros
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 95 reviews
Reviewed By 4Youandyou - Green Bay, Wisconsin
The atmosphere is not great unless you like watching your food being made. Virtually no seating, but so good you won't mind having to find a place to sit to eat. The fries are excellent and the gyros, hummus and salad are really fresh and good. They even offer american style burgers etc.
7. Stone Arch Brewpub
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 527 reviews
Stone Cellar Brewpub specializes in quality hand-crafted beer and organic and locally sourced food. We have an extensive menu with burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, steaks, fish, typical pub fare, English Pub favorites, pizza, pasta and more. We try to source from local sources as much as possible to give you the highest quality product we can.
Reviewed By Chris B
Moderately easy to locate restaurant with parking front and back.
Located on a couple levels, the dining is downstairs in the “cellar” which offers cool stone walls and pleasant atmosphere.
Beers are really good, if a tad flat (tonight).
I had the Kobe beef burger and it was really good. Cooked correct and not over embellished.
Sweet potato fries were quite flavorful.
I’d definitely bring some friends here.
8. Basil Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 172 reviews
Reviewed By SandyCooley - Larsen, Wisconsin
Went with family for lunch and was incredibly impressed. I've eaten a lot of fried rice in my life, but this was by far the best I've ever had, although I would have preferred that the tails were no longer on the shrimp. Everyone absolutely loved their meal and we will definitely be back.
9. Cena Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 158 reviews
Located in historic downtown Appleton, Wisconsin, Cena features exposed brick walls, wood flooring, and a pressed tin ceiling. The building was designed by famed Wisconsin architect William Waters.
Reviewed By artess1 - Tiburon
A midweek evening at this marvelous bistro & bar in the heart of Appleton had it all: fun cocktails, welcoming, friendly & attentive waitstaff, great food AND Jazz performed by local University music professors! Starters: Shrimp & Bacon Bisque is wonderfully rich & flavorful; Tomato Bisque's a true comfort food classic; Kale Caesar Salad, while very generous & easily shared is rich & rather heavy with just Kale and could use an added lettuce to lighten the dish; Cena House Salad - again easily shared & really good standard.
Entre's: Our favorite - a deep, creamy tomato Etoufee sauce with 4-5 large Shrimp, surrounding a center of white rice to bring it all together; Veal Marsala: large slices of veal in a reduced Marsala wine sauce with selection of finger potatoes & Fall Vegetables, just wonderful; Seared Sea Scallops was our other favorite dish served on bed of smoked, sweet corn risotto(?) wth a selection of seasonal vegetables, wow!
A "shared" NY Cheesecake for dessert & really good Coffee was perfect while listening as the jazz band got into their evening set.
10. Gingerootz Asian Grille
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 184 reviews
Reviewed By Katie J
Husband and I went with our 7 month old. Great atmosphere and comfortable seating. We enjoyed egg rolls, pad Thai, and a California roll. All were very good. The menu wasn't a traditional one. They have a variety of Asian dishes to choose from and a lot of them you can personalize but selecting the type of noodles, sauce, and protein. My only issue was service was a little slow. Other than that, everything was great.
