This Wisconsin Restaurant Serves Soup You’ll Crave All Winter Long

If you're asking me, there isn't much better on a cold winter day in the Badger State than a hot bowl of soup - or chili or stew or gumbo. You get what I mean: a warm, liquid hug in a bowl. Of course, there are many places to get a great bowl of soup in the state, but the one I keep going back to is Keys Cafe, Bakery and Bar in Hudson. This diner has some of the best soup in Wisconsin, and believe me: After you visit once, you'll keep coming back for more.

Keys is the Hudson outpost of a small, family-owned string of cafes that was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1973. As the owner's family grew, so did the number of restaurants, expanding throughout the Twin Cities area. Of the nine Keys Cafes, the Hudson restaurant is currently the only Wisconsin location - and I'm awfully glad it's here.

The homey, welcoming diner serves up classic comfort foods for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner for early birds on some nights. It's open until 7 or 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday nights during the winter; and it closes at 2 p.m. on Sundays through Wednesdays. The Hudson restaurant offers up the same delicious baked goods that Keys is famous for and, being in Wisconsin, even boasts a full bar for those who want to dig into some scratch-made comfort food while watching the big game.

One of Keys Cafe's comfort food mainstays is its regular rotation of soup offerings. Each day, you'll find several soups, usually including chili, on the cafe's specials board. They're all hearty, and the portions are nothing to scoff at: What the diner calls a "cup," I call a bowl at my house (check out the image below). Like everything else at the restaurant, the soups are scratch-made, in house with quality ingredients. My current favorite is the white chicken chili when it's available, but I've never tried one of Keys' soups that I didn't like.

Keys is one of my favorite places to warm up after a winter hike at nearby Willow River State Park, where I think the trails and frozen waterfall are even more beautiful this time of year than they are in summer. Be sure to save room for one of Keys' face-sized caramel pecan rolls when you're finished, or take one home with you - you definitely don't want to miss out on one of these delicacies. Have you tried the soup at Keys Cafe, Bakery, and Bar in Hudson? Do you agree it's some of the best soup in Wisconsin? We'd love to hear all about your favorite soup places, as well. Discover some of our Wisconsin favorites using our Travel Planner!