The Classic Wisconsin Steakhouse With 90 Years Of Fascinating History
There’s a restaurant in Wisconsin that has some of the most fascinating history you’ve ever imagined. Tucked near a park and a sports bar, you could drive right by this place and not have any idea how much cool stuff and delicious food is hiding inside. Wonder Bar has been serving Madison in some form or another since 1929.
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But this gorgeous old brick building has a history you never could have imagined. Opened by Eddie Touhy with money from his brother, Chicago mobster Roger "The Terrible" Touhy, Wonder Bar served as a welcoming home for associates that found it smart to spend time outside of Chicago at times.
To help his brother expand his business, help find a home for some unclean money and move alcohol into Wisconsin, Wonder Bar was a very smart move.
This steakhouse is in the Wisconsin supper club model. It's all dark wood, cozy interior, great drinks and totally amazing steaks.
Ninety years of history means there are both accurate retellings of history and amazingly embellished tales. There's a rumor Eddie is buried in the fireplace upstairs and that the basement was used for strong-arming and physically reminding folks who the mob felt needed to be reminded. It's said there was once a tunnel that ran to Lake Mendota as well as removable bricks in the turrets that would allow Tommy guns to be stuck out.
There's a portrait over the fireplace that's about 60 years old. Some believe that the young woman in it haunts the restaurant.
Giant porterhouses and T-bones still dominate, though the prices have gone up just a bit since they sold for about a $1 a plate back in the 1930s. Chilean sea bass is also popular, as are sumptuous and decadent desserts.
A meal here is one of those Madison must-dos. There's history oozing from the walls here and you'll love experiencing a meal that's unlike any other in the state.
Address: 222 East Olin Avenue, Madison, WI,53713.
Learn more about Wonder Bar on their website.
Have you had the opportunity to have a meal at Wonder Bar? Let us know about it in the comments!
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