If you’re sad you won’t be able to get your favorite Wisconsin fair food again until next August, turn that frown upside down right now!
Leave it to Wisconsin to serve amped-up fair favorites year-round. Some, we’d argue, are even more epic than what you’ll find in West Allis. Here are three of the biggest, um, we mean best dishes you can find beyond the gates of the state fair.
“Lightning Rod” Mozzarella Sticks
What They Are: Giant breaded batons of deep-fried mozzarella cheese—and we mean giant. Each stick measures about the length of a ruler and the width of six “regular” cheese sticks put together. ( Learn the story behind them here.)
Where to Order Them: Alphonso’s The Original (in West Allis) made them famous, but you can also order them at Milwaukee’s 3rd Street Market Hall.
Wisconsin Funnel Cake
What It Is: This isn’t your average funnel cake—it’s a Wisconsin funnel cake. That means it’s made with tempura-battered mozzarella whips instead of regular dough and served with marinara, not powdered sugar.
Where to Order It: Fork & Tap, a New American restaurant in Port Washington—it’s on the appetizer menu! Tip: Come for the funnel cake, but stay for a full meal: F&T specializes in what we’ll call “elevated fair food.” Check out their menu.
One-Pound Cone
What It Is: The name says it all. One-pound of vanilla, chocolate, or vanilla-chocolate soft serve exactly 11 swirls high.
Where to Order It: Briq’s Soft Serve, which has seven locations across northern Wisconsin including Rhinelander and Wausau. Eat 100 “pounders,” and you’ll be inducted into Briq’s prestigious “One Hundred Pound Club!” Your reward? Free ice cream for two days every summer for the rest of your life, as well as exclusive discounts throughout the year.
