Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik

On a recent visit to Door County, I had my first taste of Swedish food at Al Johnson’s in Sister Bay.

Northern Wisconsin has a large Scandinavian population, making it the perfect place to try their famous meatballs and pancakes. The waitresses are dressed in traditional dirndls and the restaurant even imported a Norwegian cabin to replace their original building.

© Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik

Al Johnson’s also features a butik selling a variety of Swedish goods, in addition to their locally roasted coffee, lingonberries and pancake mix, all of which can be purchased in their online store as well

My first taste of Swedish food was one to remember. The meatballs were nice and dense, yet juicy, covered in rich gravy, but my favorite dish was the pancakes with lingonberry jam. Light and thin, this classic Al Johnson dish was sweet with a spongy texture that went perfectly with a liberal spread of Wisconsin butter.

© Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik

Our meal was capped off with an interesting sight outside the restaurant. Shortly after renovations in 1973, Al was gifted a goat named Oscar as a joke, Al placed Oscar on the roof for a laugh. Attracting the attention of pedestrians, Al thus started the daily ritual of having goats graze the sod roof of the restaurant. Visit the Al Johnson website to see them on the live Goat Cam.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik

10698 N Bay Shore Dr

Sister Bay, WI 54234

920 854 2626