What shouts Wisconsin louder than brats, beer and cheese?  Perhaps the Brat Stop, the 46,000 square foot restaurant and bar that serves—yep—brats, beer and cheese to over 450,000 guests per year.

Open since 1961, the Brat Stop has become a Wisconsin institution.  Conveniently located just off of I-94 only a few miles over the border from Illinois, it’s a tempting and often traditional first stop for Illinoisans visiting Wisconsin.

Don’t expect fancy.  The Brat Stop is about as casual as they come, with a large bar area and even larger areas of booths and tables.  TVs are everywhere, so you can watch your favorite sport as you enjoy your brat and beer.  Or go for the Karaoke on Friday nights or live bands on some Saturday nights.  The place is decorated with kitschy stuff, like this bear dressed in a Chicago Bears jersey.  Chicago Bears in Wisconsin?  It turns out that since Kenosha is so close to Illinois, it’s made up of half Bears fans and half Packers fans.

The food, though, is what you’ve come for, and most likely for the bratwurst.  Besides a tradition brat, you can order a specialty brat, like Cajun Bratwurst, Cheddarwurst, or Jalapeno Cheddarwurst.  If you aren’t a brat fan, the Brat Stop serves other foods, as well, like broasted chicken or a grilled three cheese and ham sandwich.  Try the cheese curds, too, crispy fried nuggets of gooey golden cheese.

You may want to take some brats home with you, too, or have some shipped as a gift.  You can purchase them in the attached gift shop, along with a huge assortment of cheeses, Brat Stop memorabilia and those cheese head hats that you see Wisconsin sports team fans wearing so often.

The Brat Stop is located at 12304 75^th Street in Kenosha, Wisconsin (near I-94 and Hwy 50, Exit 344) and is open 365 days a year for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Check the web site for exact hours.

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