Situated on Lac Courte Oreilles, Angler's is a fantastic place to go when you're in the Hayward area. Recognized as the area's first honorary Leinie Lodge in 2009, Angler's is quite popular and is always busy in summer months. If you're lucky enough to snag a table outside, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the lake with great brews and pizza (or some apps). A large bowl of complimentary popcorn will be placed at your table immediately after you are seated, which is all too easy to fill up on. Sitting outside, you can expect the (owner's?) dog, Morgan to come and sit at your feet, waiting for a morsel of food to escape your possession.
Of all of the times I've been here, I've never actually been inside. Most of that can be attributed to the gorgeous weather and wanting to enjoy ourselves on the patio rather than inside at the bar, staring at t.v.'s. Just a personal pref.
Many people will tell you to get the pizza, and rightfully so. Angler's thin crust pizzas are the super-thin, cracker crust variety, and they do it very well. Chicagoans and suburbanites, think "flatbread" like. If you're trying to get your deep dish fix, you won't find that here. They do offer a thick crust pizza, but why would you want that anyway? That'd leave no room for the beer!
I will say prepare for sticker shock; the large pizzas will cost you $25-$30, roughly. When you have a party of 8, and four different pizzas, plus drinks, plus apps.... the bill easily came to a couple hundo. Angler's isn't always a cheap date.
M and I ordered the Buffalo Chicken style pizza, as I've been on a buffalo chicken kick for months now. Others in our party ordered the "Garden" (a veggie style), a Leinie Lovers (honey Dijon sauce & cheeses, marinated bratwursts in Leinie's Honey Weiss, with sauerkraut & red onions) which I was able to sample and it's fantastic! The buffalo chicken was perfect- great cuts of chicken, perfect sauce application and quality gorgonzola cheese.
Many of their apps are good, but the nachos fell short of my expectations.
The Bobbers are a pound of lightly seasoned baked baby roasted potatoes, served with a side of sour cream with chives. Get them. Love them.
The Shore Beans are lightly battered green beans that are baked and have a light, yet crispy crunch. Even green bean haters might sneak a taste of these gems.
The Garlic Toast and Artichoke Dip is a good alternative to fill up on. The Musky Bread (mozzarella & parmesan cheeses with garlic baked on sourdough bread) is quite tasty as well.
We also had some deep fried mac and cheese triangles, but I don't remember what they were officially called. But they were good. Damn good. Who doesn't like deep fried mac and cheese bites?
The Northern Nachos..... no, no, no. This is one app that needs serious tweaking. For nearly ten bucks, you get tortilla chips, cheese, taco seasoned beef and olives, with a side of sour cream and salsa. The cheese is barely melted, the beef is dry and why are there no jalapenos? Ever make "homemade" nachos that you nuke in the microwave and the cheese barely melts? That's what these are, only you pay $9.95 for 'em. Take a pass on this one.
Angler's does make a badass Bloody Mary. In true Wisconsin style, you'll receive a side car of Leinie's with it; the Bloody itself is garnished with a beef stick, pickle, cheese, olives, and marinated mushroom, or you can get the "ABC Bloody Mary" which includes the standard fixin's but is topped with two jumbo shrimp. I'm not a shrimp lover, but my MIL had two during our visit and proclaimed it to be the "Best Bloody ever!"
Love a good Moscow Mule? Angler's does it right- the ginger beer and vodka are served properly in the copper cups, and is quite refreshing on a hot summer's day.
For the Leinie lovers, you'll have about ten varieties to chose from.
Get to Angler's early to snag an outdoor seat, but they are not open on Mondays so plan accordingly. You'll experience great service (all of their servers are friendly, attentive, and polite), enjoy some great food and beers while savoring a picturesque view of Lac Courte Oreilles (especially at sunset) that truly captures the beauty of Wisconsin. It doesn't get much better than that. read more