I wasn't sure what a fish boil was, but I was here on vacation & heard you have to do it. It was so cool to hear the story about the history of door county and how fish boils came about. We sat outside & watched the big flames & enjoyed the beautiful sunset. The fish was so good. We sat outside & the waiter deboned our whitefish table side. It was served with clarified butter & the potatoes & onion were my favorite thing. Coleslaw was great too. We washed it all down with new Glarus beers! The breads tasted like a grandma's recipe. We were so full that we took the cherry pie to go. What a value & fun experience. read more

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Came for the experience of the Fish Boil. The food was good, though not great. But I'm not sure how you're supposed to add more flavor when you're boiling. The ambiance was a bit lacking as their air conditioner wasn't keeping up. For those outside, I'm sure the views were nice, though the heat kept us from taking that chance, though it was pretty warm inside anyway. The service was okay, though I believe there were folks finishing up as we got served. Not sure I'd ever sign up for this again, but glad we tried it. read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - Fish boil plate - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

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Ephraim is one of the prettiest and most historical locations in door county and this little gem is right on the waterfront in the harbor. Good location great service outstanding views make the Old Post Office a real fun place to go . I recommend that you ask for Maria. She is the nicest server and knows what's going on. There's lots of parking out front and along the lake and along the side of the restaurant building itself . There is dog friendly outdoor seating, and a nice cozy inside dining area as well . read more

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Honestly, we came for the fish boil. Yes, it was dramatic and slightly touristy-but it was worth it for the delicious whitefish, potatoes, onions and different breads. Topped off with a piece of Door County cherry pie! You could sit indoors...but when you can sit across the street from the water and watch sailboats-why would you? read more

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We called Monday morning for a same day reservation for two People in July. We showed up at 4:30 for the fish boil demonstration outside and then dined at 5pm. You have a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. The demonstration was about 15-20 minutes and very interesting. The food was served quickly and was delicious. You can choose other main courses such as ribs or fried chicken if you don't want the fish. The coleslaw is homemade and not overly sweet. They give you three slices of different homemade breads. The cherry pie was amazing! It's $3 extra for ice cream. The fish boiled was $27. Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend it. read more

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Beautiful views from this restaurant!! Highly recommend you sit outside if the weather is nice. The boil master shared some very interesting history about fish boils during the demonstration. The food was fresh, and simple- it is the traditional fish, potatoes and onions. They have a chicken option if fish isn't for you. Staff are helpful and prompt! read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - Cherry pie - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

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Loved the fish boil and breakfast! Service is stellar They remove the fish bones for $5 more. read more

It was interesting watching the pit master get ready for the fish boil. As people filled the area he continued building the fire, adding things to the pot, finally getting the fish out for everyone to see and then added them to the pot. Saying it would take 71/2 minutes to cook the fish. Then comes boil over. Then head to your seat. They bring in everything and the fish have been deboned. Service is very good. Sitting outside eating your fish watching the sun set doesn't get any better. read more

We wanted to attend a fish boil while in Door County for the day and Old Post Office Restaurant seemed to be the most accessible in the area. We managed to make reservations for the 5PM boil the night before and were told to get there 30 minutes early to see the magic happen. When we got to the restaurant, we checked in at the hostess stand inside the restaurant and were given the table number we would be sitting at. Afterwards, we were directed to the field in the back to sit on the park benches surrounding a large cauldron of boiling water. The boil master doesn't actually show up until about 15 minutes or so before the reservation time, so there's a bit of time to sit and relax in the sun before you get a nice show. He goes over the history of the fish boil, shows off all the fish he'll be cooking (which takes 7 minutes), and then towards the end, he chucks a can of kerosene into the fire, making a large fireball erupt from the bottom. It's certainly entertaining! After the show, you find your table and the servers start bringing out the food. Fish Boil ($27) - The food here is very simple and reminiscent of typical food found 100+ years ago. It's really tough to say that the food is great, considering the decades and decades of food innovation and intermixing of spices and cooking techniques since the 1800s. It's honestly about as much as you can expect from purely boiling whitefish steaks, potato, and onion in salted water. The whitefish, served with a wedge of lemon to help brighten the flavors a bit, is tender and flaky with mild fish flavor. The potatoes are tender and buttery smooth, with a bland interior and lightly salted exterior. The onion is onion, having been boiled so that it's translucent and almost falling apart. The salt water doesn't really penetrate into much of the food, so this is the first restaurant in years I've had to actually use the salt and pepper shakers at the table - just a tad to enhance the flavor. The restaurant also provides a pitcher of melted butter and a shaker of seasoning salt to help vary things up a bit. The butter flavor is very strong and completely masks the flavor of the fish if you decide to use it. (3/5) Old Post Office Restaurant is unique in that you can request the staff to debone the fish for you. They do it right at the table, but even afterwards, you can still find some pin bones embedded in the meat. Be careful when you eat! We actually got one plate of deboned fish and one plate left intact to see if there was any difference - we found no difference other than the fact that if you debone yourself, you waste much less meat. In total, they give you two large whitefish steaks which probably weight close to a pound in total. I thought it we weren't going to get too much food going in, but I was absolutely stuffed afterwards. (3/5) On the side, there's a small scoop of their home made coleslaw. The slaw is filled with crunchy vegetables, green and red cabbage, carrots, etc in a very mild dressing that honestly doesn't add very much to the dish. It feels mostly like eating raw veggies. They also provide three small slices of bread served with individually wrapped pats of butter. One is a basic rye, not toasted or anything. The other two slices are essentially pound cake - one is scented with vanilla, the other is pretty interesting, with what seems to be zucchini pieces and cinnamon inside. Both are sweet which I found to be a bit strange served with all the other more savory items on the plate. (3/5) The meal finishes with a slice of cherry pie, with the option of adding ice cream for a slight surcharge. The crust feels kind of commercial with a uniform thickness and composition. It's soft in the middle, with an outer crust that's more well baked with a caramelized buttery flavor. The interior is stuffed with a sweet, syrupy cherry concoction, mixed with whole cherries. I found the best part of the pie to be the sugar crust on the top. It adds a nice sweetness and crunch to add variety vs the softer interior. (4/5) The Old Post Office is a place you go to once just to experience a fish boil. The food is really nothing to rave about - simple food that hasn't evolved much from the old 1800s recipes. I would personally not visit again, but I think the overall experience was worth it. And I do recommend anyone visiting Door County as a tourist to go to a fish boil, whether at Old Post Office Restaurant or elsewhere. Bathrooms - Larger bathrooms with multiple stalls inside. Overall rating of the food this visit: 3.25/5 read more

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Absolutely An Amazing Experience! Delicious fish dinner and cherry pie to top it off! Make your reservation well in advance! A must when in town! read more

This is the most amazing place! The most friendliest and most hard-working people are running a flawless magic show. I recommend both the breakfast and the fish boil experience. 1/The breakfasts are excellent and fast served fresh and hot and you cannot finish the short stack of pancakes. The hash browns are second to none. The service is excellent. 2/The fish boil was unique and delicious. You get treated first with an excellent presentation by the famous 'Torch' whom was featured on 'Top Chef', which is then followed by the fish being deboned for you and served hot with potato and onion and pieces of delicious rye, pumpkin, and lemon bread. For dessert, fresh cherry pie with a scoop of ice cream is served. As a bonus we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset. Will be back a million times. read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - The view - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

Come for the show! The fish is fresh but unseasoned. It's an interesting meal and it's more part of the fun and tradition of being in Door County. The food is simple but fresh. Cherry pie in the end was delicious. Parking along the street. Just have to look a bit. read more

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First they show you how they make it, afterwards you get a full meal (fish or ribs or chicken with salad , bread and for desert cherry pie and we ate outside while watching the sun set - it was beautiful and good. read more

This is such a great experience with Torch. Arrive early and sit around the boil and hear the history of how this tradition came about. We've gone a couple of times and both have been great. Good service, great food, the staff attempts to debone some of the fish for you which is nice compared to other DC boils. This boil was also featured on Top Chef-Wisconsin! Love to sit outside with Lake views. Also if you don't like fish, they have some other options like chicken, etc. read more

Stopped in for breakfast with my dad. I got the short stack of cherry pancakes with one scrambled egg and side of sausage. He got the combo omelet. All was delicious!!! The pancakes were loaded with cherries! The service was friendly and the atmosphere was A+++. We had a table in the front row overlooking the water- amazing. We also only had to wait about 5 mins to be seated. We would definitely recommend and come back again. read more

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This concept gets a bad rep, but in Door County you simply can't escape it because a "Fish Fry" ... well... lacks pyrotechnics. Fire. Food. Fish. Fish boiling was brought to the peninsula in the late 1800s by Scandinavian immigrants who needed an economical way to feed large groups of workers. Today, restaurants can charge tourists $25 per person and call it a one-of-a-kind epicurean experience. The Door County fish boil features Lake Michigan whitefish caught by local fishermen and served fresh the same day so you can enjoy the buttery, perfectly cooked fish -- a melt-in-your-mouth delight. Door County fish boils are served with melted butter, potatoes, onions, coleslaw, and bread. Customarily, the meal is concludes with a slice of freshly made Door County Cherry Pie read more

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I did not like the door county trip we went on, I found door county to be boring and slow. It's not my way of life. But, the only reason why I'm glad we went was because of the fish boil at the Old Post Office Restaurant. The food (ESPECIALLY the fish) was fresh, delicious, and the walkthrough on the boil was super entertaining and informative. One of the most memorable parts of our trip read more

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We have only been there for breakfast but it was amazing. Nice size portions and really tasty. Great views. Great staff too.

When in Door County, Old Post Office Restaurant is a must try while visiting! We wanted to try the infamous Fish Boil and I definitely recommend. We stayed in Ephraim during our visit to Door County and the Old Post Office Restaurant was just steps from our hotel. We were able to easily book a reservation through the phone for the fish boil on a Saturday night and they recommended we come in about 15-30 minutes early so we can fully experience the Fish Boil preparations. Once we arrived, we were taken to the back where all the action occurs. The boil master was engaged and he explained the history and background of how the fishboil started. He walked us through each step of the Fish Boil Basics. The Whitefish is fresh and caught locally and boiled in an open fire in a large metal kettle. The fun and flashy part of the show is towards the grand finale when kerosene is thrown into the fire and the boilover occurs creating a flashover of flames. The freshly cooked whitefish is then served to your table with potatoes, onions, and melted butter. There was also a side of coleslaw and fresh bread served with our fishboil plate. The best part is drizzling the butter and sprinkle of seasoning. The fish was so fresh and our server even deboned the fish as part of their service which was a really nice touch. Everything on the plate paired well with the fish and we enjoyed every bite. Last but not least, the cherry pie was served and included with the fish boil experience which was also very delicious and a must to have when in Door County. The service was great, everyone was friendly and the ambiance was amazing sitting outside facing the water. We came here truly for the fish boil experience so we weren't able to try other dishes but if you are not the biggest fan of fish, there are other alternatives to choose from on the menu. They also serve breakfast which we missed out on but hope to try the next time we are back. read more

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Best Fish Boil in Door County! Hands down!!! Delicious and the bones were removed! Plus Cherry pie for dessert! Delicious read more

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Not a giant store, which I like. And I get what I need. Except for good avocados. The meat department and deli and fish department are excellent. read more

Everything is always fresh and beautifully prepared! Best breakfast in Door County! Also I am not exaggerating... the very best hash browns IN THE WORLD! read more

We stopped in for breakfast and when I asked if there was a window seat, I was told that the table they were giving us was "close enough". She was rude to a few people. We ordered cherry pancakes and an omelette with hash. The omelette was delicious and the pancakes okay, just not memorable. The parking lot was not disability friendly. I had to go around a cone and two other items in the striped area to get to the car. read more

Didn't have to wait for an outside table because it was raining, but their overhang kept us nice and dry. Service was good, just remember this is a busy place and it might take a few extra minutes. French toast was crispy, not mushy in the middle. Done just perfectly. The waffle was such a cute design and the petals are easy to break off and eat by hand if you like. Nice airy texture. Prices reasonable. read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - International Mail French Toast - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

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Dinner with a show! 5 stars from me!!! This place was awesome and I don't regret it. I'm so glad we were able to get 6 :30 dinner reservations here on a Saturday night during October. We came up to door county last minute and usually things are always so booked in advance however, we were able to get the sunset dining experience at OPO this weekend. We showed up 30 min prior to reservation like suggested. You check in at the front and you are shown around back to watch the boil. They have a guy (who does every fish boil for the restaurant every day) who does the boil and narrates the story of the fish boil in door county the entire time he's cooking your dinner! There's a bar outside to have a drink (non alcoholic and cocktails both are available) and sit down/stand to watch. The fire is going so the flames help if it's a big cold out. It was such a unique experience. We really enjoyed the food too. The Service was also on point. Once the boil is over, you are ushered to seating and you can begin to enjoy your meal. It's a plated meal and everyone is given the same dessert (door county Cherry pie!) and the same sides with your choice of rib, chicken or white fish. The white fish that makes the boil is caught daily, you are always eating fresh fish. The ribs my husband got were good too! Tender, nice amount of sauce. We loved the pie at the end too! They have a seasoning on the table called "Curts" they recommend you to use! It was soo tasty. The server will De Bone your fish for you and then can enjoy! I thought the price for the dinner is fair considering all you get for it. I highly recommend this for anyone! Any age, group, family, date night, whatever... very cool neat experience. We will be back! read more

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What a fun event and way to leant about the history. It was really, really good. Plenty of food. Good for kids and family. Lovely pie at the end of the fish boil too! read more

By far the best decision I made in Door County! They had multiple seatings for dinner. I chose to call in a reservation for their 7:15pm seating a few days in advance. There is a small parking but, but also street parking. When you arrive, you check in at the front desk. They provide you a table number and let you know you can go out back and watch the fish boil. Folx either sit on benches or stand around the fire. It took a little while for the fish boil talk to begin. However, once the person came out to speak, he started telling us about the history of the fish boil and went around the crowd to show us the whitefish before it was dumped in the pot. Bring some change for the top jar! Once the fish boiled over, guests were told they could take their seats. By that time, the previous guests from the earlier seating were gone and the tables were ready for the last group of the day. I was so pleasantly surprised to discover that I had one of the best seats in the house- unobstructed views of the gorgeous sunset. The staff come out and ask you if you want your fish deboned, then they described what was on the plate. Once you are done with your main course, they bring out your cherry pie (ice cream is an additional $2.00). Pros: -wonderful views (I recommend the 7:15pm showing) for the sunset -the dinner was simple yet so satisfying and delicious -they de-bone your fish for you!!! -there were some guests who brought their dogs to enjoy dinner with them outside -indoor and outdoor seating are available Con: -none Other: -you may smell like smoke depending on where you are sitting or standing. Overall, this was my favorite experience the entire trip! Would recommend it to others. read more

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We enjoyed a great breakfast here. The pancakes with door county cherries mixed in are delicious. The eggs and bacon were great.

Beautiful views! Charming building and excellent breakfast! Try the cherry pancakes

This is a restaurant where you'll get an experience with the rich Scandinavian cultural heritage of Door County. The fish boil is what I did. And it was cool to experience a meal prepared as immigrants would have eaten it. Its boiled potatoes, onions, and White Fish (the species). The plate is flavorful and healthful enough when you add their seasoning and butter (what isn't?) However, this method of boiling the fish takes the fish proteins too far for me. The fish sticks on the bite and has a slightly overcooked texture. read more

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In previous trips to Door County I've tried the fish boil from White Gull Inn, Rowleys Bay Restaurant, and Viking Grill. Since there were only two left for me to try (Pelletier's Restaurant and Old Post Office Restaurant), I decided to go with Old Post Office on this particular trip. I thought the fish boil from Old Post Office is one of the more generous ones in terms of the different items that are part of the meal. The dinner includes four pieces of whitefish, three red potatoes, an onion, coleslaw, three different types of bread, and a piece of cherry pie for dessert. For an additional cost, you can add vanilla ice cream to go with the pie. The fish boil was entertaining from the "show" aspect. I believe the boil master said he's been doing this for six years and his experience is obvious. I appreciated that he brought the whitefish chunks around for us to take pictures of before they went into the pot and looking through the kitchen windows I could see him personally dishing up the portions. The fish, potatoes and different breads were excellent. I'm not a big fan of cherries, but I liked the pie too. I didn't try the coleslaw or onion so I can't comment on those. I was hopeful that they would offer "seconds" if there was any leftover like White Gull Inn did when I visited them, but that wasn't the case. I did like that the servers offer to de-bone the whitefish for you as they are serving it to you. If your able to, I recommend reserving a spot around sunset and asking to sit outside. The view of Eagle Harbor is very pretty at sunset. read more

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The fish boil was entertaining and delicious! We had the option of having our fish deboned at the table, excellent service. The restaurant gives you the option of sitting indoors or out, but as we were dining around sunset, we chose outdoor seating and had a beautiful view of the lake. read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - Fish boil - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

Great breakfast! Love the cherry pancakes, the hashbrowns (always crisped to perfection), and the cherry muffin! Kitchen is quick and efficient. Views from the deck and the seats are spectacular. The decor is quintessential door county--I hope they don't change a thing! A favorite in Door County! read more

We heard about these "fish boils" whenever we inquired about Door County so we researched it a bit, got local recommendations and reserved here (have to get reservations anywhere). They set up the big fire with a big iron pot over it behind the restaurant. They do 3 fish boils an evening the whole season and get thousands of pounds of fresh white fish a week; the same fisherman for 40 years. It is cooked in water with salt only, the cook cuts the fish right before it is boiled so doesn't loose its juiciness. The water boils for about 40 min but the fish cooks for 7 minutes! After the fish are taken out they cook the red potatoes and onions. Our meal is then served with Cole slaw , 3 types of bread, butter and a special (shaker) seasoning. The fish was very mild and good...everything was good! The cherry pie a la mod was good too! read more

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After years of Door County vacations with my family growing up and never going to a fish boil, I finally attended one during a trip here 3-4 years ago. It's a touristy thing to do but I have little shame anymore and care less about what anyone thinks is cool or uncool. Old Post Office is inside just that. It was once an actual post office but was long ago closed and eventually turned into a pretty good restaurant. The fish boil was easy to reserve and easy to find out back. There's a title they give the person who does the presentation and cooking which I can't remember, but he told the whole history of fish boils originally meant as a cheap way to feed large crews of loggers and laborers. The presentation was fun, with the big show of throwing kerosene on towards the end to make it boil over. They use whitefish and I can tell you nothing tastes as good as fish caught that morning and cooked that evening. I really don't need much more than fish and potatoes, but there were some other sides too. All in all, entertaining and the food was delicious! read more

What a great meal that was an experience as well. We were staying in an AirB&B within walking distance of the restaurant, so that was nice. We had a 7.45pm seating time but were told to arrive 45 minutes early to watch out fish boil being prepared over an outdoor fire. There was seating on benches around that fire. It was a really windy evening, and the real "show" didn't start until about 7.35, so we sat for over 30 minutes with smoke blowing in our faces. But we still enjoyed being in the crowd. My point is that there is no need to be there 45 minutes early. But those 10 minutes when the fish master dropped onions, potatoes, and the fish in the boiling water were exciting and fun, so don't miss that part. We were seated on the porch with a perfect view of the water and sunset. Service was great, and the food was exceptional. We weren't sure we would like the boiled fish, but it was a mild white fish steak that the waiter removed the bones from at our table, and it was delicious. There were 3 of us, and we opted to order one fish, one rib dinner, and one fried chicken dinner. All came with the onions, potatoes, several slices of bread, melted butter, and cherry pie. All the food was delicious and we had enough food for lunch the next day. When in Dooe County don't miss this experience. read more

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I've been to a few fish boil spots throughout door county and while old post office is good with service and speed of delivery, the show experience isn't as refined. The boil master doesn't really mingle with the guests, likely because they are busy, until the seven minutes prior to the boil. The three breads offered with the fish are interesting and the table side deboning is fun. Would be willing to give it a second shot for the show. Delicious boil! read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

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One of the usual stops in door county. The restaurant was again crowded inside and outside. The food is terrific although more expensive than many other breakfast places, hash browns extra 5 dollars bacon extra, the service was great! My only concern would be getting table 20 which is right by the door, with servers going in and out, bathrooms clean and well kept a very good spot for your meals, breakfast lunch, dinner and fish boils. The view cannot be beat. read more

Great place to get the ambience of an old time fish boil. The head honcho explained how the tradition got started and described where the fish was caught and what went in it. Pretty simple recipe, but let me tell you, probably the best lake fish I've had in the region. Super fresh tasting, and the texture amazing. Great history lesson and enjoyed the bon fire out back/ would take new comers here. read more

Old Post Office Restaurant - The fish before the boil - Seafood Near Me - Ephraim, Wisconsin

We were here for fish boil. It was quite a show. We really enjoyed the experience. The fish didn't have a lot of flavors to it but were fresh and tasty. The breads came with it were nice as well. My boyfriend chose ribs instead and he liked it. At the end of the experience, you got a cherry pie which was very tart and delicious. The pie was not mind-blowing but pretty decent. But, the view was breathtaking. Would recommend sitting outside to see the sunset. read more

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