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    Papillon's Cafe

    3.6 (17 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    Eggs Benedict
    Jonathan T.

    You're reading this review, because you've managed to somehow find yourself in an obscure Wisconsin town. Oh, and what's that? You're looking for brunch? You're hungover following a night of drinking in mosquito plagued backwoods with large elk? Well, you could certainly make Papillon's Café a choice to adequately fill your stomach. Yeah, could. But don't expect any phenomenal eats, traveler. Anyways, things to know: ***** I. LOCATION & PARKING Like most places in small towns, navigation systems don't precisely mark businesses. Find this establishment located in a strip mall. Plenty of parking exists. II. FOOD & DRINKS It's your typical American breakfast destination, and it's littered with people from the community. For my morning nourishment, I had their Eggs Benedict, which came with a side of hash browns. I ordered three sausages, too. Everything tasted fine, and the grease lined my stomach perfectly. It's solid, but I wouldn't go out of the way to eat this there again. I also tried my friend's pancakes and waffles, and they were fine, too. III. SERVICE We waited about ten minutes for our food, and the woman who served us was very nice. No problems here. IV. AMBIENCE & DÉCOR Blast from the past, yo! There's the ever-enduring wood paneling, throwback carpet, and vintage booths. Also, there's a bunch of random décor pieces hung about, such as the poster of The Varsity (based in Atlanta, GA). I'm not sure why it's up there. Lol. V. PRICES Absolutely affordable. The prices are from the late 1990s. VI. OVERALL If I ever found myself back in Rhinelander, and I was desperate for lunch, I wouldn't care too much to return here. However, it's a fine town institution that serves respectable food that will surely make you leave full. Just don't go out of your way to eat there.

    A winter Sunday morning

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    1 month ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food with amazing and prompt service. We have been there multiple times over the years and still plan to come back regularly.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

    One of my go to places when I'm visiting my mom. Friendly staff and very quick to serve you. Excellent food and a good value for your money.

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Excellent place for a great home style breakfast. Fast service. My go to breakfast place when I'm in town.

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    7 years ago

    This place is straight cheeks dude. Waited for my meal for at least 3 hours it felt like. Unreal. 1/10 would not recommend this place.

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Breakfast severed all day long. They have a good assortment of food and was good. The wait staff was friendly and very efficient.

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    11 years ago

    If you're into decor this isn't the place for you but if you want good food and pleasant wait staff then give it a try.

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    Review Highlights - Papillon's Cafe

    Atmosphere: Clean, well lit, light music, assortment of tables and nice booths, and nice north woods feel.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Rhinelander Cafe & Pub - Buffalo wings, salmon, fries ect.

    Rhinelander Cafe & Pub

    (128 reviews)

    $$

    We found this place by chance and so walked in without reservations. They initially turned us away…read morebut with further discussion and a few cocktails at the bar eventually made room to accommodate us. As with many cases this season they were very short staffed and trying to offer good service to those that had made reservations. Our server had several tables including one of 16 people. I can't believe how good the service ended up being with Karen our waitress. As a seasoned vet in this Industry she was on top of everything. Additionally the food was Breyer than I had hoped for. We all started with the salad bar which was clean and organized. They did end up running out of ranch dressing which was a disappointment but that was the only thing that fell short the entire evening. After the salads the four of us has the French onion soup which was better than most I've had. This was followed by our main course. Two of us has the 10 oz. Fillets, on had the 16oz ribeye and lastly one liver and onions. All the steaks were fabulous and the liver was also good from what I hear. There was no rushing, Karen our server timed out servings perfectly and the evening turned out spectacular. A big kudos to the Manager for getting us in. This will be a part of our rotation moving forward. Don't forget to make reservations!

    First off, this was one of the best restaurants in Rhinelander back in the day. One of my mother's…read moreand my favorite years ago. I recently moved back to Rhinelander and had to check it out again. The place looks the same which I love. Our waitress was nice and attentive. We waited for over an hour for our food and there were only about 10 customers. I had the salmon with risotto. The end of it was fishy tasting and the risotto was mushy. The other two at my table ordered their alfredo. They liked theirs, but when I looked at it, I wouldn't have liked the spiral noodle they used. I felt they were overpriced too.

    Casa Mexicana - Steak Relleno

    Casa Mexicana

    (85 reviews)

    $

    The reviews here seem to be very misleading... Service was prompt and friendly. However the food…read moreis a different story. I think it may be that the standards are alittle bit lower in these parts, but everything just tasted bland. I ordered table side guac, which is like $12 and some change, but it wasn't made table-side... it also tasted bland and the avocados tasted like they were in a fridge that was too cold. I make guac very often that I know when an avocado might be alittle too cold... it had that grainy texture and taste. I also ordered the steak fajitas... the steak was not really even steak, but probably more what I would describe as overly done sliced or shredded beef strips. I've had better steak at Chipotle. It was also bland. There was no flavor at all. The only flavors you got were from adding the beans and sour cream to your fajita. It was also really tough. I was pretty disappointed, because for some reason, I pictured a sizzling platter arriving at my table, and guac made at the table as well. I then ordered flan for dessert. It was also pretty disappointing. The flan it self might have been okay, but they drizzled chocolate on top of the flan, which really masked the flavor of the flan and made me wonder what were they trying to achieve by adding the chocolate. The caramel syrup is already sweet... You can also tell whoever makes the flan does not know how to make flan. Flan should be smooth and silky. It can be light or also more rich and velvety. This one had so many air bubbles that it gave me such a feeling of concern with every bite. Either the water from the water bath used in the oven spilled over or the temperature was too high that it caused the flan to boil. And then the final straw was the electronic fee... I'm not from around here but is this normal? It makes me wonder if this is something they should disclose or tack on to their food prices... Yeah I just did not feel it with this restaurant... Probably won't be back... It doesn't mean the food isnt good, but it's just my opinion and I've been to several restaurants...

    I've eat here many times (and reviewed it several times) and for a small town in northern Wisconsin…read morethe food and service is decent. While the cuisine is standard Americanized Mexican food, it fills an important niche in our neck of the woods, and I will continue to patronize them whenever I am in town and hankering for a burrito or something like that.

    Papillon's Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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