My wife and I have been going to the Pine Cone for about 8 years. Generally the food is really good and large portions are the norm. The wait staff are attentive and accurate. Lately (last 6-8 months) it has taken 20 minutes or more to pay after eating on weekends. It seems waiting your turn in line is useless. Today I watched people walk in for bakery items be waited on right away while a line of people waiting to pay for there meals are ignored. I wish it was a one time thing but it has been a pretty frequent occurrence to wait more than 15 minutes just to pay my bill over the last several months read more

We used to meet family from SE Wisconsin at the Pine Cone in Deforest because it is about half way for us from central Wisconsin. But it closed suddenly last fall, so we tried this Pine cone in Johnson Creek. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!! Our server, Sara, was a delight. She was fast and very attentive. I had the #1 combo breakfast with a pancake on the side. It was delicious. Everything was done as ordered. The quantity of food, LATELY AND EVERYWHERE, seems to have diminished at EVERY restaurant we have eaten at. Sign of the times I guess, but I'm not happy about it. The pine cone is a truck stop, open 24hrs. So a meal anytime is possible. From I90/94, go north on hy 26 just north of the interstate, to the traffic light, TURN LEFT, then immediately turn left into the parking lot. You will absolutely know you are there by all the trucks in the lot. But head south through the parked trucks to the building just ahead of you and go around to the left side of the building. Ample auto parking. There is a SCRUMPTIOUS bakery counter when you first enter and dining areas either right or left from there. We had no trouble getting a table at 10:30 am. We also picked up so bakery as we checked out...it was GREAT!! I would have given 5 stars except the checkout women were a comedy of " whose on first". Not one of them seamed to know what they were doing. Finally a man took over and the checkout went smoothly. Not sure what was going on, but the need to get a couple of experienced cashiers in there who know what they are doing. Folks had to wait to long to check out...AT LEAST WHEN WE WERE THERE. Could have been just a bad day, and we will ABSOLUTELY go back! Prices were very reasonable, place was clean and orderly. ENJOY read more

Holy busy! Took Ma to lunch on our way to Madison because it is convenient and has positive reviews. We had to wait 10 minutes, but the line was fairly long so it was moving fast! Service was beyond efficient and food good. The bakery is stellar- my morning glory muffin was fab! read more

Awful experience.. Ordered a medium well Steak and eggs with hash browns. 1. Steak was bland (no seasoning at all). Tough and couldn't cut it with a steak knife. 2. Blond hair on my toast! NEVER NEVER NEVER eating here again ! read more

Delicious!!! Homemade!!! Comfort food! I could have tried one of everything on the menu!

Surprising little truck-stop restaurant that I'd never been to. The old adage, "follow the truckers to find good food" really applies here. They are open 24 hours, have their own bakery, and the staff is very friendly and attentive. I don't understand how they can charge such low prices for the abundance of food that they serve. I had BBQ pork loin, with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, a salad, and a giant yeast roll that they're famous for. My girlfriend had the chef salad which looked like a mountain. All this food for under $20. If you're ever in the area you need to check this place out. Plenty of parking in the lot. read more

I feel the service has gone down. The waitress handed my wife her plate across the table instead of going around the table and setting it down. After she handed us our meals, we never saw her again. The food was nice. If I go there again it will be to visit the bakery counter. read more

Food is always plentiful and very tasty. Great prices and speedy service. A favorite stop.

The bakery case is worth the stop in and of itself. Who doesn't want an eclair you can eat for days?! This has been a stop since my childhood and it'll probably be a stop with my theoretical future children. I have noticed that the stop is getting a little worse for the wear as the years have gone by, and I think sprucing up the bathroom would go a long way. Also, some more interesting fountain soda choices. The future is now, please give me a non-lemon-lime option for my caffeine free needs. The easy on/easy off*, twenty-four hour, well-lit goodness will keep me coming back though, especially for those delicious baked goods. *Headed toward Madison? Take the access road at the back of the parking lot to merge onto the highway instead of going out by the light and having to turn. read more

This place is terrible compared to the pinecone (Highway cafe) now in deforest. Corned beef skillet is absolute trash, tried it 4 times here, every time It's bad. Ordered a cheddar cheese omelette today and I got bogus ass processed sliced American cheese. Took three bites and threw it out without hesitation. Go to deforest! read more

Nice brunch location along the interstate. I had a chicken salad sandwich on fresh bread with homemade chicken & dumpling soup. The interior could use some updates, but the staff was friendly and fast. read more

I was really disappointed today when I noticed several servers were not wearing masks! Right now when the number of positive Covid cases skyrockets, to think the people who serve food are not required to wear a mask! Gross! Disgusting! I did not eat there and I will not be back! read more

The Pine Cone is a Wisconsin institution. Picture this: a truck stop. I guarantee whatever you're picturing is almost 100% accurate. Now add a giant bakery counter capable of putting Panera (or whatever passes for a bakery nowadays) out of business. You're almost there. Modify the contents of the bakery counter to be definitively midwest-- "bars", lots of things with chocolate and peanut butter, lots of things with chopped up oreos, rice crispies, cool whip, and even real cream puffs. Now make all the baked goods large enough to satisfy even the most stereotypically truckery looking trucker. Now your mental image is fully correct. The other difference between the Pine Cone and your average truck stop is that the food is actually pretty damn good. Yes, the prices are still low. Yes, the portions are still huge. But unlike the bland and wilted offerings at most truck stops, the food here is at LEAST as good as your average chain restaurant, in some cases maybe better. I almost always get breakfast. I have a personal motto that if you are at a restaurant that serves breakfast 24/7 it is your solemn duty not to let them down. I most recently got the T bone steak and eggs-- it was something like $15, it was huge, and it was damn decent. Now, almost everything on the menu is huge portions and good to great, but there are exceptions. A running joke in my family is when my dad stopped there with my brothers and their friends after some sporting event. A table full of hungry boys and they all ordered similar menu items. First person's food comes out, it's HUGE. Second person's food comes out, it's HUGE. And so on until they got to the last person, and whatever he had chose was TINY. He never lived that down. Same for the bakery-- most of the baked goods are good to great but there are some misses. Again, it looks like a truck stop, so dirty, greasy, circa 1980s, lighting too bright in some ways and too dim in others. You will see truckers and people that look like truckers and people that smell like truckers eating. Dont go for the ambiance. But the bathrooms are clean. The staff is friendly in a wore-out-overworked-tired-rural-ladies sort of way. After their shift they probably have to milk the cows or cook up a fresh batch of moonshine. Or meth. I dont know what rural Wisconsin is up to anymore. It's halfway between Madison and Milwaukee, and worth making an excuse to stop. P.S. I dont know why, but the Deforest location isnt nearly as good. read more

Pinecone is the gem of Johnson Creek. Thank you for your great Easter dinner during this COVID19 pandemic. (My favorite is the Chicken Eggs Benedict) read more

Here's the down and dirty, y'all: You get your own carafe of coffee on your table (unless I just got lucky...) The omelets are good. The staff is that kind of Friendly Waitress you tend to feel at home with, in a diner. Typical diner fare. Totally did the job for me plus the two young kiddos in our group. Definitely coming back. read more

24/7 full staff hometown hospitality Best coffee in North America Dinner rolls that make momma jealous Everything in this establishment is the greatest mouth watering food I have found in a long time Prices way reasonable so come get ya some you'll be glad you did read more

Traveling through the area and checked Yelp for good lunch spots and came across this little gem! Some called this a Wisconsin institution and now I know why. The restaurant is behind the gas station/convenience store. Sat at the counter and ordered the meatloaf from the pretty server. The portions were not large, but with soup, mashed potatoes and bread, I ran out of room before I ran out of food! As anyone who has been here, the dessert case stole the shoe, so I will have cookies and cakes for a solid week. read more

Pine Cone Restaurant - Meatloaf and mashed potatoes - New American Near Me - Johnson Creek, Wisconsin

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I grew up in Johnson Creek. Going here for breakfast is always scheduled in to my trip back home! Since I am new to Yelp, I figured I would send my love back to the Pine Cone. Placed halfway between Madison and Milwaukee, this cross between a greasy spoon and a truck stop has fantastic breakfast! My new favorite is the southern style breakfast. Breakfast is generally cheap, but for only $6.95 I got a biscuit and gravy, two eggs (always cooked perfectly to temp), two pieces of toast, American fries (kind of like hashbrowns) and a sausage patty! I definitely did not finish it all, but it was still worth the price. They have great baked goods! My dad likes the gargantuan cinnamon roll. You should always leave with an eclair or cream puff, both the size of your head! The elephant ears are even bigger and more delicious. Their pancakes are also huge and to die for! They have a solid kids menu that is generously priced and does not come with too much food for the kids. The endless pot of coffee sits at your table, so you never have to wait. I have had hit or miss service there, but never bad. The bathrooms are clean. I know this sounds goofy, but for a truck stop, this is a highlight! All of these good things to say and only 4 stars? There is not definition between smoking section and non. The two sections lie in the same part of the restaurant. It would be nice if they had separate rooms. I am spoiled in the Twin Cities with every restaurant being non-smoking. It doesn't bother me as much in a bar, but eating breakfast is a different thing. It is easy on/off the interstate and you can't ask for much more in a breakfast. So, you should make a quick stop here on your way through! read more

Phenomenal bakery! We always stop here on our way to Madison from Milwaukee. The bakery items are HUGE and very reasonably priced. I always opt for the very moist, giant blueberry muffin, and my daughter goes for the massive Rice Krispie treats. Don't forget to grab a loaf of sliced bread to take home! read more

You should notice that the Yelpers who didn't like this place didn't order a Truck Stop staple. This is an authentic truck stop restaurant, so know what you're in for. This is not a place to avoid cholesterol. This is not a place to get your minimum daily fiber and green leafy vegetable requirements. There aren't even any real green leafy vegetables in the tossed salad. The green beans aren't really green and they come from a can. Just leave them alone and finish your chicken-fried chicken with gravy instead. This is a place for meat and potatoes with gravy, or traditional American breakfast, in oversized portions. I first found this place from truck drivers on the CB (an odd anachronism in my car), but their oversized parking lot full of 18-wheelers is the same kind of testimony. (Actually, one of the truckers mentioned on the CB that this place gets good reviews on YELP! Even the highway cowboys are wired in nowadays, it's why there's considerably less chatter on the CB than in the 1970s). It's in the perfect location to break up a morning drive from Milwaukee to Madison, off exit 267, and the old-fashioned bottomless cup of high octane coffee can somewhat balance out the inevitable drowsiness from overeating the kinds of breakfasts they used to describe as "sticking to your ribs," back when everybody "loved Ike." They play rock 'n roll from the top of the charts, circa 1972, the waitresses are in uniform, will call you honey, and make sure your coffee cup stays hot and full. Everything in here is oversized, the breakfasts, the dinners, the rolls, the deserts, the customers, heck it's worth a stop in here just to get a look at the ridiculously oversized chocolate eclairs in the pastry server up front, each one bigger than my cat (I am not exaggerating, though I am talking about the smallest of my three cats). Get one of the pig shaped cookies so you can give a mixed message little gift to someone you work with. Now, if you'll excuse me, since I ate there yesterday, I have to go workout, for an hour, every day, for a month, at least. read more

Delicious. Great price and their cinnamon rolls are AMAZING! My parents always have to get some when they're visiting us in town.

The 12oz ribeye steak (12.50) and eggs are awesome. The desserts you walk by, leave you salivating. The menus has lots of choices and are very reasonably priced. The staff is friendly and helpful They have big truck parking. :) read more

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Was not our best, was not our worst, but always something worth making me want to come back again. Lately we've been stopping on our way back from Racine, so my thought is the after dinner hour is why our service/food was not what we've had for lunch and or dinner. Food aka my "Eye of Rib" of delicious and the Chicken and Dumpling soup, so filling! Watching my hubs devour the T-bone, these steaks hands down are wonderful. Now on to the sweet treats in the case, which I eyeballed on my way in and left room for. read more

Very good food! Great prices and good portions. My mom got their Sunday special that included a soup, chicken meal, and ice cream for dessert. read more

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Good old fashioned truck stop food, great waitresses, awesome to go pastries, cookies, etc. Big value. Order the pecan roll warmed up with butter for a great appetizer for 2-3 people. It's HUGE... Current special is $2.21 for all you can eat pancakes.. I mean, how do you top that? Next to the outlets, or a fun Midway stop if driving between Milwaukee and Madison read more

Awesome service, great Staff, supper friendly and compassionate staff providing excellent customer service to all their customers, making sure everyone can enjoy themselves, so much variety to choose from in anything. They also don't rush you or force their favorites etc on you. If you ask they give you suggestions but they always give you the time and freedom to make your own choices and I can't wait to support them more cause of that. I know I feel like Lucy in I love Lucy again when she ordered sonething, then saw what someone else ordered and liked that better until the next person ordered. I see what they are bringing to the person on the next table after i ordered and they started making my food so I get that for dinner and what the people across from me are eating for breakfast. So many choices. Thank you Pine read more

Normally i absolutely love pinecone, have been coming since i was a kid but our waiter Josh is absolute garbage. his service is horrible as he takes very long to get drinks and food. we were here for roughly 15 minutes before he even came up to my table. I love the restaurant but the service hasn't been the best lately and Josh is just creepy. Go for the food but be prepared to wait a long time to even get started. read more

Convenient overall the restaurant also has a great bakery, the steak I had was cooked to perfection and my honey enjoyed the shrimp basket and fries, overall my honey liked the place as I concur read more

Pine Cone Restaurant - New American Near Me - Johnson Creek, Wisconsin

None of the waitstaff were wearing masks. The condiments on the table felt like they were never wiped down. Left there feeling dirty. Hoping I don't get sick! read more

Very good food (especially the soup) at very good prices. The bakery alone is worth the stop. Service was a bit slow but the waitress was rather busy and had a great attitude. read more

If you want to find cinnamon rolls as big as your head, variety of bars as large as you can imagine, and all the bakery items you can dream of for a fair price then definitely check this place out! While I didn't try the bakery this time, I'm intrigued by their cookies as big as a small frying pan! I went here around lunch time and had the Philadelphia chicken sandwich. It was not bad and get a large portion of food for the affordable prices. We sat in a large rounded booth with our group and were able to hang out talking after we finished. The staff didn't rush us out and were welcoming when we arrived! I would go back to try a breakfast entree and bakery selection. read more

In town for a family reunion and stayed across the street! We ate their twice, my cousins ate there three time Breakfast was alright but coffee was terrible, but to be fair I never did find any good coffee in Wisconsin. The bakery is out of this world and sooo delicious! If I'm ever in the area I would go back for a cinnamon roll that was the size of my head! Dinner was pretty good, I had a chicken sandwich with onions and peppers that was so so but I was attempting to eat light and skipped the bun. My mother got the daily special which was the same price and came with a. Huge pork chop, 3 sides and the largest yeast roll I had ever seen! read more

My husband and I were excited to have a sit down lunch on a recent outing. We arrived around 1PM on a weekday and made our way past the register and pastry counter noticing employees in both areas not wearing masks. A waitress with a mask below her nose dropped off menus that seemed a little dingy. A waitress without a mask came to take our order. I politely told her I would be more comfortable if she had a mask on. I may add both of us did. She told us she couldn't wear one so we decided to leave. The place was crowded. It didn't seem like there was any care given to spacing tables or patrons. Just so very disappointing during a serious health crisis in our area. Covid has affected us personally as well as several family members and others we love. The food looked good but I wonder what goes on in the kitchen if they are so flippant where the public can see what is going on. read more

Pine Cone has been around for as long as I can remember, since before I was born 26 years ago! Without a doubt the best restaurant in Johnson Creek! I joined the military & only come back to WI about once a year. But I make it a point to stop in & eat here while I'm back home. Always great food! & the staff is always so friendly. A must while passing through the area. It's super easy to get to, & not far off the highway either. It's not Starbucks or anything, but who wouldn't love a home cooked meal while traveling?! Classic favorite for life! read more

I admit when I first walked in I wasn't sure how this review would end up. My teenager said 'Are you sure you want to eat here'? It's a no frills place to eat. The booths aren't new, the decor isn't fancy, but the food was good. The service was fast too. Our food came within 10 minutes of sitting down. I had a breakfast croissant with eggs and bacon. Yum! My teen had a taco salad which she loved. When we paid we couldn't help but to buy goodies from the bakery. Chocolate frosted brownies, giant chocolate chip cookies, and cheese cake. So so good! So next time I'm hitting the outlets I'm going to put my judgement aside and stop back bye! read more

For a truck stop / fried food restaurant this is probably four stars, although my oldest fried food eater says five. Personally I feel it's a two and a half in food quality. Don't expect bright colors or bursting flavor. read more

Very good, very cheap and I honestly could feed my whole extended family here for around 20 cents because of the affordability. Literally brownies for every single person in the restaurant would only cost like $3, even if people were sitting in each other's laps to the brim. I love it here. I have not left for 4 days, I am hiding under the dishwasher. Help, the brownies have made my mobility next to none. Do not come here with more than $20, you will end world hunger. read more

This is by far the best travel plaza that i have had the pleasure of visiting. Nice C-store, great food at the restaurant and the bakery has some amazingly delicious treats. Bought one of nearly every damn thing they had. Glad I'm only by here one a month or else i wouldn't be able to get in and out of my truck. Looking forward to my return to the Pine Cone in 4 to 6 weeks! read more

Pine Cone Restaurant - Chicken Fried Steak! Actual steak, not cubed. 2 thumbs up! - New American Near Me - Johnson Creek, Wisconsin

The service is always prompt and very friendly. The baked goods are enormous and tasty, but I especially enjoy most of the standard breakfasts. Portions are plentiful, and my experience has been that the food comes out promptly and very hot, which is important to me. It's always noisy, as you would expect for a truck stop, but in a fun way. It also seems to draw interesting people. read more

Walked in to the restaurant, or tried to, it is packed with people waiting shoulder to shoulder and every table filled, ABSOLUTELY NO SOCIAL DISTANCING. This place is a Petrie Dish for COVID-19, no one has masks including servers. SAD , but I'm sure they know the right people and will not get checked. read more