This place reminds me a little of Cracker Barrel. There's a store in the lobby area I guess you call it. They sell trinkets and such, candy, souvenirs, etc. We showed up with a pretty large group and they were able to accommodate us pretty quickly. The menu was also similar to CB. Basic american menu. I went with the ribs which were pretty good. Definitely better than fast food and it was close to the hotel I was staying at. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Really not very good. The meal started out with cola that tasted like bleach. My wife tried it and also tasted bleach. The waitress said she had ben drinking it and didn't notice any off flavor. That apparently ended the matter. My wife ordered pot roast, which turned out to be a thin, soupy concoction with very few vegetables. I had country fried chicken, which I had enjoyed many times in the past. This time the chicken was prepared with an abundance of salt. I tried a few bites to be certain it was that salty. It was, and I left the rest on the plate, along with a mediocre baked potato. This used to be a place I'd anticipated visiting on trips to Appleton. Next time I'll try somewhere else. read more

Recently was in the area for an event and wanted to grab breakfast the next day. Very cute and food was delicious we passed the buffet for a breakfast wrap (huge serving) and corned beef hash and eggs (delicious). The waitress we had was smiling and very pleasant ( thank you) she was fast and always checking on us ( huge). Will definitely be back if in the area. read more

Great food, they were friendly and liked the music in the background!! Raspberry ice tea!!

This place has the worst customer service and they will NEVER get any of my business. I was ignored by a male as he approached the person that came in after me. Then a female approached the podium where I was standing and gave me a perplexed look, no smile, no greeting. She just asked if I needed something. (Yes, RESPECT! ) I asked her if I could order food. She then asked if I wanted lunch or dinner?. I told her that I was getting a bad vibe from her. First, she said that she thought I was with the other person , then she rambled on about counting a lot of money and doing other stuff , I'm not sure .. NOT MY PROBLEM!!! Be A Professional! Smile! You never know when you're entertaining an angel. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be KIND. ALWAYS. read more

Awesome farm to table format, huge meals, very casual, extremely comfy, food quality was excellent. Wife and had an emergency event which brought us to Appleton, and it was a walk from our hotel, and we were so glad we got to experience this place. read more

The food was served lukewarm and the server said it couldn't be returned to the kitchen to heat due to Covid policies. They were understaffed for the crowd they were seating. When the meal was delivered it wasn't what was in the menu. Server said they were out of horseradish sauce. For being over worked our server was super sweet and doing her best with what she had. read more

Everything was great except the server said their taps were not working which was a huge bummer for someone like me that specifically came here to try out their drafts. read more

Why so many haters? I enjoyed this place. It definitely has a Cracker Barrel vibe but less pretentious. I'm in Appleton for work for a couple months. I usually like Asian food but I was in the mood for liver and onions which is hard to find. I saw they have it here so we gave it a shot. It was Thursday evening and they were slow. Maybe a few smaller tables and then a large family came in, I'd say a 15 top. Our service was slow at first. It took a while for us to get our drinks taken and for me to get my decaf. Once we did things went smoother and the food came out on time. We had the roasted cauliflower which was delicious and a rare find that it's not battered. Will get that again. My liver and onions had plenty of onions and the garlic mashed was good but I did ask for extra gravy. Green beans were standard. He got the chicken pot pie which he liked but it was a little salty. The apple dumpling was marvelous. A whole peeled and seeded apple wrapped in dough and baked. We had vanilla ice cream with it and all the juices and cinnamon and soft warm apple melted in your mouth. A must have. We were looking for comfort food and it's what we got! Will visit again for a Thursday night family style fried chicken special. All was so good we didn't even take pictures. We were enjoying our meal. read more

I went here on Veteran's Day because I was taking a test across the street. They asked if so was a Veteran when I came in, I said yes, they told me my meal was free. WOW!! So cool!!! I had their traditional breakfast and it tasted great. Good coffee too. I drink my coffee black so I like to make sure the coffee is actually good because I am not going to drown the taste with creamers and sugars. read more

We stopped in not knowing it was a chain until we saw pictures on the menu. Its a take on Cracker Barrell. Nothing to write home about but I am giving 5 stars for the outstanding service. Sandy was amazing!!! just hands down nicest guy. We had the potatoes skins, french onion, and loaded potato soup. Again nothing to brag about but the service. Thanks Sandy! read more

I have been meaning to check this place out for a while. Finally did this past Saturday around 8AM. There was no wait when we arrived and were sat quickly. We had a toddler with us so we loved the toy tractors that he could play with. After we were sat we were told about their family style all you can eat which was awesome. You get your choice of an item it each category an egg dish (scrambled eggs, Machine shed eggs, or eggs with ham and cheese), potato dish (hash browns, breakfast potatoes, or hash brown casserole), 2 meats (bacon, sausage patties, sausage links, or ham) , a bread dish (pancakes, toast, etc). It's all served family style and its a lot of food. You can also switch up what you order when getting a refill meaning you can get pancakes instead of toast or sausage patties instead of links. Its really nice and the food comes out pretty quickly. Food- The food is pretty delicious. The pancakes and cinnamon roll were awesome. The hashbrown casserole was good but missing something but not sure what. Overall its one of the better breakfasts in the area. Drinks- Coffee was hot and refilled whenever our mugs got low. Service- Service was great. Everyone was friendly and we never had to wait too long for anything. I live in Oshkosh but would come here again just for breakfast. It would be worth the drive. If you havent checked out this place yet you should at least try it once to see how you like it. read more

Had the best loaded baked potato soup ever. Everything was delicious and the waitress was very friendly and made the experience at the restaurant. read more

OMG! We're visiting Appleton, from Alabama, and the Machine Shed was recommended by locals and what a culinary treasure. Best home-style cooking since hubby's Mom's house. The menu has a huge variety, but we decided on the roasted stuffed Iowa pork chop and the Parmesan crusted America cut (pork filet). Delicious! Everything is handcraft from the homemade bread to the coleslaw. Our waitress, MJ, took great such great care of us that we'll be back while we're in town. Highly recommended. read more

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Over priced, and bland. I'm gluten free and I got very sick after eating here. Our server was unaware of the menu. Liked the atmosphere though. read more

I have been going to this place for many years. I have noticed over the past several years it has started going down hill. I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Americas cut pork entree. It came out burned around the edges -and very tough throughout. It tasted quite awful. Dishes were given to us for the "fixings" with the bottom plate clearly filthy. Waitress did a good job--I think she was all alone. Won't be going back anytime soon. read more

Just heard Oshkosh is going to build a Machine Shed. How wonderful is that! Where the old Wal-Mart was located in the past. I will go there to eat. Yum I can hardly wait! read more

Being AZ resident,I've been coming here for over 20 years every chance I get when I'm in this city and not much has changed here( Thankfully). The food is consistent as can be. It's always good or even great especially for the cost. With all the high cost of staff, food, overhead cost you guys are doing a fantastic job! Appleton needs to support this small but awesome chain restaurant. If you ever decide to open location in AZ I'm THERE!!! In a long line out the door I'm sure!! Note: for last 15 years or so, I frequently dine out. At least once or twice a day, every day of the week, some fast food, some sit down places. I think I've experienced all kinds of good/ bad service, great/horrible foods... so for you guys at Machine Shed in Appleton, Appleton doesn't know how lucky they are to have MS here. I ( as well as countless others I'm sure) appreciate your business and what you guys provide. Keep doing what your doing and hope I can keep coming for 20 more years. Thank you!!! read more

Got here at 7:40 the doors were already locked and they wouldn't let me in. I asked when they close and a young lady said she didn't know. I told her their website says 8:00 (I just want a quick sandwich) but she insisted they are closed. So apparently they close before 7:45 so don't drive all the way here unless it's well before posted closing time. read more

Cheese curds were not curds but rather huge squares with way too much breading. Pork dinner (3 ways) was overcooked and dry. Green beans were ice cold. Server was nice. Beer was cold. This is a bad version of Cracker Barrel. read more

Two stars because the manager was very nice to us. We had gross food. there were three tables with guest in the entire place but it took excessively long to get our food. The waitress was too busy I guess because everyone but her brought our appetizers and main food. When she checked on us she never refilled my drink the entire time. Buyer beware. Wouldn't return read more

I came here because a co-worker had suggested it... There really is not much good to say about this place... This is like a cheap run-down imitation of Cracker Barrel.. We were there at about 6pm on a Saturday night and the place was dead... Mostly old people (can't taste and can't see dirty dishes) . The water glasses were old, scratched and dirty.. I was the only one to drink water so I thought I would use one of the other two glasses but they were all like that.. Knife didn't look that clean either... The menu was greasy and at one point during dinner I found some brown sticky substance on my hand.. I don't even know where that came from... I got the catfish dinner.. It came with bones like the menu stated but there wasn't much meat on it.. I probably had about 6 forkfulls before I had enough... It was really fishy tasting and it just didn't look appetizing to me the further I got from the tail...I didn't care for the taste at all.. .. The garlic mashed potatoes were bland and had almost no taste... The broccoli was actually ok other than one dirty end which I cut off.. I won't be coming to any of these places again.. Apparently there are more. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

We just ate here on Sunday. Thought the buffet would be a good option for everyone but it was mostly unhealthy items. The "salad bar" only consisted of a very small portion of the buffet and was barely more than lettuce and salad dressing, so I ordered off the menu. I got a plain chicken breast with a double order of broccoli. The broccoli was perfectly cooked (I asked for it to be well-done) but the chicken breast was pretty dry. read more

This place has been on my radar for some time. I heard the local TV station do a buy local advertisement featuring the "Machine Shed". It was worth the visit. The theme of the restaurant is farm/country. This is evident as the walls are John Deere green with barn red trim. The décor consists of farm tools and signs. There are old milk cans that were decorated for the holidays. There is a large fireplace that had a nice fire going. We came for dinner on a Sunday afternoon. We were seated immediately. Our waiter was right there to take our order. A couple minutes he returned with our drinks and we ordered. He mentioned that the sides were unlimited and started us off with cottage cheese and dinner rolls. within 20 minutes our order was up. I ordered the "Heartland combo" which consisted of 2 bacon wrapped tenderloins, a slice of pork roast with gravy, and a generous piece of barbequed brisket. The tenderloin I thought was a little tough, but the other two cuts fell apart on the plate. I loved the sauce on the brisket. I left with a to go box as I had no room for it all, not to mention dessert. I really wanted to try the apple dumpling. Well there's something for next time as a return trip is in order. All in all I give it a 4 star. The service was good, the food was good and the restrooms were clean. There are motion activated faucets and towel dispensers. read more

Stopped in for Brunch yesterday. I have not been here in years and we saw a sign that they did brunch so we decided on a whim to stop in. I am really glad we did. There was about a 10 minute wait and we roamed around their expensive but cute gift shop while waiting. The have a ton of fun things to buy in there. Once seated in a giant booth we ordered some fantastic bloody Mary's (mine had bacon!) and walked over to the brunch buffet. DISCLAIMER: I am not usually a fan of buffets because I do not eat that much. This buffet was really good though. It started with fruit, salad options (coleslaw, pasta salad and a full build your own greens), then it was hash browns, waffles, corn, chicken, ham, biscuits and gravy, mashed potatoes w/gravy, fish, pastries, made to order omelets and to finish it off a chocolate fountain. The large variety was well worth the $13. I enjoyed it because I could load up on healthy options in large quantity and smaller portions of everything else. I think we will come back for sure because I need to try the chicken pot pie. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - Bacon bloody for the win! - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Wow, so this place is absolutely amazing!! I was visiting my boyfriend for the weekend and looked on yelp for brunch nearby. We ended up at Machine Shed Restaurant on Sunday for their brunch buffet. Now, I'm usually not a fan of brunch buffets but this buffet was sooooo good. Everything is made from scratch. They have four stations: 1. Hot brunch food: fried chicken, eggs, hash, potatoes done a million different ways!!, sausage, bacon, biscuits... 2. Kids bar: Green bean casserole, corn, mac and cheese, i forget what else... 3. Sweets bar: I was way too full to even really pay attention to this bar but here's what I remember: A variety of cakes, waffles, french toast, topping bar. 4. Carving station: didn't try this one out but they had someone there cutting roast beef I think. They also have a gift shop with lots of silly things. I got bacon salt and have been using them on my eggs. DELICIOUS!! I'll definitely be back whenever I'm in Appleton again! read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Came here with my parents for Mother's Day brunch. Oops! I didn't make a reservation, but found out that I wouldn't been able to as they only took reservations for groups of eight or more. I'm guessing they just do that for Mother's Day. Anyways, they said it would be a 45 minute wait, and it took a little more than that. No big deal. I didn't know much about this place, including that it's a chain restaurant. If you want to not eat at home, but feel like your at home...well then this is a good choice. The walls, chairs, tables felt like you were sitting in your grandmother's dining room. Our server was very friendly and prompt. He was good at starting a conversation that wasn't annoying small talk. I saw him doing that with his other tables as well. Since they were serving a buffet, all we needed from him was our drinks and the bill. The buffet seemed pretty typical with fruit, eggs, sausage, bacon, and a table full of desserts. The one unique thing was the omelette bar. My stomach wasn't in the mood to wait, so I went straight the buffet. Any other day the omelette bar would be the way to go as I was a little worried about the food being sitting out and being cold. Since it was so busy the food was hot. The food wasn't fresh, but wasn't the worse meal in the world. I just know there are a lot better breakfast spots with fresher and better tasting food. As you leave, it's easy to get sucked into the little gift shop. It's full of Wisconsin themed clothing, and clever sayings on a coffee mug. I didn't give into temptation, but my Mom spent some time looking at everything. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Went to the Machine Shed as a recommendation from my friend who lives nearby...I was visiting from Idaho for her wedding. Our group was unimpressed to say the least. We came there for breakfast to find out that they stopped serving at 11 (10 minutes before we arrived). I don't think I have ever been to a cracker barrel-style restaurant that does not serve breakfast all day. When you've got your heart set on breakfast lunch just doesn't do it for you. The food was so-so...not great. I got the chipotle turkey club sandwich and fries and my husband got the steak salad. He said the salad was terrible and my sandwich was alright aside from the burnt bread. The worst part of it all was the server, she was very rude to our group. Kept making sarcastic comments to us and talked down to us. My friend's parents were about to get up and leave. Unfortunately I didn't get her name but she has short brown hair and a sassy attitude so steer clear. They do have a cute gift shop as you enter the building...! read more

We were kind of surprised the bar was reserved for a party so we waited for our table in them gift shops. I knew the salmon would be risky but tried it anyway. It was a little dry but pretty tasty and the white sauce was very good. Spotted cow on tap was awesome. My buddy liked his fish fry and the chicken pot pie got good reviews. The service was very slow. read more

We ate here as a family, never having heard of it before. The food was delicious, the portions were big and the service from our waiter Danzo was exceptional! We had the burnt tip dinner, sirloin tip dinner, Iowa stuffed pork chop and parmesan american cut chop. We all cleaned our plates. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Have to say, pleasantly surprised. The food was really quite good. I'm not really a fan of the themed uniforms or corny phrases instilled by training, but with good food and great service, I can't complain. Started with some potato wedges and burnt ends. The potato wedges were good, fairly standard with cheese and bacon. The burnt ends were delicious though. Definitely the highlight of the meal. Texture was great, bbq sauce was delicious. Next time, I honestly may just get the burnt ends entree, they were that good. My entree was the smoked turkey sandwich. It was decent, good smoke flavor, but not worth getting again and I certainly wouldn't recommend it. But it is one of the healthier options on the menu and I figured after the potato wedges and burnt ends it'd be a good change of flavor. I do want to mention the great service as well, food came out very quickly and the waiter was engaged with the table. My friend had asked if he could just get some baked or grilled cod as opposed to breaded and the waiter had no idea. He checked with the chef and came back promptly and said they'd be happy to do so. It was an enjoyable dining experience. read more

3.5 stars. This place is like a slightly more upscale Cracker Barrel - and I say this as someone who very much enjoys Cracker Barrel when I'm on the road for business - this is comfort food done well. Portions are Midwestern (aka very large)! The roasted stuffed Iowa chop was absolutely delicious and incredibly moist. I would definitely order this again. The cauliflower appetizer was too drowned in olive oil for my taste, but overall I had a good dinner experience. read more

The Machine Shed is our go-to for carry out Friday night fish. We love the homemade sides and how the fish is baked or lightly breaded and fried. read more

Forced to eat here with a group, and it was just OK. So here I am after our group's get-together, and I was hoping we would go somewhere Wisconsin-specific that you couldn't get anywhere else in this great land of ours. Well, come to find out, the boring old men in my group just wanted something they are comfortable with. Note to self: Don't eat with this muddy sticks anymore. I get it, you just want something consistent and something you can relate to, but we didn't fly from all over the world to eat at Cracker Barrel. Do that on your own time. Let the local places shine. I'm not talking about fake fine dining establishments, but rather something that speaks for the local flavors and character of the people. Some would argue that being in 'Sconsin, I-O-Wuh, and ILL-'o-Noy are all about the same and would commence telling me to shut my yapper. People in Green Bay, Appleton, and Oshkosh would like to have a word with you. So, it sounds like I didn't like it, right? Well, the customer service here helped get a solid three-stars, and since I didn't find anything worth ordering for dinner, this review is based on the other people I was with. They loved the cottage cheese, the coleslaw, and breads that preceded their meals, and most ordered the exact same thing, which is about as exciting as watching ladybugs hump. Good going compatriots, you guys are easily amused. I just can't get behind ANOTHER Cracker Barrel. I understand their place in this world for the less adventurous, but is fried lake-fish from Lake Winnebago really that exotic? If it was, I wasn't aware. The Machine Shed isn't bad by any means, but there are tons more options if you really want to move your food-rating barometer. read more

Midwest home cooking at its best! This is an excellent restaurant for classic country dishes including meatloaf, breaded pork chops, chicken fried steak, and other delightful dishes. The portions are generously sized size along with complementary cottage cheese, coleslaw, and bread so no need to order an appetizer. Friendly staff and a nice gift shop as well. read more

We were treated horribly by a nasty staff member and promptly left. We walked in about 15 min. after they opened on a Sunday morning. It was the first time we'd ever been there. As we entered the dining room a grey-haired staff member (soon to be our server) walked by in front of us, looked right at us, said nothing and kept on walking. All three of us were searching for some indication about whether or not to seat ourselves. Seeing no such sign and seeing other diners already seated, we assumed we should seat ourselves. About 5 sec. after we did so (one booth over from other diners) our server came over and bitched, saying "Well, now you'll have to wait for service, because you sat in an area we're not serving yet!" We apologized for seating ourselves and offered to move to an area being served. She replied "No! You have to stay here now, because you already sat down and we'll have to clean the table now anyway!" At that we decided to take our business elsewhere (We went to Perkins and were treated with respect). As we left I told the waitress she needed to improve her attitude and get a sign to guide diners about seating. She then pointed to a tiny sign 10 ft away from the dining room in the "country store" part of the entrance. It was poorly visible and far from where it needed to be. When I asked her why she hadn't greeted us and guided us to a proper area for seating when we first walked (remember: she walked past and looked right at us saying nothing, she had no reply. WE WILL NEVER BE BACK. And we'll be sure to tell all our friends and family as well. read more

Stephanie, Great service! Reuben & "crispy"sweet potato fries, both very tasty! Jeff ordered tenderloin sandwich & crispy fries. read more

Machine Shed Restaurant - American Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Nice themed restaurant. The service was quick, food was decent and tasted nice. I had the pulled pork sandwich. I would group this as an up scared/themed version of a Denies, Perkins, etc. read more

First thing first, our breakfast started with these amazing warm cinnamon roll cakes the size of my head. Yummmmmmm ... Our waiter Jason was fantastic. Funny and attentive. Coffee was always full. We did a family style breakfast that was delicious. The bacon was the gold standard for all bacon. Paul Bunyan and Cracker Bar have nothing on the Shed. Get there early, the place fills up fast. read more

Wow! Yelp can call it a "tip", but this is all I have to say. One of the best breakfast experience I've had. If you're looking for fu-fu and frills, this isn't your spot. Looking for a great value and off the chart breakfast this is a must stop. This spot is like Cracker Barrel on steroids. Great visit. Family owned too! read more