Dinner in Minocqua Wisconsin

As I'd mentioned previously, after shopping and exploring downtown Minocqua, we wandered on up north, just looking at the woods, scenery and the town of Boulder Junction.  What I didn’t realize was that we were only about 13 or 14 miles south of the Cisco Chain of Lakes in Michigan where Laurie, David II and I had spent a couple of vacations many years ago. 

In any case, by the time we finished our drive it was time for dinner…

For dinner, it was back to Minocqua and once again, it was a restaurant located on a lake.  In this case, it was Lake Minocqua and the restaurant was The Thirsty Whale.

 These photos were taken from the shore beside the restaurant just before I went in.  The first photo is just a general view of Lake Minocqua from the left side of The Thirsty Whale.

The second photo is interesting as I believe that it’s the remnant of a former railroad trestle for one of the railroads that used to service the town of Minocqua.  From the map of the area around the restaurant that I pulled up on line, it shows that the structure stops about three-fourths of the way across the lake, just short of reaching town.  The trestle also lines up perfectly for the depot that I photographed in Minocqua.

The bar and ‘game area’ was pretty empty when we showed up for dinner but I’m sure that it’s a lively late night operation as it stays open until 2:30AM most nights in season.  It is a spacious area, that’s for sure.

Outside dining is available for those who are so inclined…and there were a dozen or so people taking advantage of that big tent-like covering.

The dining area inside The Thirsty Whale was bright, equally spacious and clean.  As you can see, it had a bit of a north woods ambiance.  Service was prompt and efficient…

This was Laurie’s French Dip Sandwich with potato salad on the side. ($9.99) It was good but I noted that the roast beef was sliced thicker than one would normally expect on this sandwich.  The toast hoagie bun was a plus… 

Carla and Bonnie both had fish…one as a sandwich with potato chips and the other without the bread and sided with French fries. ($9.99) The sandwich is appropriately enough named “The Whale”.  

I had the Wisconsin Burger, the house hamburger topped with a generous amount of cheddar cheese and plenty of quality bacon. ($8.99) It was a good choice!  Love those seasoned French fries too…even if I shouldn’t have eaten any of them.

This was a bowl of The Thirsty Whale’s Wild Rice Clam Chowder. ($5.99) This bowl of thick and luscious goodness was probably the ‘star of the show’…the best thing that Karole or anyone ate at this restaurant!  This is the one and only time that we’d ever seen this soup on any menu…Karole also had a nice side salad.

The Thirsty Whale’s menu is pretty basic, sticking to appetizers, soup, sandwiches and salads.  Friday nights they have a fish fry option.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.  Address: 453 West Park Avenue in Minocqua Wisconsin.  Phone: 715-356-7108.  Website: http://www.thethirstywhaleofminocquawi.com/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave