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  Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant-Sister Bay, Wisconsin

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant

700 North Bay Shore Drive (Hwy 42)

Sister Bay, Wisconsin

(920) 854-2626

Casual dining

American and Swedish Cuisine, moderately priced, breakfast is served all day

Summer Hours: 6am to 9pm

Winter hours, beginning in September: 6am to 8 pm (later in winter opening time on Sunday is

7 am)

Much of Northern Door County was settled by Scandinavians, and so it follows that there would be a Swedish restaurant, complete with a grass roof and grazing goats in downtown Sister Bay.  This landmark serves many traditional Swedish delights, as well as American cuisine.  Often you will see Al or his wife, Ingert, sweeping or hosing down the sidewalk outside the restaurant in the morning.

At the height of the summer season, the wait for breakfast can be as long as an hour for a table.  You can put your name in and visit the downtown shops, go to the park across the street, or take pictures of the goats on the roof.  The hostess is usually spot-on about how long it will take, so look at your watch, and come back ten minutes ahead of time. You will not be seated unless your entire party is present.  If there are only one or two in your party, tell the hostess you=ll sit at the counter; there is often space available there. All that aside, the restaurant runs like a well-oiled machine.  Food comes out fast and hot, and is consistently good quality. 

Breakfast is served all day, and the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries are a must-have if you have never been to Door County. (Many people eat them with maple syrup instead, as lingonberries are very tart.)  Swedish pancakes are paper-thin, and folded and cut up into square stacks.  Some people cut through the whole stack and take a bite, others peel them back layer by layer.                                                             

Lunch and dinner have a wide variety of choices available for Swedish and American cuisine. The Swedish meatballs are very tasty, and are available at breakfast as a meat selection.  The portions are fairly large, so you may end up with a take-out container afterward.  The most expensive dinner entrée is a T-bone steak, served with mushrooms, vegetable, potato, and soup or salad for $20.25.

The decor of the dining room is a bit eclectic.  The story goes that the restaurant was assembled in Sweden, and then brought to America.  It is a log structure, and so there is a lot of wood everywhere you look. Some of the chairs are vintage Eames designs from the sixties.  Depending on the time of day you visit, the dining room can seem a little dim, but you adjust after ten minutes or so.  Sitting by the window is helpful, if you can.

The summer atmosphere is bustling, and the waitresses are typically young women dressed in traditional Swedish costumes with long black skirts and aprons, busty white blouses, and Dansko clogs.  A large gift shop showcasing Scandinavian products is attached to the waiting area, and so you can browse until your table is ready.

Off-season, there are many days of the week when it is the only place in town open to get a meal, and is mainly frequented by retired residents of the area, and local business people.  That being said, it is no problem to get a table during the week, and weekends are not too bad, as long as you avoid the after-church rush.