Family friendly local bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Tuesday burger night are not to be missed! read more

Karly's Bar and Cellar Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Washington Island, Wisconsin

Awesome steak sandwich. It is just a neat bar - tops the list of 'dive' bars on Washington Island!

We were a group of 4 adults and 2 children. Wa waited an hour for our food. When we asked about it, the woman tending bar said that our order would be done soon. Then at the hour, she came over and said that our order hadn't been started! They were training new cooks so we would have to understand. One of the cooks came out and didn't offer an explanation. When we said we were leaving, the cook smut and said go ahead then. Do not go anywhere near this restaurant. The star ratishould be no star. read more

Nice little joint with a lot local people on beautiful Washington Island. Good bartender and banter with the locals.

Stop in for a Bloody Mary! The chicken dumpling soup was awesome! If your on the island, you need to stop here!

We decided to try Karly's bar because I had been disappointed with our usual place the last time we were on the island. Our server brought out a plate of home made cold slaw for us to start with. We are not fans of cole slaw, but this homemade slaw has become our favorite- we wanted to leave with a bucket of it. We ate it too quickly to snap a picture but it was made with some sort of oil and vinegar "sauce." Then we got the lovely bread basket (pictured). Our main plate of fried cod and potato side came out next. The sweet potato fries were nice and crisp and the mash was for sure homemade from potatoes. We asked the server who made everything and apparently "Grandma" makes all the sauces and slaw. You will not be disappointed when visiting Karly's bar. Also not pictured are the best Bloody Mary's you'll ever have. Service was amazing and quick. read more

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Yummy lunch spot!!! We had soup and sandwiches.... so yummy and fresh. I would love to see this place on a Friday night in the summer tho. Can tell its kind of the local jam. No COVID precautions but still. Waitress was super friendly but the bartender seemed sassy if you crossed him. But hey we visited at the end of season so he could have been over it. I would not recommend the bloody mary. Too much of something that just immediately gives heart burn! read more

We visited Karly's as a recommendation by some staff members from the visitors center. I gave it a 4 because I love the old bars and the quaintness they bring, somewhat tight quarters and creaky floors and old hand crafted bars; you just don't see as much as new style replace the old. This review is not based on beauty alone, but the rustic legacy that the place brings to the area. Karly's was bubbling and rightly so, (they have a Tuesday special tradition) a hamburger and fries for $4.50. The hamburger was a good size, came with pickles and fired onions or raw and fries were plentiful and crispy. Its not the Ritz and no intention to be. The bartender was busy and later did comment that this place usually isn't this busy, but at the end of the tourist season, they were still going strong. My rating also in based on the local Wisconsin style with the Norwegians, French, Italian, German, Swedish, English, I.E. to name a few where pub life is part of your social life. This was bar food and it seemed busier than a local McDonalds where you buy one get one free. We met a Silver Fox, which we thought was an animal but really a person who comes to the island and works. Everyone local knows him and play the little game, do we want to meet a silver fox. Kind of a downer as I didn't get the background of why they called him the silver fox. People made room for us at the bar and were friendly. We even met a man from Cuba traveling with his daughter and a another fisherman. He was jovial and rustic and you can see outdoors in his character. They were on a fishing trip. I believe he is a professional fisherman as he travels the world fishing. I did some reading of other reviews. I didn't smell any stench, the pub is kid friendly, depending what you mean by kid friendly. It's not full of games and digital sources of entertainment. You get to spend time with locals and family. That's kid friendly. I'd stop again if on the island. read more

Long overdue, this place SUCKS! Avoid it. The guy behind the bar (I'm told is the owner) - and I say behind the bar because he is no bartender, terrible drinks and terrible service, this place doesn't have one ounce of hospitality - NONE!! Even worse is on our trip up there we did not bring cash, the guy would not let us open a tab and then lectured us on "getting stiffed" on people leaving their cards there and not settling their bills. I am sure there is some way to close out those bills, but in all seriousness how many can that actually be, there were 3 people in there on a summer Saturday night. If you are looking for a terrible, god awful time with rude service from the biggest prick bar owner in Door County, go here. Otherwise avoid at all costs and go to one of the other great bars on Washington Island. I recommend Nelsons for some bitters, good music and lots of friendly people. read more

Classic last century bar with good fresh food. Westerns on tv, wood covering the walls. Reminded me of hanging out with my grandfather in the 1960s. Great burgers, fries, & onion rings with cold beer. read more

Thursday is fried chicken night! Fantastic chicken mashed potatoes and hand made coleslaw And he will be grudgingly make a pineapple bomb if you asked Tim for it. One part Ameretto one part Southern comfort 3-5ounces of pineapple juice over ice , Everclear to blow it up. Deelish! Girly drink. Still good. read more

Look - this is a dive bar with an owner that has zero Fs to give about what you think. The food is solid bar food cooked to order. If you're in a rush, don't bother. If you want a bartender who's kissing your @$$ for tips, don't bother. If you want real drinks and good bar food in a dive/northwoods tap feel, this is your place. The shrimp chowder was awesome. Best bloody Mary I've had at a bar in quite a while. read more

GREAT BURGER!!! BUT the owner (who was the bartender and server too) was probably the rudest person I've met in a very long time. She talked with other patrons about how "she doesn't care what people think," etc. it made the whole experience horrible!! Recommend to get hamburger IF you can get past RUDE and nasty owner. What a shame. read more

Old man at the bar yelled at me for buying 1 order of fries for my 7 year old sister with a debit card and told I need to f*** carried cash. Fries was 3$ and he charged me 4$ because they had a minimum. I didn't mind one bit that I got charged. If he didn't want to serve me I was more than happy to leave. Will not recommend this place if old man is still there. read more

Ok place, packed with locals. Not overly friendly staff. Stayed for 1/2 of the Packers/Bears game

Without the slightest hint of hyperbole, I can honestly say that I had the best damn margarita of my life in Karly's Bar on Washington Island, WI. We stayed on Washington Island for one night on a recent trip to Door County. We ended up dining at Karly's by accident. We were planning to stop in for "just a drink" before heading to another (slightly more upscale) restaurant on the island. What a mistake that would have been! I am not kidding when I said our experience at Karly's was my favorite part of our whole trip and gave me quite the story to tell. We entered Karly's to find a very classic, old-time WI bar atmosphere. Lots of 60's wood paneling. Not pretentious in the slightest. Some might refer to the atmosphere as "Dive Bar". I was exhausted, so I ordered a Bloody Mary to wake myself up. It was prepared by our bartender, Jan, under the direction of the bar's owner, Tim. It was fantastic, and very boozy. We got to talking with Jan, Tim, and another older couple in the bar, and soon found ourselves on Round 3 of drinks. My subsequent drinks after the Bloody were the aforementioned "best margaritas ever". Seriously. Those margaritas were like works of art. Each one took Tim several minutes to prepare, and each one must have had 3 or 4 limes hand-squeezed into them. I don't know what he did, or even if he used a high-quality tequila or not, but the taste was crisp and tart, and just sweet enough. I was certainly not expecting such an amazing drink when I stepped foot into run-down Karly's. The older couple who chatted with us convinced us to stay at Karly's for dinner. Tim supported this by informing us that his menu is nearly the same as the one at the other restaurant we were considering, but $8-$10 cheaper per entree. We sat and talked and drank with the couple, Jan, and Tim until about 8:30pm, when Tim told us we'd better put our order in before the kitchen closed. We actually shared a table at the downstairs dining room with our new-found pals. It was awesome. We'd just met several hours before, but we were such great friends after those awesome drinks that we had to share dinner. :) Everyone at the table except for me ordered the evening's special, which was ribs. I ordered fettuccine alfredo. I need to preface this review by saying that I've done my fair share of dining in dive bars and supper clubs in WI. I was expecting passable, mediocre-quality food at best, and overpriced, barely-edible food at worst. I was BLOWN AWAY at the quality of the food we got at Karly's. In fact, even two days later, I am still sort of shocked. True to WI supper club form, the meal included lots of extras--there was a relish tray, soup or salad, and bread and butter before the entrees even arrived. Calories be damned--I ate it all. Our pre dinner soup clearly utilized leftovers from the prior evening's prime rib special. It was 100% homemade. Utterly FANTASTIC. The bread in our breadbasket was hot and crusty. The butter was perfectly soft and spreadable. My fettuccine alfredo was the best pasta I've had in years. The pasta itself was al dente, the sauce was garlicky and rich. (So, so rich). It was served with a little cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. My eyes just watered a little bit thinking about it right now. It was so good that I ate my leftovers cold, with my fingers, on the car ride home the next day. Feel free to judge. I have no shame, only a slightly expanded waistline. The ribs that everyone else ordered were fall-off-the bone tender and glazed in an amazing barbeque sauce that was neither too sweet or too tangy. It's easy to screw up ribs (by cooking them too quickly so they get tough) so I was very surprised at just how tender they were. I don't even like ribs very much and I ate about a third of my husband's order. After the meal concluded, we headed back up to the bar to shoot the breeze with Tim, Jan, and our new friends. We enjoyed **several** more drinks and in our deliriously happy and well-fed state, we were offered free tuxedo cake that Tim had leftover from an event that Karly's had catered that evening. The cake was also shockingly good. Hours later, when we sadly concluded that no matter how hard we tried we could not safely eat another bite or drink another drop, we walked out of Karly's. Obviously we were in no condition to drive, but our hotel was next door and literally 10 feet away. Tim let us leave our car in their parking lot overnight. My experience at Karly's felt like an episode of Cheer's with surprise gourmet cooking thrown in for fun. The interior of Karly's is run down, but part of the charm. Go there if you're ever on Washington Island. It's the best! read more

Just weird. Really REALLY weird. Walked in on a Sunday looking for a quick bite to eat and there were 4 people at the bar, no bartender. Everyone had ice cubes in their glasses without any drinks. The TVs were on but on nearly-silent. No one turned their head when we walked in. Not a word was being spoken. I don't even think the people blinked. read more

This place doesn't even deserve one star. Before you even walk in, the stench is so bad you immediately lose your appetite. The bar is so disgustingly dirty inside, it makes you want to vomit. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Not only was the bar repulsive, the people in there were the rudest people I have ever met. They obviously never learned the meaning of "customer service." We decided to leave because it was very unpleasant. As we were leaving, someone started yelling at us because we were tourist and he "knew we were going to leave anyway." If you are looking for a quick lunch or dinner when touring the island this is not the place to go. You will get an attitude for being a tourist. read more

Finding a good meal can sometimes be tough on Washington Island. In my opinion Karly's is your best bet. I believe you can order lunch or dinner upstairs or outside, but the cellar is the place to go. I went twice in about a week, once for a guy's camping trip, and the second time with my wife. For the guys trip there were five of us, and four of us gave it a solid thumbs up. I had the baked walleye with french onion soup and thought they were both outstanding. The soup was especially good, although it came out pretty hot. My friend thought the pork chops with apple sauce were some of the best he had ever had. One friend was somewhat disappointed with the tenderloin--he didn't think it was the best cut of meat. He asked for medium and got well. My wife and I went the night that they had the family style chicken special. Right away they told us they were out of chicken which was fine with us. We went for the surf and turf (shrimp and prime rib) and enjoyed our meals. Service was friendly, but slow. The waitress was very apologetic. I have a feeling that they never quite know what sort of crowd they're going to get in, and when it gets busy they seem to fall behind. This wasn't a big problem for us, as we were on vacation and had adapted to "island time." There was another table though, that appeared to walkout shortly after ordering. Our waitress took good care of us with seconds on drinks and bread baskets as we waited for our meal. Hands down, this is the place to eat on Washington Island. read more

The owner is flat out rude! I came in with my family of 4, we sat for about 15 minutes before having to ask for menus, he said "you will get them in a minute "- He came over to take our beverage order and we said we are drinking water, he replied "not making in money on this table" - took another 15 minutes to get the water, our bill was $80 for terrible service, rude owner. Save yourself from this place- the island should be ashamed of this representation and should not go! Others were having the same issues we were while we where there. read more

I will say that the rating is based on the owner's attitude, not the quality of the food. That being said, the place is not kid friendly. Perhaps you'll have a great experience if you don't have kids. Also, they don't serve water in a glass, only bottles of water that you have to buy. The island is full of great places to eat where they are more welcoming, so I didn't end up eating here. read more

If you want fancy, this is not your place. If you want great fresh burgers, homemade sides, cold beer, and genuine folks who take care of you, this is where you go. Karly's is the real deal and not a tourist trap. Accept no substitutes. read more

One of the few places we actually found that was open! The waitress was really nice and friendly and the food came fast! The burgers are delicious and cooked really well. I enjoyed it and would come again if I had the chance! read more

Granted we only stopped for drinks, we had the best time here. The bartender and cook (who had just gotten through her shift and sat for a beverage with us) were so accommodating and fun it made me forget we hadn't known them for our whole lives. I would encourage anyone visiting the island to stop at the cozy bar and grill. True northern Wisconsin tavern. And tell them I say hi! read more

Karlys a great small bar and good food down stairs,Karlys has nightly specials get early as they do run out!as said food is good!service good,owners on site and this is my choice for a meal out on island if I eat out! read more

Stopped here with friends and we were totally embarrassed. The food was mediocre at best and the service was terrible. Definitely not going back there. read more

Went to Karly's this past Saturday for dinner. Food was great although the downstairs (basement) dining room had little to no athmosphere. I almost took a header on the steep, goofy steps near the bottom - be careful ! I had the Saturday Prime Rib special $20 and it was perfect. Everone else in my party opted for various combos of salads/sandwiches/soup. Everone was happy and felt they got plenty of food. My understanding is that there are few real options for sit-down dinner on the Island so this is a keeper. read more

Great bloody Mary's like they say they are known for. Typical bar food menu and super nice staff. Would stop again for a flavorful drink anytime read more

Great food, excellent prime rib sandwich. That said, this is a bar; a place for the consumption of alcohol; don't expect it to be a family restaurant. We ate outside on a sunny day, which was a perfect setting for my family. We also appreciated the owner's quirky sense of humor when it came to my son that can be a picky eater. read more

Ordered the bloody mary and it was really good. Not too salty, or spicy, and the lady bartender is so sweet! My boyfriend had the margarita which he enjoyed very much. We ordered cheese curds which was a great compliment to our drinks. read more

Once again we vacationed on Washington Island and of course went to Karly's. The cellar restaurant is not big on atmosphere but the food is top notch. Some diners in our group had perch dinners, others the whitefish. All were fresh and delicious. As a starter I had an awesome smoked salmon chowder. So good. They can make just about any type of mixed drink you would like, try a Manhattan. Service is not fast, but the staff is friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable. read more

Shocked at the owner's attitude and demeanor. I went in with my family - party of 8 (all over the age of 11). The owner was working the bar when we came in and was rude from the get-go. We wanted to put two tables together to accommodate our party, but he barked at us and told us "how this is going to work. Put the kids at one table and the adults at the other. It's not that hard." To clarify, the place was nearly empty. We decided to leave and go eat where we could all sit together. We stood up to leave and he insulted us saying "I could tell what you were like when you walked in." As we were leaving, he continued hurling insults and was unbelievably rude. I simply stated, without raising my voice, we were leaving so we could eat somewhere together as a family. He screamed "You Get Out!". I've heard the food is good, but I wouldn't put up with the poor service to eat good food. read more