I cannot say enough amazing things about Marieke Gouda! We stop here 3-5 times every summer on our way back from visiting my mother-in-law, and it's great for both adults and children. The cheese selections are incredible, and they always have a bunch of samples out so you can taste before you commit. The Truffle Gouda is my all-time favorite, with the reserve coming in at a close second place! Everywhere you look, there's food! The employees are friendly, and the service is quick. My kids always get ice cream when we are here, and they have to go visit the cows. There's a playground, a giant jumping pillow, and a track for tricycles. We've never eaten here, but we've taken meals to go plenty of times. We are never disappointed. The restaurant is always busy, and the atmosphere is always full of energy. read more

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This review only relates to the cafe. We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday and the cafe only had a couple of other tables with guests so it was really quiet. The waitress wasn't overly friendly, but whatever; the worst part was not being given straws for huge glasses of soda, or utensils. The best part was the appetizer of deep fried mushrooms. The avocado chicken caesar salad was so-so, it was just that the chicken, cucumbers, croutons, etc., were bland and the caesar dressing was like pale ranch dressing (which was just super odd). The classic burger had a thin, dried out patty. We would not bother to stop again. read more

These guys have it all! You can do a free guided tour at 900 am and 100 pm or visit and tour the facility yourself. They offer tons of cheese options and samples in the store. You can pet the baby cows near the barn and watch the big cows get milked a few times a day. The inside store offers a restaurant and shop. Skip the ice cream but try anything else! read more

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A must stop when passing by! Stopped for lunch and shopping on a Sunday around 1pm. The gift shop is great! With tons of cheese flavors as well as well as local goodies. The prices are extremely reasonable as well. I got a fabulous selection of cheeses for under $25! If you're traveling, they also have insulated bags for sale. You can go see the cows, but unfortunately tours weren't available on Sundays. read more

Marieke Gouda - Cheese Shops Near Me - Thorp, Wisconsin

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Literally every guest that came into the restaurant after us received their food well before we did. Very disappointing. We love the store but definitely will not dine in again. read more

This place is so Gouda.... sorry, I had to say it, so I thought I'd get it out of the way in the beginning! I have driven by the road signs many times and have been meaning to stop in and try the restaurant, but I never seem to be in the area at mealtime. So this time I stopped in to buy some cheese! I bought some Aged Gouda and some Gouda with Caraway. They were both excellent! Actually I can't pick a favorite! Loved them both. My visit was during Covid, but I would imagine when things are hopefully back to "normal" they would have samples available. But I can make it easy, all Wisconsin Cheese is good... so you can't go wrong. Lots of other things to buy besides cheese. Kind of touristy. Along with the cheese store and restaurant there is also a working farm with tours and play areas for the kids, so bring the family and see how cows are milked and get a picture by the big cow! read more

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Great place to stop for lunch when traveling. Their cheese is some of the best and the food is very reasonably priced. There are also some nice photo spots, tours of the farm, a store with specialty WI and Dutch products, and dog friendly areas. It's a great place to go stretch your legs and get a high quality meal along Hwy 29. read more

Marieke Gouda - Southwest chicken wrap - Cheese Shops Near Me - Thorp, Wisconsin

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Was recently taken on a fishing trip to sturgeon bay and told we are going to stop at a place that will blow your mind. As a native Californian I wasn't sure what to expect but it wasn't a family dairy. This place is amazing! Live working dairy with tours of how it all works, they sell cows, and baby ones at that, a cheese shop which is their specialty and why the cows are such a priority and a full service shop with all kids of food, goods and sundries all done Wisconsin style. My only regret, I didn't have my kids ! read more

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The shop itself is fantastic, the restaurant is sub par. I ordered the Jalapeno Burger, which comes with a raspberry jam, and it did NOT have the jam on it. My spouse ordered the Taco salad and it didn't have any avocado. It took so long for our beverages to arrive that our appetizer came out and my wife went and purchased 2 20 oz pops from the store before our drinks ever made it out. Once our food came out, we were never once asked how our food was nor did our beverages get refilled. The server finally came to ask us if there was anything else she could get us about 10 minutes after we finished. read more

Excellent grilled cheese sandwich! And great service. Plus, we were able to sample several cheeses!

The signs on the way back from Wausau beckoned us. They have a lot more than cheese. We had cheddar brats in the Sprecher ginger ale the next day, and weiners the day after. I loved all the cheese we bought, mostly for the artisan crackers. Dill havarti, gouda, sharp cheddar(went great melted on chili), Swiss wasn't pungent and perfect on a ham sandwich, crumbled feta on salad. I don't know if I'll buy cheese outside of WI again. I picked up a curry sauce for tofu during lent. I got a free dill mustard sauce for spending over $100. They have tons of accessories and we got a nice, solid cheese slicer. I'm sure they get a kick out of tourists losing their minds in this place. read more

Such a wonderful little place! We stopped here on a trek across Wisconsin and we were so pleased with every aspect of this well ran cheese factory and farm. First and foremast the cheeses is absolutely delicious! The staff is super friendly, you can see the cheese being made, it is really well maintained, and they have adorable calves you can pet! You must not pass up this experience! read more

Incredible cheese and fun location. We make a point to stop here every time we are in the state. Don't miss the restaurant.

For a fun little taste of WI and just a quick stop off Hwy 29, this is a must do! Delicious cheeses, farm tour, outdoor patio and a cute little cafe! Take a drive break from Minneapolis to Green Bay and get your cheese fix! read more

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Stopped on our drive from Oshkosh to the Twin Cities and understand why people love to make a stop! If you need a place to stretch your legs and let the little ones get their wiggles out there is space to wander the farm and visit their herds. They have a smaller cheese shop but the array of their personal selections in the case are impressive. What we really stopped for was lunch and we were not disappointed - a perfectly seasoned burger with crazy fresh Gouda on top, fresh brioche bun and Spotted Cow battered cheese curds all cooked to order. My mouth is watering recollecting it... read more

Marieke Gouda - Burger with cheese curds - Cheese Shops Near Me - Thorp, Wisconsin

Awesome place to stop for a quick bite to eat while shopping their world class Gouda cheese house. Lots of other snacks and drinks to purchase. Husband had the Gouda and chicken melt on Marble rye with fries. We could have shared it it was so much food and delicious! Tried the Gouda deep fried cheese curds with hand breading with spotted cow batter. read more

We stopped in on this beautiful September day for lunch. We had a wonderful cranberry bread, Gouda, Turkey, cranberry chutney sandwich and sat outside. It is a wonderful stop right off the highway. The grounds are well maintained, the staff very friendly. The store had so many choices of cheese to take home. Perfect fun stop to make. Family friendly The staff has followed all Covid state guidelines that are current. Did not feel safety was an issue at all!!! read more

Loved the variety of Gouda cheeses, the cows viewing area is great for children. There's a Cafe and an Icecream shop as well. There's a bouncy mound for kids to play. read more

THIS cheese...IYKYK. What a lovely accident to find Marieke Gouda along the road on our way to Door County. We've been a fan of the cheese for so long. When we arrived, it was an embarrassment of riches! They had all the varieties as well as some we haven't seen before. It was totally worth stopping! Bring a cooler - you'll need it. read more

This place is a must stop for me now on my Wisconsin visits. In a newer location right of the freeway and open 7-7, it is easy to shop here The place is bright and cheery and the staff is helpful. They feature their own Gouda in several varieties. They always have a few on sample for the more adventurous. I am a straight Gouda guy, so my pick is easy. My relatives like some of the other varieties, so I am always picking up one or two. This is seriously my favorite cheese. They also have cheese from several other locations (Lynn Dairy, Mt Sterling Creamery among others). Knick knacks, sausages, beer, honey, and other tasty tidbits round out the selection They also have a small cafe, but I have never tried it. read more

This was such a cool cheese farm. They have tours that are awesome. Take one if you have the time. The store is filled with a ton of cool Holland stuff, cheese made there, and more. They also have a cafe that serves food and ice cream. The whole experience was way cool, highly recommend! read more

Marieke Gouda - Its so gooooouda - Cheese Shops Near Me - Thorp, Wisconsin

Such a fun stop on the way to the dells or Green Bay. Very generous portions. Has a cute little store to buy cheeses, wines, meats Here's a hint..call ahead and order, orders usually take 15 minutes, so if your in a hurry order ahead. read more

Wow what a great little farm that make their own cheese. Their Gouda is excellent. I tried their 2 year aged Gouda and it is no wonder they were awarded in world competitions. A must place to stop and check out all their different types of cheeses. They also have a selection of bratwurst and some desert wines. They have a few retail gift items as well. I believe they demonstrate their cheese making techniques during weekdays too read more

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What a lovely time we had! Visited the happy cows at Marieke Gouda. Toured the creamery and barns. Watched the cows being milked. Met Rolf the owner. And had a lovely lunch complete with gouda cheese on our sandwiches. Rosa gave us a personal tour and answered every question we could think of to ask. Spent 2.5 hours with the Marieke team and left with full bellies and coolers! read more

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The attractions were fantastic! My kids loved the bouncy area and karts, and the store was very unique and clean. I was worried about the calves out front but have since been reassured that they are not for veal and are kept in pens for health reasons. Thank you Marieke! read more

WHAT A FUN STOP! We are yummy burgers served by friendly servers and delicious fried cheese curds. I bought Gouda to go home and enjoyed the windows into the cheese factory with all the info! Then we went and met the calves and then watched the milking. My kid also liked the giant bouncy pad! read more

OK--so the cheese is outstanding...BUT, do you want to risk your life to buy it? Staff is not masked, not gloved--and customers are wandering around the store and cafe without masks or social distancing. Call in, order curbside delivery or pick-up--do NOT go into the store if you value your health. read more

In Wisconsin there is no shortage of cheese shops, but Marieke really stands out. For one: they specialize in gouda. Who can say that? That's right, nearly no one. And boy howdy, how they specialize. On a fairly slow evening, the associate who talked with me shared their copious bounty of samples -- pesto gouda, dill gouda, garlic gouda ... I think I had about 20 of their 25 or so types of gouda. Also worth the visit is for the Thorp (do we capitalize the names of cheeses? Probably so, in Wisconsin, so I will). Yes, another cheese named for its town of origin (i.e., Colby), Thorp is a Gouda (naturally), but with the addition of wine. So think of a Gouda version of a wine cheese ball ... no, don't think of that. It's far better. And Marieke has not just a zillion types of Gouda, they have many of the other varieties of cheese. Marieke even has a good wine selection, and yes, Wisconsin produces some good wines as well. So take that, France and California. There's also some bizarre uber-trampoline outside, so you can have fun jumping on that, and maybe even let your kids try it too. And right next door is the dairy whence the milk comes (as well as the cow-scented breezes) so you can go on tours at 9am and 1pm to see the cows milked. (They're also milked at 5am, but no humans are actually awake at that point -- I believe the cows operate the machinery themselves.) read more

We got a flyer for this place in our Chippewa County travelers guide. We love cheese, so we drove out there for the 9am tour. It was a really cool experience, learning about their history and about milking the cows and making cheese. We got to see the milking from an overlooking platform. Then we got to go out to the barn and see the cows and their barns first-hand, including the "spa" and their sandboxes and feeding area. We got to see newborn calves and a bit older ones. Then we got to see how they make and "paint" the cheese, and were able to try their award winning gouda! Delicious! You can try any flavor of gouda you want, even if you don't do a tour. They always have a cheese "flavor" of the month, that's 15% off, and I saw on their website they post recipes for the flavor of the month. If you do the tour, you get 10% off your entire purchase! They carried their cheese of course, beef sticks, an array of Holland goodies (where the owners are from), and wines from local wineries. There is a small restaurant inside, but we didn't eat there. The food did look good though. We are so glad we went there! Our favorite cheese was the plain gouda - yum! Their Marieke Golden is an award winning vegetarian cheese that was awesome. All of the other flavors were also really good! read more

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Awesome place to stretch your legs with the kids. The "pillow" is super fun, a good workout and free! The bathrooms are nicely updated and very clean. Plus the cheese is phenomenal! read more

Marieke Gouda - Cheese Shops Near Me - Thorp, Wisconsin

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I had no idea Gouda had such depth of flavor before I stopped at this wonderful cheese shop. Even saying cheese shop somehow diminishes the BEAUTIFUL, artful way they produce their cheese. It truly is a high art here. The staff as well is magnificent. Allowing us to sample several varieties that were all wonderful. How the heck do you choose. We settled on black pepper, truffle, caraway, and 6-8 month aged. All oh so flavorful. If you don't get a chance to stop buy please web order some of their grand creations. You can taste the care they put into every morsel of cheesy goodness. read more

Glad we turned around!! Driving along HWY 29 enjoying the bucolic setting and wham a giant bouncy thing along the side of the Hwy. Three kids with their eyes digitally glued to the iPads I told mama to turn around. Turns out to be some kind of dairy farm/restaurant/ world famous cheese place/good ol American awesomeness The place is a great respite for the weary traveling parents with small children- the restrooms are clean- staff is friendly-food is hot and fresh. I'm bookmarking this place for next time. read more

Came here on our way to Spirit and stopped to taste some great cheese! Wish we had time to stop on our way back. All the cheese is delicious and I do mean ALL! Everything I tried had it's own great flavor. See you next year! read more

I couldn't be more angry with the service. Spent two hours and never got my food! Can only assume kitchen staff is racist, as my Mexican wife wasn't with me the first time I went there. No other way to explain how out first order was "lost" for first hour. Told food would be on the house, an hour later, still no food and everyone who had arrived after us had been served. read more

We always stop here on way to visit grands. Was disappointed this time in the grilled chicken salad. I guess I need to ask what kind of lettuce it is served on. This was iceberg! Yuk. Not a fan at all. Had other salads there before in spring mix this one was nothing special at all. Hubby had patty melt and it's one of the best he's had. This rating is not on the restaurant or the service or cleanliness. It is strictly on the iceberg lettuce read more

Awesome cheese and a great family road trip stop! We stop here almost every time we pass it on the hwy, never disappoints.

What a wonderful experience! The staff is always super friendly and knowledgeable and the cheese selection is immense with samples available. Lots of family friendly activities outside for the kids such as a huge air pillow to jump on, a small soccer field with plenty of balls, large trikes to ride around the farm and plenty of outdoor seating and photo opportunities. Don't miss out on eating at Café Dutchess! They offer a full menu, including breakfast until 11a, with huge portions sizes and their homemade chips are delicious! The Grilled Gouda Sandwich with locally sourced bacon is my go-to favorite, Nolechek's Meats is just down the road. Indoor seating; cozy dining section can seat 30 or so people. Tours of the dairy are also available at no additional cost, I think you may need to call ahead, but the barn is always open during business hours to view the dairy from two separate viewing points. Our 3yo grandson loves "the cheese farm"! read more

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I am editing my review from my dining experience on 3/30/19 due to having had a conversation with the general manager (Kim), and feel it is appropriate. Let me begin by saying that my wife, 8 month old daughter, and I had lunch at Marieke Gouda on 3/30/19. We have dined here perhaps a dozen times over the years and most of the time things were just fine and well. The speed of service always leaves a bit to be desired, but if you are in a hurry to go eat, then go to the McDonald's that is located very nearby. Generally, it's a very relaxed atmosphere and there is something to be said about just browsing the gift store and going outside to jump on the jumping pillow. Our dining experience on 3/30/19 was anything but ok. Truthfully, it was just awful. Just to briefly sum it up, we placed our order, and it was a comedy of errors (not just for us, but the entire restaurant was falling apart). The server was fully inattentive of these problems and completely oblivious/unconcerned with what was happening as was the other staff. Many tables were upset, wrong orders were coming out galore, and there was no management or ownership on hand to deal with the disaster in progress. The worst part(s) of all was when the server (who was very old, slow moving, and seemingly with no waitressing experience) approached our table after an hour and informed us our order was lost. We gave her the order again, and she informed us our meal would be complimentary. This would have been fine, but when I went to check out the meal was full price. When I asked her about this, she said she would give us 20% off. I would probably have been fine with this arrangement in the first place, but I was not very happy to be told one thing (which I didn't even ask for), and then have the offer rescinded when I went to leave. It seemed this promise was made to other tables and lets just say some of the other patrons were substantially less diplomatic about her lack of concern, poor service skills, and flat out lying. This is all I will say about this dining experience...and again, it was just awful. I then proceeded to write a blistering Yelp review with a 1 star rating, copied and pasted it, and emailed it to the "contact us" section at Marieke Gouda to be sure it was seen. The next day I received an email back from Kim (the general manager) that seemed to be very concerned, very apologetic, and taking full responsibility for what happened. She promised to make things write and fulfill the promise of the complimentary meal we were told we would get in the first place. Kim and I had multiple emails back and forth, and I was highly impressed with her owning it, using it as a learning example, and making changes to the operation to ensure such a situation would never happen to anyone else. After a few chats back and forth, I began to feel bad about my review, and felt it was not fair to write a Yelp review based on one inexplicably awful experience when we have dined there many times over and every other experience was perfectly fine. So, accounting for my past dining experiences, and in no small part to Kim's response and how she handled the situation, I feel it appropriate to rewrite my review. The fact of the matter is, Marieke Gouda is a wonderful operation and the success story of a small, local business is one to be praised. Everyone and every business will have an off day, and it just so happens I had to be there for the worst one of all. I will indeed make a point to give Marieke Gouda's another shot in the future as the food is excellent (the cheese curds are a must try), the atmosphere is exactly what you would hope for in a small, Central Wisconsin town, and I highly encourage anyone who has not had the opportunity to see this cheese making titan for themselves to stop on by and check it out. So, in conclusion, if you frequent or have been to a location multiple times, never let one poor experience define your entire Yelp review. This was my mistake, and I am very grateful to Kim for providing me the forum to vent my peace and update my review accordingly with the new information I received from her. read more

Worth stopping for the gouda. And, since its halfway between Wausau and Minneapolis, you know that you need to stop anyway after drinking all that water or coffee. read more

We had a blast! Great food, cute calfs! I really enjoyed the giant jumping bubble thing. Thank you for a fun experience. Highly recommended.