I've eaten here a couple of times. If you have a belief system that a restaurant in a strip mall…read morecan't be good, discard the notion and head to Big Pot. I've had the combination pho on both visits. The broth is flavorful and the ingredients (brisket, tripe and meatballs) are plentiful. If you finish the bowl you'll have to be rolled in Violet fashion to the nearest juicer. On my last visit, I added an order of spring rolls. They were great. Service on both visits has been great. Prices are slightly higher than average but not out-of-line for the portion sizes. As for ambiance, it is industrial in finish, but I come for the food, not the decor. I'll definitely keep this in my rotation of Asian style restaurants in Appleton!

The food was very delicious . Our waiter was very kind and sweet. The vibe of this place is really…read morenice and calm. I would recommend to come here ! Everything was amazing !

One of the best "Restaurants" in the Valley. The Wednesday Specials make you feel warm and fuzzy,…read morethey are delish. Ribs, Ham and Turkey in one meal. Can't beat that!

My mom took me out for a belated birthday dinner, and it was both of our first times dining at the…read moreRed Ox. We arrived around 4:30 pm on a Wednesday and were seated immediately for the two of us, which was lovely. I started with a filthy martini (one part vodka, one part olive juice)... and they nailed it. Exactly what I asked for. My mom ordered a whiskey old fashioned press, which she enjoyed. For appetizers, we ordered the French onion soup, deep-fried mozzarella, and bacon-wrapped scallops. My mom also had the soup of the day, which was a turkey pot pie soup. Everything was very good overall. One small note on the scallops, and this is important for context: I personally have a strong aversion to seafood, and my mom is usually careful not to order seafood around me because even the smell can make me nauseous. However, scallops are usually an exception, as they don't tend to have a strong seafood odor. In this case, there was no unpleasant smell at all, which I appreciated. That said, the scallops themselves appeared under-seared and very pale, and the bacon was undercooked. Not raw, just soft and not crispy. My mom agreed it could have used a few more minutes. A minor miss, but worth mentioning. For my entrée, I ordered the French dip, which came with carrots... and honestly, the carrots deserve their own moment. They were tiny, perfectly cooked, beautifully seasoned, buttery, and balanced with just the right amount of sweet and salty. I love carrots, and these were exceptional. Highly recommend. My mom ordered a Wednesday special trio, which included barbecue ribs, pineapple glazed ham, and a turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I'll note that the ham itself was delicious, but the pineapple glaze wasn't quite for me personally, as it leaned a bit too tangy for my taste. That said, the turkey was phenomenal. I had a bite, and it was moist, flavorful, and absolutely something I'll come back for. The mashed potatoes and gravy were excellent. I love stuffing, but this one wasn't my favorite; it tasted slightly sour or underdone to me, though that could simply be a preference thing. I'd still order the turkey dinner again without hesitation. Because it was my birthday, our server Jenny surprised me with a slice of chocolate cake, which was incredibly sweet and thoughtful. I was very full... but yes, I ate the cake, and it was delicious. We also split a Pink Squirrel for dessert, which was rich, nostalgic, and the perfect way to end the meal. Service was excellent throughout the evening. Jenny was warm, attentive, and paced everything perfectly. Food came out efficiently without overwhelming the table. The hostess was also welcoming and kind. The dining room was clean, comfortable, and nicely decorated. The lighting was just right, not too dark. We also arrived at a great time, because shortly after our entrées came out, the restaurant quickly filled up. One small suggestion: the website mentions half-price apps and drink discounts, but it isn't clear that those specials are bar-area only. Not a huge issue for us, but clearer wording online would help manage expectations, especially for guests who can't sit at high bar seating. Overall, this was a really special dinner, especially after years of hearing about the Red Ox and never going. More positives than negatives by far. Final rating: 8.5 / 10 We'll absolutely be back... especially for the turkey dinner and those carrots.

The photos of this place don't do it justice. The night before, our Uber driver recommended we go…read moreto Black Bear Family Restaurant for breakfast. As an avid Yelper, I looked it up and wasn't too impressed with the photos, but I decided to trust a local's choice. We took the 10-minute walk from our Airbnb, and when we arrived, I was shocked to see how big the restaurant was. It was bustling on a Saturday morning, but we were seated quickly. Immediately, I noticed a warm and friendly family-focused atmosphere. Our waitress was kind and quick. She brought us the menus, got our drink order, and gave us time to look through everything. Since this was our first time in Wisconsin, we got an order of cheese curds and a breakfast skillet each. We easily could've shared one breakfast skillet, but they were both so delicious, and I'm glad we got our own. The cheese curds were phenomenal, even though we ordered them as an appetizer. They came out at the same time our meals did. I enjoyed our time at Black Bear and I'm even considering going back again as I write this review. A great spot for newbies in town and definitely worth checking out.

OH YEAHHHHH this is the place you want. It's all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it's like the…read moreupper Midwest on a plate. I came here with my darling children while home visiting my folks. We were seated rapidly and served rapidly too. I had something called the Tot Scrambler and it was basically an homage to poutine: tots, onions, bacon, scrambled egg, gravy. Yes, it's every bit as awesome as it sounds. My daughter had an egg-n-cheese croissant and sweet potato fries and the fries were excellent. My son had an enormous meal with French toast which he caused to disappear with remarkable speed. As is my custom, I give this place 5 stars because it is a perfect avatar of its genre. Being here is like the emotional equivalent of falling into a vat of macaroni and cheese. (Which, if they have it here, is surely perfect.) Parking was fine and handicap access was fine too. If I still lived here in Appleton I would come here every month for sure.

We came for dinner on a rainy Friday night. It was nice and cozy inside. It was the Friday Fish…read moreMenu. The Fisherman's Stew was so good- Also the pan fried walleye and the crab cakes!! The drinks were great as well. Our service was friendly and fast. Would definitely come back.

Despite the name, history, and exterior, the interior is pretty bland. It smelled off--like cat…read morelitter, which wasn't terribly pleasant. The service was good; the staff were friendly with some regulars there. However, the food was overpriced for the quality. It wasn't bad, but there was nothing special about it. You can get way better food elsewhere for less money in other places in Appleton. FYI: On Fridays, they have a fish-fry only menu which is different from their regular menu.

Love lunches there! Nice people and places. Haven't been there yet at night. Hour away but worth…read morethe trip.

They were fairly busy for 6pm on a Tuesday but the wait was pleasant. Place is nice and clean and…read moredoesn't smell musty or dirty like some supper clubs can. The bar area is spacious to wait either at the bar or in some small lower tables. We came for the salad bar and were a bit underwhelmed. It says Fridays have a limited salad bar and if you asked me what that looked like tonight's is what I'd say. Lettuce, a few standard veggie toppings, your usual dressings, croutons. Missing things like pickles, carrots, corn or peas, three bean salad, cottage cheese. But it was all fresh and crisp and had the most important things for a supper club: cheese and liver spreads with crackers and hot bacon dressing. They also have two soups nightly, lasagna (flavorful and not sweet like some places) and ham and potato (perfectly thickened but not like glue and not too salty). I love that they have perch every night. I was a bit skeptical on all the combos being with tenderloin because I don't like that cut but it was tender yet not mush, perfectly charred and crusty outside but a spot-on medium rare almost to the rare side. Seasoned well and made me a believer in tenderloin. The perch was some of the best I've ever had. Large. Moist fillets and cooked to perfection so it was crispy cracker crumb outside but moist and flaky inside. The broasted chicken was crispy and juicy but a bit salty for my taste. Potato puffs were a fun take on potato sides and well seasoned. Ambiance is what you'd expect, dark wood and "homey" ambiance. Waitresses are fairly attentive and get the job done. It's also absurdly affordable, we paid more for a burger lunch earlier that day and here we even had leftovers.

I've eaten here a few times over the years. My takeaway is the place is consistently good. I stop…read moreshort of great, because there is room for improvement; however, being consistently good fills tables. Overall, slightly nicer than a family restaurant but not pretentious in any regard. High ceilings, kind of noisy environment, but not so loud you can't chat with your table mates. A full bar and a menu where everyone should be able to find something to their liking. On my last visit, I had their ribs. Gotta say they were pretty good. Large portion served with a creamy coleslaw and bowl of Mac & Cheese. I prefer a moist Mac & Cheese and found this to be pretty dry. My dining partner had the bistro melt with a chicken breast. Also tasty and a large enough sandwich to bring some home. Price for a dinner is just slightly on the high side; however, the taste of the food, drinks and friendly service will probably bring you back. If you are into it, they also do Trivia on Thursdays!

Great menu. Service was awesome. Food was very good. Wish…read moremenu was even bigger. Airy and open seating

Excellent food and fantastic service. So many good things on the menu it was difficult to choose…read more The fried catfish is the best I've had since moving to WI from Tx. We'll be back soon!

The fact that you can get Hmong Sausage and Pho in the same place you can get a stellar bag of…read moregarlicky goodness of crab is just amazing. The service was so great and didn't even need to ask for boxes, they were just on the ball with service. 1000/10 highly recommend for a fun and messy dinner date!

Such a cute restaurant. The waitress was very helpful and welcomed us to the restaurant for our…read morefirst time. Great food options and of course fresh chips and salsa to get us started. I chose the grilled chicken fajita burrito bowl. Plenty of food for 3 meals! And so delicious.

My friends and I went thanksgiving week while I was visiting family. We did drinks and dinner…read more Our server identified as being new and did a great job. Very nice and attentive. Service was very quick. They have a large variety of food and drinks on the menu. Food wise, they let you mix and match the types of tacos you get, which is great because of a lot of delicious sounding flavors. The margarita flight was delicious and helped my decide on my second drink. Food was good. I tried 3 different tacos and the birria was my favorite. I do recommend trying this place out if you're in the mood for Mexican food. Excellent service and staff as well.

food was very good! the steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, it was nicely fatty, and juicy,…read morethe desert was also very good. the service was very good, the waitress was very kind and made sure everything was going well. the ambiance was amazing, i loved looking at the packers posters. best steakhouse in appleton!

It's not the quality I would expect for the price point. This was a birthday dinner and there were…read morefour of us. Service was...meh?? Our server was very interested in up service and that's about it. It took a long time to get drinks, she barely checked in on us for anything and this was not a busy night. Steak was fine but I expected it to be and it definitely wasn't amazing. I felt very underwhelmed by the sides. They sounded so fantastic but fell so short. Overall this was not an amazing experience and I have been told. I have had better meals at places that were less than 1/2 the cost. It's very cool inside and they have a lot of memorabilia that is awesome to look through, but if you are coming here for the food and service...I suggest you eat elsewhere. At a little over $100 per person when all was said and done, this place is not worth the hype