I have been passing this place for a few years when i started traveling to Cashton. I have been curious since day one. Always en route w a plan in mind i didnt have time to stop. After seeing a facebook post last week that included a glimpse of their taps i decided to make time to stop in today, Friday. I was suspecting a Townie bar.... pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. It is a welcoming cabin-esque vibe upon entering then you're greeted by friendly bartenders! They have a nice selection of spirits as well as a tap selection to please any palate. I was headed to lunch so i didnt even browse a menu. I did glance at the specials board which listed a few soup offerings and a parmasean crusted cod. I will definitely be back. Thanks Cotter Pin for a pre-lunch beer served by a friendly bartender in a welcoming setting, cheers! read more

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Another great meal at the cotter pin. Today I had the French dip, roast beef sandwich with coleslaw and a pickle. It was delicious! Perfectly cooked! And a large portion size that made for two meals! Service was prompt and friendly as usual. read more

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Not a fan of the Cotter Pin. Upon entering there were no greetings or signs to decipher if it's self seating or if a host would arrive. Furthermore there were employees that I made eye contact with and no response, so we sat ourself. After being sat and looking over the menu we placed some drinks and were asked for our IDs about three times as we were grabbing them from our wallets. The drinks were good and well priced. The food however was mediocre and just meh. The boneless chicken wings felt like frozen wings bought in bulk that were simply sauced in lieu of home made/house made wings. The bourbon sauce however was good. I also ordered tater tots which never arrived because the severe forgot to input them. Overall based upon, the non welcoming environment and poor service I don't plan to return and won't recommend them. read more

Their food is so delicious. Great customer service and nice environment. Try the Mac b cheese for sure! Seems an odd choice but it is yummy.

Love this place-- Buffalo chicken Mac is bomb, so is the garlic chicken pizza. Friendly staff, cute place

Excellent atmosphere, great food and a nice selection of drinks. Definitely a place to stop.

Decided to try this place for the first time a few days ago. The exterior is inviting. The interior decor is updated and clean. The service was great. My big hubby ordered the personal pizza. Wished the server had said something that it would probably be too small for him, as it's a great kids pizza but not for a large, adult man. The pizza was good but the sauce had an off taste but still not bad. He could have eaten 3 of those pizzas. I had the chicken salad wrap that was good but there just wasn't much filling. However, when we got the bill and it was only $20 I understood why. Very affordable, small portions. Sadly, we both left feeling a bit hungry but we will go back. Next time we'll just order more food, especially with those prices. I've never seen a refillable soda at $1.50 in a few years. Excellent prices!! read more

We were in the area to ride on the bike trail and were looking for a nicer spot for dinner. This place filled the bill really well. The service was spectacular. Friendly, knowledgeable and timely. The drink/beer/wine menu was a highlight. Lots of choices and reasonably priced. We tried the tuna melt and the Friday prime rib special. My wife enjoyed the tuna melt. The prime rib was pretty good, but not great. I enjoyed the smoked flavor. I ordered it medium rare, but it was a little closer to medium. It was slightly thinner than I've seen at other places, but ai'd still order it again. This place is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area read more

A local family spot where everyone is on a first name basis. Service was prompt and neutral which I expect because I get that a lot being heavily tattooed "Gina" behind was bar nonetheless was great. I had wings, the sour cream and onion ones which were fantastic. Great spot for a bite read more

The Cotter Pin - a basket of fried food - Gift Shops Near Me - Sparta, Wisconsin

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This was our first time here today. Very attractive and clean place. Very friendly staff. Our food was great! We started with the pretzel bites with beer Cheese dip. They were delicious. I love Rubens, so that was what I went with and it tasted great. We had very large sandwiches, so we took half of them home. The owner stopped us on the way out, and was very friendly and welcoming. He thanked us for coming in. We will definitely be back! read more

Highly recommend this spot! Great good and beer! If you're looking for a good place to just grab a bite to eat or just to relax take a drive to Cotter Pin. The food is worth it. Friendly staff and service. You will be taken care of. The nachos here are one of the best of ever had. The pizza was also great! 4-meat, highly recommend! If I'm ever back in Wisconsin I'll be back here for sure. read more

Didn't get my appetizer until 1.5 hours later. Young man provided us with basically no service, was only checked on once after ordering food . read more

Great staff. Bacon cheeseburger Mac and cheese is the bomb. Great selection of wine and beer. They have 1919 root beer on tap, it's very yummy! read more

The Cotter Pin - The chesseburger bacon Mac and cheese - Gift Shops Near Me - Sparta, Wisconsin

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Heard about this place through some friends and finally made it out here for an early lunch while running errands. Gotta say, we couldn't have found a better place to stop! Great selection of bourbon and other whiskey, beers and wines. The bloody's were great, as was the jalapeno Juusto we had to start. Thankfully, we were early enough to get there while they still had some smoked Prime Rib leftover from last night and they made an excellent quesadilla for me even though it wasn't on the menu - great flavor with the smoke and very tender. My wife had their specialty pizza on a flatbread and she loved it as well. Even with the great food and drinks, the specialty should actually be the staff. Everyone is so cool, friendly, and helpful - especially Michael and Neal. Can't wait to come back!! read more

I can't say enough about this place! We were passing through and decided to pull in for some lunch and drinks. The servers were phenomenal and super knowledgeable! We got the pretzel bites, nachos and wings. The only advice I'd give is to order the wings extra crispy. They don't have a fryer in the kitchen so they were baked in the oven, so order them crispy if that's your speed! The bar was a super fun vibe, TVs playing football - and the beer selection was exceptional!!!! You won't regret coming here. read more

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Moved to the area a year ago and have felt there aren't many options for good food without going into LaX. On a whim we decided to try some takeout from The Cotter Pin. It did not disappoint! We ordered a personal pepperoni pizza, 12 wings, the loaded tots, and the bacon cheeseburger mac and cheese. I had a couple drinks while waiting at the bar for my order. Drinks were delicious and were just the right strength. The kitchen was closing in an hour on a Wednesday evening. The last of a larger group was leaving. Cool place. definitely not a country dive bar. Clean and modern. When I got the food home, the pizza was simple, cracker thin crust. 7/10 The loaded tots were as expected but a little dry. There could've been more beer cheese sauce. 6/10 The bacon cheeseburger Mac and cheese was very good and creamy. It's only topped with the meat and cheese not mixed in busy still very good. 8/10 And the surprise was the wings. Huge!! $1 wings on Wednesday (not sure if this is offered every week) but I felt it was a value for the meaty juicy wings. I got them in buffalo which was creamy and not too spicy, garlic parm which was a pretty standard sauce, nothing to say here, and the jerk dry seasoning which was good but wish there was more on it. Overall the wings were a 9/10. I do have to say that the service was prompt and friendly. I'll definitely return! read more

The food was great and their staff was very friendly. I made four trips here while I was in town. I had the cuban, buffalo chicken nachos, toasted tuna panini and the chicken bacon ranch quesadilla. They also have a great craft beer selection read more

The Cotter Pin - Buffalo chicken nachos - Gift Shops Near Me - Sparta, Wisconsin

First time on a recommendation from local. For this are I have found that this is the best place to go. Very friendly atmosphere. The place is almost like a Cracker Barrel with a bar. It's a restaurant and a bar all together. It's a nice place for a gathering or drinks after work. I was told to come on a Friday around 5pm because they serve smoked prime rib. They only serve it on Friday so if you decide to come, come early or it will run out. While I was here I tried the smoked prime rib and it was great. I've had roasted a lot but this smoke flavored rib is heaven. It a good because it comes with a soup and salad bar, baked potato and bread. They have a Queen (12oz) and a king (16oz) cuts. I will have to visit again to try other items on the menu. All in all it's a real nice place to visit for drinks , food, and friendly conversation. I recommend the visit. read more

This place is offers good quality homemade food!! I love the fact that there is no fryer. A very welcome change to the usual local menu. In addition, very welcoming staff and friendly owner. Glad we came and will definitely be back! read more

Unique Atmosphere, food and service. Tammy, Gabby and Neil were customer focused and hospitable. The 'smoked' prime rib was fantastic. We came back for the Reuben and Cuban which were so good. The broad wine selection and choice of tap beers was a step above. Overall the Cotter Pin is a culinary oasis for the Sparta trail area! Well done Neil and team, we appreciated your hospitality! read more

I like the small older places to eat but this place is new. It's neat and clean. Spacious and well lighted. We had a Hawaiian Pizza for an appetizer which was too big for two people but very fresh tasting. I had the chicken pepper jack panini which was amazing. We were there during off hours. I'm looking forward to going back on one of their special nights. I might have found a new favorite place. read more

Dreadful dinner starting with Terrible drinks. My husband ordered a Manhattan straight up and got some strange watered down drink with ice floating in the top. The crust of the pizza was like cardboard and the sausage tasted like it had been frozen for months. A truly terrible dinner read more

Awesome! Classic sandwiches done perfectly... their Rueben is incredible. Home made thousand island dressing. Wow! Quality Seasoned kettle chips or other side options. Appetizers are good too ... chips and home made salsa, pretzel bites. I didn't have any wine or drinks (nursing new mom) but they have a full bar. Quaint, cute decor. Cozy but not cheesy. Attentive, friendly, small town service. Brewed a pot of coffee on demand without an issue. So good we came back a few days later while we had family visiting from out of town. Another great lunch! They also do a Friday night prime rib and Sunday brunch. We'll be back! read more

I discovered this place on Yelp while passing through the area last summer. This is my 2nd visit and it didn't disappoint. I had the Pulled Pork sandwich both times and it is a really tasty choice. It comes on a really delicious toasted Italian bread with kettle chips or cottage cheese as side choices. They offer an extensive selection of wine and beer, including craft beers. read more

Stumbled on this gem while traveling for work. Food was delicious, and they had a nice selection of drinks. Looking forward to another visit as I will be through the area a lot. read more

Great holiday drinks! In the photo is their hot caramel apple made with Crown Salted Caramel. Delicious on the chilly night we were here. Appetizers (pretzel bites and nachos specifically) are super good and a little upscale for bar food. Menu is great for lunch and dinner as well! read more

The Cotter Pin - Hot caramel apple with Crown Royal Salted Caramel - Gift Shops Near Me - Sparta, Wisconsin

Very disappointed with this place. I went a couple of year ago. We sat at the table and the bartender and waitress didn't even acknowledge us until about five minutes later. We were then told they didn't start lunch until 11. We didn't know this as it said online they were open. We would've ordered but decided not to after getting ignored for five minutes. Finally decided to try it again over the weekend. Waited quite a long time for our food. Heard the waitress explaining to everyone that they bake everything to make it healthier. So they only have one oven to make food for eight plus tables that were filled up. Maybe invest in another oven or some air fryers? Once we finally got our food, we were rather disappointed. Will never go back again. read more

What a nice place with great food. It's spotless inside and bright with beautiful wooden tables and chairs that looked handcrafted. I wish I owned some! My husbands Reuben was delicious and my chicken with pineapple panini was also perfect. I will definitely stop again when I'm passing through. Oh, the service was outstanding. read more

I have been on a road trip from NYC to Northfield, Minnesota since August 30, 2021. Stopped in Sparta, Wisconsin, to see the Deke Slayton Space and Bicycle Museum (really). Ilyssa at the Museum recommended this Bar/Restaurant. Very very pleased she did. They must have 100 different beers. I am not a beer drinker, but they have a full selection of alcohol. The food menu is mostly sandwiches and pizzas but I was lucky enough to stop in on a Friday evening when they serve prime rib. It was unexpectedly excellent. The waitress Leah was a gem read more

We're from the San Francisco Bay and the in laws told us to about The Cotter Pin during our visit. We decided to stop by on our way back from Onalaska and it was great! The two bar tending ladies were friendly and very knowledgeable of the selection of WI beers. The establishment is clean and with a nice layout where I can see myself being a regular if I were a local. Definitely a gem in such a small town and I'm glad we stopped by. read more

The Cotter Pin - Just a few in the great selection. - Gift Shops Near Me - Sparta, Wisconsin

In town for the bike paths. Great selection of beer and ciders. Took a while to shop for our beers! The staff & owner were friendly and they allowed our Golden to come in with us. The interior was rustic and well done. The food was good and it seemed they started on expanding their kitchen. A sign of good things to come!? read more

We stopped by for a couple of bloody Mary's and an appetizer before heading south to visit some Amish furniture stores and we had great service great drinks and just a fun place to hang out. The barkeep offered us a couple of samples of their tequila sangria. Yummy. The buffalo chicken nachos were nice sized for two of us and tasty. Nice to meet the owner Neil - super cool. Ask him about his new tattoo! read more

Great atmosphere, service and wine/beer selection. Food was very good. Prices were reasonable. Everything was clean. Convenient to interstate. Will definitely visit again. read more

There was a large party who ordered before me, was worried that the food would take long. Was happy that the wait was only about 15 minutes tops! I got the Ruben! The Ruben was very good, they have a homemade thousand island dressing which gives it a little different taste, but it's a good spin on a classic favorite of mine! The pretzel bite appetizer was good, had to ask for the cheese to be a little warmer. Other than that, food and drinks are good! Would come back and would recommend! read more

Love the pin and its owner. Great place for friends and family plus Matt is often there

Great selection of wine and beer, from what I can see. My command restricted our unit from drinking, so water it was for us. Great food and great atmosphere! They even had a cornhole tournament that was awesome! A definite must visit! read more

An oasis on the route through southwest Wisconsin. Pass by the fast food and chain restaurants. Stop here instead.

Came across this restaurant because near a resort we were staying at but will make it a point of going to if we are ever in that area of the state. The sandwiches were great combinations and the kettle chips were the best we have ever had. Great customer care too. read more

Busy Saturday late lunch. One waitress, one behind the bar. Waitress is new, took forever.... standard bar lunch food.