Broken Oar Saloon

After driving by on my way further north for years...I finally had a chance to stop in on a Friday night.  

The sign says Fish Fry, and the place was always busy looking....   I pulled into the parking lot, kinda worried about there being room inside....since the parking lot looked busy.

No problem!  Very spacious inside.

They were super busy.  Service was very friendly.

Fish fry used a fairly heavy batter.  It was very crispy, and tasted like KFC Original Recipe, which I like very much!   If you want the fish itself to shine...this may not be the fish choice for you.  They do have other fish items on the menu, though.  The baked beans that came with were great.  You get a choice of cole slaw or baby red potato salad.  I loved the potato salad.  My daughter's cole slaw were great, too.    

The really cool thing is, they offer it in "family style" too!    That's the first time that I've seen that in the "up north" area.    I want to bring up a bigger group and get the family style.

Love the antique boat motors hanging up, lots of Musky mounts and Musky lures on the wall.   Some cool taxidermy and othe memorabilia.

Great price.  Great food.  Friendly service.   Cool setting.   Definitely worth the stop!

A local hot spot.  The owner, Jeff, is a great cook and business owner!  He just gets it!  We stopped in with a group of six the day after the 4th of July holiday.  We were the only folks in there and he had run out of quite a bit of food and alcohol from the holiday.  That didn't stop him at all.  He sat down with us and told us the specialty items he could throw down for us.  Everything was homemade and amazing!  The walley dinner is to die for - highly recommend it.  The onion rings were hand battered and made with red onion - delish.  Drinks were strong, food was great and he let us crank the juke box up loud for the good songs.  It may not have white linens, but it is worth a stop.  Keep up the great job Jeff.

**you could replace the young, blonde waitress/bartender with someone that actually wants to work in customer service and has a personality!

Imagine this:

You're hungover from a Brewer game that you went to because your friend from CA was in town and you guys drank too much beer, and then, the next day, you get in car and drive 5+ hours north. Your destination? Paradise. (aka, up north WI)

You're ready for:
-lake time
-nap time in the sun
-more beer, but later
-brats/burgers/etc.
-cornhole
-jokes
-boats
-evergreens
-bald eagles
-freedom

You get there, and you're blown away by the amazing crazy awesome place you're staying. There are people you don't really know who will soon become friends who are super nice. You're hanging out, eating chicken sausage, drinking beer and playing games, when someone suggests it's time to go to the bar.

The bar? But for why? This is paradise! We don't need no stinkin' bar!

(Except for that adventure is a way of life, so of course. Let's go.)

I had no. Idea.

Broken Oar =
-walk in
-glow sticks everywhere/up north rave of sorts
-live cover band
-drunk 20 year olds
-drunk 50 year olds
-huge patio
-everyone's happy
-no one's local
-what in the sam hill is going on?

It's a northwoods party complete with root beer schnapps, tequila, crappy beer and glow sticks, that's what. And everyone's pretty nice. And it's weird, and sort of surreal. And you don't really know how to feel, but you go with it, because why not?

THEN SOME REALLY DRUNK GUY STARTS GIVING OUT BURGERS and you're SO HUNGRY and it's the BEST THING.

I think I was the sober-est person at the Broken Oar that night, hence my still evident trepidation. The bartenders seemed very unhappy, but everyone else seemed to be having the best time of their lives. I took it all in, watching these summertime fun-folks getting their dance and drink on not far from the UP.

An A-OK spot if you're looking to head out in the Manitowish Waters area for sure.