Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern
Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern
4.5
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Monday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Friday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 2:00 AM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
123 reviews
Excellent
96
Very good
19
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
2
SSchlieckau
Reedsburg, WI210 contributions
May 2022 • Business
Saw this place on a TV show called Discover Wisconsin, so we decided to take a road trip to Monroe.
Very busy place in downtown historic Monroe. Got a couple of seats at the bar and ordered their famous room temperature Limburger cheese sandwich on rye with onions. The whole sandwich was pathetic. The rye bread was some fluff bread out of a grocery store, not something hearty like you would imagine. The cheese was sliced 1/8th inch thick if your lucky. The onions, good God, I had three strands of onion on the entire sandwich, not a slice and they were about the size of a piece of yarn, 2” long. The sandwich came with nothing on the bread, no butter, Mayo or mustard nor were any condiments offered or suggested. The whole sandwich was a quality control disaster. Never never never again will we step inside that establishment again.
Very busy place in downtown historic Monroe. Got a couple of seats at the bar and ordered their famous room temperature Limburger cheese sandwich on rye with onions. The whole sandwich was pathetic. The rye bread was some fluff bread out of a grocery store, not something hearty like you would imagine. The cheese was sliced 1/8th inch thick if your lucky. The onions, good God, I had three strands of onion on the entire sandwich, not a slice and they were about the size of a piece of yarn, 2” long. The sandwich came with nothing on the bread, no butter, Mayo or mustard nor were any condiments offered or suggested. The whole sandwich was a quality control disaster. Never never never again will we step inside that establishment again.
Written May 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessica34231
Sarasota, FL53 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
When you go to a town known for a specific place, you must enjoy the experience.
Very fun atmosphere with local food very glad I stopped before returning home to Florida, wish I would have went earlier. I even placed a pin on the giant map for those who visit!
Very fun atmosphere with local food very glad I stopped before returning home to Florida, wish I would have went earlier. I even placed a pin on the giant map for those who visit!
Written September 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hoogo
USA8,538 contributions
If all small towns were like Monroe, Wisconsin, no one would live in big cities. It's like something out of the 60's. Baumgartner's is great, right on the courthouse square in a town that still has a thriving downtown.. A number of tables were occupied, so I sat at the bar to have a locally brewed Berhoff root beer and a salami, Limburger cheese, and onion sandwich on soft rye.. I'll bet none of you has had that combination before! Service was fast and friendly, the bill was under $7.
Written October 18, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RanaMuck
Warrens, WI24 contributions
May 2011 • Business
I ate here with a group of coworkers and it was highly recomended by the locals. The menu is pretty small really and screams "bar food" to me. I was limited to a "cheese sandwich". Sure you can choose from a few different cheeses for your cheese sandwhich but thats not "real" variety to me. It was some cheese and some bread on a wax piece of tissue paper... no plates. There was mustard on the table to put on the sandwhich if you like mustard. This was way way way overpriced for cheese and bread... NOTHING else on it. No seasoning, no spice, no cooking, no imagination. The cheese was decent but I could have made this at home and brought it in my lunchbox and been much happier.
I also had a piece of pie and it was edible but bland as well, needed a little more sugar in it perhaps. The staff was very friendly and service was pretty quick. But if you think about it it should be quick... its a slice of cheese and 2 slices of bread. That shouldn't take long to prepare! The atmosphere was nice though, it might be fine if you want to go here to drink and enjoy the bar scene but I don't recomend it for lunch or dinner.
I also had a piece of pie and it was edible but bland as well, needed a little more sugar in it perhaps. The staff was very friendly and service was pretty quick. But if you think about it it should be quick... its a slice of cheese and 2 slices of bread. That shouldn't take long to prepare! The atmosphere was nice though, it might be fine if you want to go here to drink and enjoy the bar scene but I don't recomend it for lunch or dinner.
Written February 21, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wislakeman
Monroe, Wisconsin1 contribution
I was disappointed with my visit here. The food was expensive for what you got, and also bland and stale. The booth we sat in near the window was filthy, dead flies, stained wall, disgusting!
I had the limburger sandwich, what a mistake. There was a tiny slice of cheese on some old bread, served on wax paper. Give me a break!!!
The only bright spot/annoyance was the service. We were "bothered" constantly by several employees. I like good service, but the constant interruptions got to be annoying.
Skip this place, buy your cheese at Roth Kase, and eat somewhere else!
I had the limburger sandwich, what a mistake. There was a tiny slice of cheese on some old bread, served on wax paper. Give me a break!!!
The only bright spot/annoyance was the service. We were "bothered" constantly by several employees. I like good service, but the constant interruptions got to be annoying.
Skip this place, buy your cheese at Roth Kase, and eat somewhere else!
Written October 8, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sethScottsdaleAZ
Scottsdale, AZ1 contribution
We love this place, just a great value. The aged brick and raw onion sandwich is fantantastic! Nothing you would order on a first date, but once you are married, your spouse most likely will not leave you.However, this remains a possiblity. The salami and Swiss is wonderful too. I must confess, I skipped the sides and had two sandwiches.
Written September 11, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lynnverhelst
wisconsin3 contributions
Baumgartner's is a great, quirky old Wisconsin-y place! The employees there are so friendly and helpful, and genuinely seem to enjoy working there.
I've never seen anything like it. There's a cheese store in the front, with a good selection and low prices, and the employees, even the teenagers, seem to be very knowledgable about the different varieties of cheese. I had a teenaged boy say to me, "Well, the Danish blue is ok, but even though it's more expensive, my money's with the Stilton."
In the back is a tavern with long tables that you share with other patrons, which encourages everyone to talk with their neighbors. Baumgartner's is known for their cheese sandwiches. If you're daring enough (and don't care about your breath!), you might go for a limburger and braunschweiger sandwich. Where else in the world can you get one of those? They have several good local Huber & Berghoff beers on tap. Go for the pint glass. We opted for Chili and Huber Bock and a Berghoff Oktoberfest. They were all really tasty!
On our first visit, a beautiful late summer Sunday afternoon, some Goldwingers from Illinois joined us, and we were quite chummy after a bit. Of course, after a couple of pints of good beer and some good food, everybody gets more friendly.
Baumgartner's is the kind of place that is really hard to describe. You just have to go there. Now that we've been there, we can't wait to go back!
I've never seen anything like it. There's a cheese store in the front, with a good selection and low prices, and the employees, even the teenagers, seem to be very knowledgable about the different varieties of cheese. I had a teenaged boy say to me, "Well, the Danish blue is ok, but even though it's more expensive, my money's with the Stilton."
In the back is a tavern with long tables that you share with other patrons, which encourages everyone to talk with their neighbors. Baumgartner's is known for their cheese sandwiches. If you're daring enough (and don't care about your breath!), you might go for a limburger and braunschweiger sandwich. Where else in the world can you get one of those? They have several good local Huber & Berghoff beers on tap. Go for the pint glass. We opted for Chili and Huber Bock and a Berghoff Oktoberfest. They were all really tasty!
On our first visit, a beautiful late summer Sunday afternoon, some Goldwingers from Illinois joined us, and we were quite chummy after a bit. Of course, after a couple of pints of good beer and some good food, everybody gets more friendly.
Baumgartner's is the kind of place that is really hard to describe. You just have to go there. Now that we've been there, we can't wait to go back!
Written September 12, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edwin C
Rockford, IL52 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
We stopped here after our visit to Minha's brewery. I have listened to people rave about Baumgartner's for nearly thirty years so I decided to eat lunch here. The menu is just sandwiches and a few soups, no sides. The food was okay but a bit skimpy for bar food. Our sandwiches didn't get served on a plate of any kind just a piece of paper(a paper plate would have been okay). All in all it was just an okay lunch.
Written June 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Xd40
Mount Juliet, Tennessee16 contributions
May 2011
Just like I remember it from the '50's. Sandwich was excellent (ham and swiss) and the service was very good. Be sure and have the server pitch a buck up to the ceiling, she was GOOD!! The interior is really interesting, lots of murals and funny signs all over the place. Looks just like a place that was founded in the 30's should look. Don't pass it up if you get to Monroe, you won't be disappointed!
Written June 7, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelingteacher30
Quincy, MA29 contributions
So I have to admit that I come from a long line of Green County Cheeseheads, I myself grew up in Illinois and now live on the East Coast, but going to Baumgartner's means going to my roots.
This fabulous little Swiss tavern has always been a favorite stop of my grandparents, who on any given day know half the people in the place. So often when I have walked in with them someone greets us with the standard Wisconsin, "So, what da' ya' know?" This always melts my now hardened Bostonian heart.
I think what is ideal about Baumgartner's is the authenticity and sense of local flavor-and I don't just mean the cheese and beer. Every time I stop in I still get a kick out of "dollar on the ceiling" trick I've been seeing for years. You have to give the staff a dollar and a quarter and ask them if they can show you how they get it up there, someone on duty is bound to know.
As for the beer, we'll I love the local Huber and wish you could get it in more places. Couple it with a plain cheddar sandwich- or with a piece of thick salami. You are, of course, in brat country as well-so you can't go wrong.
Now if you are really daring...Baumgartner's is the best place to try the famous stinky cheese, Limburger. Why here? Well, you can chase it with a beer or a sandwich-which wouldn't be possible at a cheese factory and honestly, while it smells, the taste isn't that much different than other soft cheeses.
Seriously, if you find yourself anywhere near Monroe- Baumgartner's is a place you have to stop into and enjoy.
This fabulous little Swiss tavern has always been a favorite stop of my grandparents, who on any given day know half the people in the place. So often when I have walked in with them someone greets us with the standard Wisconsin, "So, what da' ya' know?" This always melts my now hardened Bostonian heart.
I think what is ideal about Baumgartner's is the authenticity and sense of local flavor-and I don't just mean the cheese and beer. Every time I stop in I still get a kick out of "dollar on the ceiling" trick I've been seeing for years. You have to give the staff a dollar and a quarter and ask them if they can show you how they get it up there, someone on duty is bound to know.
As for the beer, we'll I love the local Huber and wish you could get it in more places. Couple it with a plain cheddar sandwich- or with a piece of thick salami. You are, of course, in brat country as well-so you can't go wrong.
Now if you are really daring...Baumgartner's is the best place to try the famous stinky cheese, Limburger. Why here? Well, you can chase it with a beer or a sandwich-which wouldn't be possible at a cheese factory and honestly, while it smells, the taste isn't that much different than other soft cheeses.
Seriously, if you find yourself anywhere near Monroe- Baumgartner's is a place you have to stop into and enjoy.
Written April 3, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our stop for a nooner is at the top of my best "10". On my all time list. Just happened to sit next to one of the off duty bartenders and he informed us of all the history of this one of a kind establishments. A place I will definitely tell all my friends about. The story of the wall paintings is one of a kind extra treat.
Written June 3, 2017
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