Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik

Grace Alberts

2024-04

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Pam Myhra

2023-10

Al Johnson’s was a super fun breakfast dining experience for my family! The Swedish pancakes were delicious, (four in a serving)! We had a beautiful view of Sister Bay from our corner window booth. Our waitress was very efficient and friendly; happily and quickly getting everything we requested. I loved the restaurant’s Swedish decor and the adjacent gift shop was packed with interesting items to purchase! The goats grazing on the grass roof were charming too! ❤️

Scott Fowler

2024-02

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J Z

2024-03

While on vacation in Door County, we made sure we visited the restaurant known for the goats on the roof. We knew we'd have fun, but we were pleasantly surprised! This place has delicious food, wonderful service, and a great selection of Scandinavian gifts. I enjoyed the tasty Homemade Swedish Meatballs with mashed potatoes, Swedish vegetables, and fresh salad. Besides delicious entrees, they also serve a variety of breakfast items (such as Swedish pancakes with strawberries), burgers, grilled and cold sandwiches, and scrumptious desserts. Although there were many tourists there for a weekday lunch, the employees were very organized and put us on a list. While we waited (about an hour and a half), we walked around the beautiful Sister Bay waterfront across the street and watched boats. When we were seated, the waiter provided great service and did not seem to be in a hurry. The restaurant also has two shops (Al's Butik and Skal), and the Stabbur Beer Garden. We had a nice afternoon there!

Tatiana B

2024-04

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Wanderfish

2023-08

If you are prepared for a two-hour wait, you won't be disappointed!After adding your name to the call list, you won’t receive a text message. It’s best to stay close by since they will call your name over a speaker that projects into the gift shop and the front porch seating area. However, there are no speakers in the Beer Garden. Be mindful of the time if you decided to have a drink before your meal.Our hostess suggested we return 15 minutes before our given time. We arrived 30 minutes early and waited on a bench near the door. We were pleasantly surprised when we were called in a few minutes earlier than expected.This dining establishment is the most efficiently run place we have ever experienced. The staff is friendly, confident, hard-working, and professional. They move through the tightly packed seating area with ease while providing fast and courteous service. It’s like watching a carefully choreographed dance.Every staff member takes pride in the work as if they were the owner. We sat very near the bar area and my husband watched several servers come up to the bar to refill the tea bag containers and condiments. He was impressed with the organization and attention to detail shown by the servers when completing the most mundane tasks such as refilling the tea bag containers and condiments.The staff at this restaurant is very attentive to cleanliness. They check the tables for smudges and thoroughly wipe down each chair. The entire establishment is well-maintained with sparkling clean walls, tables, and floors. It looks like a brand-new restaurant despite serving over 2,400 people a day during the height of the season!I ordered Fish & Chips, and my husband ordered Swedish meatballs. We were both blown away by the quality, freshness, and taste of it all. We opted to share a warm cherry pecan bread pudding. It was the perfect ending to the wonderful meal.We had a great time here and will definitely return if we’re ever in the area again!Sure, this is a bit of a tourist trap - but when it's done correctly - it's a fun addition to any vacation!Consider this a destination restaurant! Highly recommended!Parking: There is ample parking but you may need to drive around and hunt for a spot for a few minutes during the busy season.

HAVIS Adventures

2023-08

Great restaurant located in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Serves the usual Swedish cuisine. The meatballs are fabulous. We went back twice during the week and on the second trip I just had the breakfast pancake special. It was great. Expect at least and hour wait but worth it. There is a gift shop attached and an outdoor bar area. Look for the goats on the roof.

Jeremy Riese

2023-05

This is a very neat little place. The atmosphere is unique and lovely, and the location is right on the main drag. The goats were not out on the roof when I went, and I'm not sure when they're put up there.The food is delicious and very filling. The service is amazing, though due to the popularity of the location it can be a bit of a wait to get a table.

Tom & Amie

2023-10

Very neat place to visit. So bummed it was to hot to let the goats out to walk on the roof I was told. The food was good. Service was ok. The little shop was cute. Prices were to be expected for a tourist restaurant and town. We had to wait for 1 hour to be seated so plan on that. Parking is in the street. The bar area next store was nice. Enjoy.

Addie Jackson

2023-09

Went with the family, when I had time in-between work. I was told to check this place out and I saw this on one of the Discovery Wisconsin places. This place totally was a cool place to definitely check out. The goats 🐐 are out on the roof!! The food was great, they give you alot of portions. The service was awesome and kind. The atmosphere was really nice! They also have a store attached to the restaurant. Loved everything in the store just about. I definitely got some gifts for xmas this year! This absolutely a gem!! Highly recommended.

Kristin D

2023-12

You really haven’t experienced Door County if you haven’t been here. Yes the wait is long and it’s always packed, but put your name on the list and take a walk, look for the goats on the roof, then come back and feel like you’ve been transported to Sweden. The decor is so charming and there’s so much to explore in the gift shop. Even the restrooms are adorable!We never really order anything besides Swedish pancakes and Swedish meatballs, and get our lingonberry fix for the year, but they have a large menu. Service is always friendly and efficient, this place is like a well oiled machine.

Ben S.

2023-10

First time. Hour wait right after opening for the people. Killed time in gift shop and at looking at water across the street, and goats on the roof. Food was great. I had the pancake special with lingonberries, whipped cream, meatballs, and scrambled eggs. Drinks and coffee were bright and refilled fast. Bathroom was clean. Server was cordial and attentive. My brother loved the Swedish style roast beef he chose. I liked his pickled beets. Would definitely come back.

Mike Willis

2023-12

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Avery Chatfield

2023-09

Al Johnson’s is by far my favorite thing about coming to Door County. Not only is the atmosphere fun and authentic, but the food is great and the people are wonderful! This has become a family tradition for us. Make sure to check out the amazing gift shop, and don’t forget to try the Swedish pancakes!!Vegetarian options: 4 of us are vegetarian and we were happy to enjoy a very accommodating menu.

Brett Wenzel

2023-06

So an hour late around noon but understandable how it's a door County staple restaurant lol. Our server was very nice but definitely got the vibe of wanting to get us out for the next customer.The cheese curds we ordered were really good. Thin breading and good cheese. My fiance got the meatballs and Potatoes. She said it was really good but nothing crazy special. I got the double cheeseburger and it was really good too. Probably one of best burgers in Door County. Not a lot of talk about this place having good burgers.Overall a must visit in Sister Bay Door County.

Viv Park

2023-11

The ButikPacked with lots of gif tables and fun things to shop for. Yes, overpriced, as these things go, but fun nevertheless! We gotta spend some money when we are on vacation!The RestaurantSwedish pancakes, if you haven’t had them, are crepes. Look like crepes and taste like crepes. A bit on the sweeter side than savory, and they come in a rectangular shape and folded. It’s really yummy. Lingonberry jam was delicious.Swedish meatballs - not to offend, but kind of like the ones they have at Ikea. Good, but not my menu to go back to.Classic reuben was spot on.Our server was very friendly and helpful. Apparently none of the staff is Swedish except for the chef. I guess that’s what matters.The cashier was very efficient when we came in. She wasn’t rude, but curt, most likely because they were busy and she had her hands full. But as we were paying, she was much nicer. I’d like to believe this is because things had slowed down a tad, and not because she had to ask us for the tip amount. There’s something about having to speak up how much tip you want to leave at the cashier, rather than writing it down.I missed the goats on the roof this time. I thought they’d still be there as it was only 10/15, but they said it was too cold for them. Oh well. This calls for a next time!

Samantha Lynn

2024-04

We came a little too early in the season to see the goats which was our only negative- (we thought this might happen but still wanted to try the food). The food and service were awesome! I had a mimosa with the sweetish pancakes & my husband got their biscuits and gravy with sweetish meatballs. Everything was very good! After breakfast we walked around the boutique and they had a lot of cute options! I definitely recommend this place to any who want to try it!

Terry Johans

2024-04

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Hank Zane

2023-11

Delicious food here!First of all, Swedish / Scandinavian coffees are some of my favorites and the coffee here is amazingSecond, meatballs for breakfast? I’m downNext, pickled beets and lingonberry preserves were great additions to our florentine Benedict and Pytt I Panna which was steak and potatoes with an egg on top.We really enjoyed this breakfast and almost ordered some homemade coffee cake, but were too stuffed after this amazing feast

Kathleen Hansen

2024-04

Good Scandinavian dishes. 2 vegitarian options besides salad. Swedish Meatballs are really good!Vegetarian options: Limited vegitarian options.

Paul Kandel

2023-10

This is a must-stop place if you come to Door County. The food is amazing. I highly suggest the Swedish Pancakes. And you can get it with fresh fruit, whipped cream or ice cream even. (Or even with 2 eggs and a breakfast meat - highly recommend for bigger appetites) They are so thin and light yet flavorful. The service and atmosphere are top notch.

Ishara Waduge

2023-09

Everything seems authentic. The waitline was 2.5hrs for us when we went on 9am on a Saturday. Went inside at 11.07am. They do everything in the old fashioned way which make it's special, however, this wasted a couple of hours of our short trip due to just waiting. You can't leave the premise in peace because they only call the name in a mic. There's a very cute gift ship to wander. Bummed a little cz the goats were not on the roof may be because it was little raining in the morning. All the roofs are green roofs with grass. The place was very clean. All the food was super yummy no arguments on that! Prices are reasonable. We got meatballs, pancakes special, egg Benedict and bread peacan pudding, you get free refills for coffee. The swedish pancakes were almost like crepes and so yummy! It's definitely a unique place. If the waitline is over two hours, you could possibly go towards the boat dock and walk around. But make sure to be there 30 mins earlier the time given.

Calli

2023-10

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Dan Vick

2023-11

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Michelle Miller

2023-09

Al Johnson's is great! You must plan your adventure as the wait is very long. If you arrive when they open, you will be better off. They now have the beergarden which can make you wait more enjoyable. Seeing the goats on the roof was amazing.The food was excellent! You must have the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries along with lingonberry tea!

Tori Cook

2023-11

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Joe Hardenbrook

2023-05

Classic Door County experience! Got there on a Tuesday at 8am and it was only a 10-minute wait for our party of 4! Service was friendly and fast. Three of us had the Swedish pancakes and one of us had the French toast. All delicious! By the time we were done, we were able to see the goats appear on the roof just before 9am. Cute place! A Door County must-do.

Kelly Stein

2023-10

I went for the goats. Wasn't expecting them to be mowing the roof also. Swedish Pancakes were a little thick for my taste. And the meatballs seemed like they were from Ikea. I will say the cherry bread pudding was AMAZING.Get on the waiting list early and then go site seeing. The wait on a Saturday was up to 2 hours or more

northwoods discovery

2023-07

We luckily decided to eat a very early dinner here. They are only open until 3 pm.We had the Swedish pancakes with eggs and Swedish meatballs. I know it’s a very odd combination but it was amazing. The servers are from other countries and make you feel right at home with big smiles and quick service.Kid-friendliness: Family atmosphere do kids are more than welcomeWheelchair accessibility: All first floor and easy to access

Kathy Roger

2023-10

The famous goat restaurant up in Door County. They live on top of the restaurant. You can view them online on their site lol. Make sure to go early to get your name on the list. They have a gift shop inside so you can check that out while eaiting.This is our favorite breakfast place in DC.We ve gone here for over 10 yrs . Our favorites are Swedish pancakes , Swedish meatballs . They have don't take reservations so get there an hour before eating if during the festival weekends.My husband's parents used to come here every season for the last 30 yrs and used to get calls to their home for the restaurant asking what the specials are or to make a reservation. He would always direct them to the correct number since same phone number different area code.It's a great place to eat . Make sure to be patient and they are quite busy for a reason.