Paul Bunyan’s Cook Shanty

This is where the unenlightened go to suck up their daily intake of lard, fat and sugar and pay people to give them diabetes. I got sick just looking at the food and passed on the donuts and the rest of it. The coffee was okay like dennys but not as good at the TA truck stop, who has the best but its a secret. Twelve dollars for breakfast is way too much but then again if you eat this slop I guess its worth it. Im not saying its cooked really bad or tastes bad. its probably not. If you are gonna eat this then its probably not a bad deal since u dont care about your health. No wonder my insurance rates are so high… Im paying for everyone else

This was a favorite place for me to go to about 10 year ago. Coming back, I was hoping for a great experience. The atmosphere is always really good as is the service. The food was really lacking though. The only thing I would recommend is the donuts, other than that, I would go elsewhere.

OK its a tourists trap. I get that, it has been that since I was a kid coming here. That said its gotten crazy expensive and they don’t bring food very fast nor do they bring much. So you find yourself paying 15 – 20 bucks a person and having to beg the waitress to bring you refills on food over and over and over. its kind of annoying

We went here because a friend recommend it to us.
NOT THE MOST ENJOYABLE breakfast.
–eggs and meats are ok
— the juices are watered down,
— the only thing the was decent were the donuts
Would I come back here? NO
IT too pricy for what you get

I had no idea that this was a family style pre chosen menu. The food and overall experience were great! Those sugar donuts were so delicious! Next time I’m in the dells, we will be eating there again.

Donuts? Where? Gimme donuts! Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom! Donutsssss! More donuts, please! Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom. Just like cookie monster gobbles all those chocolate chip cookies up, I’m the cookie monster and I totally gobbled up all of Mister Paul Bunyan’s sugary little donuts. Part of me wishes that my entire breakfast meal would have consisted of those donuts and those donuts only, but I think if they allowed that then they’d be out of donuts within the first half an hour of being open because everyone is literally head over heels about those damn donuts. Although the other food that is served for breakfast is quite good, I’d say at least half of the people going to Paul Bunyan’s are going for the donuts. Pro tip though: if you ask your server very nicely they’ll bring out more donuts for you so don’t be discouraged when you look at your plate and see that you totally destroyed that plate of donuts.
I’m done with my tangent about the donuts now, and although I could continue to bow down to their glory I must also tell you that the other food you get with the breakfast meal is good. You get pancakes, scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, ham and sausage links, and biscuits and gravy. I’m not a fan of biscuits and gravy so I can’t say that I liked those. I’m also not a fan of having ham in the morning (unless it’s in an omelet — I’m weirdly picky like that) so I wasn’t a fan of that, but my fiancé liked it so you must know it’s good.
What is nice (or maybe not nice, depending on your opinion) is that there is a fixed rate for how much each meal will cost depending on the amount of people in your party. Basically what I’m saying is that you don’t get to choose what you want to order. You pay this fixed rate (which was about $ 24 for 2) and then sit down, order your drinks and they bring out the yummy yummy goodness. The entire process is pretty efficient and it does get the patrons in and out very quickly — a necessity since they have such frequent flyers during the summer time.
Overall this was a great experience and I’d go back if in the Dells again. Sure I’d have to wait in line again, but the line went extremely fast, again considering how many people were waiting. While you’re waiting (at least once you’re on the inside of the restaurant) you can look around at all of the souvenirs which are pretty cute. Needless to say, ypu won’t be bored when standing in line — you’re stomach may just be rumbling anf grumbling… but once you start eating it’s well worth it!

Lets face it, Paul Bunyan’s is a tourist trap in a town loaded with tourist traps. You need to have a sense of the outrageous to enjoy Paul Bunyan’s, like the Wisconsin Ducks or Nig’s. If you come in here expecting a great meal, forget it. Now the meal is solid, just not gourmet.
The restaurant itself is set up like a … lumberjack cook shanty, Log cabin structure, long pine tables, heads of dead animals on the wall and enamel coated metal dishes and cups. There usually is a line to get in, but don’t dismay, they move you through pretty quick. Once you’re seated, the food comes fast and steady. Standard scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, pancakes and donuts. Then «bam» you’re out the door.
My favorite part is the cheesy gift shop where they sell these crass and corny t-​shirts, signs, junky toys and ersatz Native American souvenirs. It’s all about that great Wisconsin experience.

The older I get; I am realizing that everything comes full circle. Earlier in the week J and I were trying to get to the Dunkin Donuts on the same side and ended up pulling into this lot by mistake. Ugh! Trying to get out of the lot was painful and irritating. There were people directing traffic. It’s quite busy during the breakfast rush. Finally got outta there with a rush of relief.
The next day, we were following the rest of our party and they pulled in here. Both J and I were like oh no. Not as packed in the parking lot, but still pretty packed with a line to get in. There was a woman asking how many in each party and whether we were there for breakfast or lunch. Since there was only about 10 min left until they switched over, we were herded in to the sardine packed gift shop where we were told to wait for lunch.
What a cluster rhymes with duck…
Perused all the Midwestern kitsch and decided to head for a place with more air, elbow room and less of a wait. I didn’t get the whole thing. They closed the area after breakfast and switched over to lunch and then what? We all charge the dining room for lunch! Too crazy and too long of a wait. Ick. So we left.
I am sure it’s a fun place and I can’t comment on the food since we didn’t get any, but it just seemed like one big cluster…
Gift shop had the typical Midwestern over priced souvenirs and things that are going to end up at the thrift store.

This is not your average buffet with average buffet food. I went here before a long day in Wisconsin Dells. It was very enjoyable.
Don’t forget that there is a long line for a table. The line usually starts outside! It’s very popular in Wisconsin Dells. Come at 8:15 in the morning!
The service was quick for a crowded day. The service from waitress I had was really good. She was nice and friendly to me and my relatives.
The food is the big reason why I came! The donuts with powdered sugar were amazing! There was also pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, and ham. It was all excellent.
All in all, this is a great place for breakfast! I will definitely come back.

This is a good stop for families — large quantity of food at a decent price. Fun atmosphere and attentive staff.
The best part of the all-​you can eat menu are the buttermilk donuts. Otherwise, pretty standard breakfast buffet experience.
Perfect for families with young kids.

we have been coming here annually during our dells trip for several years now… like any other businesses in the area, this place have gone through some changes — it seems like the dells as a whole are going through some hard economic times… the restaurant atmosphere remains the same, but the quality of food did not measure up from previous years… they used to served the best fried chicken i have ever had, this year was just OK… all-​you-​can-​eat menu changes daily… i still recommend the place if you are visiting the dells for the first time, but expect a mediocre service and lots of screaming children…

The capital of kitsch, Paul Bunyan’s is the place if you’re into loosening your belt and testing the outer limits of your digestive system. The food is served family style in mass quantity. We had beef brisket that closely resembled shoe leather and some decent fried chicken. The french fires are amazing.
Been there, done that.

Their system is very organized to get ppl in, the long line moves quickly. Ambience is fun, kitschy, log cabin theme. Staff is very kind. Servers bring family-​style portions to your table at a very affordable price. Food is a set menu, all you can eat and drink.
If the a/​c is running, look up and check that you aren’t seated under one of the a/​c vents. Water dripped on me several times. It was way too busy to move tables and I knew we would soon be done, so I endured the occasional drips with extra napkins on my lap. I mentioned it to a manager upon exiting and she said «Oh, I’m sorry about that».
Their juices are «juice drinks». The apple juice was better than the orange juice but we found neither palatable, so water was our drink of choice here, save for hubby, who was ok with the coffee. Same with the syrup; it doesn’t taste like real syrup but a version of syrup. Don’t look for any bacon here, it is not part of the set menu.
The breakfast consists of donuts, plain scrambled eggs, pancakes, ham, hash browns, biscuits and gravy. The food arrives at the table at a luke-​warm temperature. I hurried to eat before the food got cold, which worked out well, since a shorter meal meant less time for water dripping on me. The gift shop you walk through upon exiting, has some interesting things. Will not return.

I’m sure it’s okay for breakfast, but the roofing shingle brisket was unacceptable considering it’s easy to get brisket right with time and temperature. The fried chicken was better, actually pretty good and the vegetable sides were good as well.
The service was fine, but for the price ($ 100 for a family of 5) was too high considering the quality of the food and the limited menu. I would not advise it unless you love fried chicken and know that everyone wants to eat that.

I will be back for the donuts, but I would just grab the donuts and go somewhere else for breakfast. While the homemade donuts were AMAZEBALLS, everything else was average and the atmosphere was NUTS. But the biggest disappointment of all… No bacon!!! That’s breakfast 101! The line moves fast but it’s a cluster to get through the store and pay to get in. They put the line through the store and have all breakable items at kid level with a sign that says if you break it, you buy it.
I suggest going to great wolf lodge they have the same family style breakfast and it includes the fruit for the kids — Paul Bunyan charges $ 5+ for a fruit cup. We ate their the day before and were spoiled — they had bacon

Paul Bunyan’s is another staple of my childhood! After returning as an adult, I realize I appreciate it a bit more now. THE DOUGHNUTS SHOULD KEEP YOU COMING BACK IF NOTHING ELSE!
We went for the family-​style breakfast. If you are a small party like ours was, you share a long table with other people, but it worked out fine. Since it is family-​style, plates of breakfast items (eggs, bacon, pot of coffee, etc) are brought to your table right away and you help yourself. A nice option if you have kids or if you are starving.
As long as you keep eating, the waiters keep coming with refills of food (such as doughnuts.) It is typically busy, so there is not much time for small talk with your waiter, but ours was attentive and my coffee stayed topped off.

One of our favorite breakfast stops in the dells. The atmosphere of being amongst the Lumberjacks is really fun. The food is good and you get a lot of it! Don’t forget to look in the dining hall rafters to see some cool decoration and the gift shop really does have some cool hard to find items.

How I love breakfast buffets, let me count the ways: bacon, sausage, ham. You (I) get to eat literally pounds of breakfast meats (if I chose) and skip the other stuff.
This joint (and a sister location upstate in Minoqua) has been serving up «lumberjack style» meals for decades. That descriptor actually refers to being served «family style,» platters of the time of day-​appropriate dishes, eat as much as you want, request more, no sweat.
In the morning hours, for less than a sawbuck (kids pay even less), you’re gonna be offered donuts, scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, hot cakes, coffee, milk, or OJ. I did some damage on the pork products, for sure. Small nitpick. The website says the meat platter also includes kielbasa, but there was none around today.
Everyone probably understands that, as due to global warming, the kielbasa harvest last year was considerably down, and this year isn’t looking like they are going to be as high as an elephant’s eye by the fourth of July either! Oh well.
The food was really excellent — fresh and hot. I dug into the eggs, skipped the taters and cakes, but the kids went for everything (except they turned up their noses at biscuits and gravy, but what do they know)?
For lunch and dinner, there are one or two specials served in «the family way» and an ala carte menu as well.
Good stuff. Crazy, energetic waitresses. Fun times. Bakery and gift shop also on location. Authentic «lumberjack show» next door, a couple times a day or more. The restaurants are seasonal.

My family was looking for something to eat when we found Paul Bunyan’s shanty. When we called to ask about there menu and pricing the lady that picked up was very nice and answered all my questions.
When we arrived we entered the gift shop and found our way to the place to be seated. When we sat down. We had a very nice waitress that took our order. We got the all you can eat cod and brisket. It was very good and filling. We got home made bread, salad, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, fried chicken. At the end we were served cake.
I would recommend this place for any family looking for homestyle food for a good price. I will be back next time we are up.

4 stars for tacky, must-​do at least once in the Dells. 1 star for breakfast. But the freshly made donuts bring it up to a 3 because they are actually the best donuts ever.
Really, the rest of the food is not good, but you don’t get sick from it either! That’s gotta be good for something. For you all-​you-​can-​eaters, it’s all you can eat. Wear your best plaid shirt and cut off jeans and you’ll surely feel like Paul Bunyan! Just kidding. Don’t do that.
If you’re new, don’t be afraid of the line to be seated. It moves quickly.

My family consists of my wife and I, as well as my two-​year-​old and one-​year-​old. We ventured to Paul Bunyan’s based on ourselves visiting as kids, as well as the simple touristy feel. We came for breakfast. The food was simply okay. The portions that they brought out were very small, and they took around five minutes to bring anything new. Would recommend people to check it out, but don’t hold it on a pedestal.
We felt like we were a burden to our waitress from the beginning. We asked for two high chairs, but they couldn’t make them work at the table. WIth our kids the ages they are, having an adult next to them is a non-​negotiable. The waitress was frustrated that we didn’t want to sit both kids on one side of the table while we sat on the other (they would have wrecked havoc).
Each plate that came was small. I understand that refills may come that way, but initial settings should be full. For a family of four, we received three small pieces of ham and a few sausage links. The potatoes were enough to start for one person. The biscuit and gravy came one at a time… even when we requested numerous. Drink cups were tiny, and refills took over five minutes each.