Asian Café – “Vinny” Klang

The Asian Café, Platteville’s best Chinese restaurant, boasts a wide selection of food from the safe Sweet & Sour Chicken to the adventurous Phoenix platter. This small restaurant adjacent to Piggly Wiggly is a criminally overlooked part of Platteville’s culinary landscape but it contributes unique dishes to the city’s menu.

I highly recommend their lunch special, which includes a soup with your meal, and objectively the best soup to add to your day is the Egg Drop soup. Admittedly, the Egg Drop soup looks less than appetizing, but the taste is more than worth it. Another notable item on the menu is the donuts, which are very sharable items and can easily satisfy the sweet tooth of any group of friends. For entrées, a good starting point on the Asian Café menu is any of their Lo Mein options, especially the pork Lo Mien because of its balance of meat and vegetable flavors. There’s nothing bad on the menu, so even picky eaters can experiment in comfort.

Make sure to bring a friend to talk with during the wait for your meal. The aged burgundy booths keep everyone close enough for conversation and give just enough room for your plates. Expect to spend a decent amount of time at the restaurant, well over an hour, and if you need the restroom during your mini vacation to the Asian Café, they are located halfway between the main seating area and the buffet room in the back.

The Ticket Bar and Grill – Justice Hendrick

The Ticket is your traditional bar with traditional bar-style fares. It doesn’t break from convention, but makes up for this with excellent service and food. My friend Kieran and I were greeted immediately and had our food within 20 minutes of ordering. It’s clean (for a bar), a thin layer of grit powdering the idea of pristine. Flat screens line the main bar and Arcade machines sit opposite of where we sat, beckoning technicolor cutting the warm glow of the bar’s soft lighting. While the atmosphere is comfortable, none of it would matter if the food didn’t satisfy. To the contrary, it was excellent.

I ordered a sampler of chive fries, cheese curds, and fried pickles, as well as their firecracker burger. As expected, the fried pickles were crisp, the fries salty, the curds crunchy; but the star of the show was that burger. The queso and jalapenos that topped it made for a messy eat, one I was more than happy to get my hands dirty with and an excellent example of how to do bar food well. They deserve high marks for service, presentation, and food quality, with everything leaving me satisfied. All in all, they’re an excellent little bar.

Pizzeria Uno – Adam Smith

Are you tired of overpaying for food at restaurants or are you just looking for a new place to check out and get some grub? If you answered yes, then Pizzeria Uno could be just the spot you are looking for. Pizzeria Uno is located at 155 US-Highway 151 Business in Platteville and has a lot to offer in terms of versatility. Its layout is made up of a restaurant and two bars. The Back Bar is outdoors and neighbors the main building.  The other bar – The Annex – is an indoor bar resembling a larger supply shed right across the driveway. This makes Pizzeria Uno compatible for families and students alike. 

Whether you want to sit down for a meal or hang out and have a couple of drinks, those options are available. My favorite part about Pizzeria Uno is their variety of specials. There are three main special days – Mexican Monday, ‘Tater Tuesday, and Fettucine Friday. The Mexican Monday menu includes taco and burrito dishes ranging from $6.50 – $10.75 in price, as well as enormous $5.00 Margaritas. The ‘Tater Tuesday menu includes numerous selections of loaded potato dishes for $9.00. Fettucine pasta dishes are available on Fridays for $9.00 – $11.25 with a side of salad. The main menu consists of meaty sandwiches, pastas, salads, desserts, and pizza. They have a lot of options for drinks, too, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Overall there are plenty of options for mixed drinks, beer and wine. Students pack The Annex on Thursdays for $4.00 Long Island teas with six different flavors. My personal favorite dish is the pan style, deep dish and Chicago-esque pizza. It’s competitively priced to give customers the most food for their dollar and some of the highest quality pizza around. If you live in the area, I would highly recommend trying out their specials or pan-style pizza.

Driftless Market – Vanessa Coffee

Driftless Market, located downtown, gives students and Platteville residents the option to shop organic and local without going broke in the process.

Located in the market is a small grocery store stocked full of produce, dairy, meats, and dry goods. Along with the food there are fun knick knacks and gifts available for purchase year-round.

If you’re looking for more than groceries, Driftless Market has a kitchen with ready-to-serve options or hot food options. At the front of the kitchen counter, they have a list of available items for purchase. Don’t feel the need to rush out after purchasing food; Driftless has a quaint little area to dine in front of the store to enjoy your food before you go.

The kitchen has soups offered daily. The soups are usually available in three options: vegan, vegetarian and organic meat. Some are repeated, but usually they have something different in terms of what’s available locally that season, making your meals even more sustainable. 

Most of the ready-to-serve food and hot meals are under $10, so students can get a locally sourced and healthy meals for a great deal. Meals are also available in bulk if you’re looking to enjoy them again and again. 

If you’re unable to stop down, contact Driftless Market by calling them at (608)-348-2696, or visit their website at https://www.driftlessmarket.com/ 

Steve’s Pizza Palace, Inc. – Alexis Hoffman 

Steve’s Pizza Palace, Inc. is a family and student friendly restaurant located right on main street in downtown Platteville. The atmosphere is very welcoming. The lighting and décor make you feel at home and relaxed and able to enjoy time out with family, friends and loved ones. The menu includes a wide variety of specialty and build-your-own pizzas and calzones, sandwiches, salads and appetizers. While the type of food options may be limited, they cater to a wide variety of diets. This includes vegetarian options amongst pizzas and appetizers as well as gluten-free options amongst pizzas, desserts and beers. Food is available for dine-in, carry-out or take and bake, which allows you to enjoy their food wherever you would like. 

A personal favorite food item of mine is the Wisconsin cheese curds which are lightly battered white cheese curds with a homemade red Aioli dip. The proportion of this appetizer makes this Wisconsin cheese lover dish all that more worth it. 

Don’t worry, I wouldn’t forget about the drink specials. Students pack the partnered bar above the restaurant on Thursdays for trivia and the drink deals that include $4.00 Long Islands, $3.50 Bacardi mixers and $7.00 pitchers of beer. 

If you are looking for a nice night out to enjoy some good food and high-quality pizza, Steve’s is an excellent and affordable option

 Los Amigos –  Sam Graetz 

     Looking for some cheap and delicious Mexican food to eat? Head to Los Amigos, located on East Main Street. You can usually buy a meal for under 10 dollars. Every Thursday they have all you can eat $1 tacos. Dining here is very family and student friendly, and the staff are all very nice to their customers. They even have a small selection of alcoholic drinks available for those of age. Favorite dish? Steak tacos, Mexican style, which includes cilantro and onions. Another great perk about Los Amigos is the free chips and salsa, even with to-go orders. 

    One of my great experiences dealing with Los Amigos was when, one day, it was storming pretty bad and my friend and I braved the rain and went to get tacos anyways. We sat down and the waitress informed us that their internet was down, and they could only accept cash. I had some cash, but my friend did not. They were super apologetic and we said we’ll get some cash and come back. So, after our 20-minute adventure, we eventually came back and got some tacos to go. I got five tacos and I was a dollar short. The worker just let me go because they appreciated that we came back. They also had people who got food before the internet went down and they trusted them to leave and bring money when they could, which everyone did.

Country Kitchen – Rachel Eckmann

      Country Kitchen in Platteville, Wisconsin is the perfect family and student friendly place to grab a homemade meal on that college student budget. The warm, welcoming atmosphere invites the community to have a cozy, sit-down meal together. Country Kitchen is a proud supporter of the Platteville community which is shown by the wide display of posters for local events that hang near the register in the front of this restaurant. This relaxed venue allows for great dinner conversation with friends and family while filling the air with the scent of fresh, hometown favorites.

     With a thick menu consisting of a variety of options, this restaurant guarantees that everyone can find their favorite dish. The steak dinner, for example, comes with a sirloin medallion and a choice of two sides. Their specialty hot and iced coffee drinks are perfect for any caffeine lover! The German chocolate mocha, for example, is a visually beautiful drink with a rich chocolate flavor to match. One of the features of Country Kitchen is their breakfast menu items which are served all day long. Breakfast for dinner? I think so!

Las Palmas – Nic Alioto

     A bright, warm exterior welcomes you to Las Palmas, an Authentic Mexican Restaurant. You are welcomed by smiling faces and a hut with plants and hanging frogs for a host stand. The booths are decorated with                                                                                    colorful paintings of Hispanic scenery. Several TV’s display sports, news or other programs around the restaurant. 

     Cantina music flows through the air as you’re taken to your seat. The menu is expansive with dozens of options. There is also a variety of Hispanic beers and other alcoholic drinks you can order from your table or up at the bar. Drink specials are promoted by posters around the restaurant. A trip to Las Palmas is a pleasure for all the senses provided at reasonable prices.

Fiesta Cancun – Mary Franklin

     Hankering for some familiar food? You can find Fiesta Cancun just around the corner in Platteville. Although, if you’re not up to enjoying your food out in public, you can always call your order in and pick it up to eat at home. The environment can be loud if it’s rush hour and their large amount of tv’s are blasting; however, the servers often make it very pleasant. If they find out it’s your birthday, be prepared to be embarrassed through a song and a giant sombrero.

     Not only is this sit-down-dinner type of chain restaurant family friendly, but it also can be student-budget friendly depending on what you order. There are options to get a full meal without alcohol and still remain under $10. They also have a large list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer and mixed drinks; Mondays through Thursdays they offer a special on $0.99 margaritas. With gluten-free and vegetarian options, you can practically have whatever you want, and you can even get combination orders to have a taste of several kinds of meals. A personal favorite is their pollo asado, which always keeps me coming back for more.

Potosi Brew Pub – Nic Alioto

     The Potosi Brew Pub is the perfect place to enjoy good food and excellent beer. When you walk into this restaurant, you’re greeted by what looks like a big hole in the ground. Upon closer inspection, you find it’s a large glass square you can walk over and peer down at a creek beneath. Then if you shift your gaze upwards, you’ll find old neon beer signs covering every inch. My father went around pointing to different ones and told me what he liked and didn’t like.

     As you reach your table you sit down, you will find a large menu of burgers, sandwiches, salads and several amazing appetizers. They include some personal favorites of mine like the house-made beer bread with spinach dip and the bacon cheddar chive tots.