When the snow and cold finally leaves Door County, and the villages fill up with summer tourists, a little cafe opens to welcome visitors. The Summer Kitchen has drawn visitors to decades and is very well known for two simple offerings – the wonderland of summer blossoms outside and the soup bar that’s always stocked with the best soup in Wisconsin. Over the years it’s become a Door County fixture and it has served celebrity guests, many international visitors, as well as scores of visiting beachgoers who can always go for one more cup of spicy tomato dill. Here’s what’s waiting for you at the Summer Kitchen.
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The Summer Kitchen can be found on the stretch of Highway 42 between Ephraim and Sister Bay. If you drive north on 42, you’ll see it just off to the left.
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The restaurant is hard to miss. It’s flanked by a kaleidoscope of flowers – if you arrive at a busy time you can admire the blossoms while you wait for a table, or just admire them as you eat.
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There’s been a restaurant here for a long time – the original business was a burger joint, then in 1977 it became the Farmer’s Daughters, before being transformed into the Summer Kitchen in 1989.
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Not much has changed here over the last few decades and the restaurant is as much a sun porch as it is a cafe. Because it’s not insulated, the restaurant closes for the winter every year.
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The spicy tomato dill soup is sublime – as rich as it is spicy. A favorite with locals as much as as visitors, some locals even recreate the soup at home to make it through the long winter season when the restaurant is closed.
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There is always a delicious selection of soup – if you would like to try them all, order a Taster’s Cup and make unlimited return trips. The restaurant’s menu includes all the breakfast classics ask as lunch offerings like sandwiches, wraps, and pitas.
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The Summer Kitchen opens for the season in May each year and is open daily. See the latest hours and menu on the restaurant’s website. Once you’ve fueled up at the Summer Kitchen. Here’s a gorgeous Door County park that you’ll want to explore.
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Address: Summer Kitchen Restaurant, 10425 N Water St, Ephraim, WI 54211, USA
