Fish Dish Review CrewJefferson County Fish Dish Review Crew  

Donny’s Girl – Pipersville, WI

The anonymous “Fish Dish Review Crew” searches Jefferson County, WI in search of the perfect Fish Dishes & Restaurants.

Their motto: “Anytime is a good time for fish: fried, baked, boiled, sautéed, grilled…any way!”

 

Donny’s Girl in Pipersville

When?             January 2013

Classification?    “Classic Wisconsin Supper Club”

 

6:00PM

The huge parking lot is jammed. I feel lucky to get a spot. Donny’s Girl dominates Pipersville, a small town in northeastern Jefferson County, Wisconsin…just south of Watertown on Highway E.  Once inside the small foyer, Donny’s Girl is jammed but doesn’t feel crowded. The huge bar, clean and well lit, spans the wall on the right with 3 bartenders working the crowd. Greeted cordially, I put our name in (no reservations on a Friday night unless you have a group of 8 or more) and was told it would be an hour. Miraculously, a single barstool opened up in front of me and it isn’t long before a brandy old fashioned ($4) is served.

I begin to ask some neighbors about “Donny’s Girl” and the bartender asks if I want to see a menu, mentioning that there is a history of the place on the front. Son and daughter now run the place mom and dad ran for years, and I am told that the friendly, menu slinging bartender is mom herself.

7:30PM

The rest of our group arrives and we are eventually seated. Our waitress is friendly and chatty. Our orders were taken promptly. Family Style Fish & Chicken ($11.95) includes rye bread, a decent creamy cole slaw, excellent baked beans, french fries and potato salad. All were good, but the beans stood out as the top side dish. The cod and chicken were hot and delicious. On the whole, the fish was the star of the Family Style entrée. Seafood Chowder, Perch ($13.95) and the Baked Cod ($11.95) were ordered by other members of our group. All were served hot and tasty.

Rating Scale of 1-10

  • Cleanliness: 8
    (Bathrooms were spotless as was the general dining areas)
  • Bar/Waiting Area: 7
    (Friendly as all get out, but it was a long wait to get a table – meaning that this is a very popular place, folks!)
  • Tables bussed in a timely manner: 9
    (Wait staff bussed their own…impressive)
  • Menu: 8
    (Easy to read. Liked the history of Donny’s Girl)
  • Service: 8
    (We had to request water and drinks, but waitress made up for it with timely food, separate checks and a genuine manner. We never felt rushed.)
  • Price vs Value: 9
    (Good, solid Friday Night fare for a reasonable price, served promptly. We all agreed that we would love to return to sample other nightly specials.)

A favorite spot in Jefferson County – try it the next time you’re looking for good, solid Wisconsin food!

 

Katie Otto is a freelance writer who provides JCTC with some spectacular content and information. She's previously held the role of Secretary for the Jefferson County Tourism Council, has assembled our Monthly Newsletter and was the Executive Director for the Lake Mills Main Street Program, a non-profit community organization that is dedicated to the preservation, growth and vitality of Lake Mills through public events and active community involvement.