Every so often we take a moment to share with you our take on some area small town restaurants.  This time we’re staying pretty close to home with a visit to the Railroad Inn Cafe in North Freedom, home of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

The Railroad Inn Cafe has been in existence ever since I can remember. It’s one of only a couple businesses still standing in the sleepy village of North Freedom and sustained mostly by locals & the diner’s proximity to the Railroad Museum.  The Cafe has always had that “grandma’s seal of approval” vibe, meaning it’s known to be perfect for birthday lunches and Sunday drives.  Still, I’d not been there since before kindergarten so I was long overdue for another visit.

As I said, North Freedom is a small village with a very quiet main street.  You sort of have to keep an eye out for the restaurant sitting just next to the gas station at the corner of Walnut and Maple Streets.  (The actual address is 104 E. Walnut. ) From the outside the diner looks a bit like something off the set of an old western movie.  The old sloped porch juts out over the sidewalk and is held aloft by faded, utilitarian posts. A small unassuming sign simply saying, “Railroad Inn” swings above. One could easily imagine a couple of old quarter horses tied off out front.

Now is as good of a time as any to tell you to bring cash.  They don’t take credit cards and the only ATM is located in the local tavern next door.  Nothing wrong with the tavern mind you, but having cash in hand will save you a little run-around.

Once inside the decor is what you might expect from any cared for, but old village diner.  The Railroad Inn is clean, but not modern by any sense of the word.  The walls are a mix of paneling and country style wallpaper.  The walls are covered with an eclectic mix of decorations from a large collection of potato mashers and  antique cooking utensils to railroad paraphernalia of every sort imaginable. One wall is lined with a collection of video poker and other gambling games.  I didn’t ask if they pay out.. (which is not legal in Wisconsin anyway) Background atmosphere is provided by a local country music radio station.

We stopped by on Saturday, July 24th and had no issue getting a booth by the wall. In fact there were only 4 or 5 seats occupied and most I would guess were local since ours was the only car out front.  The server was pleasant and very accommodating if just a bit loud.  I had the urge a couple times to just ask if we could bring down the volume a notch, but of course there’s no good way to say it.

The menu offers your standard diner fare all with a railroad theme from “Brakeman’s Beverages” to “Railway Deserts” and “Flatcar Salads”.   They offer a variety of hot sandwiches, burgers & melts as well as chopped steak, chicken and the all time favorite diner dinner, liver and onions. I went for the bacon cheeseburger, my wife chose a roast beef sandwich, and our son went with a cold ham and cheese sandwich that came with Jello. Everyone took a pass on the liver and onions.

Now here’s where you get  down to brass tacks as they say.  How was the food?  Well,  the burger was a burger.  So many small diners simply order their supplies from Sysco or wherever these days and either struggle to be unique or are happy to provide an adequate if unremarkable meal. For an extra quarter I added tomato, lettuce & onion. I ordered french fries as well and they do give you a ton!  The standout had to be the roast beef  sandwich which as the saying goes was “to die for”, Which is appropriate since we discovered the reason it was so rich and tasty was that the bread was smothered in real butter even before the mashed potatoes and gravy was poured on top.  These days when we’re always so concerned about our health that eating a sandwich with so much butter on it seems almost illegal, like you should be sneaking it into your mouth under the cover of darkness!  My wife honestly felt guilty for enjoying it so much. Our son’s ham and cheese sandwich was also well buttered by the way!  His meal was fine although his Jello tasted as if it had sat uncovered in a refrigerator for awhile.  All in all you’d have to give the Railroad Inn a pass for being exactly as you’d expect a small village diner to be.  Still that buttery roast beef sandwich will be a great discovery for those of you without heart problems.

Cost-wise the Railroad Inn is a bargain.  For 3 of us we paid about $21.00.  I splurged and ordered a cappuccino which was pretty much spending $2 on an instant mix but I knew that was coming.  A burger at the Railroad Inn is still under $5.00 and a diner under $7.00. Coffee is just $0.75 cents.   They also offer a nice selection of desserts from sundaes to banana splits, most under $3.00.

From Baraboo or Devil’s Lake State Park, North Freedom is a scenic 15 minute drive.  The diner is just a couple blocks from the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. I’m sure we’ll go back to the Railroad Inn.  The food is fine, the price is fantastic and the atmosphere is well, homey. All good.  They won’t knock your socks off, but you’ll go away content which is not that bad at all.

Railroad Inn Cafe’ 104 East Walnut Street, North Freedom, WI‎ – (608) 522-4485‎ [Google Map]

* Please note We receive no special considerations from the diners we review. Reviews are carried out on unannounced visits. At times we may visit multiple times if we feel we simply came at on a “bad day”. We pay our tabs like anyone else in order to be 100% independent.

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