One Of Wisconsin's Best Restaurants Serves Deliciously Authentic Swedish Food With Goats On The Roof

A culinary journey through Wisconsin usually contains a sampling of staples that are most often associated with the state: beer, cheese, and bratwurst. However, during a trip to Wisconsin, you may also find some unique European dishes that pay tribute to the original settlers of the area. For example, in the affordable foodie city of Kenosha you'll find an Italian influence and plenty of German food, and there's even the cozy Wisconsin town of Stockholm which is steeped in Swedish culture and cuisine.

However, if you are looking for something truly unique, around three hours north of major Wisconsin cities like Madison and Milwaukee in the town of Sister Bay, there's a restaurant serving up traditional Swedish recipes with very interesting rooftop companions — goats. Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik has won awards for its food and business practices, but it's the live goats perched on the roof of the restaurant that bring people in from all over to this tourist destination. So, how did the goats get on the roof of Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik, and why are they there? The answer starts with a housewarming gift of sorts from a friend.

The restaurant's legacy began with Al Johnson's decision to open up a Swedish restaurant in Door County, Wisconsin in 1949 after spending time there when he was younger. The restaurant first started out as Al's Home Cooking, and then in 1973 he commissioned Norwegian carpenters to build a new structure in Norway for the restaurant and then send it across the Atlantic Ocean to Wisconsin. What arrived was a completed wooden building with a layer of sod growing on the roof, a common practice in Norway. This unique feature inspired Johnson's friend, Harold Larson, to place a goat named Oscar on the roof of the restaurant as a prank. Pedestrians passing by the restaurant were immediately intrigued, causing Johnson to purchase additional goats for the roof — and the rest is history.

In fact, instead of the goats' presence being an annoyance to Johnson, he decided to trademark "Goats on the Roof" and turn the concept into a marketing opportunity that would bring people through the doors to experience his eastern Wisconsin oasis of Swedish food, shopping, and culture. Beyond the novelty of the goats grazing on the roof of the restaurant, the Johnson family set out to create a dining experience that was a tribute to Sweden in every way, from the restaurant to the patio bar and the gift shop.

Even though Al Johnson passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on through the restaurant and the recipes he grew up eating on trips to visit his family in Sweden. Breakfast and coffee are available all day on the menu – so it's always the right time to enjoy the delightful Swedish custom of Fika and order a coffee with a Swedish pastry. You can also go with the Swedish pancakes, which locals recommend eating with lingonberry jam. The restaurant's Swedish meatballs can be ordered in a sandwich or as an entree, and there's plenty of Swedish dishes made with local fish varieties, like perch and walleye, on the menu. Connected to the restaurant is Al's Butik, a shop filled with Scandinavian gifts, including authentic men's and women's Swedish clogs and specialty food items. If you want to do some more shopping, head to the neighboring Skål, a store featuring handcrafted wooden gifts and houseware accessories that make for great souvenirs.

Next to the restaurant you'll also find the Stabbur Beer Garden, which offers beer, wine, and cocktails in a cozy patio setting. The beer garden is great for an outdoor view of the goats, which are true celebrities on the property. There are usually four or five goats on the roof grazing during the daytime hours. At night, the goats head down from the roof at 6 p.m. to rest in a barn. From May to October, you can even catch the goats on a live cam from anywhere in the world to see them graze and nap on the roof for yourself, weather permitting.