14 Recipes To Give You a Taste of the Legendary Wisconsin Supper Club Salad Bar (2024)

Easy Chicken Liver Pate

Liver pate may not be a salad bar staple all over the country, but Wisconsin is a different story. Supper clubs all over the state serve liver pate either at the salad bar or on their relish tray — a complimentary tray of fresh veggies, dips, and other accoutrements that is served with drinks before the meal. This easy liver pate is one you might find at a Wisconsin supper club, or you might be offered one made with braunschweiger.

Crostini D'Emily

Emily probably didn't guess her crostini recipe would end up in a round up of Wisconsin salad bar recipes, but these mini garlic toasts are just what you'd find on a supper club salad bar as a crunchy addition to your plate — perfect to go with the pâté, but also delicious on their own.

Traditional Three Bean Salad

This sweet and vinegary salad is a must on supper club salad bars across the Badger State.

Pickled Herring and Cucumber Salad

Pickled herring is usually offered on its own on a Wisconsin salad bar, and here it's mixed with cucumbers to kick things up a notch. You'd be more likely to find pickled herring in western Wisconsin where Scandinavians settled in large numbers, versus the eastern side of the state that was historically more German.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

This crunchy broccoli salad sounds like it shouldn't work, but it just does. Raw broccoli is mixed with a sweet and salty mix of bacon, raisins, and mayonnaise. It's not a salad bar "must" in Wisconsin, but you'll see it on offer at many supper clubs across the state.

Restaurant-Style Coleslaw I

Creamy coleslaw is always a welcome addition to any salad bar, and that's no exception in Wisconsin!

Magnificent Macaroni Salad

A creamy mayo-based macaroni salad is a Wisconsin supper club salad bar stalwart. Variations abound, but it would not be uncommon to find chunks of cheese in your Wisco macaroni salad — it is America's Dairyland, after all.

Sauerkraut Salad

Sauerkraut salad might not be pervasive across all corners of the state, but it's popular among some supper club crowds, like at Roepke's Village Inn in Charlesburg, which pays homage to the town's German heritage by continuing to serve German favorites.

Dad's Creamy Cucumber Salad

Another favorite is a creamy cucumber salad, and Dad's version has rave reviews for a reason! "When I saw this recipe I hoped it would be good, thought it sounded good. After making it, I can honestly say it was better than I had hoped," says reviewer Just Dave.

Potato Salad

Potato salad is another salad bar staple that you'll find in supper clubs across the state in various incarnations. This all-time favorite American potato salad fits the bill, but you could also try Red Potato Salad or German Potato Salad.

Salad Dressings

Sure, bottled dressings are totally fine, but if you're thinking of recreating a Wisconsin supper club salad bar at home, you may want to create one of these classic dressings from scratch:

• Pictured: Homemade French Dressing
• Roquefort Dressing
• Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

Wisconsin Native's Beer Cheese Soup

You'll be hard pressed to find a salad bar at a Wisconsin supper club that doesn't offer homemade soup as well. It's one reason why you can often find the "soup and salad bar" available on the menu to order as A Meal In Itself! This Wisconsin beer and cheese soup is a perennial favorite.

• Our Best Beer Cheese Soup Recipes

Pistachio Fluff Fruit Salad

Simply known as "Fluff," this salad (of sorts) is an omnipresent sweet treat on salad bars across the state. While "Fluff" may come in a variety of flavors, this pistachio version is always a classic.

Easy Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate pudding and/or Jell-O are the other two sweet dishes you're likely to find on a Wisconsin supper club salad bar. Because who doesn't love a little something sweet before the main event?

More Inspiration

From the supper club classic Surf and Turf to our entire collection of Wisconsin Recipes, we have lots more to inspire you!

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