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No matter the season, there’s almost always a crowd at On The Rocks Pub and Grill in the Village of Neosho. As the village-of-600-residents' only bar and restaurant, On The Rocks serves a substantial group of regulars both at the bar and in the dining room, but seasonal activities bring in new and occasional customers.
In the spring, summer and fall, customers show up from all parts of Wisconsin and Illinois before or after a visit to the Kettle Moraine State Forest (Lapham Peak is particularly popular) or any of the other nearby natural attractions. It's also a stop-off spot for motorcyclists.
In the winter, On The Rocks, 211 N. Schuyler St., is heavily frequented by snowmobilers as it's on the Dodge County Snowmobile Trail System. The bar and restaurant’s owner Terrie Boehnen says the first time her daughter, Bridget Walczak, showed up to work at the family business 13 years ago, she parked in the almost empty parking lot in front of the business and was shocked when she walked into a packed establishment.
“She didn’t realize almost all of our customers had sledded in,” says Boehnen.
Definitive Wisco fare
On The Rocks features a signature Badger State menu, including a dozen different kinds of Old Fashioneds, fish fry, wings, burgers, scratch-made pizza, sandwiches and salads.
“People travel from all over Dodge County for our wings,” says Walczak, who does most of the cooking.
The Friday fish fry is another favorite. On The Rocks features grilled or beer-breaded cod, perch or walleye; breaded or crab-stuffed shrimp; combo platters and fish sandwiches. All of the dinners come with coleslaw, rye bread and a choice of potato: fries, hashbrowns, baked potato or a house-made potato pancake.
On the Rocks hosts Taco Tuesdays ($1.50 beef tacos); Wing Wednesdays (65-cent boneless or bone-in wings) and $6 Burger Thursdays.
The business also has a full bar, but Old Fashioneds are at the heart of the drink menu. During our visit, 11 different Old Fashioneds were available, including salted caramel, Jameson orange, peach, blackberry, maple, rye, vanilla and apple.
“We make our own Old Fashioned mix," says Boehnen.
Boehnen and her husband bought the business 15 years ago. The two also own Wonderland Tap in Waukesha.
“My husband runs Wonderland Tap and I run this one,” says Boehnen, who is a retired meat buyer for Cargill. “This works out well for us. We don't step on each other’s toes.”
Cozy and cabin-y
On The Rock’s main building was built in the late 1800s and has a rustic feel.
“So many customers have brought in old photos from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s of their parents or grandparents in the bar,” says Boehnen.
There’s a large bar and a pool table. The tall, peaked ceiling is studded with wadded-up dollar bills with a pin in them that a former bartender and patrons threw. Other Wisconsin bars, including Puempel's Olde Tavern in New Glarus, practice this tradition as well.
When the Boehnens bought the bar a decade and a half ago, they remodeled a previous addition that serves as a dining room and overlooks the Neosho Millpond that is part of the Rubicon River.
This year, On The Rocks is sporting a new patio providing lots of outdoor seating and games of horseshoes.
It's all about the people
Boehnen says the staff and the customers are why she loves coming to work everyday and the reason the bar's word-of-mouth is positive enough to attract people well beyond Neosho.
“We have a really great group of regulars here,” says Boehnen. “And the same group of ladies have worked here now for seven years. They are what makes this place special and we wouldn't be where we are without them."
Anyone looking for a bite to eat, a taste of nature and a break from the city should consider a mini-road trip to On The Rocks in Neosho.
On The Rocks hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.; Thursday 3 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Mondays.
Follow On The Rocks Pub and Grill on Facebook.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
