Back to the Cheese Castle

We paid a visit to the old Mars Cheese Castle off  I-94 in Kenosha way back in October of 2009, before the original 1947 building was razed for freeway construction. The new building is a proper-looking castle. In 2009, the Castle and its high prices failed to impress us. So we thought it would be a good idea to drop into the new building to see if anything other than the architecture has changed.

The castle theme is less prominent in the new building than it was in the old; Old World-style chairs and tables carry the theme, along with a long mural depicting knights meeting around a round table in a landscape dotted with castles. Though we didn’t have a sandwich this time, we did have a couple of drinks in the bar, where free crackers and a big tub of cheese spread are passed around the bartender’s island-corral in the center of the space. That kitschy feel of the original place remains and makes it seem geared to the transient tourist.

The cheese part is no joke. The Castle still has plenty of it, along with all the specialty items from Wisconsin and elsewhere, which the store always stocked. And lunch is still ordered from a counter in the back, from practically the same menu of mundane selections — ham and cheese, corned beef, Reuben and other sandwiches, ranging between $5 and $7.

The new building is much larger and more up-to-date. We think they carry a wider variety of Wisconsin staples, domestic and imported foodstuffs. The new building’s floor plan is much better. The new, improved Mars’ Cheese Castle is still no great shakes for cuisine, and is still a place for Packers fans and Bears fans to have a novel lunch together.

Want more culinary knowledge from Mr. M? Check out his self-published cookbook, Around the World in 80 Dishes for Two! The book offers easy but culturally diverse options from countries around the globe, including the Caribbean, Africa, India, the Middle East and more. To purchase, click through to his Lulu marketplace.