Riverwest’s Wonderland Is An Artsy Diner

One visit was all it took. It was love at first sight for me at Wonderland. I was fascinated by the the old-fashioned diner chairs and tables, the larger-than-life mural that covered the east wall, the neon Elsie the Cow, and the overall artistic ambiance in this Riverwest diner.

After a conversation with owner Don Krause, I learned that Elsie was specifically designed for Wonderland, but presented a complicated display issue when she arrived from the artist. There she is, in all her colorful glory, across the room from a mural that shows a lovely backlit wooded area. Krause told us it reminds him of the trees that surround the Greenway Trail by the river in Riverwest.

When I started to look closely at the arty touches in the restaurant, it was clear to me that someone took a lot of time to design and coordinate the décor in this Riverwest gem. Krause explained that almost everything in the restaurant was recycled including those 1950s tables and chairs. In addition to the main dining room where there are several four-tops and booths, there’s an adjoining dining room with more artistic touches to admire and another large photo mural.

Wonderland is a diner, a café, a meeting place for locals, and a place where you leave your pearls at home and come as you are. I noted a diverse group of diners, a couple of suits, a lot of jeans, and overall, a customer look that mimicked the diverse population in the nearby neighborhood.

Likewise, a diverse menu offers classic diner food like the Dream Burger with American Cheese and fries as well as a unique corned beef sandwich with caramelized sauerkraut, Gruyere, and tiger sauce on toasted pumpernickel. The meat in the corned beef sandwich was tender; the tiger sauce similar to 1000 Island; the kraut tasty and tart; the pumpernickel thinly sliced to allow the rest of the flavors shine. Pickled green beans and yellow peppers added a piquant vitality. We noted the fries that came with the burger had a whisper of herbs. According to our server, dry herbs were sprinkled on the fries immediately when they were removed from the oil. They were addictive and there were a lot of them, enough to share.

There are two Benedicts on the menu, the classic Eggs Benedict and a Salmon Benedict. Both include bearnaise instead of hollandaise, a flavor bomb on the nicely poached eggs with appropriately runny yolks. They were served on brioche instead of the usual English muffins. The classic had chunks of tender pulled ham while the salmon was sauteed along with spinach and cherry tomatoes. Both benedicts included crisp hash browns and both were indulgent versions of a benedict thanks to the generous portions of sauce on the eggs.

On a third visit, another brunch, my companions and I chose the Small Town Breakfast, Corned Beef Hash, Hopple Popple, the Daily Special, and my favorite, Chilaquiles. If you order the Small Town Breakfast, you have a veggie meat option, lentil sausage, which turned out to be two large faux sausages made with the aforementioned lentils. They looked like sausage and that’s where the similarity ended. If you like lentils, check them out. They were tasty, just different, and could have been improved with a sauce to moisten them.

The corned beef in the hash was chunky but chewy, not fork-tender as we expected. On the plus side, the roasted potatoes in the hashbrowns were crisp and the tiger sauce added a richness to the basic hash.

For the Daily Special, the Hopple Popple, the chef topped the meat and potato mix with the eggs instead of mixing them together, an odd twist on a staple, and a dish my companion would not repeat.

The Chilaquiles were a playground of flavors and textures with crunchy sliced radish, silky avocado, smoky spicy jalapeno relish, and crisp tortilla chips, tossed in a tasty red sauce. Eggs topped with salsa verde and sour cream completed this tasty dish.

Vegans and vegetarians will feel at home at Wonderland. There are many choices such as Vegan Corned Beet Hash, a Vegan Breakfast Bowl, and Vegan Biscuits and Gravy. There’s also a Kale Salad, a Portobella Panini, and Royal Barbeque Tofu.

When you enter the restaurant, there’s a box by the door where you pick up a menu. Then you order at the counter, pay, and take a number for your table. It’s a slick system with fast and efficient service even when the place was busy at noon on a Sunday. A $5.00 Mimosa which you order in the adjacent Art Bar on weekends will help pass the time while you wait for your food. You can order a liter of Mimosas for $25.00 and since this is a full-service bar, there are many drink options to consider. You can order a beer in the restaurant, but if you want something alcoholic other than beer, the Art Bar is conveniently connected to the second dining room.

Because my three visits to Wonderland were enjoyed at lunch and brunch, I can’t speak to the dinner entrees which are available after 4:00. Again, there are multiple choices for vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores. Vegans can order the Lentil Loaf Dinner with sauteed Brussels; carnivores will like the Pork Chop Dinner served on a bed of house-made spaetzle; vegetarians can’t miss with Classic Mac, made with four cheeses and topped with toasted breadcrumbs.

You will find all this and more at Wonderland where comfort food joins art in a classic diner setting.

On The Menu

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 732 E. Burleigh St.
• Phone: 414-372-7880
• Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tue-Thu, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat
• Neighborhood: Riverwest
• Website: http://artbarwonderland.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wonderlandmke-111686576862085/