By Dan Newman

Wausau Pilot and Review

Most Wausau natives have visited The Domino Bar, as it’s been a great spot to have a drink, play some pool or get some food with friends for decades. The dining room is separate from the bar, so I had no issue with taking my young son there for a Friday night fish fry.

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The place has that familiar Central Wisconsin bar feel. You need to walk through the bar to get to the dining area, but the patrons seemed nice despite the fact that I walked in there with a preteen boy. There were plenty of other children there, so it wasn’t an issue.

They seated us quick enough and we took a look at the menu. I was there for the fish, but my kid wanted something else. The Friday menu has walleye, perch, shrimp and haddock (fried or baked) as well as appetizers, burgers and homemade pizzas.

We — of course — started the evening with some deep fried cheese curds. They came quick, and while the curds were on on the small size, there were plenty of them, served with ranch dressing on the side. The yeasty taste of the batter opposed the fresh white cheddar cheese inside to make a good representation of this classic Wisconsin treat. I would have preferred they be a little crispier, though. We got through them pretty quick, just in time for the meal to arrive.

I went with the Domino Fish Fry, which consists of Stout beer battered haddock, a slice of buttered rye bread and your choice of two sides, in my case, waffle fries and Cole slaw. The portions were huge, so food was practically falling off the plate when it came.

The deep fried fish had a nice beer batter flavor, no fishiness at all and it was crispy on the outside, steamy and moist flaky fillet goodness on the inside. Their beer batter recipe goes well with the haddock for a flavorful meal. The waffle fries were exactly as you’d expect, crispy on the outside and lightly seasoned. Good, but not out of the ordinary. The Cole slaw was also of the standard variety, but had a bit too much dressing.

My son is a little too young to appreciate fish, so he ordered a three-cheese pizza and it was surprisingly good. The seasonings in the hand tossed crust worked with the sauce to give a strong hit of oregano and Italian spices that went against the dairy flavor from the mozzarella, Romano and Parmesan cheeses. The crust was kinda bendy but everything stayed together. This was a fantastic pizza, and by far the standout of our meal.

Remember what I said about the portions? Me and my boy can eat, and we both took food home. The price was fair, the food was good, the staff was friendly.

I recommend The Domino Bar, as the food we were served was fresh and flavorful. But do yourself a favor and try the pizza. It was exceptional.

The Domino Bar

740 Washington Street

Wausau, WI 54403

715-842-4539

www.thedominobar.com