Lack of travel, due to moving, has had me out exploring my locale a little more than usual. While food options are limited where I live, I have found some decent restaurants to turn to when the desire to cook escapes me. The nice thing is that Groupon has come in handy for trying out a few of these new places.

Located off exit sixteen, in Hammond, WI, is a great new restaurant called Schuggy’s American Grill & Taphouse. Schuggy’s has only been around for five months, but they seem to be doing a good job of packing in the patrons on a Friday night. I have eaten at this restaurant twice, and at their sister restaurant, the Barnboard, three times. Several of the items on the menus are similar, or the same.

The first time I visited Schuggy’s, I went with my uncle. We ordered two appetizers: the quesadilla, and cheesy mac potato skins. We both very much enjoyed the quesadilla, but we both greatly disliked the potato skins. The skins were lacking in flavor and they were not served with anything on the side, such as sour cream. Upon informing our server that we did not like them, she basically said they aren’t for everyone and walked away. I found this highly disconcerting. I did take the potato skins home and surprisingly the flavor came out more upon reheating them, however, I won’t ever order them off the menu again.

Normally after a situation such as the above, I would not return to the restaurant, however, I did have a Groupon left, since we didn’t spend enough to use it on our previous visit. My husband and I decided to stop in and try their cheese curds and pizza. While I thought they were both very good, the pizza could have used just a little more sauce. This second experience was much better than the first. Our waittress was more attentive and we left feeling quite full and happy.

I would like to note that this restaurant is clean and has a family friendly feel to it. I love the American themed décor. Honestly, the décor and feel of the restaurant is what made me go back and give them a second try. They are one of the few newer restaurants in this area and comfort is a big deal to me when choosing a place to eat.

I am hoping that the kinks at Schuggy’s will work themselves out. I read several reviews on Groupon and noted that they were dealing with some unattentive waitresses when the business first opened. The owner assured one patron that he was going to look into these issues and personally address them. Despite the first exprerience I will go back and try this restaurant out again in the near future.

For more information on Schuggy’s American Grill & Taphouse, please visit: https://www.schuggys.com/