Food/Dining : Fish Creek

The Sandpiper Restaurant and Gift Shop  
8166 Hwy 57
Baileys Harbor
920-839-2528

We’ve eaten in, and reviewed, many restaurants in Door County, but there are always more!  We have finally made it, and I might say very happily, to the Sandpiper Restaurant in Baileys Harbor, on the Quiet Side.  And we have been back many times since, and have been sending people in ever since!
 
An unassuming place, this restaurant focuses on breakfasts and lunches, and then offers one of the finest fish boils around Door County in the evenings.   If you like to dine out for breakfast, then make this a must – Donn Valenti, the owner, specializes in creative breakfasts that will just wow you.
 
Walk in, and you’ll see that this is a family-friendly place with a wonderful staff.  This restaurant is not trying to be something that it is not – it is just what it is: a super restaurant, with some great offerings at very reasonable prices, right near the water in Baileys Harbor.  A small breakfast bar, and tables covered with vinyl table cloths are scattered throughout the two rooms, offering inside seating for about 100+ people.  Another dining room around back, with patio dining too, is used specifically for the fish boils.  Donn guarantees that you “won’t go away hungry.”
 

For the fish boils, offered Monday – Saturday, Donn told us that 85 – 90% of his fish is caught same day or one day prior.  And Donn cuts all his fish himself – this is fresh stuff!   We did not sample the fish boil, but the place was jammed when we were meeting with Donn.  And with this fish boil, eat as much as you want!
 
Breakfast is king in this restaurant, with so much variety, it will just overwhelm you.  From simple egg dishes and combinations, like eggs with Canadian bacon, or ham to homemade biscuits and gravy; creative skillets like Rosemary’s Summer Hash, or a Piper Cajun are superb!  A great selection of creative omelet’s like a Cajun Omelets, or Vegetarian, or Italian with Italian ham (prosciutto and provolone cheese), Mexican, Portabella, Smoked Salmon, Bleu Cheese, and more.  Donn said the Bleu Cheese Omelets is a very popular!
 
Of course, pancakes from potato to buttermilk, French toast, Breakfast Quesadillas, Lox and Bagels – you name it, more than likely you will find it on the menu.  And Country Skillets that include Rosemary’s Country Hash to a Skillet Scramble which comes with a think slice of ham served on a mound of hash browns with two large eggs, topped with Wisconsin Cheddar.  And yes, crepes too!
 
Not enough?  Well, everyday, Donn whips up from 5 – 8 specialties, like Raspberry Cream Cheese Crepes, the Blue Cheese Omelets, a Smoked Whitefish Omelets, a Caramel Pecan Waffle and more!  And you must continuously check back - Donn and his staff spend lots of time over the winter looking for new and creative recipes - so each Spring, you can see lots of new offerings at Sandpiper!  We think you can eat here everyday and never eat the same thing twice!
 
Our Breakfast
We chose to dine in for breakfast (and now we have many, many times).  We ordered the Portabella Omelets and the 3 Pigs in a Blanket.  While we were waiting, the table next to us was served.  A gentleman from Washington Island, a local who said whenever he is on the peninsula he comes to eat breakfast here, had a pancake sitting in from of him that looked like it had to be brought in with a forklift!  Huge, overlapping the sides on the “platter,” not plate.  He loved it.  But we had to snap a picture – seeing is believing!

The Portabella Omelet (see picture) was huge, smothered with provolone cheese and stuffed to the edges with portabella mushrooms, Spanish onion and black olives.  With a large helping of hash browns and rye-swirl toast, I could hardly finish.  The omelet was so flavorful on its own, I did not add salt or pepper at all.  A small paper cup of homemade jam comes with to spread on your toast – delicious!  OK, this was a great selection.  Get it!
 
The 3 Cream Cheese Crepes, with sausage links, was delicious and once-again filling.  Ours was topped with cherries, but you can also get blueberries or raspberry sauce, and it comes along with 2 eggs.  Honestly, we did all we could to finish this one off!  French toast, huge pancakes (the best!), and lots of side orders are avaialble.  Great coffee, and what else do you need?

One our DoorCountyNavigator.com users wrote us and said they were traveling with a group of 8 people, read our earlier review, and at breakfast there everyday!  Well, they are not alone in folks who just love this place.
 
When we met Donn afterward, we paged through some of the comments his past diners have made on his “comments” cards.  Wow – here are a few we picked out, and believe me, we had to limit the positive comments for inclusion here!

• “This is a must do again restaurant!”
• “This was our last day in Door County and this was the best place for food.  Excellent!”
• “Have to have breakfast here every time we visit.”
• “Great atmosphere, great experience.  Thank you!”
• “Great crab cakes and jam.”
• “Great Quiche.”
• “Outstanding food!  Best restaurant in Door County!”

There were also many great comments about the wait staff.  Our wait person was a Joy!  Literally, her name is Joy, and she was fantastic!  So if you see her on your trip, say “hello”!
 
Lunches include lots of salad choices (Cobb, Greek, Chicken Club, Shrimp and Crab, etc.), and homemade soups and specialty sandwiches.  The sandwiches include a Sandpiper Coolside with turkey or ham, lettuce, onion, cheese and your choice of bread, and mayo on the side; or take a Chipotle Turkey, and get smoked turkey, etc. with chipotle mayo; or how about a Chicken Salad on 9 grain bread?

Not enough?  Choose from about a dozen “sandwich platters,”  all served with French fried and coleslaw: Chicken Philly, Italian Philly (with Italian beef), a new Meatloaf sandwich, or a Valenti’s Super Chili Dog which sports a plump hog dog, chili, onions, and shredded cheese on a bun.

Hmm.  Still can’t find anything?  There you are a candidate for being a “basket case!”  You can get a basket of chicken tenders, or a shrimp basket, Whitefish Plate and more – all served with bread, French fries and slaw.

And there are burgers galore, grilled sandwiches and lots of beverages.
  
Private Party?
If you are thinking of throwing a private party, Sandpiper can cater the event either offsite, or even at the restaurant.  So make sure you contact Donn and let him know the details.  The restaurant can seat about 110 people, the patio another 60, and the fish boil room another 100!
 
A small gift shop is also attached to the restaurant.  Open from April through October, and serving beer and wine, the Sandpiper is a definite must-stop on the Quiet Side.  Folks from all over Door County come to dine here.  We think you’ll enjoy this one.

For current offerings, hours and other great information, visit their website right now.  But more importantly, always visit them when you are in Door County!  We keep coming back, and we think you will too!  This is a great spot that we think you will love!  And please tell them that you found them on DoorCountyNavigator.com!
 
 
 

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