The Red Mug Coffee House is located in the garden level of an 1890 historical record building
on Hammond Avenue in Superior, Wisconsin

More Hometown Favorites - Superior, Wisconsin
Pubs, Pizza, and Gourmet Coffee

Previously we profiled Gronks, Anchor Bar, and Shamrock Bar & Pizza Parlour, popular Superior hangouts for burgers and pizza. Here we continue our "cultural tour" of interesting hometown attractions in Superior.

Our first stop was at the Thirsty Pagan Brewery, a brewpub that succeeded the old Twin Ports Brewery in 2006. The building is a former creamery and became a brewery in 1999. Yet the interior, including some old time beer murals on the walls, give the appearance the pub had been operational for sixty years or more. An interesting factoid we discovered after our visit was that Twin Ports Brewing began at the Choo Choo Pub & Grill, another Superior hometown favorite we are profiling here.

Two blocks away from the Thirsty Pagan (at the corner of Broadway & Tower Avenues) is the Red Mug Coffee House (at the corner of Broadway & Hammond avenues. Like the Thirsty Pagan, the interior of the Red Mug is eclectic and gives the appearance the operation has been at this location forever. While quality coffee and expresso is their signature offering, the Red Mug serves a decent breakfast and lunch menu of pasties, cereal, soups, sandwiches, and salads. A selection of craft brews and wine is also available. Music and an art gallery add interest and atmosphere.

Thirsty Pagan Brewery

In an old brick building at the corner of Broadway and Tower, on the outside the Thirsty Pagan looks like an ordinary neighborhood bar and easy to miss. > > >

< < < Antique signs from Wisconsin and Minnesota's great breweries of the past line the walls of the main bar. Nine Pagan brews are on tap - four varieties year round and five rotating seasonal brews. 64 oz growlers are available for carry-out. We had their house pours. Jo had the Burntwood Black, a tasty, malty black ale that to our palates tasted like a Porter. I had the Gitchee Gummi Gold, a light colored brew that suprised me with its character, tasted more substantial than it looked.

< < < In addition to its excellent micro-brews, Thirsty Pagan is known to serve among the best pizzas in the Twin Ports area. It is a nice, goopy, Chicago style deep dish pizza served hot at your table on an unique bottle cork insulated serving tray (see picture). We had the TBS (Thirsty Pagan Special) which is essentially pizza with the works: pepperoni and italian sausage plus onions, green peppers, mushrooms, cheese and sauce. Jo felt the crust wasn't as thick as other Chicago style pan pizza's . . . a fact she liked. Very good and quite filling. We had left overs from a 13 inch pizza. Thisty Pagen's Pizza fits nicely between the pie of Supreme and that of Gronks. Supreme's pizza is greasy good with a soft crust requiring utensils to eat. Gronks' pizza is a thin, hard crust with veggies done just right and easy to eat by the slice.

The Pagan's main pub room has a corner bandstand for local musicians. On this day, most people were engrossed in conversations and enjoying their pizzas and brews, with the music very much in the background. Can be a tough gig for a musician who is used to be the center of attention..

Red Mug Coffee House

Customers lined up for gourmet coffee, scones, and other breakfast pastries at the Red Mug service counter.
Jo had their Date Walnut scone and I had a bowl of their homemade granola with a generous serving of blueberries. We both had dark roast coffee (from organically grown beans and locally roasted).

Although we were there for breakfast, I gather the Mug is a popular lunch spot too. The menu featured a number of tasty sounding sandwiches and wraps, some with panini bread, and soups and salads as well. Lots of organic, whole grain, fresh veggie, goat cheese, "green" this and that, clearly marking the place as a politically and nutritionally correct establishment, yet it also had very welcoming neighborhood feel to it. The art on the walls and the adjacent gallery plus a regular music calender featuring folk and jazz completes the quintessential Coffee House atmopshere.

While a number of customers were ordering carry-out, there's lots of space inside with a choice of oak tables with mismatched but comfortable chairs, stools at a bar suitable for laptops, and comfortable stuffed chairs & sofas. The layout invites people to stay a while and enjoy the ambience as well as food and drinks. The Red Mug also offers free Wi-Fi as well as two Internet terminals for the use of customers. We found this handy and a safer and speedier connection than what we have experienced at chain restaurants like McDonalds. This is also a small outdoor cafe area.

Looking forward to a return visit and trying one of those sandwiches.

Choo Choo Bar & Grill

Only about two blocks from Gronks on the other side of the street (Hwy 53 & US2) is a bar built from a caboose, a rail passenger car, and what looks like the remnants of an old railway freight station. Aptly named the Choo Choo Bar & Grill. Perhaps beause the outside was clearly showing its age, I was expecting a somewhat rugged interior. But it was very bright, clean, gleeming chrome and glass, and knotty pine paneling throughout. Inside it looked like a very well maintained northwoods resort bar and dining room.

If you look close at the interior you can see elements of its former life as a railway car. In addition to its unique architecture, the Choo Choo is known locally for its friendly hospitality, burgers, pizza and its Friday fish fry. A fun stop and just a hop, skip and a jump across the street to Gronks so you can stop at two unique Superior watering holes and eateries in one visit.

Go Here for More Burger & Pizza Bars + Interesting Places to Do & See

. . . Great Burgers, Pizza and Brews

Superior, Wisconsin Camping

• Pattison State Park
  State's highest waterfall, nature center, 9 miles of hiking trails, 59 campsites, RV (18 electric hookups & dump station) and tent camping (showers and flush toilets in summer)
• Amincon Falls State Park
  Waterfalls, hiking, picnic area, tent camping . Camp sites mostly rustic, but well spaced and laid out.
• Brule River State Forest
  Rustic tent camping, canoe camping, trout fishing.

Directory to Minnesota's North Shore Leg
of Lake Superior Circle Tour

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