Back in 1992, a bar and grill on Madeline Island, WI - in Lake Superior, across the channel from the charming small town of Bayfield - burned down. From its ashes rose something quite remarkable: a popular watering hole called Tom’s Burned Down Cafe. And it’s been going strong ever since. In fact, I think it’s one of the best bars in Wisconsin.

Madeline Island isn’t the easiest place to get to, frankly. You have to travel to Bayfield - which is a lovely small town at pretty much the northernmost tip of the state (just shy of it by a few miles). It’s definitely worth a visit in its own right.

From there, you need to take a scheduled ferry across the channel to Madeline Island. In winter, you can drive an ice road across, but since the establishment we’re discussing is closed during the winter, that’s kind of a moot point for the purposes of this article.

Tom’s Burned Cafe was born from the ashes of Leona’s when the latter was destroyed in a blaze more than 30 years ago. The owner, Tom Nelson, never closed. He just cleaned up a bit, threw up some tarps and handmade signs, stopped serving food, and kept serving drinks. The cafe burned down, so it is technically a “burned down cafe,” and it’s still licensed as a restaurant. But a hearty Bloody Mary is about as close to food as you’re going to get here these days. There is live music most weekends, though.

Over the years, what was once a local favorite cafe became a phenomenon with a wider reputation than it ever would have enjoyed as Leona’s. You could pretty much add it to the pantheon of global watering holes that includes places like Harry’s Bar, Foxy’s, Sloppy Joe’s, and the Algonquin.

Not surprisingly, since it has neither a roof nor walls, Tom’s Burned Down Cafe is seasonal. It opens at some point in the late spring and closes in the early fall. The bar has no current website and is also pretty bad about social media - no Facebook page, and its Instagram doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2021. But that plays right into the whole vibe of the place - you’ll just have to make the radical move of heading to Bayfield, hopping on a ferry to Madeline Island, WI, and experiencing it for yourself. Nearby Big Bay State Park has several campsites, as well as many wonderful hiking trails which you can preview on AllTrails Plus.

Have you visited Tom’s Burned Down Cafe on Madeline Island, Wisconsin? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to tell us what you think are the best bars in Wisconsin.