Inside The Coffee Pot
Long-time friends Janis Barnhill and Julie Zorn became owners of The Coffee Pot in 2004. Both are from Kenosha, have been friends since high school. Janis and Julie had talked of opening a restaurant together at some point. The diner originally opened in the early 1930's, and has been known by various names over the years. The neon sign above the window was commissioned in the 1930’s for the location.
From the owners
Since 2004, we certainly learned a lot and have made many friends along the way. Our Coffee Pot Family has the best customers and employees. We especially love seeing some of our little customers grow up. Children love to sit at our grill counter and watch all of the food coming off the grill! Big kids too. Julio and Ernie are pretty amazing grill jockeys!
Some important things to know about us:
- We have a full beer, wine and cocktail offering
- We make top notch Bloody Mary’s!
- Our cuisine is American Diner but you never know what our specials may be.
- We shop local Farmers Market and Harbor Market to get the best the seasons have to offer.
This is what inspires our fun specials. When the tomatoes are abundant we love to make Blackstone Benedict or stuff them with homemade salads. Of course, it will come with a slice of homemade toast! Apple season you can expect something like Carmel Apple Stuffed French toast or Brandy & Apple Braised Pork Loin with mashed sweet potatoes!
The Garden of Eatin’
It’s a great place to enjoy breakfast or lunch during our short Wisconsin summer. The warm temperatures keep our beautiful lake front buzzing with action. Festivals, live outdoor music nearly every day and so many outdoor dining/drinking choices! If the prognosticators are correct; The Garden of Eatin’ will be serving up great food, sassy bloody mary’s, lovely wines and beautiful beers from April through October!
We love October! October brings The Kenosha History Center’s Chili Cook Off! This is a ‘don’t miss’ party at The History Center. Great chili, music and some healthy competition (look out Firemen! We’ve been talking recipes! Maybe a Green Chili with Chicken this year?) By the time Halloween rolls by, we will have all of our palm trees and patio furniture tucked away for the winter. The good news is that’s when we make our homemade Hot Buttered Rum mix. It is a wonderful recipe that includes all the good stuff! Ice cream, butter, sugar and holiday spices. This mixture is spooned into mugs with spiced rum and hot water or coffee. Now that’s aromatherapy! Tastes just like the holidays! The winter months also bring the opportunity to rattle some pots and pans and create some down home comfort food for our daily specials. We are always trying new dishes to add to our tried and true family heirloom recipes! We love the Holidays and all of the fun food.
We've Grown!
2016 was a year of growth for The Coffee Pot with the purchase of the building to the north of us. In October, we opened our new dining area: The Kenosha Room. We also renovated the 3 bedroom apartment above The Kenosha Room into a tourist apartment. Individuals and families will enjoy staying in the comforts of a large, fully furnished, three bedroom apartment when visiting Kenosha! The Coffee Pot Inn features a full kitchen, dining room, family room and a lovely enclosed sun room. There are 20 stairs you'll have to climb to get to the apartment, but we do offer free delivery service from The Coffee Pot so that's one less trip!