Mad Apple Burger & Billiard Co.

by Jamie LaFreniere

Attached to Clarion Inn of Appleton, Mad Apple Burger & Billiard Co. is located on West College Avenue. Along with their 120-seat restaurant, you can visit their pool hall or enjoy those last precious minutes of outdoor time out on their Madio, a huge open space with picnic tables and games of horse shoes and cornhole.

Owner Kendal Koch takes gaming seriously at Mad Apple. Their pool and dart room has twelve 7-foot tables, two 9-foot tables with lights, three G-3 dart boards, and three tournament foosball tables.

If you want all the fun with an added bit of privacy, you can rent their 2,100-square-foot banquet hall with a full bar, fireplace, and PA system for business or private parties.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, it’s time to take on the real champion – their menu.

Mad Apple uses local vendors as much as possible. Their fabulous burgers have fresh ground beef from Jacobs Meat Market in Appleton! But why stay traditional when you can also try venison, elk, or bison? The menu is both large and creative. You’ll even find gluten free options!

Mad Apple has an in-house chef who makes everything from scratch daily. Their bakery makes all breads, buns, pies, and cookies on site.

Let’s start at the beginning. The large appetizers menu has Poutine! You almost don’t need to see the other options! Who is passing up Poutine? Expect a large serving of fries, cheese curds, and gravy for this traditional treat. If you aren’t ready for that, try some sweet potato planks, hand-dipped cheese curds, or bacon poppers.

With the word burger right in their name, you know they came to play when it comes to this menu item. But expect the unexpected. How about trying the Nut Job – a beef patty with pepper jack cheese, bacon, peanut butter, onion strings, and a sweet Thai chili sauce on a pretzel bun.

You can go south for a Loco Quesadilla Burger – a blackened beef patty with Mexican street corn, Pico de Gallo, and sour cream, all wrapped in a grilled cheese quesadilla.

I’m not surprised to say the one that caught my eye was the Straight Jacket – a beef patty coated in tempura and fried to perfection, toped with spicy mayo. This was a completely new experience for me and worth a try!

Too many choices? You can always just have a breakdown. No, not like that. The Breakdown menu features a build-your-own list of ingredients for you to craft your own creation.

If you aren’t in the mood for a burger (why would you not be?) they also have a creative list of sandwiches including a Crazy Cuban with pork belly and ham, a Frenzied Philly with ribeye steak, or three different loaded grilled cheese sandwiches.

You can find lighter fare for lunch with eight different salads and wraps or go all out with full dinners like an 8-ouce center-cut tenderloin or 6-ounce tuna steak.

Just when you thought we were done covering the menu, it’s time for the pizza! You can get a Maladjusted, Batty, Cuckoo’s Nest, or Loco Pollo. I love the names so much I’m going to let you guess what they are all about. Better yet, go in and try one for yourself. Expect toppings like shaved ribeye steak, basil pesto, street corn, braised chicken, and many more bold choices. And like the other items on the menu, you can also do a build-your-own option for a customized pie.

I haven’t even talked about the dessert menu or the shakes yet. I’m going to need more space for this article to cover everything, and you’re going to need more space on your table to try it all.