Edith’s Cakes & Catering

They catered our wedding for us. They had good food and were priced great. They also did our cake. It was two tiered and I only paid $ 130 for it. The cake was delish! Had a yellow cake with lemon filling and the top tier was chocolate with peanut butter/​peanut butter cups crushed in it. Only negative was the my appetizers were supposed to be served at 4 and dinner at 5:30. They arrived at 4:25. So it gave me a bit of a panic at 4:00 when we had to have a friend call while we were getting pictures taken to verify that everything was okay.

We stopped in here for brunch a few weeks ago when we were out running errands in Beaver Dam. Like one of the previous reviewers said, the atmosphere is not great (my husband still refers to it as «the most depressing restaurant in the world»). Everything is dark and dingy and the whole place looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years. Our server was pleasant enough and the food was so-​so (I had a BLT, husband had breakfast food). It’s really typical food that you’d get in any small town Wisconsin, mom and pop kind of place. So if you have a prescription for Prozac and a penchant for iceberg lettuce, this place is adequate. If you are watching your saturated fat intake and have a germ phobia, you might want to skip it. But then again, if you are watching your saturated fat intake, you probably shouldn’t be in Beaver Dam in the first place.

This place has great food, and the whole family went away full. I ordered a late breakfast, and the rest of the family got lunch. The restaurant offers different daily specials every day, and they have more to offer on there menu. It is the best home style, family cooking around. The waitstaff, cooks, and owner all came over to see how we were.
We were all treated like family. And will be back often

On an early Sunday afternoon, this place is pretty much the only restaurant open in downtown Beaver Dam. It might even be the only restaurant the (sadly declining) downtown has anyway, as every one is going to the newer chain establishments on the outskirts of town. From the outside, Edith’s doesn’t look like a much: an old, plain building with a little sign that says «Edith’s Cakes + Catering + Café.» The only way we knew this was a place to eat in was by the people sitting at the tables through the window.
When we walked in, we were a little bit over (under?) whelmed at the atmosphere. All the tables were filled (which was a good thing), but everyone looked so… bored and sad. Aside from the sunny tables by the window, the small dining room was kind of dim. The walls were painted a somber blue and decorated with pine tree branches as if they forgot to take the holiday decorations down. After noticing the cabin-​like bathrooms (which were clean!), I realized this décor was done on purpose. It just felt really odd in July. On the wall above the cashier was a dated family photograph (perhaps it was Edith’s family) with a giant cross sticking out the side. I turned to my husband and said, «I feel like we’re in a church basement or something.»
We sat at a table right next to the window, with a view of everything inside and outside the café. Our waitress was attentive and kept up with our drinks throughout the meal. The food… well, the menu didn’t have much variety on it for someone like me. In fact, there was meat in pretty much anything but the iceberg lettuce salads or grilled cheese. I opted for a half grilled cheese with fries. My husband got a burger. Fortunately, the food surprised us. Although it was the same greasy, carb-​y, cheesy grub the rest of the state likes to serve, it wasn’t bad. We were happy. And stuffed.
I don’t plan to come back for the food, but it was an interesting experience.
Their cakes are another story. An older couple came in to pick up their large cake order and the waitress showed us one of the cake creations — a large boat! It was rather impressive. I definitely didn’t expect such a creation from this little shop. I wish they had cake on the café menu for me to try. Upon some further research, I found out that this place had one of their cakes on the cover of Brides magazine many years ago. Very cool. I have a feeling this place does better with their cake and catering service than the dining room area. But hey, good to know that a small-​town cake place is getting business!

We’ve been here several times over the past three years for breakfast, each time hoping it will be better, each time finding it’s gotten worse. Dingy, filthy café run by second-​generation family members (Edith’s long gone, in every way imaginable) who look like they’d rather be anywhere but here. The food is carelessly made (rubbery eggs, greasy pancakes) and heaped onto tiny plates. Once the food arrives, so do the flies. Forget about getting coffee service unless you get up yourself to re-​fill your cup. The «salad bar,» one of those tabletop things filled with shaved ice, (not available during breakfast hours judging by the plastic-​wrapped leftovers from the day before) sits off in the corner during breakfast, waiting in vain for someone to love it. The guy setting tables had the napkins shoved under his armpit. Maybe it’s a sign that nothing can live here because each time I drive by my satellite radio signal goes dead.