The Launching Pad

Love this place. Hamburgers are awesome and big. I order the small burger but it’s big to me so I end up taking some home. Fish fries are good. Friendly people, both the employees and customers.

This place IS fun. :) Everyone is so friendly and welcoming.
It’s the perfect place to grab a draft beer with some friends or even by yourself. No one will make you feel like you’re alone.
We had the cheese nuggets. They were fried and delicious. My husband and I each had a burger and we were very satisfied! We opted for fries over chips, because I am only a chips person when salsa is around.
They have nightly specials; they seemed very popular with the locals. I would describe this as more of a bar with food rather than a restaurant. Which I don’t consider that a bad thing, just something to consider when deciding what kind of environment you are looking for. :)

A fun little bar. Everybody is very nice and the drinks are cheap. A great place to hang out and have a couple!

Came for a Friday night fish fry-​good choice! Had the broiled cod which was a small potion but wonderful tasting. Coleslaw was sweet & not enough celery seed for seasoning (personal favorite I guess). My daughter had the deep fried cod & said it was ok. Very busy place but attention to my party was great-​server made sure we had what we needed & wanted all evening. Pricing was average. Would definitely recommend this place.

It’s a classic tavern with friendly and fun staff known for their burgers. Everyone I’ve talked to has enjoyed their burger here but I come here for a few beers usually. The food all looks top notch and prices and pours are great. I guess I’m a regular here when in town.

I don’t get it. They do such a good business, but I have a hard time understanding why. I stopped and had the Thursday pork. I was a mass of uninspired wet pulled pork on top of a pretty tired hard roll. I didn’t enjoy the meal at all. Oh yeh I turned down the BBQ sauce on the side. That wouldn’t make it BBQ meat. Oh well, more power to them, but I don’t see stopping in again. Two strikes are enough for me to out them.

They had a delicious bloody mary!!! I had the tenderloin burger, it was very good. Saw someone order «the duke» 1 ½ pound burger… It looked amazing! Really enjoyed this place for a low key bar.

Great burgers as mentioned! I wish they made their own hand cut French fries. Otherwise it is your basic bar food. Very friendly people working there and very clean and well kept, nice place to stop for a burger and a drink!

Solid burgers. Good crinkle cut fries. It’s a staple to the visit to Shawno.

Love the daily specials. All you can eat spaghetti and beef tips over mashed potatoes are my two favs. Anytime I’m in Shawno I go here at least once.

I was taking a road trip to Nueske’s and knew we needed a lunch stop. After some checking around on Unilocal,I knew I had to try a cheeseburger here. The ambiance isn’t much but that’s not why you stop in bars up north any way. Service was prompt and very friendly. We had the cheese curds as our appetizer and they were good. The cheeseburger was one of the best I have ever had. I wish Shawano was closer to Milltown so I could stop in for a cheeseburger more often. The bun was even tasty. If you are in the area make sure you stop in.

Thank you Unilocal!I can find good food no matter where I go. never visiting there area before we searched for nearby restaurants. The Unilocal reviews regarding their burgers got my attention. It’s a typical north woods bar & grill. Customers were sitting at bar but we were pointed to a table in back room That worked out well. I had the burger and it was juicy, flavorful & on a great bun. I even liked their fries altho I’m not usually a fan of same.

I have eaten here several times, and they make one of the best burgers around. Each burger is hand pattied when you order it., and they will make them as big as you want. They also have awesome soup in the winter, but really wish they had it year round! For the money, you really can’t go wrong with the Pad

I had just arrived from San Francisco area for a quick weekend visit with the family and I’m thinking «Hmmm I would like a fish fry» (since those are hard to come by in CA). My sister recommends this place. They have pizza, beer, cheese curds, fried fish, french fries… you see the trend here, right? Good ol’ Midwest bar food in a super casual establishment. Great for those fried food cravings.
The regular bar food was decent BUT I had the all-​you-​can-​eat pollock fish fry for $ 9. Don’t do it. Deep fried pieces of fishy rubber. Stick with the perch or cod if you must get fish. Mine came with a side of potato salad (solid), a slice of buttered rye bread, & coleslaw. Wait staff was friendly & prompt. Drinks were cold. Silverware was clean.
All in all it’s your average bar food. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here but if I were in the area I would definitely stop in for a snack & a beer.

Service was ok. Waitress not too attentive. Burgers were great. Really delicious! Loved the cheese curds. Would visit again.
Beware: they don’t accept credit cards

Good fried cheese curds (I like them a little squeaky and without too much added spice), local beers and really great draft root beer. There’s not a healthy thing to be eaten, but it’s a perfect destination for greasy bar food done right. Extremely casual, so don’t dress too fancy unless you wanna look like you’re from outta town. Huge volley ball courts in back and picnic tables for nice days round out the outside space, which overlooks the Shawano airport. I think it’s mostly for charters, and the locals I stayed with say they’ve never seen a plane take off or land there so don’t hold your breath for that kind of excitement.