Trattoria Stefano

This place is fantastic!!! I had the rigatoni and the wine selection is also on point. I am usually a big fan of California wine but this place has changed my perceptions! The tiramisu is also wonderful. Not so sweet and creamy yet not too heavy. You can’t go wrong with a good tiramisu. I am so happy I stumbled upon this place. Will definitely make myself a regular when I come here for work. Five stars!!!

What an amazing place! It came highly recommended to us and did not disappoint. The food was some of the freshest and most flavorful that we’ve ever had, and the staff was wonderful. Our server clearly loves food and loves sharing it with others. The whole place has a very small town, homey feel. On the way home we were trying to compare the quality of food to some of the Italian places in Chicago that we love, and we just couldn’t– we haven’t had italian this good, except for when we were actually in Italy. Definitely returning the next time we’re in Kohler!

Just an excellent experience! From the Service, to the food, to the presentation, and the vibe. This place is really a cut above the rest. I don’t mind the T-​Shirts or the presentation speech, when you are looking for an experience this is the place to go. Very Expensive but good portions and you aren’t leaving hungry!

So, we were «camping» over at Kohler Andrae on a Saturday and remembered that our friend from Milwaukee strongly recommended this restaurant. We hopped into the car and headed into town to find Trattoria Stefano. On the way in, we hoped to make reservations but they were booked until 8:30PM. We took our chances to get a bar spot, and we are so glad we did.
It was pretty busy when we first walked in, but there were a couple bar stools available at the end of the bar. We grabbed them and jumped right in with our bartender/​server (Cooper). We ordered a bottle of wine, which was very nice, and looked over the menu. Everything looked delicious, but then Cooper came back and make it easy by sharing the specials with us.
Feeling trusting, we picked all specials for dinner. The appetizer was somewhat of a rolled pizza and a salad. It was delicious and a large portion for two people. After scraping that plate clean, our entrees arrived.
I’m not going to describe this very well because I can’t remember all of what was in the ragu sauce, It was a square pasta that was ridged and rolled so it made tubes with a «carnivorous» sauce. The sauce had veal, turkey, chicken, pork, and I think a few other meats in it. Made for a delicious pasta dish! The other special was scallops and risotto. Four giant scallops cooked perfectly with a creamy, buttery, mushroomy sauce came out with a delicious risotto. It also had sets of green/​white beans rolled in prosciutto. Often I find green beans under cooked, but these were cooked perfectly and had no bitterness.
Anyway, it was a great experience even at the bar; hopefully will get a chance to dine there at a table!

My favorite restaurant in the whole world! What a gem in the little town of Sheboygan! We visit once a year when visiting family and it is not nearly enough. No visit to Sheboygan is complete without a dinner at Stefano’s. I always get the Mt. Vesuvius with fresh mozzarella. I can’t branch out so because it is just too delicious. But my other family members have had just about the entire menu and it is all great. Thanks Stefano and the whole team for giving us great wine and feeding our bellies with yummy food ;-)

When I came to visit friends in Sheboygan I never thought we would eat some of the best Italian food I’ve had outside of Italy! But here in this small town I found real authentic Neapolitan pizza! Wonderful service, great wine, and delicious dolce! Wow!

Best place in Sheboygan! We come back every year and are never disappointed. Food wine and service are all wonderful.

We have dined here three times in the last two years including last night 7÷9÷2015.
The place was half empty on a Thursday night when we arrived at 6:30. The service was painfully slow. We waited over thirty minutes for our entrees-​both of which were «specials». The cheese appetizer was four small pieces for $ 18.95. The entrees were also overpriced for the value. We were treated to a little better service on one of the three occasions. I consider the food average at best and certainly not worth the wait or the money. As locals we are disappointed and won’t return.
We wonder about the rave reviews from others-​did they dine at the same place?

Went here for dinner during our vacation and we loved everything about it. We had the half sized portions of amatriciana and trenne pasta, which were delicious and the perfect amount. The pasta is homemade and cooked perfectly to al dente. My husband wanted a side of 1 meatball (which wasn’t on the menu) and they accommodated. The meatball was superb and left us wanting more. Service was excellent. This place is a gem.

I have eaten here at least 20 times. I LOVE IT! Every meal has been fantastic. The service is exceptional with knowledgeable staff. Food is quick to come out and impeccably prepared.
Hands down, I would recommend this place to anyone.

i’ve never had $ 180 dinner for two when waited on by a server wearing a fucking T-​shirt.
We walked in and saw several groups of people chatting near the hostess stand but couldn’t tell who worked there. It took an uncomfortably long time to realize the hostess was chatting with a friend (?) in front of us. Eventually she seated them and returned; and instead of saying hi or welcome, we were curtly greeted by: ‘Reservation?’ On a Monday night? no. We were swiftly seated and waited another long while to be greeted by our server. He rambled an incredibly detailed and unrequested Portlandia-​esque soliloquy of practically every menu item’s description, origin and preparation (except for the specials which I later heard him tell an adjacent table and would have wanted to try their beet salad).
Food was good, albeit overly and sometimes unnecessarily complicated, like the delicious ragu under my osso bucco (which was far more fatty than a competent chef would serve at this level of establishment).

This is the best restaurant in Sheboygan. Lino’s has some great food, but the ambiance doesn’t come close to Stefano’s. The Immigrant Room in Kohler may be a step up in the way of fine dining, but it is not as much fun as Stefanos.
Prices are expensive for Sheboygan, but on the low end for this quality of dining experience in other cities. For the more casual Neapolitan Pizze experience head to Il Rittovo across the street (also owned and operated by Stefano). At either restaurant the Tiramisu is a must!

Amazing! Don’t miss this place. Very fresh ingredients, extensive Italian wine list. We ordered the grilled cuttlefish in a lemon garlic sauce, caprese salad (tomatoes and mozzarella so fresh!), stuffed veal chop and boar pasta.
Each dish better than the next! Divine! Our server was amazing too-​we can’t say enough good things. Can’t wait to go back!

Kid Sized Portions for Adult Sized Prices.
Last night I hosted a client at Trattoria Stefano and must say I was extremely disappointed on the portion sizes! I get that beef, cheese and other costs have gone through the roof. I also understand supporting local agriculture comes at a price. But you can’t get away with charging $ 17 – 20 for ½ serving of spaghetti and not even put the Parmesan Reggiano on it… or as our server said, «we only put the local parm on the table as the real stuff from Italy costs too much…» The side of tuscan baked beans was so small (and also not cheap at $ 8), I ate it in 3 spoonfuls. Dessert serving sizes were skimpy as well — I made the mistake of not order the tiramisu, which did look fabulous — rather I ordered the chocolate cake and it was so small, I thought it was a mistake. On the positive side, the waiter seemed very attentive and the complimentary bread on the table was very good. Perhaps I caught chef on a bad night or ordered the wrong things — but I can’t see going back at this value. I am really surprised they would even stay open if the portions remain this tiny…

My wife is of Italian heritage, and she always refuses to eat at Italian Restaurants. She is an excellent cook, and she always is disappointed when eating at an Italian restaurant. So we ends up eating at this place because we went with a group. The experience turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.
We had several courses before the main course, and these were served family style. Each one was a real treat and well prepared. Antipasto, Caesar salad, two kinds of pasta, great bread. Then the main course was served. I will speak for the group, and tell you everyone loved it. My wife was went with a doubtful trepidation said she would definitely go back given the chance, (we don’t live in the area.)
I too would love the chance to eat here again. Staff, and servers were friendly, accommodating, and everything was served at the proper pace.
Do yourself a favor, and give this place a try.

Went to this restaurant just this past Saturday night and had an absolutely amazing time. Everything from the hostess, to our amazing waiter August, and of course the food, was absolutely perfect. Having grown up not too far away in Fond du Lac, I was surprised to see this restaurant featured on a show airing on PBS known as Wisconsin Foodie a few years back. I couldn’t have imagined there being restaurants of this caliber in a town like Sheboygan. After seeing the show air, I knew that the next time I was in this neck of the woods, I would check out at least 1 of the 4 restaurants owned by the same gentlemen who owns and runs this establishment.
The quality of the food, and it’s ingredients is far beyond what you would expect to see for the price. We had the salad special to split that included blood oranges and beets along with roasted hazelnuts that was spectacular. My wife and I both had the Linguini Pomodori with the Mozzarella and they were both amazing. We shared a side of spinach that was a touch on the salty side but nonetheless, very very good.
We had a few nice glasses of wine, a rosato to start and a great super-​Tuscan with our meal. It’s extremely refreshing to have a few nice glasses of wine and not spend $ 100, we barely spent $ 30!
To finish things off we shared a piece of flourless chocolate cake and a coffee that is roasted in house… much like everything they do. So very refreshing to see a place that puts locally-​sourced produce and sustainably raised animals so high on the priority list, even in a small community like Sheboygan. You’d expect this in a larger city like Chicago, but often times simply because it’s trendy, not because that’s what the owner/​staff truly believe in.
Our fantastic waiter August also brought us a half-​sized shot of the house-​made limoncello to end the night.
What an amazing place. After having dinner at the pizzaria Il Ritrovo across the street the previous night, and having lunch at The Duke of Devon, I would give the entire restaurant group a major 2 thumbs up. A definite must if you are visiting Sheboygan!

Recently, I took my girlfriend and her parents here as her folks (from Wisconsin) had seen the restaurant on television and we wished to take them somewhere nice for Christmas.
I do not have much experience dining in Sheboygan, however, I have a tendency to believe there are far less fine dining options there as opposed to a big city like Chicago or New York. With consideration given to limited options, but also have somewhat of an understanding of the economics of Wisconsin, I cannot see how this restaurant commands the prices they do. The service was poor, bordering rude and condescending while our server clearly had a very limited level of experience/​sophistication in dining. This was apparent in the fact that she sped through her diatribe so quickly you could not understand her all the while without any eye contact. She had clearly only memorized a spiel. When asked to slow down, twice, she responded back to me as if I was the fool. Please don’t talk to me in a condescending manner if it’s obvious you don’t know what you are talking about! You may actually be speaking to someone who does:) And, if you want to command $ 50/​person, dress the part! A server in a sloppy t-​shirt with the restaurant name screen-​printed onto it doesn’t necessarily scream ‘fine-​dining.’ That may go over on folks who do not have much experience dining, but I definitely did not appreciate it.
The pork chop they are known for was very good, but nothing too extravagant. I was not overly impressed. I had the lamb shank, which we were told by our server they are known for; also not impressive. It was rather bland — however, my experience dining in Wisconsin has been food is a little more bland ‘up north’ than in major cities. My girlfriend had the pasta with wild boar. It too was rather bland. My girlfriend’s step-​mother had the salmon. It was a piece of salmon. For desert we had what we were told was apple something. It was unimpressive cake that didn’t seem to have any apple anything (which isn’t necessarily bad, just not impressed) — we all agreed we may have been served the wrong dish.
The bar area looked nice. I would be inclined to meet a friend at the bar and try several appetizers, but would most-​likely opt-​out of the dinner experience.
I believe this restaurant may be able to get by largely on a lack of competition currently being viewed and proclaimed as fine-​dining along with a consumer base that may not necessarily be as experienced as what you find in a large city. If competition increases or customers gain experience it will be a challenging future.

Wow! All of our group of four was astounded by the quality of the good here. We knew it would be good coming in but didn’t expect this good.
This restaurant sources their vegetables from the organic cooperative I’m a member of, Springdale Farm, so the ingredient quality is up there.
The food was exactly the right portion size and the service was great. My only complaint would be the prices. They are high and they are really high for Sheboygan.

OK 2^nd trip here and treated like I was invisible! Walked in the back way as parking up front was taken… I had called in an order for carry-​out and wasn’t sure where to pick it up. (dinning room, bar.?) After I had to peek my head into the waitstaff area I was told /​pointed rather to the entrance area (the bar). I go in there and for at least 3 – 4 mins watch the blonde hostess in flip flops (GROSS AND UNSANITARY) talk about wine with a couple who was wine tasting/​testing. I finally get her to look at me when she says «oh yea thats the bartender»…THATS IT! I said «so am I supposed to chase him down?» Let me clarify, the bar was FULL. So she cant walk over to him and tell him I’ am here for my order?!? She just goes back and starts gabbing about wine. Uhhmmm… was it b/​c Im dressed in jeans, tennis shoes and a pony tail or are you that dense? Seriously felt like dirt.
For the blonde hostess… flip flops are not appropriate in a restaurant for many reasons and if you are somehow related to the owner, you should know better! Treat each customer with the SAME RESPECT. Just b/​c someone comes in not as dressy as the rest doesnt mean they are less than you. in fact many rich people dress down. Put some decent shoes on your manicured toes or else suffer when you get a knife in your foot or someone steps on it! I also believe OSHA may not like this flip flop trend either.

This is only receiving three stars thanks to the quirky wonderfulness of Stefano’s wife. She and the hostess were both very friend and welcoming. Our waiter was knowledgeable and for the most part enjoyable throughout the meal.
We were excited to try the carpaccio as I have not had good carpaccio since my fave spot in NYC shut down. Well… this was not it. The beef was under-​seasoned and decidedly did not have enough flavor to stand on its own. Meanwhile, the arugula was doused in lemon juice and then over-​salted to boot. Who would do that to what would probably have been a lovely, tart arugula salad? This was just depressing.
I should say I did love the bread with baked-​in olive tapenade, and the olive oil itself was very good.
We had the special — described by the waiter as intricately flavored with dried tomatoes, pork shoulder, then a crisp, juicy follow through of ripe grape tomatoes.
All I can say is I did not get a myriad of flavors from this dish. I got a conglomerate that tasted more like a stew. Sure, it was a good stew flavor… but for being touted as one of the best restaurants in town, and for suggested flavor after flavor will hit the palate — This meal fell far, far short of expectations.
The waiter got rather uppity when we sent back my fiancé’s lemoncello martini as it was just too sweet and undrinkable. He informed us the lemoncello is made in-​house and they have never had a complaint. My fiancé said, «well why don’t you taste it then?» Hey, I never said anything against the lemoncello — it might be fine — but whatever they did to that martini certainly wasn’t. (Similarly I was not impressed by the wines by the glass).
As we were leaving, Stefano’s wife stopped us and gave us a rather nice bottle of Chianti as a ‘housewarming’ present, as I told her we’d just moved here last week. That was very friendly of her and was appreciated.
Maybe Stefano has his fingers in too many pies, what with his flagship restau, Feild to Fork, Il Ritrovo, and Duke of Devon all under his command. I think he needs to get back to basics and taste his own food.
Then again, maybe it was just an off night or an off couple of dishes.