Food/Dining : Egg Harbor

Watcha Have?
7821 Horseshoe Bay Rd
Egg Harbor
920-868-2724

Ok, this place is very cool.  There are so many “neat little things” about Watcha Have that I have been back there once a week with my daughter Sophia since they opened.  When I heard they opened and had a hot dog menu I couldn’t wait to stop in.  They are located across the hall from the Chocolate Chicken in Egg Harbor so I knew right where it was.  I walked in and it smelled awesome!  I did look over at the huge menu board posted on the back wall and quickly ordered a chili dog for myself and a naked dog for Sophia, grabbed a menu and took a table in the corner so I could scope this place out!

There are 3 or four small round tables inside with more seating available outside (more on that later).  The service counter runs across the entire restaurant and there are always a couple of very friendly and helpful people to wait on the customers.  There is no table side service, everyone orders from the service counter.  I took a better look at the very large menu board and discovered that in addition to several types of dogs they have char-grilled hamburgers, fajitas, brats, pitas, fries, nachos and salads.

My chili dog comes and it looks delicious.  I jump right in with both hands and immediately discovered this chili dog to be awesome.  There was something different about it, it tasted better than most other chili dogs I have had.  I took another bite and set the dog down, time to use the fork I thought.  Then I noticed it, there in the middle of a lightly toasted bun and delicious chili was a REAL hotdog, not some skinless wimpy wiener kind of thing.  I found out from Chuck, the owner, that their hotdogs are made from real sausage and not the processed stuff.  Wow, what a difference!  The dog is grilled just right and has a flavor all its own.  All the meats for the burgers, hotdogs and brats come from Keith Birnschein, owner of Door County Custom Meats.

Chuck Ryan is the owner of Watcha Have.  He has nearly 40 years of experience owning, building and running restaurants.  He describes Watcha Have as a friendly place for kids and adults with great food and great service.  According to Chuck, “we are door county’s first home-made fast food restaurant.”  “Best of all”, Chuck says, “you won’t break the bank bringing your family here.”  I couldn’t agree more, everything on the menu is under seven bucks with the exception of their triple Minute-Man steak burger with cheese and all the fixings for $7.25.  Always check for current prices, but this place is a deal!

On my second return visit I had the Cuban Sandwich and it was very, very good.  Awesome combination of ham, roast pork, swiss cheese and mustard on a Cuban toasted bun.  It also has these great pickle spears that were the length of the bun adding to the flavor.  As I was sitting their with my daughter Sophia, I noticed Greg & Denise Stillman, general managers at The Newport Resort in Egg Harbor enjoying a bit of lunch themselves.  It was Greg’s birthday and he was having the Peninsula Parthenon which is Watcha Have's version of the Greek gyro.  “We’ve had gyros from the Summer Fest Grounds in Milwaukee, the State Fair and the Parthenon in Madison.  These are as good or better!”  I’ve since tried one and they are awesome.  No fake lamb meat here guys, this gyro is a combination of authentic spit roasted pork and lamb meat.  If you’re into gyros, you must try one.

I have also tried the "sea dog" which is a fish sandwich, in the shape of a hot dog, served in a hot dog bun, with a tartar sauce - excellent!

I love what other customers say about a place, especially if it’s new.  Jay Whitney, lead man for Door County’s popular band Big Mouth loves the Chili Cheese Head Chips. The chips are made from deep fried and seasoned yellow corn tortia’s.  This place has a great little feel to it.  I’ve had a half dozen items off the menu and they’ve all exceeded my expectations.  On our last visit, Sophia had her usual, the Naked Dog with just ketchup and I had the Dagwood and it was delicious. 

Watcha Have is located right next to the Egg Harbor town park (Harborview Park), a perfect place to enjoy your lunch.  The food is really good, the service is fast and friendly and the prices are tough to beat.  Again, great for the family too - kids love it -there is definitely something on the menu for your whole family. (Check out the article Through the eyes of Sophia).   I’m getting hungry!  Watcha Have is the kind of place that you will want to try everything on the menu; I know I will.  Check out their complete menu online!

© 2010 Door County Navigator. Disclaimer