About Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty
Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty has fed Dells visitors since 1958 and is run by the Tonne and Hickey family. The whole place is built around the 1890s logging camps of the Northwoods: a giant wooden lumberjack sign greets you in the parking lot, a 15-foot statue stands out front, and the three golden pine log dining rooms are hung with authentic logging tools, fixtures and old camp photographs, with antique lanterns over red-and-white checkered tables. It seats up to 450 people.
Meals come family style and all you can eat, passed around the table the way a camp cook would have served a crew. The lumberjack breakfast brings buttermilk pancakes, sausage links and ham, scrambled eggs, camp-fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and the house buttermilk donuts, with coffee, tea, milk and juice included. A gluten-free waffle with strawberries and whipped cream is available as an add-on, and there is a full bar.
The donuts are made fresh daily and sold by the dozen to take home, and you walk through the gift shop on the way into the dining rooms. Tour buses, school groups, sports teams and family reunions of any size are welcome. The restaurant is seasonal; its October 2026 calendar lists breakfast from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every day except Wednesday.
New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm outside Baraboo is about 25 minutes south, so a big breakfast here can start a summer day that ends in the lavender fields.
What to do
- Eat an all-you-can-eat lumberjack breakfast served family style
- Take home a dozen fresh buttermilk donuts
- Look over the 1890s logging tools and photos in the log dining rooms
- Photograph the 15-foot statue and lumberjack sign out front
- Bring a tour, school or team group for an all-you-can-eat meal
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Seasonal; exact opening and closing dates are not published, and the October 2026 calendar lists breakfast service
- Hours
- October 2026: breakfast 7 a.m.–12:30 p.m., closed Wednesdays (the restaurant notes hours can change without notice)
Tips for your visit
- Check the calendar on their website before you go; hours are seasonal and can change without notice
- Breakfast ends at 12:30 p.m., so plan for a morning visit
- Groups of any size should contact the restaurant ahead to plan a meal
- Ask for the gluten-free waffle add-on if needed
Pair it with a lavender farm
New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm · about 25 minutes away
Start with breakfast in the Dells, then drive about 25 minutes south to New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm near Baraboo.
Getting there
Questions
What is served at the lumberjack breakfast?
All-you-can-eat buttermilk pancakes, sausage and ham, scrambled eggs, camp-fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy and homemade donuts, with coffee, tea, milk and juice.
Is Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty open year-round?
No, it is seasonal. Its October 2026 calendar lists breakfast 7 a.m.–12:30 p.m., closed Wednesdays.
Can I buy the donuts to go?
Yes, the buttermilk donuts are made daily and sold by the dozen.
Does it take large groups?
Yes. Tour groups, school groups, sports teams and family reunions of all sizes are welcome.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Baraboo & Devil's Lake, Wisconsin
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
