The Mint: Where the Locals Go in Wausau, Wisconsin

I haven't lived in Wausau very long. And I don't go out to eat very often. So when my dad came to town and wanted to take me out to breakfast, the best I could suggest was that we see what downtown had to offer.

A few minutes later we were driving up and down the early morning streets of downtown Wausau. We passed a couple of hip- and trendy-looking cafés, but since they appeared to be the sort of place with great coffee and fantastic buns and bagels and not much else, and because we are both watching our carb intakes, we passed them by.

Finally one of us had the bright idea to ask a local. So we stopped in the lobby of the Jefferson Street Inn and were quickly pointed in the direction of The Mint.

Located on the west side of downtown Wausau's Arts Block, The Mint is anything but hip- and trendy-looking. Inside and out, it is the epitome of the American diner-type restaurant. Not the slick 50's-style diner with chrome counters, but the comfortable, down-home type, long and thin, with paneled walls and turquoise booths down one side.

It's the sort of place that one frequently finds in sleepy small towns which have seen more exciting times. But stepping into the The Mint is in some ways like stepping back in time, because instead of the shabby appearance that these places frequently have, it is spotlessly clean, well kept up, and obviously popular.

The history of The Mint is told in black-and white photographs and newspaper clippings displayed on the walls, giving the place a homey feel. Owned by Mary & Joe Pepowski, it has apparently been something of an institution in Wausau for decades.

We passed booths full of casually-dressed people whose plates were laden with sizeable pancakes, golden hash browns and omelets in various stages of consumption. I noticed a rack near the front counter full of newspapers for the reading, some of which were now spread open in front of patrons either awaiting or enjoying their breakfasts.