Rebellions Truly are Built on ‘Ope at Cheesesteak Rebellion

Green Bay’s Broadway District is a flagship location for a number of the town’s hottest bars, restaurants, and breweries, but Broadway Street keeps going long past the Mason Street bridge. A number of hidden gems can be found if you just keep driving, and Cheesesteak Rebellion is one of these restaurants. Their little bar has been on the receiving end of some online publicity from tiktok creator Wonderfully Wisconsin in recent weeks with a video that has garnered more than 200,000 views as of the writing of this article. Before this video, I had never been.

I had heard of Cheesesteak Rebellion. I was vaguely aware of its existence in the dark recesses of Broadway Street’s many residential areas between factories, but I never stopped. Without company or cause, a cheesesteak is a hard sell for me. Even when I lived on the east coast and could visit Philly at the drop of the hat– I just didn’t want to eat a cheesesteak. I had both company and cause after the Wonderfully Wisconsin video– my father was in town. My father started me on Star Wars before I knew how to read.

So of course, I took him to Cheesesteak Rebellion for a late lunch during his visit. I expected a smaller crowd at 2 pm, but the lunch rush hadn’t yet ended! We did not have to wait long as a group of two, and we were seated at the bar among a cluster of other parties of two in order to keep the tables for bigger groups and families. We got cozy, ordered drinks, and settled in with the menu.

@eatingnormal Trying a video format for my restaurant reviews this time around. Is this something ya'll would be interested more? Please let me know. I clearly need to work on my filming technique here. Shoutout to @wonderfullywi for bringing the joint to my attention! #greenbaywisconsin #greenbayeats #foodblogger #wifoodie #greenbaywi #food #greenbay #greenbaywieats #restaurant ♬ Cantina Band (From "Star Wars") - Die Musikstudenten

Cheesesteak Rebellion is built into the bones of a neighborhood dive bar. If it weren’t for the Star Wars memorabilia on every available surface, you’d have a hard time convincing me to think of it as anything but another Wisco dive. Our dive bars are special, sure, but every neighborhood has one. Not every neighborhood has a Cheesesteak Rebellion.

They muddle their brandy old fashioneds, and if you sit at the bar, you can watch the cooks crank out every order with efficiency. I could have used the time we waited on our order talking to my dad about a hundred things. I couldn’t look away from the order counter, however. Watching cheesesteaks, burgers, and fried sides fly from the hands of the nearest cook and awaiting a hard working barstaff to take them to their tables was a mesmerizing experience for me.

These people were clearly overwhelmed. I have to imagine that they hadn’t had a chance to breathe since the doors opened that morning if the 2 pm crowd was anything to judge by. They didn’t appear to let it get to them, and they busted their asses to take care of the folks that showed up that Saturday before the Packers game the next day. You’ve really got to give it to the folks working weekends out there during this heightened exposure online. ​

Garlic ranch cheese curds, curly fries, and a cheesesteak with pepperjack landed in front of me by the time I was on my second old fashioned. I took one bite from the garlic butter basted Amoroso roll encased cheesesteak and understood I made a mistake by not going sooner. They had those traditional Philly rolls. The meat was cut thin and piled high. It was going to feed me for at least two days.

Their garlic ranch cheese curds were a fun twist on what you can get at almost any bar in town, but they weren’t the appetizer that most had my attention. They sell fried pickles wrapped in wonton skins and cheese that I will have to get the next time I go. I just couldn’t convince my father to venture into fried pickle territory. Next time I drag a visitor in these doors, they’re getting ordered.

They rotate a specialty fry selection each week and also keep a selection of soups in the kitchen for folks that want to eat something lighter. I didn’t get a bowl of soup, but the few that I saw leave the serving area looked delicious that day. There will be something for anyone in your party if you decide to trek down Broadway to visit the folks at Cheesesteak Rebellion.

Affordability is a concern at any outing these days, and the folks here seem to know that. A cheesesteak and a basket of fries will run you around 15 bucks depending on which variety of sandwich you get. For someone like me, that turned into two meals. This was yet another example of being able to eat well at a local restaurant for less than the cost of going through a fast food drive thru per meal. 

You can get the Philly experience in Green Bay Wisconsin at Cheesesteak Rebellion. It’s a midwestern rebellion against an east coast ideal, and I for one fully support it. To plan your own visit, watch their facebook page for specials and hours. Let them know that Wonderfully Wisconsin and Eating Normal sent you.

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