You won’t find a more doll-icious place to dine than Kewpee. The retro eatery serves up a tasty diner fare, including impressively tasty burgers. But its most interesting feature is the antique doll collection it houses. Yep, you read that right; there are hundreds of dolls right inside the restaurant! And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to snag a table right next to the display case that contains the collection. Take a look:

Kewpee is one of the oldest hamburger franchises in the country. Prior to WWII, there were more than 200. Today, only six remain – and one of them is in Racine.

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The Racine Kewpee first opened its doors in 1926 and moved to its current location in 1997.

Kewpee/Facebook

Despite relocating in the ’90s, the restaurant serves up major vintage vibes, thanks to its art-deco design. The interior is complete with horseshoe-shaped lunch counters, vinyl chairs, and other old-school nods.

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The retro surroundings are only overshadowed by a huge built-in display case filled with antique Kewpie dolls.

Robert W/Google

For those unfamiliar, Kewpie dolls were inspired by a comic strip character that was created in 1909. Several years later, the cartoon image was brought to life as a toy doll, which quickly rose to popularity and became highly sought after.

chicks57/Flickr

Impressive to say the least, the collection at Kewpee contains hundreds of Kewpie dolls along with photos and other memorabilia.

Dr Robert Cesario/Google

There are a few tables right next to the display case which afford close-up views of the massive collection. Of course, you can view the collection from basically anywhere in the eatery.

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Nearly as impressive as the doll collection is the menu, which is small but boasts an array of appetizing diner classics, such as homemade chili, burgers, and sandwiches.

Josiah Matthews/Google

Though each item on the menu is as tasty as the next, you can’t go wrong with one of Kewpee’s signature hand-pressed burgers.

Fatboi Eats Good Billups/Google

And with home-brewed root beer, shakes, and malts, the beverage selection is also sure to please.

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The retro digs, antique doll collection, and classic fare aren’t the only things about Kewpee that’ll transport you back to the good old days, though. The low prices are also sure to do the trick.

H Hathaway Miranda/Google

So, are you ready to plan a visit to this rare Racine gem?

Dr Robert Cesario/Google

Kewpee is open Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call (262) 634-9601. You can also visit the Kewpee Facebook page.

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Kewpee/Facebook

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Robert W/Google

chicks57/Flickr

Dr Robert Cesario/Google

Jan P/TripAdvisor

Josiah Matthews/Google

Fatboi Eats Good Billups/Google

dynamic14/TripAdvisor

H Hathaway Miranda/Google

So, did you know about this quirky eatery? Ever visited? If so, did you try a burger? What’d you think? Tell us in the comments section.

This isn’t the state’s only wonderfully weird site. Read about others here.

 

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Address: 520 Wisconsin Ave, Racine, WI 53403, USA