Cheese Curds of the Stateline

By JOSIE CZUJ

Most people who go here are from the Midwest. You lucky ducks got to grow up eating what may be this region of the United States’s best contribution to the culture if we don’t count Chicago: cheese curds. Brilliant invention, truly. I did not have that luck, but I have gotten to discover the beauty of a good cheese curd over my past three-ish years spent in Wisconsin. I do not have a numerical ranking system and I went mostly off vibes, but I did have criteria and considerations: texture, taste, grease, and ranch. Without further ado, let’s get into the cheese curds of the Stateline. 

Best cheese curd overall: Jersey’s Bar & Grill 

This unassuming Beloit sports bar is worth a visit, if only for their cheese curds. And this may be the perfect cheese curd. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, perfectly salty, nice and greasy, and probably the best ranch I’ve ever had in my life, definitely homemade. They have made truly incredible cheese curds. As a bonus, they get delivered to your table by a funny little robot server. Yay Jersey’s! 

Runner-up: DK’s 

I basically lived off the Hamiltons cheese curds last spring, and DK’s started this semester off strong. Last year, they started pairing sweet and sour sauce with their curds, which was genius. My one critique would have been that the portion sizes were too small and I could easily eat three times the amount that was given. DK’s could have had the top spot, but then on February 6th, 2025, I realized that they had changed their recipe. I lost it. This may be harsh, but the disappointment was hard to cope with and I’m still recovering. Their previously perfectly fried, cheesy goodness was replaced with what very well could be orange rubber with no sweet and sour sauce to be found. DK’s still has the second spot, out of respect for their history of incredible cheese curds and for being conveniently located on campus. Please DK bosses, if you’re reading this, help a girl out and bring back your old cheese curds. They’re missed. 

Most Mid: Grand Avenue Pub

These are the first cheese curds I ever ate, and I wasn’t too impressed. I thought they were pretty similar to mozzarella sticks. But I’ve since been back, and I think I wasn’t able to fully appreciate them at the time. They’re a pretty standard cheese curd, which means they’re delicious. Nicely fried, tasty cheese, perfectly greasy for my taste but objectively on the greasier side, the lightest cheese curd I’ve ever eaten if deep fried cheese could ever be counted as light, and nicely flavored, if not a little liquidy, ranch. The downside: the portion is too small for the price and their kitchen closes at 10pm, but also sometimes 9:45 (which I kind of think is cheating). That’s okay, and I also would not feel like cooking after 10. Just plan around that. 

Late-night curd: The Carom Room 

A strange, strange establishment. Tread cautiously. But I don’t like pool, or men, or country music, and that’s kind of what you’re going to get at the Carom Room. Points off for that. They do have great cheese curds: crispy on the outside and melty on the inside with good ranch on the side. One order could feed a group of about five college students who aren’t particularly hungry, which I think is pretty generous. “Three notches below DK’s,” The Round Table editor Zeke Kingsbury ‘25 said upon sampling them. Zeke did give that rating before DK’s betrayed us, to be clear. The kitchen is open until midnight, which is awesome! Thank you to The Carom Room for that. 

Worst ever: Culver’s

Every single Midwesterner I know is obsessed with this place. It’s a classic. “It’s really the nostalgia factor. It’s what I grew up eating. It’s what I grew up loving,” said Rockford native and Culver’s enthusiast Ava Parr ‘25.  Unfortunately, I find their cheese curds inedible. A terrible texture, bland taste, average ranch, not anywhere near greasy enough, and far too much bread-y batter. I only can eat a few before I get queasy, and they are the only cheese curd I will ever turn down. I am not alone in this. “The texture is too rough. I was looking for something more chewy and crispy. It’s hard as a rock! And I don’t like the cheese inside. I had them once last year, and I’ve never had them again,” Trang Tran ‘25 told me over cheese curds that aren’t from Culver’s. Perfectly said, Trang. And why does their ranch come in a weird little tub? I’ll stick to my pretzel bites. 

I’ve missed some places: Lucy’s Burger Bar and Grill, Hadley’s, Dairy Queen, and Beefaroo. Please let me know your opinions on their cheese curds. I’ll take them seriously.

Featured Image: Vivian Kopka ’27