April 28, 2025
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Mystery Diner in Woodstock: Niko's Red Mill Tavern pours on the goodness

It was Friday, and we knew we were going to be in a snacking mood. So instead of making our own large dinner like we usually do, we decided to mix and match a bunch of options from Niko's Red Mill Tavern in Woodstock.

By Mystery Diner

We ordered ahead online; they take pickup orders from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and we set pickup for 5 p.m. It was a meal we all planned on sharing, so we went heavy on the appetizers. We ordered the Italian beef egg rolls ($12), potato skins ($12), boom boom shrimp ($14), and buffalo wings (eight for $9), along with a meatball sub ($12) with the cheese curd upgrade ($4), 10-inch gluten-free pizza ($15) with extra cheese ($2), and the fire-roasted rigatoni ($15) with a Greek salad. It was definitely the feast we were hoping for. I arrived a few minutes before my pickup time, parked out front and called in to say I was there. The servers were extremely friendly and brought the order out a few minutes later, placing it in my backseat and I was ready to go. (Shaw Media)

We ordered ahead online; they take pickup orders from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and we set pickup for 5 p.m. It was a meal we all planned on sharing, so we went heavy on the appetizers. We ordered the Italian beef egg rolls ($12), potato skins ($12), boom boom shrimp ($14), and buffalo wings (eight for $9), along with a meatball sub ($12) with the cheese curd upgrade ($4), 10-inch gluten-free pizza ($15) with extra cheese ($2), and the fire-roasted rigatoni ($15) with a Greek salad. It was definitely the feast we were hoping for. I arrived a few minutes before my pickup time, parked out front and called in to say I was there. The servers were extremely friendly and brought the order out a few minutes later, placing it in my backseat and I was ready to go. (Shaw Media)

Our gluten-free diner was extremely pleased with the pizza, eating half the first night and saving half for the next day. It was cooked perfectly, crisp but not burnt, and the extra cheese made a large positive difference in the taste and ooey-gooey goodness of the meal.

The wings were solid, large wings with plenty of meat on the bone and just enough sauce but not dripping in it. They were hot but not crazy hot.

The potato skins were huge, way larger than expected and filled with cheese and bits of bacon with sour cream on the side. That made them filling, and we ended up saving two for the next day.

My favorites of the appetizers were the boom boom shrimp and Italian beef egg rolls (shown). I love egg roll variations, and they offer both Reuben and Italian beef. I ordered it with extra horseradish (50 cents), added some giardiniera that came on the side, and dipped it into the creamy horseradish.

The large shrimp were breaded and soaked in boom boom spicy sauce on top of bleu cheese dressing. They were awesome, and they ran out fast.

The meatballs on the sub were huge, homemade and absolutely covered in marinara and melted mozzarella. In fact, that dish had a whole lot of cheese, including the cheese curds on the side. So we split it in two and saved the second half for the next day.

The same happened with the fire-roasted rigatoni, which had large chunks of chicken breast with the pasta, prepared with garlic, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, all in a cream sauce.

It was a lot of food, we all filled up, we had some extras for the next day, and it was a great night. • The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story. IF YOU GO WHAT: Niko's Red Mill Tavern WHERE: 1040 Lake Ave., Woodstock PHONE: 815-338-6455 INFO: www.redmilltavern.com