Cozzy Corner

I’ve walked downtown Appleton many times. Most of them for the farmer’s market, to grab a cup of coffee, or attend concerts at Houdini Plaza. Despite these, I never noticed the Cozzy Corner. It doesn’t really pop out at you, tucked away in the shadow of the PAC. You’d have to peek down a side street and hope your eyes catch the “world famous chicken and waffles” banner hung along the brick wall. I honestly never noticed the little corner until Lindsay told me about it. I’m very happy she did because Coz(z)y Corner brightens the soul in my body. With the best southern, soul food I’ve had in the north.

In A Bite

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MENU
Ambiance: Southern roadside diner
Music: Soul inspiring
Service: Very friendly and playful
Price: $$
Food Style: Southern American
What to Order: Chicken and Waffles
Go Again?: Yes (but maybe to-go instead)

The Whole Plate

The Cozzy Corner is quite small. It really does just inhabit a small corner behind Acoca Coffee. The struggle with it being so small is that it’s tough to find parking. The nearest lot is reserved for Flanagan’s and the street is normally filled. We first attempted to go to Cozzy on a blistering cold day but couldn’t find a close spot so we took a snow check. We came back again a month later and picked up where we left off. Now that I’ve eaten here, I would park at Lawrence campus on the other side of downtown and walk here if I had too. Stipulation: must be at least 60 degrees.

When you first walk in, you notice the music memorabilia EVERYWHERE. There are old vinyl records on the ceiling, on the walls, in the tables, with the check. Where there isn’t vinyl, there are instruments, album art and murals to soul artists of days gone by. Those same artists are playing over the lone speaker in the far corner. The overall look is a little dinky and well worn. This beat up aesthetic makes it feel more homey, which is exactly what I think they were going for.

The service was fine. Our waitress had an accent to match the food which definitely made me feel like I had suddenly walked into the south. With the small space, I believe she was taking every table’s order with a bus boy delivering plates and cleaning. There isn’t really a defined order. I did have to wipe down the BBQ bottles myself as they were quite sticky. 

Now for the good stuff… I’ve been to to the south on several occasions and eaten my fair share of delicacies. I would consider myself an adequate judge of such food, and the jury is out. After a very short deliberation and unanimous vote, Cozzy Corner is authentic soul food. 

I ordered the Big Jess. Imagine a regular, grilling brat. Now double it, smoke it, throw it on a good bun, and smother it in tangy pulled pork and creamy coleslaw. You got yourself a Big Jess. The sausage itself was juicy and had the perfect snap you need from a sausage of such variety. The coleslaw brought a much needed coolness to the whole works. It’s not an unforeseen combination whatsoever but delicious nonetheless. 

As for my sides, I went as southern as possible: fried okra and collard greens along with the cornbread, which comes on most plates. The fried okra is on par with the rest of the south. The other two I had some qualms with. The cornbread was much drier than expected. The lack of honey and butter added to that effect (I didn’t ask so maybe they do have it). I’ve heard arguments that cornbread is meant to be eaten with savory food only but let’s not get into that. I must have forgotten my distaste for collard greens because they were not my favorite. Lindsay, who typically loves all veggies, wasn’t a fan either. Don’t worry mama, I ate them anyways.

We couldn’t not order the famous chicken and waffles so Linds made that happen. Waffle, delicious and well plated. The powder sugar was a nice touch, bringing some well needed contrast to the brown plate. The fried chicken, although under salted, was juicy and CRUNCH-AY. Top that with a little maple syrup? Delish. They obviously know what they are doing. The only issue? Lots of grease. I get it, it’s fried chicken but it’s not the kind of chicken you want more than one piece of.

The struggle with everything being fried is that it weighs heavy on the soul. I didn’t think it was over greasy or oily (Lindsay disagrees) but the food isn’t light. Afterwards, both Lindsay and I felt the weight of it all.

In the end, the Cozzy Corner is not somewhere we would go everyday with our current health goals, but I do want to go back. There is a lot of meat I have yet to try. The ribs are calling my name. I’m sure they will welcome us back with open arms and full plates. From our experience in person and following them online, the Cozzy Corner makes everyone that they interact with family. It’s all about that #CozzyLove.

Note from Linds: Expect to leave smelling like fresh meat out of the smoker. The smell on our clothes was so strong the first thing we did when we got home was threw it all in the washer. However, I have found that some food delivery services in the area do deliver Cozzy Corner food! In the future, that’s probably what I will do if I’m craving some good chicken and waffles. 

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