No joke: Crafty Cow is re-creating fast food favorites for the month of April

A local comfort-food restaurant isn’t fooling around with its latest pop-up menu. 

During April, Crafty Cow — known for its burgers, fried chicken and cheese curds — will offer a limited-time menu filled with its own creative spins on popular items from the fast-food world. 

The “April Fast Foods Day” menu will include dishes inspired by favorites at Taco Bell, McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Arby’s and Panda Express. 

This isn’t the first time Crafty Cow has shared its in-house version of fast-food dishes. In years past, the restaurant has offered its April Fools menu for just one day. This year’s monthlong celebration of chain restaurants is special, though: It’s doubling as a slightly delayed ode to Crafty Cow’s 10th anniversary (its first location opened in Oconomowoc in 2014). 

Crafty Cow owner Devin Eichler said he’d often get calls from people who missed the day of the pop-up but still wanted to try the dishes. The monthlong pop-up should give everyone who wants a taste plenty of time to stop in. 

“We’re doing this as a thank you to everybody who has really cared about it in the past, showed up and supported us,” he said. 

Crafty Cow’s “April Foods Day” menu includes: 

• Cheese Curds Bell Grande (inspired by Taco bell): fried cheese curds topped with cheese sauce, ground beef, tomato and cilantro lime crema ($17.50) 

• Animal-Style Nachos (inspired by In-N-Out): potato chips, ground beef, lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions and a special sauce ($15.50) 

• Orange Chicken Burrito (inspired by Panda Express): orange chicken, kimchi fried rice, carrots and cilantro lime crema ($15) 

• Chicken Fried McRib (inspired by McDonald’s): boneless country-style pork ribs battered and fried in Crafty Cow’s chicken breading, with Kansas City BBQ sauce, pickles and onions on a Midwest Sad cornbread bun ($17.25) 

• Triple Cheddar & Roast Beef Burger (inspired by Arby’s): beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese and battered onions served with in-house cheese sauce ($18) 

The menu will be available April 1-30 at all three Milwaukee-area locations: in Bay View (2675 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), Oconomowoc (153 E. Wisconsin Ave.) and Wauwatosa (6519 W. North Ave.).