Pizza and Pasture Time at Suncrest Gardens Pizza Farm

A thin, crisp pizza coming out of a wood-fired brick oven is a good reason to leave town. At Suncrest Gardens Pizza Farm, in the rolling hills near Cochrane, Wisconsin, it is only the beginning of the evening.

Dinner spreads across a working farm with open grass, gardens, mature trees, flowers, herbs and vegetables. Families settle in around picnic tables, friends bring a blanket or lawn chairs, children make for the play equipment, and the goats, chickens, ducks and pigs provide their own low-key diversion.

The drive in follows backroads northeast of downtown Cochrane, which helps set the tone. This is not a quick stop between errands; it is a place to give an afternoon or evening a little room.

The menu centers on pizzas cooked in the farm's wood-fired brick oven. The style is thin and crispy, built around ingredients connected to the farm along with local flour mills, nearby farms and regional artisans.

Specialty combinations have included a gyro pizza, Greek pizza, Supreme and Farmhouse varieties. The gyro version has brought together savory toppings and fresh mint, an especially nice detail on a pizza that could otherwise be heavy.

There is also room to make your own. A cheese-and-olive pie is a simple starting point, but the build-your-own option gives a table with several appetites an easy way to steer dinner in different directions.

The pizza offerings have changed over time, with new combinations appearing from season to season and year to year. That keeps repeat visits from turning into a strict rerun of the last meal.

Picnic tables are available, but the setup is flexible by design. Lawn chairs, blankets and portable tray tables fit right in on the grassy grounds, so a group can arrange itself more like a backyard gathering than a conventional restaurant seating chart.

Pizza-box lids can be reused as plates, a practical little touch that also cuts down on extra disposable tableware. It suits a place where eating outside is central to the day.

The farm's gardens contribute produce to food and drinks, and lemonade made with local ingredients adds a particularly fitting option for a warm afternoon. Beer, wine, seltzers, cocktails and other creative drinks broaden the choices for a longer visit.

The grounds are more than a backdrop for the tables. Landscaped areas mingle with garden beds, open fields and wooded edges, giving a simple pizza outing plenty to look at between bites.

Mature trees provide pockets of shade when summer heat settles over the grass. Flowers, herbs and vegetables bring color and texture closer to the dining areas, while the larger sweep of the property keeps the setting from feeling boxed in.

Goats, chickens, ducks and pigs live on the farm. The little pigs have a particular knack for attracting attention, and a slow walk around the grounds can turn up a new animal encounter just as easily as another garden view.

The mix of flowers, pasture, animals, grass and trees also makes this an easy place to take pictures without needing a special occasion. A private event has even included a wedding reception, though the setting works just as well for an ordinary Tuesday or a family dinner.

Children have playground equipment to explore as well as animals to watch. That gives families more to do than wait at the table for the food to arrive, and it can make the meal feel less rushed for everyone.

The grounds have accommodated couples, groups of friends, families with children and larger gatherings. A party can be as simple as pizza and lemonade at a picnic table, or it can stretch into an evening of talking, playing and wandering through the farm.

Gluten-free pizza and substantial vegetarian choices have been available, adding useful flexibility to a menu that is otherwise happily pizza-forward.

Live music is a recurring feature, particularly on weekends, with an outdoor setup that lets guests listen while they eat and visit. Depending on the crowd, the atmosphere can stay conversational or pick up into a more festive farm gathering.

There is a small selection of locally sourced or locally made goods and apparel on the property. The soy candles are especially hard to overlook, including one with the cheerfully unrefined name Sexy Farmer.

Free parking is plentiful, and the grounds offer enough space for guests to spread out. Bringing a chair or blanket can make a visit more comfortable, especially for anyone who prefers to settle into a favorite patch of grass.

Because so much of the visit happens outside, the weather has a say in the evening. Shade is available beneath the trees, but summer sun, heat, rain and insects are all worth accounting for; bug spray can be useful after the day starts cooling down.

Indoor shelter has been used during rainy weather, but the farm's open-air setting remains the main event. Check current offerings before making a trip, particularly for music, drinks and the changing pizza menu.