It’s a Friday night in Wisconsin, and you’retrying to decide where to go for dinner. Dad wants prime rib. Mom wants walleye. Everyone wants an old fashioned.
Where do you go? A supper club, of course.
The exact definition of a supper club is a little like that of where “up north” begins — it’s different for everyone.But there arecommonalities: A family-run joint that serves hearty portions of seafood and steak proceeded by a relish tray, soup or salad andfresh-baked bread. Beverage options include old fashioneds (brandy sweet, of course) and ice cream drinks.The décor is usually a cross between a fine-dining restaurant and a Northwoods cabin, with a sprinkling of a 1940s co*cktail lounge. Half of them might be haunted. All are about the experience as much as the food.
Ultimately, like the debate about where up north begins, you know it’s a supper club when you’re there.
Everyone has their favorites. There are more than 260 in Wisconsin to choose from, according to a list byRon Faiola,author of a handful of movies and books about supper clubs including “Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience.”
We asked readerson Facebook and Instagram to share their favorites and got votes for more than 90 supper clubs across the state.Below is a compilation of the top answers, along with some Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff favorites, in alphabetical order.
Black Otter Supper Club, Hortonville
This supper club northwest of Appleton celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022 and has long been a Fox Valley favorite for its steak. Large portions of prime rib are its specialty, with bragging rights and a spot on the Wall of Fame for diners who finish the 116-oz super cut or massive 160-oz extreme cut.Other menu items include tenderloin and ribeye, seafood from perch to lobster tails, broiled chicken and baby back ribs. Kids age 10 and under eat free on Sundays (limit one per adult, limited menu). Reservations are not accepted.
More information:(920) 779-6975, theblackottersupperclub.com
Blanck's Supper Club, Malone
Now owned by the third generation of the Blanck family, this supper club northeast of Fond du Lac got its start as a tavern in 1952. Steak tops the menu here, too, with a cut known as the eye of the porter offered up as their specialty. Broasted chicken — a Wisconsin supper club staple that traces its roots to Racine — is available, too, alongside seafood from salmon to lobster, ribs, pork chops, prime rib (weekends only) and fish fry served daily. A kids menu is available. Reservations are accepted for parties of 10 or larger.
More information:(920) 795-4484,blanckssupperclub.com
Donny's Glidden Lodge, Sturgeon Bay
This Door County supper club ishoused in a stone building that reflects the original builder’s German heritage. Tables in the dining room offer views of Whitefish Bay on Lake Michigan. The menu features supper club favorites including steaks aged in house and a Friday fish fry, plus German specialties on Wednesdays. A kids menu is available. Reservations are accepted.
More information:(920) 746-9460,donnysgliddenlodge.com
Five O'Clock Steakhouse, Milwaukee
This Milwaukee favorite formerly known as Coerper’s Five O’Clock Club has beenserving up steaks on State Streetsince 1946. The building is even older, dating to 1909. Steak is king here, but other menu items include lobster tail, Alaskan king crab legs and ribs. Servers take diners' orders while they enjoy a drink at the bar and the live music that’s hosted weekly. Reservations are accepted.
More information: (414) 342-3553,fiveoclocksteakhouse.com
HobNob, Racine*
This supper club on Lake Michigan feels like a retroco*cktail lounge with colorful carpeting, mirror walls and leather swivel chairs at the bar, which, along with tables in that room, offer views of the lake. The restaurant first opened in downtown Racine in the 1930s and moved to its current location in1954. The menu today includes steak, seafood and specialties such as lamb shank and wiener schnitzel, plus a Friday fish fry. Gluten-free and vegan options are available as well. Reservations are accepted.
More information: (262) 552-8008,
Ishnala, Lake Delton
This supper club on Mirror Lake outside Wisconsin Dells not only graces the cover of Faiola’s supper club book, it alsowas readers’ top choice. Views of the lake abound from the dining room and decks wrapping around the building where patrons enjoy old fashioneds in Ishnala-branded glasses while waiting for a table. The restaurant got its start in 1953 and sold a record 93,738 old fashioneds in 2021. The menu features the usualsteak and seafood, plus duck, ribs, lamb and more. Two custom Ishnala wines are made by Wollersheim Winery in nearby Prairie du Sac. Reservations are not accepted, and the restaurant is only open seasonally, typically April through October.
More information: (608) 253-1771,ishnala.com
RELATED:From Ishnala to Wedl's, these summer-only restaurants offer unique dining experiences
Maiden Lake Supper Club, Mountain
The lake views continue at this spot in the heart of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Oconto County. In fact, the decks overlooking Maiden Lake were modeled after Ishnala's, according to "Wisconsin Supper Clubs."Three walls of windows in the dining room also provide views of thelake. Food orders are taken by a server at the bar before diners are seated. You can’t go wrong with any of the fish on the menu, including hand-breaded walleye and some of the best perch served in Wisconsin. Daily specials include prime rib and lamb tenderloin. Gluten-free options are available. Reservations are not accepted.
More information:(715) 276-6479,maidenlakesupperclub.com
McGregor's Blink Bonnie, St. Germain
The supper club decor spectrum ranges from white-table cloth joints like Five O’Clock Steakhouse to Blink Bonnie, where the bar is knotty pine and the walls are filled with taxidermy. Guests line up before the restaurant opens for steaks that are still sizzling when they reach the table. The restaurant is now managed by the third generation of the McGregor family, which started it in 1971. The name comes from a Gaelic phrase which the restaurant says roughly translates as warm welcome, but other sources say means a glimpse of beauty.
More information:(715) 542-3678
Norwood Pines Supper Club, Minocqua
When the weather is good, tables on the screened-in porch are a hot commodity at this Northwoods favorite surrounded by red pines on Patricia Lake. Knotty pine dominates the dining room, where tables by the fireplace are in-demand in the winter. A complimentary appetizer plate of tortilla chips, cranberry salsa and the pasta salad of the day are Norwood Pines’ take on arelish tray.Main courses include classic fare from seafood to steak, with a handful of options served Oscar style. Save room for an ice cream drink —big enough to share between at least two people. Ask a staff member about the building’s haunted history. Reservations are accepted.
More information: (715) 356-3666,norwoodpines.com
Roepke's Village Inn, Chilton
Supper club meets Old World Germany at this spot in the unincorporated community of Charlesburg in Calumet County. The county bills itself as the Supper Club Capital of the Midwest and has the chops to back it witheight in the county, including two that made this list, plus eight more just outside county lines.
At Roepke’s, steak, seafood and other supper club favorites (including broasted chicken) are served alongside German specialties from wiener schnitzel a la Holstein (topped with a fried egg), to braised pork shank served with old-world sauerkraut. Sweet sauerkraut is available at the salad bar, which includes a variety of other salads from potato to macaroni, plus vegetables and soup. There is a kids menu. Reservations are accepted.
More information: (920) 849-4000,roepkesvillageinn.com
The Roxy, Oshkosh
The Roxy might serve breakfast and lunch, but it’s still a supper club, with a big dinner menu featuring the usual steak and seafood —including a Friday fish fry — plus sandwiches, pasta and stir fry options. Tuesday is German night, with more than 15 specialties. The restaurant has been around in some form since 1941, but the Wolf family has run it since 1988. There are gluten-free options.
More information: (920) 231-1980,roxysupperclub.com
RELATED:We asked: Who has the best fish fry in Oshkosh? You answered, and our business reporter tried it out.
Schwarz’s Supper Club, New Holstein
Like the other Calumet County supper club on this list, Schwarz’s is in a tiny unincorporated community, this one St. Anna. The restaurant has been run by the Schwarz family since 1957 and today serves up big portions of seafood and steak, including a 50-oz prime rib for two, plus broasted chicken, ribs and more. There is a kids menu.For those making the trip to what seems like the middle of nowhere, Schwarz’s Guesthouse next door is available for rent. Reservations are not accepted.
More information: (920) 894-3598,schwarzsupperclub.com
Silvercryst Supper Club, Wautoma
The Silvercryst’s history dates back to 1894 — making it one of Wisconsin’s oldest supper clubs, surviving Prohibition thanks to a local sheriff who would come by to help hide gambling machines and alcohol when he got a tip about a raid, according to “Wisconsin Supper Clubs.”Boris, the large black bull statue that greets visitors outside, was installed in 1965. Seafood, steak and chicken are on the menu, but the most popular item might be the supper club’s salad dressing, whichis bottled and sold at local grocery stores. A kids menu is available.
More information:(920) 787-3367,silvercryst.com
RELATED:7 of these 21 Wisconsin supper clubs were in business during the 1918 Flu Pandemic
Wissota High Shores, Chippewa Falls
High Shores got its start as a steakhouse in 1936 and today still serves steaks alongside seafood, chicken, pasta and a 50-piece salad bar. New owners renovated the property in 2021, with tables in the dining room offering views of Lake Wissota and garage doors opening from the bar to a patio thatalso offers views of the lake. Ten boat slips allow visitors to arrive by water. Reservations are accepted.
More information:(715) 215-2981,wissotahighshores.com
Contact Chelsey Lewis atclewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and@TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.
