4 Wisconsin Supper Clubs for Winter Sports Enthusiasts

Winter sports lovers know how to work up an appetite on the Badger State’s numerous slopes, rinks and trails. And what better place to fuel up for more snowy fun than at a classic Wisconsin supper club? Whether you’re content with making snowmen or an elite athlete racing in the Birkie, visit these cozy restaurants for hearty meals and good company.

Chippewa Inn – Hayward

What’s an apropos way to celebrate finishing the American Birkebeiner, the continent’s largest cross-country ski marathon? Head 14 miles east of your Hayward endpoint, toward the Chippewa Flowage and Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Authentic German food, in addition to traditional supper club fare, is plentiful at “The Chip.”

What began as a neighborhood tavern after Prohibition is now a cozy haven for dining with friends and family. When owners Tom and Debbie Landgraf bought the place in 1995, many German recipes were a part of the property transaction. Son Eric cooks up schnitzels, sauerbraten, spaetzle and strudel – enough Bavarian fare to fill a full page of the menu. With warm, welcoming ambiance and relish trays at every table, this is the perfect spot to end a long day of winter adventures.

Cimaroli’s Supper Club – Portage

Sashay about a dozen miles north of Cascade Mountain, home to an 800-foot-long snow-tubing chute and three dozen downhill trails, to Cimaroli’s Supper Club, surrounded by rolling farmland and now in its third generation of family ownership.

Fill up on a 6- to 32-ounce slab of prime rib, 5- to 16-ounce flat iron steak or even savory fried frog legs. Add a Brandy Old Fashioned and you’ve got the perfect supper club meal. Live musicians often entertain on weekends, and downtown Wisconsin Dells is just a 15-minute drive away.

Colony House – Trevor

Fewer than five miles from Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, which opened in 1938, is a supper club that’s been around nearly as long. Settle near the fireplace at Colony House, whose name is a nod to the nation’s original 13 colonies, and hear all about it from the two couples who own the welcoming tavern.

Rumaki appetizers are made the old-fashioned way, as skewers of bacon-wrapped chicken livers and water chestnuts. Whichever entrée you choose, be sure to add honey-glazed carrots with onions (available by request and for no extra charge). With a large kid’s menu that includes prime rib and chopped sirloin, this is a wonderful place to dine with the whole family.

Your location, merely one mile from the Wisconsin-Illinois border, means fans of both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are welcome and at home here.

Pinewood Supper Club – Mosinee

Close to Granite Peak and its 74 bunny to double-black diamond runs is the skier’s ultimate reward: a deliciously filling meal. Pinewood Supper Club began business in 1974 and has been serving classic supper club fare on the shores of Half Moon Lake ever since.

Expect dishes topped with house-made sauces in a relaxed setting, where the original stone fireplace warms the dining room. Start with a Pinewood favorite, the Flowering Onion, and end with a slice of tasty turtle cheesecake.

Still hungry? Dig in with friends and family at some of South Central Wisconsin’s oldest culinary gems.