10 Minnesota supper clubs that set the standard for classic dining

Midwestern supper clubs wield a nostalgic power more intoxicating than a double Old Fashioned. For Minnesotans who grew up with the tradition, there’s nothing like it, from the drive to the moment the backlit sign comes into view.

Inside, there are relish trays, popovers, Saturday night prime rib specials and choice of potato. Each has a special something that sets it apart from the others, from fresh-made spaetzle and a secret batter for the fried walleye to cheesy layers of pastitsio.

The best supper clubs are the ones that are run like family. Grandma’s collection of doodads displayed under glass, family photos on the walls, vintage carpets fresh as the day they were installed and a room staffed with unflappable hospitality pros who remember faces that have joined them for proms, wedding receptions, anniversaries and beyond.

The comfort of a Minnesota supper club is a little different from those of our brandy-marinated neighbor, but no less special. They are living history thriving in a modern dining era.

While the way we get there has evolved from rumbling engines to the high-pitched hum of hybrids, these 10 supper clubs stand the test of time and are worth cherishing anew.

The Branding Iron Supper Club has pointed its floor-to-ceiling windows over the rolling hills of Preston since 1970. Once inside, the decor feels like a late-midcentury rodeo. The wagon wheel chandeliers, barrel-shaped chairs, wood paneling and old signage promise a good steak is likely on its way.

Dale Koch’s first job here was scrubbing dishes in the kitchen as a teenager. In the dining room, his future wife, Becky, learned the ropes of hospitality. The two worked their way up at the Branding Iron, but they eventually moved on. The specialness of the place stayed with them, and when it was for sale years later, the Koches took over. All these years later, the couple say folks still drive from all over just to dine here.

What to order: The B.I. House Salad and a hand-cut steak. The salad is a gorgeous mix of fresh greens with crumbles of soft cheese and tart dried fruit with house dressing. The steaks are expertly trimmed and prepared exactly to ordered temperature.

Website: brandingironmn.com

Inside Ettlin’s Ranchero Supper Club, Swiss cowbells frame the bar, and a rotating selection of old family recipes honor the Bavarian roots of its founder. Rudolf Ettlin opened the restaurant in 1972. Today, his daughter Heidi Ettlin-Elwood can often be found in the kitchen cooking up spaetzle, walleye or steaks. She runs the restaurant with her husband, Todd, and a dedicated team of workers.

The dining room and bar are separate, giving customers the choice of posting up for a cold Paulaner or full supper with the family, starting with a pickle relish tray. Swiss and German specials like schnitzel and hasenpfeffer rotate, depending on the evening.

Through all its eras, from the upgrades they’ve given the building to the ups and downs of running a rural restaurant, Ettlin-Elwood says that what keeps them going is the strength of their team and the distinctive feeling a great supper club possesses. “It’s the get-togetherness” that makes a restaurant a proper supper club, she said. “We’re proud of it.”

Website: rancherosupperclub.com

Cristina and Hal Berg took over Fisher’s Club on Middle Spunk Lake near Avon two years ago. It was a return to lake living that reminded Cristina of her youth, visiting her grandparents’ cabin up north.

The restaurant edges right up to the sandy beach, the deck a stone’s throw from the lake. The indoor porch offers views of the water even on the coldest days; inside, the old bar, jukebox and historic photos hold the promise that little has changed since opening day in 1932.

The Bergs met while working at a family resort in northern Minnesota. As they were inching toward retirement, they instead seized the opportunity to come full circle on their careers by taking over Fisher’s Club. The couple joined a long line of notable local owners: the minor league baseball player who founded it, the folks who invented their famous potato salad, Garrison Keillor and most recently cousins who had family ties to the original owners.

From an ice-cold glass of strawberry lemonade to an exceptional plate of walleye, coleslaw and that potato salad, the classics shine alongside fresh menu additions.

Website: fishersclub.com

What was once a stagecoach stop before Minnesota was even a state is still a place worth seeking out. Nearly every inch of the Hubbell House — from its limestone exterior to the occasional Greek specials — exudes pride.

Shortly after the Great Depression, Alaina Pappas’ great-grandfather bought the business that once housed workers from the nearby limestone quarry. “Flash forward to my grandfather coming home from World War II and he asked his father-in-law if he could start a restaurant,” Pappas said.

The restaurant stayed in the family until her father sold it to Powers Ventures, another restaurant family, in 2022. By then Pappas had joined the business, slowly replacing her childhood memories of doing homework at the bar, while the employees refilled her supplies of Pepsi and olives, to being the one they depend on to lead them. She agreed to stay as general manager after the sale, and three years later she remains at home here, where family pictures still hang on the walls.

Inside the Hubbell House there are several dining rooms and a bar, each with distinct decor and many historical artifacts — all staffed by service veterans who run the rooms with practiced care.

Website: hubbellhouserestaurant.com

“Take care of people and they’ll take care of you,” Doron Jensen’s grandfather told him. The younger Jensen said he wasn’t quite ready to understand the weight of that wisdom at the time, but it has since become his North Star as he runs the business.

Doron Jensen opened Jensen’s in a former Eagan Perkins in 1996, fresh off a tenure at a steakhouse chain. The city was less populated at the time, and the supper club’s neighbor wasn’t an outlet mall. But the young restaurateur remembered the family motto and the warmth a supper club imparts to its customers.

Jensen’s has also expanded since then. The dining rooms and patio have a Rat Pack-era swank, with a menu that mixes classics like an expertly prepared beef tenderloin and lobster bisque to more modern menu standards.

Nearly 30 years later, Al Jensen would appreciate the way his legacy and name have weathered recessions, remodels and even a pandemic. Diners still come from near and far to experience the care, comfort and quality of Jensen’s — and more than a few popovers.

Website: jensensfoodandcocktails.com

John Schiltz knows every square inch of his restaurant. From the day he walked in as a 16-year-old dishwasher to today, sitting inside the glass-encased room in the depths of winter like a real-life snow globe given a good shake — this is where he belongs.

As a young chef, he’d moved away from Minnesota to work in top hotels out west. He was back in town for a wedding when he learned the Lake Elmo Inn, one of the oldest restaurants in the state, was for sale. “I sat in the kitchen and poured my guts out to him,” said Schiltz, referring to previous owner Ben Gorka. “After I told him everything — he said he wasn’t going to sell it to me.” But he wouldn’t be dissuaded. “There was only one restaurant in my heart. What I didn’t know was that his wife was listening around the corner. She was the one who said, ‘Why don’t you give him a chance?’ And he did. We never looked back.” That was in 1983.

It’s a tenet the staff understands — many have been with Schiltz for decades, with the longest tenure clocking in at 40 years alongside his wife, Christine.

While the prime rib and Mother’s Day brunches are just as special as they were on day one, Lake Elmo Inn never rests on its laurels, with new food and beverages constantly joining the lineup.

What to order: Everyone has their favorite steakhouse finery at Lake Elmo Inn, but it’s wise to start a wintry meal with a cozy bowl of wild rice soup. Duck and chicken mingle in the creamy base, fortified with the Minnesota-grown grain.

Website: lakeelmoinn.com

A wooden sign directs drivers off the road that hugs the lakeshore. Even with its modern upgrades — the showstopping grand entrance, beautiful landscape with flowers in the summer and holiday garland in the winter — the Norway Ridge Supper Club retains that up north cabin coziness.

It was here, at a special table curtained from the dining room, that owners Lori and Paul Sugimura had their first date some 40 years ago. When the time came for a new chapter, the two shopped for a lake country cabin. Instead, they discovered that Norway Ridge was for sale and became one of the handful of owners the supper club has had since opening in 1948. “We like to say we put a little lipstick on the old girl,” said Lori. “But we respect the history of what it’s been.”

The windows overlook the forest outside and the lake beyond. Handcrafted log tables are sturdy, which is a good thing. It’s easy to surrender to ordering enthusiasm: hand-battered onion rings, crispy little sunfish and much more. But the star attraction begins with the irresistible wood-fueled aroma beckoning from the kitchen.

Website: norwayridge.com

In 1987, chef Dave Forland walked into the historic mill-turned-restaurant just outside of Austin, the same place that gave him his first job, and began his era as its owner. There were four layers of carpet, tiny rooms and endless possibilities. All these years later, Forland and his wife, Ann, couldn’t imagine another life than the one they’ve built here.

Much has changed about the restaurant since those early days. The interior is now open, flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and dam below. COVID hastened a major patio build that’s now humbly called “the backyard,” where bistro lights are strung beneath trees.

The star attraction at this supper club is the beef. Dave goes to great lengths to procure the highest quality prime meat that he cuts and ages in house. It’s an attention to detail that’s not always in fashion these days, although the menu’s trendy smash burger benefits from this commitment, using the steak trimmings for a luxe take on the crowd favorite.

Originally opened in 1950, the Old Mill celebrates its 75th year with a dining room decked out in midcentury holiday decor. “People will make their reservations a year in advance,” said Ann. “They come back and say it’s like coming home.”

Website: oldmill.net

While the name might have gone from literal to ironic over the years, this cozy log cabin built in 1931 just outside of Stillwater remains a beloved dinner destination that fills to capacity nearly every night its open.

“It used to be that we were more of an actual hideaway at the end of the frontage road,” said co-owner Nik Barbatsis, the son of Phil. “The highway was above us and now they lowered the road so now we’re above or on par with the highway — it’s more of an oxymoronic joke.”

But the specialness of stealing away to this almost-in-the-city restaurant delivers every time.

Phil’s pulls off the magic trick of being both an easy hang for regulars and destination dining. You could just as celebrate an anniversary as end up at the bar making a new friend over a bottle of wine and plate of pastitsio.

Barbatsis credits his staff, many who have been with the restaurant for decades, for its success. “Everyone that’s here wants to be here. It’s more than a job — it’s a career and their passion. It’s their family, too.”

What to order: The pro move is to bring a dining companion who is ready to share. Let them get a classic steak while you order the pastitsio dinner. Layers of pasta, cheese and cream sauce packed with beef and pork is served alongside warm pita with feta and grilled broccolini.

Website: tarahideaway.com

An icon in Miesville since the 1960s, Wiederholt’s has been serving steaks, relish trays, ice cream drinks and rustic charm for generations.

It’s a legacy Jesse Wiederholt was born into. His great-grandfather founded this place; his grandfather made it a supper club, but he sold it while facing health problems. Jesse’s grandmother bought it back a year later, and even now, at 101 years old, she comes in weekly for supper with the family. Her sons took over in 1977, and now, with Jesse, it’s in its fourth generation of ownership.

What to order: With a place of this caliber and longevity, many likely have a favorite dish already. But the most common mistake might be saving the grasshopper, that minty ice cream-based boozy drink, for the end of the meal. Life is short. Order dessert first and savor its sweet flavor and the company around your table.

Website: wiederholtssupperclub.com