The Union Hotel & Restaurant — Restaurant in De Pere

Stayed at the Union Hotel November 1st - 3rd of 1999. We left Kitchener, Ontario Canada on October 31st 1999 for our Honeymoon. Decided last minute to Go see The Green Bay Packers! We had no tickets, no Hotel reservations. We stayed in Sheboygan on October 31st since we got a late start heading to Green Bay. We got into Green Bay around Lunch time on Monday November 1st. Mission was to get tickets to the game. Which with some help from the Wonderful, Friendly People of Green Bay we were able to get! So step 1 accomplished! Then we needed to find somewhere to sleep after the game beside our car.. We called around with no luck. We decided to stop at a New Looking ( Still construction work being done) Motel. The rooms they had finished were fully booked just like every other Hotel/Motel in town especially since Da’ Bears were in town for Monday Night Football. Made especially important as it was the weekend Walter Payton passed away. The Wonderful Desk Clerk at the Brand New Motel we stopped at informed us that Every Motel/Hotel will be booked solid… Then she said “Hold in a minute, let me make a phone call.” A few minutes later she told us That she had a friend at the Union Hotel and they had a room for us if we could get there quickly to get signed in. After giving us directions we Thanked her and headed to DePere and the Union Hotel. We got there and were immediately so Glad to see the Hotel. The character when you walk in, The Smell is still in my head.. We checked in and were given a brief history lesson as we were walked to our room. As we headed up the narrow stairs behind the Front desk we learnt it had been a family owned Hotel for years. As we stepped down from one section of hallway floor to the next we were told the year it was added on to the original building, again as we stepped up to another section of hallway floor same thing with the date when it was added on. The charming room with Antique furniture and a sink in our room. Being shown the Common Bathroom and showers.. what an amazing experience, We couldn’t have planned a better Honeymoon. Seeing Michael Buffer in person to say his Freshly Trademarked “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” as the Pack came into the field, The wonderful tribute to Walter Payton by the Packers Organization. Staying a few days in the Green Bay Area was wonderful. Especially for a life long Packers fan. All the people were so nice and friendly. The Union Hotel felt like Home each evening when we got back for the night. We had Breakfast and dinner there all 3 days we stayed there. The staff was so wonderful, The food at the restaurants was top notch, delicious. It was an experience I will never forget… I have been back once since then, I do plan to go back again....

Supper clubs have experienced a bit of a renaissance lately, and it's easy to find imitators and modern takes on the style, but when in doubt you should visit an original. The historic Union Hotel has been around since the 1800s and epitomizes classic Wisconsin supper club and steak house atmosphere, service, and food.

You can feel the history when you walk in, from the vintage phone booth in the main lobby to the classic art wallpaper in the primary dining room. Enjoy a perfect old fashioned in the old-style and lavish feeling bar area as you wait for your table. The Union bleeds old-school charisma and style. This is amplified in December during the Christmas season when the Yuletide Carolers sing at the restaurant a few nights a week. This quartet dresses in Dickens-era attire and goes table to table singing carols by request.

This is the type of restaurant where servers are employed for many years, and the service is indicative of this. The wait staff knows the menu well and can make excellent recommendations. The owners are great people and are clearly invested in every aspect of the establishment. It's not uncommon to see them manning the reception area or serving drinks in the bar.

As for the food, the Union of course specializes in steaks and seafood - and both are done very well. Portions are large, and while at first blush the prices may seem high you have to consider that the price includes pre-dinner relish trays with bread, soup, salad, a potato, your entree, and a dessert. When taking this into account the Union's prices are actually quite good, especially considering the quality of the food. Not only have I never had a bad steak at the Union, I have often been wowed. Their scallops are big and cooked to perfection. For dessert their cheesecake is excellent and they often have a nice selection of other pies and chocolate cakes, but the strawberry schaum torte is the must-have.

If you have any interest in Wisconsin supper clubs, or simply want to have a great steak in a historic restaurant, you absolutely must try the Union Hotel. It is extremely popular for a reason: it is the gold standard for this type of restaurant. I have gone here several times per year for many years and I do not see myself stopping that tradition any time soon. Do yourself a favor and make a...

Classic, and I mean classic supper club in Depere with about as much history in one three story building that you can pack into over 100 years of serving food and managing a hotel. If you like a good dose of walking into nostalgia then look no further than The Union Hotel. Yes, they boast hosting famous Packer players and coaches. Yes, the equipment manager who came up with the Packer logo stayed in the hotel for many years. Did I mention the food yet? Let me tell you... steaks cooked to perfection, scallops seared to perfection. Mushrooms that melt in your mouth. Hash browned potatoes that are hot and crispy. Classic drinks prepared in a classic bar that fits its throwback persona. Desserts such as Strawberry Schaum torte, pecan pie, door county cherry pie, and carrot cake that are all all luscious and divine! (If you have room for dessert!) And if you are as lucky as we were to speak to current co-owner, Mr. Boyd, he may tell some stories beyond just Packer history and speak about his family and how he runs the hotel with his daughter and son and two sisters. And you may even be lucky enough to have him show you around and share some of that Wisconsin hospitality we are so well known for! And maybe, just maybe... you may even come away with a wonderful...