by David Brierley
History is a big part of what draws people to supper clubs. There’s something fascinating about being in a place where people have been coming to eat, drink, and kick back for decades. It’s fun to imagine folks in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, getting dressed up, coming in, and ordering cocktails while chatting with friends at the bar.
And while some supper clubs remain largely unchanged over time, others are updated throughout the years to keep up with trends and remain popular.
Manny’s Parkside in Manitowish Waters is one of the latter. It’s gone through its fair share of owners over the years, and each one has brought a new name, new cuisine, and an updated look to the supper club.
Its current iteration, opened in 2022, has given this century-old supper club a modern makeover. With high, open ceilings, a four-season porch, and a “backyard” fit for the raddest parties, I’d be willing to bet it’ll remain Manny’s for a long time to come.
Manny’s Parkside is easy to find as you drive through Manitowish Waters on County Highway W – it’s the last building on the right before you reach Koller Memorial Park and Rest Lake.
The two-story restaurant is impeccable. The exterior is neat and tidy with brown siding and a modern, northwoods-chic appearance. That aesthetic continues to the interior, where you’ll find a barroom with a high, two-story ceiling, exposed beams, and a square bar with seating on three sides.
Everything feels like it’s made from raw materials, including the white, stone-topped bar, the stained wood floors, brass fixtures, and leather padded bar stools. A fieldstone hearth surrounds the fireplace on one side of the bar, giving the room some coziness in the cold, northwoods winter months.
Classy gray upholstered booths line one side of the barroom, a long booth bench with tables line another wall, and the fireplace is flanked by two high-top tables on a third wall. To the right of the barroom as you walk in, the main dining room holds more tables and booths.
Doorways on the opposite side of the bar lead to additional dining space in a four-season porch. This room is completely enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows so you can enjoy panoramic views of the park and lake next door.
The interior of Manny’s is a modern and classy take on northwoods decor with its dark furniture and hanging Edison bulb chandeliers. But it also pays homage to its history and surroundings through its sweeping views of the area and maps and pictures from the past hung on the walls. It’s a perfect compromise between comfort, class, and history.
If you head straight out the back of the supper club, you’ll find yourself in Manny’s Backyard. This huge patio space is custom designed for fun summer nights and weekends. It has a stage, a bar and tables (covered by retractable awnings), loungers, fire pits, swings, and more, all perfectly landscaped to blend in with the surrounding park. What’s even better, you can access the Backyard from the boat dock on Rest Lake.
Wherever you end up, the main bar is always a good place to start your experience at Manny’s. Grab a seat, and the bartenders will whip you up a perfect cocktail to get your evening started. They’ve even got a list of tasty signature cocktails which adds a unique and classy touch.
Once you’ve had some time to sip, relax, and shrug off the stress of the day, you’ll be led to your table in one of the dining rooms. Seating in the Backyard is first come, first served, so it’s up to you if you want to sit outside.
Like the restaurant itself, the menu gives modern, elevated supper club vibes. Take the appetizers, for example: Classic cheese curds are present, but there are also options like smoked onion dip with thick cut potato chips, house-made hummus with veggies and sourdough bread, and cod cakes with a smoky, house-made caper remoulade.
The soup and salad section includes a baked French onion soup, smoky tomato basil soup, a classic caesar, a garden salad, and a cobb salad. The salads can be ordered as sides or entree-sized, and all of the dressings are made in-house.
Main entrees continue the elevated supper club theme with a New York strip steak, beer battered walleye, smoked meatloaf, and pan-roasted Atlantic salmon. The supper club comfort foods you’d expect, made even more delicious in the kitchen at Manny’s.
Pasta dishes are another staple at many supper clubs, and Manny’s has this base covered as well. A basil pesto and burrata spaghetti starts things off. There’s also rigatoni alla vodka with italian sausage, and a special mac and cheese made with lots of Wisconsin’s greatest resource.
If it’s a sandwich you’re after, you can opt for a house burger, a customized veggie burger, a cod sandwich, or a hot buttermilk chicken sandwich. Even something as simple as a sandwich is hand crafted and made delicious.
Finally, it wouldn’t be Wisconsin without a special menu for fish fry Fridays. Manny’s has that covered as well with a half pound of Atlantic cod or a Friday walleye special.
Somewhat unusual for both supper clubs and the northwoods, Manny’s menu truly offers something for everyone: Even vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten sensitivity will find plenty of tasty options.
The wait staff at Manny’s does a good job keeping up with the top notch atmosphere, food, and drinks. They’re attentive and helpful, and manage to time your meals just right for optimal relaxation and enjoyment.
Once you’ve eaten your fill, it’s time to check out the dessert menu. Manny’s doesn’t disappoint here, either, with selections ranging from refreshing to decadent. Plus, there’s always room for dessert drinks, right? Well… maybe you’ll save room next time.
To keep up with special events, great food, and live music, be sure to follow Manny’s Parkside on Facebook and Instagram. And for more information and a detailed look at the menu, check out the restaurant’s website.
The history of Manny’s Parkside
Manny’s Parkside is the latest [name of] the lakeside restaurant and bar located next to Koller Park and Rest Lake in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. We’ll tell you more about Manny’s—read on—but let’s start where the story starts.
1925 – Schroeder’s Rest Haven
Known for big muskies and a wooden dam, Rest Lake has drawn vacationers and sportsmen to the North since the early 1900s. There were a handful of name changes to the roads and to the town itself before landing on Manitowish Waters, with US Highway 51 routed along the lake. It was on that old highway that Mr. and Mrs. Louis Schroeder built Schroeder’s Rest Haven, with rooms and cabins for rent, a gas pump, and meals “when you want them.” Their tagline? “Unusual–Yes.”
1943 – Rudy’s Rest Haven, “The House of Good Food”
Perhaps the heyday of the resort (well, the first heyday, anyway), Rudolph List grew the [business] over nearly three decades, having purchased it in 1943. Leaning into the supper club experience, Rudy’s wife, Garnet, added a southern flair to the menu, while Rudy and his talking Mynah bird, Joe, served up a good time from behind the bar. They also helped [bring] lake life ashore, adding several docks and boaters’ amenities, and they offered a free meal as the prize for the local muskie catching contest… at least once.
1960s – Ehrich’s Bavarian Inn
Rudy sold off the resort buildings and land separately in the late 1960s. Bill and Rita Ehrich bought the restaurant and changed the name after a few years to the Bavarian Inn, importing German beers and focusing on, you guessed it—Bavarian specialties, like kraut and Wienerschnitzel.
1991 – Swanberg’s Bavarian Inn
Swanberg’s Bavarian Inn replaced the Ehrichs’ name in 1991. The menu diversified a bit but kept the schnitzel. The Swanbergs, Greg and Eileen, were twice awarded Outstanding Restaurateurs of the Year by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Northwoods Chapter—so you know it was good!
2007 – Parkside Tavern
In 2007, the restaurant was sold and renamed the Parkside Tavern. A little less Bavarian, a little more classic American, the Parkside served up great food and drinks for over a decade. Although the resort faded away in favor of the public park and waterfront, the reputation for good food and drinks continued to live on within the framework of the same building that has been a part of Manitowish Waters history for the better part of a century.
2022 – Manny’s Parkside
Local owner David Simon has been boating these waters since his childhood, and he bought the building to keep a great stop on Rest Lake going. At 100 years old (the building, not David), it was time for some renovation. We opened up the second floor with exposed beams, reworked the bar and dining rooms with fresh materials, and turned our backyard into a ready-to-party zone with extensive patio seating, a covered bar, firepits, and a music stage. Simon teamed up with Food Fight Restaurant Group, a Madison-based group of nearly 20 restaurants, to help with the renovation, launch, and operations of Manny’s Parkside.
Our food? Classic American—with a twist; nostalgic yet modern. Thick steaks and fried fish, smoked pork, house-made sauces and sides, freshly baked sourdough bread, all thoughtfully sourced and prepared.
And our drinks? Well, a killer Old Fashioned of course. All the classic cocktails plus exciting new specials and ingredients. And beer, because, Wisconsin. Plenty of local, heady, lakeside backyard beer.
100 years of good food and great memories with family and friends is quite a tradition to uphold— and we’re excited to keep it going.
From the restaurant’s website.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to join our Supper Club VIP group; you’ll be entered in our monthly drawing for a $50 gift card to an area supper club. You can also check out our past articles, as well as an interactive map that shows the supper clubs we’ve visited to find one near you. And, as always, there will be plenty more supper club fun to come.
Where in Wisconsin is this supper club?
Address: 5998 County Hwy W, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545
Nearby landmarks: Located next to Koller Park and Rest Lake in Manitowish Waters, about 30 minutes north of Minocqua.
Website: https://www.mannysparkside.com/
Three can’t-miss features:
1. Locally-owned for nearly a century
2. Outdoor bar with stage and retractable roof
3. Modern take on a classic supper club