We’ve watched the same ritual play out at Ripsaw Saloon for years. A couple walks in at 4:45, orders two Wisconsin Old Fashioneds, and asks us the same question: which supper club should we drive to tonight? They eat, they drive back, and they’re at our bar by 9:00 telling us how the prime rib was. That’s the Price County supper club trail, and it runs right through our front door at 1117 Railroad Ave, Prentice, WI 54556.
Quick Answer: The Price County supper club trail is a set of five clubs you can reach from Ripsaw Saloon in Prentice in under an hour — Northwoods Supper Club in Fifield (15 minutes), Rock Garden Tavern in Phillips (25 minutes), Wojcieszak’s Flambeau Resort in Park Falls (25 minutes), Pine Tree Supper Club in Tomahawk (45 minutes), and Norwood Pines in Minocqua (50 minutes). The correct way to run it is to start at Ripsaw for a pre-dinner Old Fashioned, drive out, eat, and come back for the nightcap.
Why the Supper Club Trail Starts at a Bar, Not a Restaurant
Last updated: September 2026
A Wisconsin supper club is a bar with a restaurant attached, not the other way around. You arrive, sit at the bar, order a hand-muddled brandy Old Fashioned, and wait for your table. Skipping that bar phase is technically allowed and practically frowned upon. The bar is where you meet the locals, and the locals are where you hear about the fishing.
That’s why the trail starts at Ripsaw. We’re the bookend. You get your first Old Fashioned here, drive 15 to 50 minutes to the club, eat, and come back for the nightcap where the stories from dinner get told. We’ve hosted this part of the evening hundreds of times, and it never gets old.
How We Built This Trail: Drive Time From Ripsaw, Not Star Ratings
Most supper club guides rank clubs by reputation or price. We’re organizing this one by drive time from our bar, because that’s the number that actually matters when you’re planning a night out in the Northwoods. A 50-minute drive is a different commitment than a 15-minute one, and you should know that before you pick.
Every club below is verified against Ron Faiola’s Wisconsin Supper Clubs list, which tracks 68 clubs across 15 counties in the North Central region and 51 clubs across 22 counties in the Northwest region, where Price County sits. We’re only covering the ones close enough that you can start at Ripsaw, eat, and drive back without falling asleep at the wheel.
1. Northwoods Supper Club — Fifield (15 minutes)
Address: N14066 Flambeau Ave, Fifield, WI 54524 | Phone: (715) 762-4447
This is the closest club to Prentice and the one our regulars mention most. It sits right on State Road 70 between Park Falls and Merrill, so every tourist driving through the area passes it. The ones who stop become the ones who come back every year. Faiola’s list marks it with a double asterisk, meaning it was featured in both his 2013 book Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience and his 2016 follow-up Another Round.
Friday fish fry and Saturday prime rib are the anchors. Our tip: start at Ripsaw at 5:00, drive to Fifield by 5:20, get your name on the list, have a second drink at their bar, eat by 7:00, and you’re back at Ripsaw by 8:30 for the nightcap.
2. Rock Garden Tavern — Phillips (25 minutes)
Address: N8236 State Hwy 13, Phillips, WI 54555
Rock Garden Tavern sits at the Wisconsin Concrete Park, Fred Smith’s folk art environment of 237 concrete sculptures. This is the only club on the trail where you can walk through a world-class art installation before dinner. The park is open daily with free admission, and the Fred Smith House gallery runs Memorial Day through October, Thursday through Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
The tavern itself serves beer, wine, and mixed drinks on its open days, and it’s available to rent for private parties. There’s even a two-bedroom apartment upstairs for a weekend stay. Our tip: walk the park first — it takes about 30 minutes — then head in for dinner. You’ll be back at Ripsaw by 9:00 with stories about concrete sculptures and whether the walleye was better than last time.
3. Wojcieszak’s Flambeau Resort — Park Falls (25 minutes)
Distance from Ripsaw: 25 minutes northwest
Wojcieszak’s sits on the Flambeau River, and the Sportsman’s Lounge is where the fishing guides eat after a day on the water. It’s casual, comfortable, and the kind of place where the bartender knows your order by the second visit. The resort is listed on Enjoy Price County, the local tourism board’s official site.
This is the club to pair with a day on the river. Fish all day, eat at Wojcieszak’s, and still make it back to Ripsaw for the late shift. That’s a Northwoods trifecta — fish, supper club, nightcap — all in one day.
4. Pine Tree Supper Club — Tomahawk (45 minutes)
Address: 115 West Wisconsin Ave, Tomahawk, WI 54487 | Phone: (715) 453-4235
Pine Tree is worth the drive east. It’s one of the oldest clubs in the region, right on Wisconsin Avenue, and it’s the kind of place where the bartender has been pouring Old Fashioneds since the Reagan administration. Faiola’s North Central list confirms the address and phone, and it’s the standard Northwoods cut — slow-roasted prime rib on Saturday with horseradish that clears your sinuses for a week.
Tomahawk has a cluster of clubs, so if you’re making the drive east you can turn it into a mini-crawl. Our tip: make this a Saturday trip. Grab a quick Old Fashioned at Ripsaw at 4:30, drive east, eat at Pine Tree by 6:30, and you’re back at our bar by 9:00.
5. Norwood Pines Supper Club — Minocqua (50 minutes)
Address: 10171 Hwy 70, Minocqua, WI 54548 | Phone: (715) 356-3666
Norwood Pines is the destination club on the trail. It’s in Minocqua, the tourism hub of the Northwoods, and Faiola’s list marks it with both a single and double asterisk, meaning it was featured in his 2013 and 2016 books. That dual recognition puts it in rare company. The Yelp reviews consistently mention the relish tray, the prime rib, and the old-school Wisconsin atmosphere.
This is the long drive on the list, so plan for it. Leave Prentice by 4:45, stop at Ripsaw for a quick one first, drive to Minocqua, get on the waitlist by 5:30, eat by 7:00, and you’re back at Ripsaw by 9:30 for the nightcap.
What the Trail Costs and When to Run It
Every club on this trail runs on the same weekly schedule. Friday is fish fry, Saturday is prime rib, and Sunday is leftovers and specials. Most clubs are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, just like us. Thursday is a soft opening with a lighter crowd, and Monday is anyone’s guess — always call ahead on weeknights.
Prices hold steady across the trail. The closer clubs, Northwoods and Rock Garden, usually have prime rib starting around $25. The destination spots like Norwood Pines run $28 to $35. A Wisconsin Old Fashioned at Ripsaw runs $6, and it’s made the way Wisconsinites have been making them since the 1940s: muddled cherry and orange, bitters, brandy, soda, ice. No shortcuts.
How to Run the Full Trail From Ripsaw
Here’s the playbook we’ve watched our regulars execute for years. It works every time.
4:45 PM: Arrive at Ripsaw Saloon. Order a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, sweet, muddled, brandy, $6. Optional: add a basket of beef tallow fries.
5:15 PM: Finish your drink and drive to your chosen club. Northwoods is 15 minutes, Rock Garden is 25, Wojcieszak’s is 25, Pine Tree is 45, Norwood Pines is 50.
5:30–5:45 PM: Arrive, put your name on the list, and sit at the bar for your second Old Fashioned. This is the required waiting period. Use it to talk to the locals.
6:30–7:00 PM: Get seated, receive the relish tray, order French onion soup, and order the main course — prime rib on Saturday, walleye on Friday.
8:00–8:30 PM: Finish dinner, pay the bill, and drive back to Prentice.
8:30–9:00 PM: Arrive back at Ripsaw for the nightcap. This is where you tell the bar what you ate, whether the horseradish was hot enough, and whether the fish fry beat last week’s. We’ve been hosting this part of the evening for years, and it’s the best part of the night.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the closest supper club to Prentice, Wisconsin?
Northwoods Supper Club in Fifield is the closest, a 15-minute drive west on Highway 70. It’s at N14066 Flambeau Ave, Fifield, WI 54524, phone (715) 762-4447, and it was featured in both of Ron Faiola’s supper club books. Friday fish fry and Saturday prime rib are the anchors.
How far is the Wisconsin Concrete Park from Ripsaw Saloon?
The Wisconsin Concrete Park is about 25 minutes south of Ripsaw on Highway 13, at N8236 State Hwy 13, Phillips, WI 54555. It’s open daily with free admission, and the Rock Garden Tavern on site serves beer, wine, and mixed drinks on its open days. The park features 237 concrete sculptures by Fred Smith.
Do I need reservations at Northwoods supper clubs?
Yes, especially on Friday and Saturday nights during summer and fall color season. The popular clubs within 30 minutes of any Northwoods lake fill up by 6 PM. If you don’t have a reservation, arrive early, around 5:00 to 5:30 PM, and put your name on the list. The wait at the bar is part of the experience.
Can I start my supper club night at Ripsaw Saloon?
Absolutely. We open at 2 PM (noon on Packers game days) at 1117 Railroad Ave, Prentice, WI 54556, phone (715) 428-2042. Grab an Old Fashioned and some beef tallow fries before you drive to any club on this trail. When you’re done with dinner, come back for the nightcap. We’re open late and we want to hear how the prime rib was.
What is the Wisconsin supper club trail?
The Wisconsin supper club trail is the network of supper clubs across the state, documented by Ron Faiola in his three books and tracked on his Wisconsin Supper Clubs website. His list covers 68 clubs in 15 counties in the North Central region and 51 clubs in 22 counties in the Northwest region, where Price County sits. The Price County edition of the trail is the five clubs you can reach from Ripsaw Saloon in under an hour.
See also: the full Wisconsin supper club ritual, start to nightcap
See also: the Price County bar crawl checklist, every stop and every mile
See also: how we settle the brandy vs whiskey Old Fashioned debate
See also: how many bars Wisconsin actually has, and where Price County ranks
See also: Price County Fun’s complete guide to supper clubs within an hour of Price County