Eating out up north runs on a different clock. Kitchens open late in the afternoon, Friday means fish fry, and half the good tables are on the water. The restaurants in Three Lakes follow that pattern, with one German pub that has been at it since 1934 and a handful of lake bars you can reach by boat.
Most of the town's food is either on Superior Street downtown or strung along WI-32 east of town where it meets Big Stone Lake. This is where to eat, meal by meal, with the hours that catch people out.
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Breakfast: Sorge's and the downtown coffee bars
Breakfast in Three Lakes means a diner or a coffee bar, and both are downtown within a block or two of each other.
For coffee and something light, Mugs and Co. on Gogebic Street makes espresso drinks and sandwiches with organic ingredients, and lets dogs sit with you outside. It opens at 7 every day and closes at 2, or at noon on Sundays.
Deja Brew Coffee & More on School Street is the other option, with lattes, smoothies, hot chocolate and Wi-Fi if you need to check in with work.
Black Forest: German food since 1934
The Black Forest Pub & Grille is the oldest name on the list, and the one to book in for a proper sit-down dinner.
It sits on Superior Street in the middle of downtown, a few doors from the Center for the Arts, so dinner and a film is an easy night. It has a kids' menu and bar games, and service is quick.
Dinner with a reservation: Claytons 1881 Room
Claytons 1881 Room is the one place in Three Lakes where you should book, because it requires reservations.
Some diners find portions small for the price. If you want a big plate, go to the fish fry instead. If you want a careful plate and a good glass of wine, this is the booking to make.
On the water: perch, sunsets and boat-up bars
This is what people come to the Northwoods for: a table above the water, a basket of perch, and the boat tied up below.
SpiritView is only about a mile from downtown, so it works for a quick dinner on the water. Further out on the chain, the boat-up crowd heads to Pine Isle.
If you are coming by water, tie up and walk in. If you are coming by car, Pine Isle Road is about 2 miles northeast of downtown in a straight line. For a lake breakfast instead of a lake dinner, go east on WI-32.
From any of these you can see why the lakes matter so much to the town. The Three Lakes chain links 20 lakes inside the town, and boating to dinner is normal here.
Friday fish fry, Three Lakes style
Friday fish fry is a Wisconsin institution, and several of the bars in Three Lakes do one. Cod is standard, with perch and walleye at the lake places.
East of town on WI-32, 32 South Bar & Grill sits next to the golf course and does a fish fry of its own, plus daily specials like a smoked turkey reuben with homemade sauce. It keeps long hours, until midnight or later most nights, with breakfast from 8 on weekend mornings and happy hour from 3 to 5 on several weekdays.
SpiritView's Friday fry is the lake option. If you want the full set, do one each Friday you are here and decide for yourself.
Beer, popcorn and a beer garden
Downtown has two easy places to sit with a beer, both on Superior Street.
A few doors along, Maple Lake Shinery is a beer garden that fills on warm evenings. Between the two, you can spend an evening downtown without getting back in the car.
Wine and cheese to take back to the cabin
A lot of visitors cook at their cottage, and two downtown shops cover the good stuff.
Three Lakes Winery has made cranberry wine since 1972 in the old railroad depot on Gogebic Street, with free tastings every day. A few blocks away, the Cheese Market on Anderson Street sells cheese, charcuterie supplies and local maple syrup, Tuesday to Saturday.
Both are good stops on a day spent exploring, and the rest of what to do in Three Lakes is mostly within a few blocks of them.
Worth the drive: Sorella on US-45
For Italian, the place to go is just outside town, on US-45 heading toward Eagle River.
About 4 miles north-northwest of downtown in a straight line, Sorella makes its own pasta, with dishes like linguine with clams and pasta Salsiccia, a filet, and tiramisu to finish. It is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 4, and booking ahead is a good idea.
Eating out with kids and dogs
Three Lakes fills with families in summer, and the kitchens are set up for it. Black Forest and Pine Isle Lodge both have kids' menus, and Pine Isle, SpiritView and Mugs and Co. let dogs sit with you outside.
The Brew Station's beer garden is the easy evening with children, because the popcorn keeps coming. Sunset Grill's ice cream counter covers the afternoon. If you have a toddler who will not sit through a meal, the patio places on the lakes give them something to look at.
What to order
For a weekend, here is a short list built from each kitchen's signature dishes.
Schnitzel and red cabbage at Black Forest. Perch, in a basket or on Friday, at SpiritView. Cheese curds and a pizza at Pine Isle Lodge on a Saturday afternoon with the boat tied up. Walleye at Claytons if you booked. A skillet at Sorge's the next morning, and a bottle of cranberry wine from the winery to take home.
That covers German, lake fish, bar food done well and the one local product Three Lakes is known for. It also covers most of the town's tables in two days, which is about right for a place this size.
Eating on the way in or out
Coming up US-45 from the south, Tavern on the Loop is the first food you reach before downtown. Heading out east on WI-32 toward the golf course and Big Stone Lake, 32 South and Sunset Grill sit close together, and both are near the campground.
If you are driving home on a Sunday, note that several places close early or not at all that day. Mugs and Co. shuts at noon, Sorge's at 1, Tavern on the Loop stays closed, and Black Forest and Sorella only open for dinner. Plan the last meal before you check out.
Eating out off-season
Hours in Three Lakes shrink after Labor Day, and some places close for weeks at a time in spring and fall. The hours above come from the restaurants' own listings and change with the season.
Winter is busier than you might think, because the sled trails bring riders through. The snowmobile trails out of Three Lakes pass several of the bars on this list, and those are the places most likely to be open on a January weekday.
If you are staying at a resort with a kitchen, a lot of Three Lakes lodging is cottage-style, which makes a cook-in night easy. Stock up at the Cheese Market and the winery, and save the eating out for fish fry.
Frequently asked questions
Published September 28, 2026
