The Den Restaurant

Love this place, went here before a concert, we had the walleye fish fry, truffle fries and potsticker appetizer. Friendly professional service. Would go again for sure. Book a booth downstairs.

We loved our meal at the Den. 5 stars highly recommend. The Brussel sprouts were out of this world. My husband got the beast burger and said it was amazing. I ordered the Nordic chicken and it was perfect. Unique tasty menu and excellent service. We will be back the next time we are in Houghton.

I cannot recommend this place enough. I suggest it to everyone I can. My husband and I have been going here for a few years now as our go-to dinner date spot. I have never been disappointed out of the many times we’ve come here. The steak is PHENOMENAL (my all-time fave) but I also highly recommend the beast burger and the meatloaf. The mixed drinks are amazing and I’ve tried a variety of their wines - every single one was fantastic. Always take advantage of their specials too, the chef manages to whip up the tastiest things like the rack of elk in one of the attached pictures and the wontons. We have also never once had a bad server. The bartenders and waitresses/waiters are excellent and provide great service even when they’re super busy. This is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in the area!

Food was absolutely delicious!! Service was prompt and welcoming! The pasta was cooked perfectly, the drinks were amazing (so much fruit) and the spinach artichoke dip, soooo good!

The den has a warm calming atmosphere, very woodsy as the name suggests! The waitresses are very pleasant and welcoming.
I had the duck breast with parsnip purée. The parsnip purée was sweet and earthy, the spinach was fresh and bitter, and the wine reduction rich and tangy, so they all the sides blended perfectly. The duck was cooked nicely medium rare, but the fat was chewy, not rendered and the skin was soft. I could tell it was a good quality cut, and really wish there had been that crispy juicy skin that you get with duck. The blueberries were odd for me so I set them to the side (something a bit less sweet and more tart, like a pear, would have been better) All in all it was a good dish and I wouldn’t mind eating it again. For dessert I had the tuxedo cake, which was perfectly fluffy, moist and not too sweet. I’ll definitely be returning!

I had a great piece of salmon here a few days ago. Perhaps a little bit pricey for what you receive, but I would definitely come back. Overall - I’d recommend others give this place a try.

The Duck is one of the best meals I have ever had, love the artichoke mash, it’s amazing!

I really enjoy the food here! Makes me happy dance in my seat. I also love all of your staff! You have an incredible team in your floor! Keep up the great work!

The Den never disappoints! They nail the classics and offer many adventurous options. Chef Erik always welcomes us and makes sure we are well taken care of. We look forward to every visit.

Had dinner here tonight. Opted to sit outside because the weather was perfect. Initially I thought sitting in a parking lot would be weird, but the view of the river and bridge quickly won me over.

Our waitress was fantastic. She was attentive, but not annoyingly so, and answered all of our questions expertly.

We had the duck and the meatloaf, which are the two featured entrees on the menu. The execution on both was superb. The meatloaf was loaded with flavor, as were the potatoes that accented it. The duck was incredible, well cooked and plated. The puree it's served with is a perfect way to dip the duck and eat the spinach.

This was easily the best meal we've had while visiting. Please, take the time to visit and enjoy what the chef is trying to do.

I had the pulled duck sandwich, onion rings, truffle fries and some of my friend's pepper steak bites and salad. Everything was delicious, we were outside with a beautiful view, and our waitress Kamella was so wonderful & attentive! Would definitely come back!

Exquisite food and service! I saw a billboard on the way to Houghton advertising The Den in downtown area. I wasn’t expecting such a fine dining experience in a laid back atmosphere.
Our server, Stephanie, arrived promptly with water served in a retro swing top glass bottle. Kind of a fun little detail! She informed us of the special of the evening and took our order for drinks.
We had only appetizers because we couldn’t decide on just one with an entree. The potato pancakes were nothing like I expected. They were so incredible, I think I could’ve eaten just those! We also sampled the Pepper Steak Bites, Spinach & Artichoke Dip and the Beet Hummus. The steak was tender and the subtle flavors of the parsnip oil and orange were wonderful! The Spinach & Artichoke dip had baby spinach leaves blended with chunks of artichoke which provided again layers of flavor. The grilled bread it was served with needed a little something...The Beet Hummus was good but I felt their homemade chips overwhelmed it. When we dipped the grilled bread with the hummus, the flavor of the beets really jumped out. Likewise with the homemade chips in the Spinach & Artichoke dip... Incredible! I highly recommend ordering both of these and switching them up a little!
There’s a bar with *real* wine (not the little single serve bottles that pass for wine selections in some bars) from France, Italy and California. The wine was a wee bit warm as was the entire restaurant this particular evening but our fabulous server Stephanie informed us the air conditioning had decided to give the restaurant a bit of grief... No worries, right? It’s August... it’ll be snowing in 2 months.
The whole dining experience was amazing! I know for sure that we’ll be returning! The next time you’re in Houghton, give this place a try! I believe the only regrets you’ll have is not going sooner!

I highly HIGHLY recommend dining here of you have the chance!! Kudos to the chef 10000%!!! The most delicious food I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. The wait staff were wonderful, as well as the environment. Can't wait to return to the U.P, and to The Den ❤

The food and drinks were absolutely incredible! It is a nice upscale restaurant with really unique flavor combinations. I had the New York strip with mashed potatoes and broccolini and it was perfect. Their signature cocktail the Siren's Call looked beautiful tasted great! I will definitely be returning.

The best ambiance in Houghton—by far! Zach M. was the loveliest server and bartender. I had the shrimp and parsnip purée, which was out of this world. YUM!

Great spinach and artichoke dip! They did over cook my wife's filet mignon and the chimichurri did not have much flavor. But the den old fashion was quite yummy. We were quite grateful they took us as they were busy so even if the entrees were lack luster the service was great. Would recommend and maybe the food is better when they are not so busy.

Spinach dip was amazing. Our server Gracen was so kind and attentive. We enjoyed our night out.

The most delicious sprouts I've EVER had! Nice presentation, excellent service, especially considering our server was bartender/hostess/server and barback all rolled into one. Unfortunately I forgot to get a pic till I had gotten started eating 😅 it looked prettier when I got it.

The jagerschnitzle and meatloaf were amazing. Love the place and the staff was really friendly, especially Stephanie our waitress. Highly recommend.

I’m from out of town, my server was Morgan. She shared a little about the town, history, heritage, etc. She was prompt and such a delight! I ordered the Pork Schnitzel, Morgan had recommended it and said it was her favorite. I agree! It was fabulous and brought me back to my German roots! Atmosphere was wonderful as well!