Restaurants
Table of Contents
Bel Air Restaurant
Built in 1937 by Joe Rake, the Bel Air was the first of its kind in Green Lake. It soon won a reputation for fine food and dancing. In early 1947 the Bel-Air was sold to Alferd Peck Sr. His son Harry, daughter Lucy and George Mockus were all a major part of the staff at that time. By 1959, George Mockus became the sole owner and Rod Sperle built a motel just to the west of the restaurant. In 1958 the restaurant was sold to Al Westphal and Fred Stamm. In 1975 the club was sold to Mike McMonigal, an attorney from Berlin, who renamed it the Encore. A few years later the building burned to the ground. Currently a duplex sits on the site just east of the Green Lake Inn where the restaurant was located. .
Green Lake Memories II p199
Carvers-On-The-Lake
In 1925, Mr. Enoch Carver built a private home on the east shore of Green Lake, on a portion of the property that was once part of the Sunnyside Farm Development. In 1932, the Carver family winterized the home and added a kitchen and dining room. They opened their home as Carvers-On-The-Lake. The restaurant and hotel lasted until the early 2000’s.
Click here for more Carvers postcards.
Heidel House / Grey Rock Restaurant
In 1945 Herb & Lucille Heidel put their careers in newspaper and education aside to start a restaurant on Green Lake. They purchased the 12-acre Kelly estate and on New Years Eve 1945 the story of the Heidel House began.
Lawsonia Country Club / Northern Baptist Assembly / Green Lake Conference Center
In 1888, Mr. Victor Lawson and his wife, Jessie bought the first 10 acre parcel that would become the 1000 acre Lawson Estate. After Victor and his wife passed away, the property was sold to the H. O, Stone Company in 1926 and plans were made to create the “Sun Valley” of the Midwest. A Large Hotel was built and 1200 lots were surveyed to create an exclusive country club estate. The Great Depression put a halt to the grand plans for the estate, and the property was sold at a sheriff’s sale in 1932 to the Continental Bank of Chicago for $300,000. The bank ran the property for 10 years. In 1943 the property was acquired by the Northern Baptist Assembly for $300,000, the same price the bank paid for it in 1932.
This section will only show some of the dining rooms and restaurants that were on the property throughout the years. We have lots more postcards and history to share when we get the Lawson Estate pages done.
Maplewood Dining Room
In 1890 Dr. Kutchin built a fine home on the Sherwood property, and in 1891 he built an addition to his house with plans to operate a sanitarium. He found that more healthy vacationers needed rooms, so he converted the facility to the Maplewood Hotel. Many people came daily to enjoy lunch or breakfast and the spacious rooms. At that time most of the food for the hotel was provided by the farms on the grounds.
For more Postcards showing the Maplewood Hotel and Grounds Click here
Norton's
Norton’s was one of the restaurants that opened in Green Lake area after WWII. Clifford and Harry Norton opened Norton’s On The Lake in 1948. It immediately became well known for its fine gourmet food. Norton’s reputation for fine food was built by the acclaimed French Chef Rene’ Amadry, who originally was brought to the area to work at the Lawsonia Country Club. In 1975 George Mockus and his wife bought Norton’s from the Norton Bay Corporation. The restaurant has changed hands many times since then. They have always provided a place of fine dining on the shores of Big Green Lake. Today you can still go there for a Friday Fish fry and a cup of their famous fish chowder.
Norton’s of Green Lake
Heritage History of Green Lake p152
Oakwood Dining Room
David Greenway started the hotel industry in Dartford in 1867 when he built the first summer resort west of Niagara Falls. Mr. Greenway purchased 35 acres of land on Oakwood Point in the town of Brooklyn in 1866 that included 2000 feet of lake frontage.
By 1904 around 480 guests were housed in the hotel, the annex and 10 main cottages. David Greenway operated the Oakwood until 1890 when he retired to a large house adjacent to the Oakwood grounds.
There were many operators of this fine resort through the years, until 1929, when Mr. Ivan Strauss closed the resort and razed the main building.
Follow this link for more Oakwood Postcards
Sherwood Forest Hotel
Brothers John C. and William C. Sherwood purchased 1,600 acres of land extending southwest from the present Hattie Sherwood Park out to Irving Park Road in the mid-1800s.
Sherwood Forest Hotel burned in 1913. It was rebuilt and continued to welcome guests until 1930, when it was converted to a summer camp for girls, known as Camp Robinhood. This building burned down in 1940. Then a lodge for the summer camp was built.
In the 1970s the land was converted to a residential development.
Van Rhyn's Steak House
John & Harriet Van Rhyn bought Moxie’s Bar in January 1951 and created a popular dining spot known as Van Rhyn’s Steak House. In 1974 the Restaurant was sold to Alfred Peck and it became Alfred’s Supper Club. It currently operates as Chops Green Lake.
