The Den Restaurant

Absolutely loved eating here with my family. The food is fabulous, flavorful, and gorgeous in its presentation. They were so great with my 16-month-old daughter and brought over a booster seat and high chair to ensure we had options for my daughter to sit in. This place was hopping during the day and evening even during a busy work week. It is the perfect place to eat! We are huge fans of the duck, fries, and fish.

Absolutely amazing food and space! We ordered the Mushroom Ravioli and the Den Burger to share. By god it was probably the best burger I have had in 2025! Highly suggest both entrees! We subbed for the truffle fries and they did not disappoint.

The Den was good. We got the French dip which was loaded with meat, the house made chips were not good. Way too overcooked. the salmon with rice was the best. The rice was honestly my favorite part of the meal. Atmosphere is inviting and our server was nice.

I had been traveling in search or real fresh food with some green vegetables. They served me an amazing dish with salmon and asparagus. Not only that, I have a service dog and they sat me in the patio and brought my dog a small container with water! Just awesome! I will definitely be back here and I encourage others to come have a delicious meal.

So many things on the menu I wanted to try. I went with the French dip but got it plain. Bread was soft and meat was very flavorful. Fries were crispy and hot. Can't wait to come back!

We thoroughly enjoyed dinner at The Den…two nights in a row! Peyton’s and Nevin were our servers and they were friendly and attentive. The food was terrific! We had the short rib burger, and the grilled meatloaf the first night, and the shrimp, rigatoni and meat ravioli the second knife. Everything was delicious! The decor is beautiful. Great vibe and playlist. Don’t miss this place if you’re in Houghton!

We visited a few restaurants during our stay in Houghton, MI, and I have to say that The DEN was the best. There are many dishes away from the mainstream, which is a very pleasant change from the otherwise rather monotonous American mishmash.

Busy place, but Kaelyn was on top of everything and kept her cool the entire service. 10/10 recommend! Thank you Kaelyn!! And open on Mondays! (A lot of places were closed on Monday)

Modern and trendy restaurant, especially compared to the other choices in Houghton. I sat at the bar and my server was the bartender. She was very friendly and helpful, even though she was kept quite busy mixing drinks for the other diners. I ordered the Jagerschnitzel with a small side salad. The "small" salad was quite large and very fresh. I can't imagine how big the large salad is! My Jagerschnitzel was good. I would say I would have a lighter breading would have made it even better, but I'd still recommend. Tonight was a " Chamber of Congress" type evening in Houghton. I don't imagine 80 degree nights happen a lot way up here! The great weather brought a lot of people out and about enjoying the river walk and downtown. The restaurant had to limit the number of people seated because they must have been at capacity for their staff.

I haven't been in this space since it was a McDonald's waaaay back in my college days. I think the floor might be the same! It was a cool building then and that continues with two floors of seating and a wall of windows. Plenty of greenery and plants to warm it up a bit. It still has just a slight "diner" feel to it though and it doesn't match the vibe of what I think they are trying to be here. Our meals were ok. We all largely felt that they were overpriced for what they were. The menu pays homage to procuring local ingredients but the food descriptions don't tell you the details which is disappointing. The pesto gnocchi at $25 is especially perplexing. I had the den burger and it was ok. The chips were overdone and the greens on the burger were sad and wilted. The star of the evening was the virgin siren call mocktail - really well done! There aren't a ton of choices for a nicer meal in this area, I know, but the impression I had before coming here was that they are trying to fill that void. I don't think they are quite there.

We have prompt and attentive service and we sat at their new outdoor patio tables and watched the boats and gulls moving about. Only a few vegetarian options but the beet burger and pesto gnocchi were both delicious.

Wife and I were in town on vacation and went here twice in the 3 night stay we had. We had our dog with us so got food to go and the employee behind the bar said they have outside seating and we could bring dogs. Food was so good we went back for a second night, if that tells you anything. We will be returning to The Den on our next UP trip.

Very good quality good, delicious and just the right amount. Service is professional and the food doesn't take that long. Clean area too. However, I would probably rate the cost $$$ instead of $$ on yelp.

The food is so overpriced and not too special for the price, it is a cute restaurant but the prices need to be a bit lower, it's a pretty classy place, workers seem a bit bothered sometimes.

The atmosphere is cute and waitstaff very nice. The booths were not so comfortable as the backs kept moving when you'd sit back or people behind you were sit back - then you get bumped forward. I spilt my drink because I got hit in the back with the booth back. The cocktail was OK. It was too sweet and not shaken long enough, is it was bubbly instead of frothy on the top. I ordered the special of the night: shrimp scampi pasta. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, still super juicy and tender, but the pasta itself had no flavor. It was strange because the shrimp was beautiful but the rest was just bland. I don't ever add salt to a restaurant dish and that time I was adding more and more with every bite. I think it's kind of cool to have a place like this is Houghton but I don't think it lives up to the price or the image it's trying to portray. I won't be returning unfortunately.

So we showed up and they lost our reservation that we had reserved 2 months ago. The hostess, I didn't catch her name, somehow fit us back in during graduation week, the food was amazing. They ran out of one of the dessert we ordered and the waiter was super apologetic and discounted the other dessert. Overall a great experience and the staff was super accommodating!

My son and I visited here today and it was absolutely delicious! He ordered the Den Burger and I ordered the Steak w/ the chimichurri. The steak was so tender and the chimichurri was so savory! My son gave the place a 9/10 haha will definitely go again when we return.

Good drinks. Very friendly staff. I only ordered soup which was great but must say the beet salad looked beautiful and I overheard a guest say it was delicious.

We went in to The Den without a reservation, since it was a rainy Monday. There seemed to be two servers and no hostess around. We waited to be seated but were not even acknowledged for a very long time. One of the servers did come by and said that she would be with us shortly but then nothing while we kept waiting. Think after 10 or so minutes, the other server told us to follow her without any smile or intro. Nonetheless we finally got seated and were handed the short menu. The server was quick to take our order for drinks and food quick and served us pretty quick as well. Our cocktails of Dan Old Fashioned and Hougthon sour were good - balanced and chilled. For appetizer we ordered the forbidden Brussels which looked good on the menu but unfortunately wasn't as good IRL. The sprouts were raw, the apple slices were sparse and the bleu cheese was a tad much. Fortunately our entrees came soon and they were good enough to make us forget about the Brussel sprouts. My Meatloaf was delicious along with the sides. My son enjoyed the Den burger with the tomato jam and my husband mentioned that the schnitzel was perfectly crispy, juicy and flavorful. My other kid had he cheese burger from the kids menu and she said it was fine, we munched on her side of fries which were actually good fries. We were very happy with the entrees and hence ended with a tuxedo cake that was very good. The service honestly, was sufficient barring the wait at the start of the evening. It is a good place for special or date night dinner.

Great food and service. Came here 3 years ago and did not like it. This time service was great .and food really good. Had lamb chops with mushrooms. The lamb chops were the size of frogs legs but good. Could have served with mint jelly. The beast burger was a beast and delicious.

Actually called to confirm that they were pet-friendly and they said yes! Had to go thru 4 different people and was showing them the number I called and a young lady said that she took the call and didn't understand that I asked if they were dog friendly!

We just had a great evening at The Den! 10 of us in a private setting, comfortable, timely service by Gracen, and of course, great food! I had Thai chicken, topped off with blueberry bread pudding. Definitely one of the top restaurants up here. Highly recommended.

Waited a very long time for very sub par, cold, and worst of all... pricey food. It was a Wednesday night in September, couldn't imagine visiting during the busy season. Train wreck... tourists, please avoid

Service, ambiance, and a distant, distant 3rd, the food. The restaurant front drew us in; the smoked-glass greenhouse-like front looked somewhat upscale, so we decided to try. Restaurant was about 1/3 full. The inside decor was late 80s style, and pretty meh. Our server was fantastic; bubbly, and friendly. The service was fairly fast. Our family would have been better off spending the $4 per person and dining at one of the MTU dining facilities. I ordered their $37 strip steak, and I would have been better off ordering and eating a mukluk. This cut of beef was the toughest, driest, most flavorless piece of shoe leather I've had; to note is that I ordered this beef medium-rare. My wife ordered the beet burger. The adjective most descriptive of the beet patty would be 'dry'. A slathering of mayonnaise would have helped, but it was served without condiment. Eww. Totes gross. Don't eat here. Take $75 out of your wallet, crumple up the bills, and set them on fire. That'll be more satisfying than the dinner you'd get there.

We enjoyed our dinner this evening at The Den. Old Fashioned with brandy (just like in our home state of WI) was delicious and had a sprig of Rosemary that our server lit when she served it. Imparted a Smokey flavor to the cocktail. My husband had the Asian chicken sandwich and although he had to remove the kimchi slaw (too spicy for his taste) he said the sandwich was delicious. My salmon was perfectly cooked as was the asparagus. Great dinner and evening.

Food was gross. Mac and cheese was KRAFT mac and cheese and chicken wings were dry. Bartenders shirt was half unbuttons

The water pitcher and glass were on point. The food was mid. The Alc was mid. The most notable thing about the burger was the charred flavor as the five types of meat really just blended together and didn't produce a memorable distinct flavor. Sorry if I seem like a hater I just live next to a meat shop that sell wagyu and eat that multiple times a week. Wagyu with literally no seasoning has been a more memorable taste to my palette than this burger and i guess I'm just disappointed.

Visiting in town and found this place. Great atmosphere, well trained staff, good selection of craft beers, pleasant music. We definitely are glad we came here for dinner.

My family and I were traveling to Houghton and we were hungry from traveling. We stopped in to The Den to place a quick carry out order. We explained to the hostess that we want to only do carry out because our baby is tired. She said they weren't doing carry out because the kitchen was too busy. well, we left. highly disappointed that a restaurant can't accommodate a young family with a baby. I have never experienced this in my life. Poor service. Thats not how you treat your customers.

My only complain is that my party was so big that the only fitting table was at the bottom and it's cold down there.Best texeto cake ever and great food.but it's spendy

This spot really surprised me!! On a day trip to Houghton, we discovered the Den by a recommendation from a local. So glad we did-- the food turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! First, when you walk in, the restaurant itself is sooo beautiful and hip. The style of the interior gave me modern great gatsby vibes. Absolutely loved the decor and finishes! So unexpected for the location. We ordered the spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer, which was excellent! I got the scallops and my boyfriend got the duck. The scallops we agreed were the star of the show. Both dishes were beautifully presented which I appreciate! My scallops came over a parsnip purée and sautéed veggies with some mysterious red oil that tasted bomb. All the flavors together were seriously incredible! Definitely one of those meals I wish I could re-eat. Highly recommend this spot and will certainly return if I'm ever in the area again!

Had a good meal there with three people on a Tuesday in early April. Tried their violet specialty cocktail and didn't like it at all, but they were willing to replace it with a regular margarita. The Houghton sour cocktail is good. The schnitzel was tasty and the side salads are huge. For the dip appetizer, they should toast the bread points but it was otherwise flavorful. Nice ambiance and worth a look if you're in Houghton.

The Den didn't disappoint. The atmosphere is great. Our waitress was pleasant & knowledgeable. The food was phenomenal! He had the taco special & I had the salmon. We shared a Cesar salad & bread pudding. I was delightfully surprised!

New York Strip Steak was ordered medium, but inside was still frozen and absolutely not enjoyable! For $30 Steak it is a unfair...

Not gonna lie didn't have the big expectations going into this place but I'll tell you what we got a steak and burger to go and I was delectable not sure if that's the right word but sounds good enough I'm a big boy and know a good burger and that had to be a top 3 for me even after it sat it's almost gone which actually makes me sad

Great menu with unique plates and excellent service. I plan to go there again in future trips.

Great stop for snowmobiles Large enough for groups Clean Friendly Big portions of good food The trail leading back to them was well maintained

I've wanted to stop in at The Den for awhile, so a last minute dinner date was the perfect time. The whole building has a very modern feel that you don't see much in Downtown Houghton. We were seated promptly and our waitress gave us the run down in the daily specials as we haven't been there before. We both ordered drinks from the drink menu and the spinach dip for an appetizer. These items all came out rather quickly and were excellent. I ordered the duck for my main course, a house specialty and my husband ordered the pork belly nachos, one of the daily specials. Our main course came out rather quick as well and both meals were extremely delicious! The food and service was top notch and we'll definitely be back!

We were pleasantly surprised by this establishment. It being Friday, we had the fish fry. My wife had the breaded fish, I had the pan-fried. The breaded fish was quite good although a little bit bland. The fries were excellent, though. My pan-fried fish was cooked excellently and the salad served with it was fresh and very good. Our waitress was attentive and very professional. Amusingly enough, she apologized for serving us water in the "wrong" glasses - apparently they had 2 very large parties being served at the same time, which took up all their water glasses! Yet our glasses held water, so it wasn't a big deal to us at all. The dining room was clean and attractive. All in all, this establishment is worth the visit. When you're in the Houghton area, make it a point to stop by. It's worth it.

I had the vegetarian beet burger...honestly it was so bad I took 2 bites and threw it away. Which rarely happens, I don't like wasting food. I appreciate the creativity, I really do but the execution was terrible. The patty was falling apart, the goat cheese made the texture even more mushy, the only thing I liked were the buns and pickled onions. I hope they create a new solid veggie burger, maybe add grains or beans to a firmer beet mixture? Instead of a mushy patty, try to make one that holds firm and keep the beets, but leave them as chunks in a different base mix or something. The fries were good though.

We loved this restaurant. We wanted to eat outside due to COVID and they had lovely tables out back with a view of the river and Bridge. The hostess and waitress were friendly and helpful. The food was fabulous. I had the meatloaf wrapped in bacon, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. My husband had the den burger and he loved it along with the homemade chips. Highly recommend.

I was SO EXCITED to try this place, but ended up being totally bummed out. Their menu was totally different from what's posted on their website! They have completely removed all of their small plates, which was the entire reason I wanted to come here. We ended up getting a a drink and a charcuterie board, since we had already been seated. They no longer have the affordable separate boards (one cheese and one meat) that are on their website; now it's just one large board with everything on it. The board was good but sorely missed some type of spread like a mustard or honey. My review may have been higher (almost definitely would have been, actually) if I didn't know anything about the place before I walked in. But as it was, I felt kind of duped. I'm not sure if I would return next time I'm in the area.

Very average restaurant for how fancy the menu seemed and how pricey some items were for Houghton. We ordered the Cheese Plate (pictured), Spinach and Artichoke Dip, and the Den burger. For how fancy the burger seemed in the description, the taste was almost exactly like a Whopper. The flavors of the jam and aioli were overpowered by lettuce and tomato which were the only flavors that really came through. A real bummer! The chips, however, were very tasty! The cheese tray, for $10, came with only THREE crackers, one of which was a Ritz cracker, and we were a little bummed by that especially as a plate we ordered to share. It was certainly a challenge to find a way to split three crackers among the table. I guess you're expected to also order the bread plate for an additional $4? The spinach and artichoke dip was very tasty, but we ran out of bread fast and left a lot of the dip behind. Overall the food was good, but I think there are kinks to work out still!

Looking forward to coming back here to a total fine dining experience. The food is delicious and beautifully presented. The atmosphere is great and the staff very professional. It's a treat on my visits to Houghton. Highly recommend.

Went there for a mid-week dinner and there were pros and cons. Pros: Friendly service What they have on the menu they make well A nice change of food flavors compared to local cuisine. The duck was well cooked, was surprised it came with cheese but I liked it. Cons: They likely priced themselves out of a "normal meal out" price point They struggle to make basic drinks that are not on the menu. Drinks and wine are very over priced compared to other local establishments. Not a place I would stop "just for a cocktail and appetizers" with friends. The sea bass had bones it in. I know it should be served that way as a whole fish but I don't want to have to dissect my food to eat it.

The beast burger excellent. Truffle fry hot and delicious. We got there extremely early afternoon. Highly recommend

Very good! I had the filet mignon and my partner had the meatloaf. The filet with the parsnips and Brussel sprouts went so well together and the filet was cooked prefect (medium). We had the spinach and artichoke dip as an app, the bread could have been toasted a little longer for me and I added a little salt but my partner like it as it came. Overall we will come back!

Outstanding food and service. Truffle fries to die for. The Beast Burger rules. Home chips are amazing. Daughter loved her Beet Burger (pretty good IMO). Same owners as Giovanni's (sp?) in Hancock, in our opinion the best Italian in the UP. Giovanni's is under construction but if you're lucky The Den will be have one of G's Italian dishes on special! Servers are always top notch. My only criticism is that the space is noisy, echoey. I think some black sound baffles attached to the ceiling would do wonders. LOVE this place!

I really enjoyed my experience here. The food, drinks, service, and atmosphere are all top notch. Located right in downtown Houghton it is a perfect walking destination before hitting up KBC. The meatloaf entrée and the pulled duck sandwich are both outstanding!

Good menu and drink options. Would go back again! Did the Beast Burger and Salmon, which was excellent.

Pretty good food, mixed game Burger w homemade chips was tasty. Schnitzel w spaetzle was fair it came w 3 spears of asparagus. Restaurant doesn't have wifi which is pretty lame in a town w poor cell service. We wanted to check online some of the wines they listed but couldn't, wine list needs attention, more detailed descriptions. Also salad that we ordered ahead of the entrees came at the same time after a longish wait . Bad timing.

I basically paid 25.00 for broccolini. I ordered the filet minon and the meat was extremely chewy and fatty. When I told the waitress she said she would take a few dollars off my meal. Got the bill and it went from 28.00 to 25.00. If you want a good filet, don't go here. I will never return.

The service is good, and the menu concept is great, but the execution is severely lacking. The food is oversalted and greasy. My dish was fire grilled with sauteed vegetables. It sounded healthy, but there was more oil and onions rather than actual vegetables. Some of our food was undercooked despite being charred on the outside. Needed a gallon of water to rehydrate after all that salt.

We ate at/from The Den twice on a recent trip to Houghton. Night 1: carryout to KBC. We ordered two burgers and a meatloaf sandwich. The burgers (the meat itself) was good an apparently in-house made. The toppings, particularly the Den burger, were great, exceptional even. The buns were supersized, dwarfing the burgers, probably 1/3 bugger than the burger itself. Not a criticism of the burger size...jUst really big buns. My husband said the meatloaf sandwich was "great." As side we had fries (great, didn't seem house made), veg beef soup (5 stars), and chips (house made...love a good chip). I'm going to ding the service...they sent us away with an incomplete order. No soup! My son dashed back down, retrieved the delicious soup. No spoon! (Note: During the season of Covid we have experienced less than stellar organization from normally exceptional restaurants. All is forgiven.) Night 2: We had lots of meals...burger (same experience). Salad with duck...very good. Caesar with chicken...fine (lots of lettuce)...garden salad. All were tasty, fresh. Out of pure curiosity we ordered the popcorn appetizer. Let me save you $7. Popcorn popped in bacon grease (tastes like regular popcorn) tossed with said bacon (surprisingly magical). Night 2 service was great! Friendly, attentive, chatty (but not overly). Well add The Den to our Houghton rotation.

Delicious. Simply delicious. The service was great, the food was so good!!! We will definitely be back the next time we are in Houghton.

Place pretty nice. I had the hamburger and it tasted good. Full of juices and flavors. The size was right too. Place is located in a centralized location in downtown Houghton. Good selection of local beers.

Food wasn't great. New York strip was small and little flavor. Ravioli was not good at all. Drinks and appetizers were very good.