# The Best Restaurants in Sturgeon Bay

_Updated July 2026 · https://www.doorcountyguide.com/best/sturgeon-bay-restaurants/_

> Sturgeon Bay's small lineup of favorites starts with Donny's Glidden Lodge for a classic supper club night on the quiet lake side, with Kitty O'Reilly's downtown for a pint and pub fare and Scaturo's for coffee and a pastry before you start the day. Park once downtown and you can walk Third Avenue to reach all three.

Sturgeon Bay is the county seat, and it's the one Door County town that doesn't really slow down for winter. That gives its restaurant scene a different rhythm than the seasonal villages up the peninsula — more everyday spots that keep their lights on in January, less of the Memorial-Day-to-Labor-Day ramp-up you'll find in Fish Creek or Ephraim.

Most of the places below cluster in the historic Third Avenue district, so once you've found parking downtown you can walk between them. A few practical notes before you go:

1. Sturgeon Bay is a solid base for off-season dining, since fewer places here close for the winter than in the villages up the peninsula.
2. Third Avenue is the walkable core — park once and cover most of this list on foot.
3. We're adding more Sturgeon Bay restaurants as we verify them — these three are the ones we can vouch for now.
4. Pair a Sturgeon Bay meal with an indoor stop from our [rainy day guide](/guides/rainy-day/) if the weather turns.

## 1. Donny's Glidden Lodge Restaurant — The supper club
*Sturgeon Bay · $$$*

Donny's Glidden Lodge sits out on Glidden Drive, on the quieter lake side northeast of town, in the classic Door County supper club mold. Places in this genre built their reputations on a set rhythm — a relish tray to start, a Friday fish fry, prime rib on weekends, and an old fashioned to go with it — and that's the general shape of what to expect here, rather than anything we've confirmed dish by dish.

If you're after that supper club pace — unhurried, a little old-school, drinks before the food arrives — this is the kind of place to look for it. Call ahead on weekends, since the format tends to draw a crowd, and check hours if you're visiting in the off-season.

[Full details](https://www.doorcountyguide.com/places/donnys-glidden-lodge/)

## 2. Kitty O'Reilly's Irish Pub — The pub
*Sturgeon Bay · $$*

Kitty O'Reilly's is an Irish pub in the middle of downtown Sturgeon Bay, the sort of spot built around a good pour and a solid plate of pub fare rather than a fussy menu. Think the standard Irish pub lineup — shepherd's pie, fish and chips, a well-kept beer list — as the general territory here, since it's your downtown option for a beer and something familiar more than a culinary showcase.

It's an easy stop on a Third Avenue walk — pair it with a stroll past the shops nearby, and check current hours since pub schedules can shift with the season.

[Full details](https://www.doorcountyguide.com/places/kitty-oreillys/)

## 3. Scaturo's Baking Co. & Cafe — The bakery and cafe
*Sturgeon Bay · $$*

Scaturo's Baking Co. & Cafe covers the bakery-and-breakfast-lunch-cafe territory in downtown Sturgeon Bay — coffee, baked goods, and daytime food in one stop. Expect the bakery-cafe basics rather than a headline dish; that's the honest shape of it until we've spent more time on the menu, but it's the kind of place to build a morning around before heading out to explore.

Go early if you want first pick of what's come out of the oven, and it's an easy walk from the rest of the Third Avenue district.

[Full details](https://www.doorcountyguide.com/places/scaturos/)

## Still filling this in

This list is intentionally shorter and more cautious than our Fish Creek restaurant guide. We'd rather point you to three places we can describe honestly than pad it out with specifics we haven't confirmed. As we verify more of Sturgeon Bay's restaurant scene, we'll add to it.

## A tip for planning

Because Sturgeon Bay stays open and busy through the off-season, it's a good base if you're visiting outside peak summer — more of its kitchens are running through the winter months than you'll find in the seasonal villages up the peninsula. Check hours before you drive over, especially midweek in the colder months.