Green Acres Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Good Times, Great Food, and a Century of Tradition

Green Acres Restaurant sits at the corner of Highways 12 and 78 in Sauk City, on land with a story that stretches back to the 1840s. The original building, constructed in the late 1800s, has served as a stagecoach stop, general store, tavern, and dance hall before finding its identity as one of Sauk Prairie's most enduring places to gather over a proper meal. That layered past is not just décor — it shapes the character of the place.

Rooted in Remarkable History

The land beneath Green Acres was first developed by Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian nobleman who settled along the Wisconsin River and established a ferry crossing, a brickyard, and early experiments with grapevines. He later traveled to California, collected over a thousand vine cuttings from Europe, and became widely credited as the Father of California Wine. That thread — from a Wisconsin riverbank to the vineyards of Sonoma — runs quietly through everything Green Acres does, particularly its wine program.

The restaurant itself passed through several devoted stewards over the decades: Jack and Leone "Frenchy" Hammerli built its reputation through the mid-twentieth century, followed by Maynard and Delores Wood, then Ted and Amy Klein, who managed and owned the property for thirty years. In May 2017, Dan and Kris Cunningham took over, committed to continuing what the restaurant describes simply as "great food, an old-fashioned friendly gathering place, and service to community."

An American Steakhouse with a Serious Wine List

Green Acres is a classic American steakhouse and supper club, open seven days a week for dinner, with Sunday breakfast served from 9am to 12:30pm. Beyond the regular menu, the kitchen offers a rotating Chef's Features Menu built around fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients — the kind of cooking that changes with what's good rather than what's convenient.

The wine program is where Green Acres has earned particular distinction. Wine Spectator has recognized the list with its Award of Excellence for four consecutive years, citing well-chosen selections focused on value, variety, and quality. With more than 40 wines available by the glass and over 120 bottles, the list is designed to be explored rather than navigated — many at prices that genuinely undercut comparable restaurant lists. It is a wine program that honors both the history of this land and the pleasure of a good meal.

Featured in Wisconsin Supper Clubs – Another Round and voted Best Restaurant by Madison Magazine's Best of the 'Burbs, Green Acres has earned its place as a fixture of the Wisconsin Riverway — not through reinvention, but through the kind of consistency that only decades of care can produce.