Shanty Supper Club Brings Midwest Comfort Food to Uptown

With all of its transplants, Denver was bound to get one or two spots specifically dedicated to the culture and cuisine of... Wisconsin. This latest ode is a supper club at 1033 East 17th Avenue called Shanty. It’s designed around a pipe-smoking Great Lakes pirate and built on a menu of walleye, cheese curds, and Schlitz.

“This is the Great Lakes,” said owner Tim Doherty. “Jump in and get your toes wet.” Doherty is already known in Denver for his trio of breakfast places by the name Syrup. The longtime former LoDo’s general manager wanted to get back into the evening game, but with something closer to home for him. “It’s really Midwest comfort food, the stuff I grew up on when we went out to dinner as a family,” he says. A Milwaukee native, Doherty now wants butter burgers, onion strings, and bread pudding on a Denver dinner menu: “It’s a heavy menu regardless. But if it’s good, they’ll eat it.”

A view of Shanty Supper Club, and Seavy on the wall, from the front entrance

He’s tapped former Syrup chef Irvin Susano to head the kitchen. The space is small, with 65 seats, a 130-year-old, ship-like bar, and a front patio. Weekly specials include a Friday night fish fry and Saturday prime rib. For fans of the region, know that this is just the first of Doherty’s Midwest tributes. “I think some restaurateurs now are focusing on their core growth, where they grew up, instead of trying to do something for everyone,” he said. His next spot, Wisconsin Club, will be a “Benihana’s of grilled cheese.” Stay tuned for that.

Status: The Shanty Supper Club is now open from 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and on Sundays, and from 3 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed Mondays. For more information and menus, visit the website.