Where To Eat And Drink In Green Bay During The 2025 NFL Draft
Fried cheese curds from Lambeau Field will be a staple for fans attending the 2025 NFL Draft in ... More Green Bay. (Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The NFL Draft has evolved from a simple player selection process into a roving, three-day economic powerhouse, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for host cities. When the league moved the event out of New York in 2015, host cities suddenly found themselves welcoming Super Bowl-sized crowds in the spring. Detroit's 2024 draft drew a record 775,000 attendees and generated a staggering $213.6 million economic impact. Kansas City netted $164.3 million the year before, while Nashville still holds the pre-pandemic high at $224 million. Much of this windfall comes directly from out-of-towners: hotel nights, restaurant tabs, ride-shares, and everything in between.
The audience at home proves just as lucrative. Round 1 coverage in 2024 averaged 12.1 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, and streaming platforms—up six percent year-over-year and higher than anything since 2021. Factor in the total unduplicated TV-plus-digital reach (34.3 million) and the draft now commands a prime-time slot once reserved for playoff games. In other words, when Green Bay hosts the 2025 edition from April 24-26, the city won't just be on the clock; it will be on a national stage with hundreds of thousands of visitors and tens of millions of eyeballs, which is an ideal recipe for restaurants, breweries, and bars ready to capture draft-week dollars.
While NFL teams will be busy selecting tomorrow's stars, visitors to Green Bay and surrounding Wisconsin communities will have their own important decisions to make: where to eat during draft week.
Fuel your Green Bay weekend with a statewide sampler that parks right at the draft: Purple Basil rolls in from Plover with Italian-inspired pastas, while The Frybread Shack (Ashland) stuffs Native tacos and The Dough Shoppe (Ashwaubenon) scoops edible cookie dough for dessert. Craving sit-down options? Try Brokogi's Korean fusion (Wausau/Stevens Point), Milwaukee's smoke-kissed Heaven's Table BBQ, or Neenah's family-run Legendary Gyros. Sweet tooth still calling? Chandler House Bakery (Watertown) layers pastries with farm-fresh ingredients, and Brewed Coffee Shop (Clintonville) pours the pick-me-up you'll need for Day 3. Closer to Lambeau, De Pere's The Marq Supper Club covers the brandy-old-fashioned crowd, while Green Bay staples like Maldonado's taco truck, scratch-made favorite Not By Bread Alone, and island-flavored Lil Jamaica keep things local—and delicious.
The night before the commissioner approaches the podium, visitors can experience Wisconsin's much-talked-about culinary traditions at the inaugural Taste of the Draft event (April 23 from 4–7 p.m.), hosted by acclaimed chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern. This 21+ celebration, modeled after the popular "Taste of the NFL" Super Bowl event, brings together the best of Wisconsin's cuisine while supporting a worthy cause at Schreiber Foods headquarters in downtown Green Bay.
The tasting menu doubles as a fundraiser for GENYOUth and a roll-call of Wisconsin icons: Phoebe's haddock (Lox Supper Club), New York strip with wild-cherry demi (Bootleggers Lodge), mini Scotch eggs (Mark's East Side), crab-stuffed bacon-wrapped shrimp (Green Acres), and slow-roasted prime rib (Nightingale). Comfort plates follow—popovers (Dalles House), kraut balls (Rupps), and liver pâté with ham salad (Union Hotel)—plus a seafood trio from The Palms and Moonlight Tavern. Heft comes via MJ's pot roast, 'marry me' chicken, and Eddie's ribs. Drinks and extras include Dairy-Delicious ice-cream cocktails, Domino's Wisconsin six-cheese pizza, and Tyson/FARE's bacon-cheddar sausage with Top 9-free stuffed mushrooms.
Among the event's distinctive features is local cheese sculptor Vicki Janisch, who brings her unique artistry to the occasion. The daughter of a Wisconsin dairy farmer, Janisch combines her passion for art with her agricultural heritage through remarkable cheese carvings—including a 40-pound block of mild cheddar from Hook's Cheese in Mineral Point that she's transforming into the iconic Lombardi Trophy.
Don't miss the Tailgate Talk Live Luncheon on Friday, April 25, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at South Second (838 S. 2nd Street), part of Saz's Hospitality Group's Milwaukee portfolio. This highlight of Milwaukee Tailgate Week Presented by Potawatomi Sportsbook brings together football greats with deep Milwaukee connections for engaging conversation about their journeys in the sport. For $40 per person or $350 for a table of ten, attendees will enjoy quality networking, excellent food, and a post-lunch patio meet-and-greet with the featured guests (to be announced). Hosted by Sports Milwaukee, this gathering is a rare opportunity to hear firsthand stories from local gridiron legends in an intimate setting.
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Jordy Nelson #87 of the Green Bay Packers celebates after catching a ... More 29 yard touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by)
Jordy Nelson's Milwaukee Tailgate caps Draft Week with a Packers-style bash on April 26 at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Doors open at 3 p.m. for a family-friendly zone—mini combine drills, adaptive-sports demos, and cameos by local mascots—before Nelson joins Super Bowl XLV teammates Mason Crosby and Nick Collins at 5 p.m. for a live taping of Inside the Huddle and fan Q&A. General admission is $10 (floor access, first-come seating, photo ops); $75 VIP tickets add meet-and-greets plus food, drinks, and premium tables.
Inside the Hilton Appleton Paper Valley, this upscale hideaway pairs prime steaks and fresh seafood with Packers lore—think Lombardi-estate artifacts and rare memorabilia on the walls. Settle into the Brunswick-style bar, dive into the deep wine list, or book Draft-week brunch (Apr 24–26, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.) for Lobster Benedict and football-shaped French toast. History, hospitality, and a nod to Titletown—no better spot to toast Green Bay's big weekend.
TOP CHEF — "Take It Cheesy" Episode 2103 — Pictured: (l-r) Gail Simmons, Kristen Kish, Carla Hall, ... More Iisha Elenz — (Photo by: David Moir/Bravo via Getty Images)
Wisconsin's food profile is on a tear—nine James Beard semifinalists in 2023—and Top Chef sealed the buzz by filming Season 21 in Madison and Milwaukee. Host Kristen Kish, judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, and a pack of cheftestants sped through Madison's Dane County Farmers' Market before plating at the Harvey House; off-camera, the judges hit Wonderstate Coffee, Marigold Kitchen, Pig in a Fur Coat, and Tornado Steak House. In Milwaukee, challenges unfolded inside Miller Brewing's historic caves, Discovery World, Lupi & Iris (a 2023 Beard finalist), and American Family Field. Between takes, Kish crushed Culver's ButterBurgers, she and Simmons spooned custard at Kopp's and Leon's, and the crew detoured to Serbian staple Three Brothers, Vientiane Noodle Shop, and The Elegant Farmer.
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