The historic building dates back to the early 1920's as an establishment folks liked to come and mingle in. Spats offers Wisconsin only beers on tap because of our pride in our local Wisconsin beer heritage. Spats also has a vast selection of bottled beer. We have a carefully selected wine list that we have personally selected as well as a full bar offering many tasty cocktails.
Julie grows our specialty mint on our outdoor Spatio to make the freshest Mojitos the Valley has to offer! New to the drink menu this year is our cocktail called "The Spatio" come check it out! Whether you're looking for a place to grab a bite to eat or are looking for a bar to sip on a craft beer and enjoy an outdoor "Spatio" come to Spats "The Tav on the Ave".
Julie grows our specialty mint on our outdoor Spatio to make the freshest Mojitos the Valley has to offer! New to the drink menu this year is our cocktail called "The Spatio" come check it out! Whether you're looking for a place to grab a bite to eat or are looking for a bar to sip on a craft beer and enjoy an outdoor "Spatio" come to Spats "The Tav on the Ave".
Services
Head down to Spats on College Ave. Spats outdoor dining area fondly named the "Spatio" is open during the warm months. Most customers enjoy soaking in refreshing cocktails, delicious food and live entertainment from local musicians on the Spatio May through September. All this can be enjoyed on the Spatio while watching the bustling city life go by on College Avenue.
At Spats, we switch things up depending on when you stop in. The Spats lunch menu offers a lighter fare with sandwiches, burgers and appetizers. Dinner is when we kick it up a notch in the kitchen by adding our specialty steaks and entrees. Friday's deserve a menu all their own with our seafood and popular Friday night fish fry.
Bill and Julie bought Spats in 2000 and have dedicated their lives to Spats as owners and operators. They are grateful to all of their regular customers and look forward to meeting new faces every day. If you have any Spats Memorabilia or Photos from your family we would love to see and or display it in our place.
Spats is located right on College Avenue. It's the perfect place to grab a bite to eat, a specialty drink, and relax and unwind. Want somewhere to go where something is going on? Check out our calendar of events to see what we're up to. Spats is known for its downtown Appleton events like: the Fat Tuesday Celebration and our week of St. Patrick's Day events.
Patrick's Day 1980 at our restaurant. Since then, our loyal customers have demanded our Spats Sauce be on the table with every meal. Our customers first started using our Spats Sauce on their Corned Beef the week of St. Patricks and now love Spats Sauce with their steaks, Prime Rib, burgers, wraps and sandwiches (opting for our Spats Sauce over mayo).
Reviews (24)
Tina P.
Jan 30, 2022
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We had only been to Spats once years ago, and we weren't fans because it was impossible to find anything not deep fried to eat. We read that there were new owners so we gave it another try last night.
Our group of 9 all enjoyed our drinks, appetizers, & entrees. The menu now features many healthy options including salads, baked chicken, etc. The brussel sprout appetizer is amazing! My husband and I had steak Diane which was delicious, and our friends tried the salmon (loved it). Yes, there are still deep fried items to choose from such as cheese curds.
The drinks were creative
Our group of 9 all enjoyed our drinks, appetizers, & entrees. The menu now features many healthy options including salads, baked chicken, etc. The brussel sprout appetizer is amazing! My husband and I had steak Diane which was delicious, and our friends tried the salmon (loved it). Yes, there are still deep fried items to choose from such as cheese curds.
The drinks were creative
Ralph Gehrmann
Jan 28, 2022
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Megan Mashl
Jan 21, 2022
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Tim Hill
Jan 04, 2022
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Wynne Messman
Jan 03, 2022
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It has been a few years since we visited this restaurant. It is now under new ownership and the food is amazing, akin to a supper club menu. The prices are appropriate for the quality of the food. The owners are both chefs and are very skilled. The customer service is unparalleled. This place is a gem and I'm glad that I went back again. I recommend this restaurant to everyone looking for that go to place.
Maria Cornette
Nov 11, 2021
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We love Spats and wanted to try it out now that there’s new owners. We waited forever before someone took our drink order, waited forever to get them, ended up going to the bar ourselves for refills and it was not that busy. The new menu doesn’t offer much for entrees and my husband asked for fries instead of baby red potatoes and we were told no substitutions, seriously?! The old menu had so many better options and the tenderloin was the best in the city! The other couple that we were with agreed it’s not a place we’d come back to. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!
Charles De Bruin
Nov 02, 2021
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Dr. Jeremy J. C.
Jan 09, 2021
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Isaac A.
Aug 31, 2020
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I went to Spats for my birthday last night. It was my first time there. We were the only ones inside and there were a few people outside on their patio. We both ordered different steaks. The appetizers took a while to get (almost 20 min) and we had to share a small dipping sauce, which I thought was weird during these Covid times. We waited for our meals for so long (35 minutes after the appetizers came out) that the bartender asked is if we wanted any boxes and our check, not realizing we didn't get our food. He offered to refill my wife's pop but not mine. The indoor staff disappeared
Jess C.
Aug 16, 2020
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John R.
Dec 08, 2019
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I was in town for the weekend and a friend that goes to Appleton a lot suggested Spats.
Loved it!
Welcoming, friendly atmosphere and staff. Great service.
I had the special. Flank steak with roasted Brussels and subbed broccoli for the potatoes. Brussels were really good...crispy outside and not over cooked or mushy, lightly dressed...sweet, but not too sweet. Flank steak ( medium) cooked perfectly and tasted AMAZING. seasoning was spot on. The kitchen staff are obviously professionals and should be proud of the food the serve.
I will definitely be back.
Loved it!
Welcoming, friendly atmosphere and staff. Great service.
I had the special. Flank steak with roasted Brussels and subbed broccoli for the potatoes. Brussels were really good...crispy outside and not over cooked or mushy, lightly dressed...sweet, but not too sweet. Flank steak ( medium) cooked perfectly and tasted AMAZING. seasoning was spot on. The kitchen staff are obviously professionals and should be proud of the food the serve.
I will definitely be back.
Chelsea Kiba-Sama Urban
Aug 12, 2019
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Tom S.
May 12, 2019
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Kelsey K.
Feb 03, 2019
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Went to Spats Friday evening for dinner & had a mixed experience. The host was very accommodating, especially when our server was no where to be found. He actually took our drink order & delivered our drinks and apologized for the slow service. Eventually our waitress came over and said verbatim "hi, are you ready to order". No introduction, no apology for the very slow service. My coconut shrimp was excellent, husband said his fish fry was average. Again service left much to be desired.
Zulu B.
Aug 12, 2018
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Dale B.
Feb 25, 2018
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We tried the cheese curds and duck. The curds were light and melty...exactly what you would expect from a restaurant in wisconsin. The stuffed pepper soup might even be better than mine. The duck was excellent! I don't have duck often and this was a winner. After our meal I was surprised to realize I hadn't once reached for the salt and yet there was no over-seasoning either. I would absolutely get the duck again.
Matthew C.
May 19, 2017
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Kelly C.
Mar 24, 2017
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Casey H.
May 19, 2016
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I've been here twice. The first time was during Madri Gras week and they had some cajun featured items. I had the cajun platter which include jambalaya, gumbo and something else. It was okay. Not terrible and not anything to write home about.
Today, we stopped by for lunch. I had the tenderloin sandwich and my co-workers ordered a buffalo chicken wrap and a turkey sandwich.
I ordered the tenderloin medium and it was well done, no pink whatsoever. It was tender so I'm not complaining.
One co-worker said the buffalo chicken wrap wasn't really have buffalo sauce. The other ordered
Today, we stopped by for lunch. I had the tenderloin sandwich and my co-workers ordered a buffalo chicken wrap and a turkey sandwich.
I ordered the tenderloin medium and it was well done, no pink whatsoever. It was tender so I'm not complaining.
One co-worker said the buffalo chicken wrap wasn't really have buffalo sauce. The other ordered
Scott S.
Mar 20, 2016
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So. I have struggled with this restaurant for the past few years. I like the atmosphere. I want to like it. But I really don't for the price.
We went for lunch on a Saturday. The server/bartender worked hard and was very nice... But I think she was the only server, period. This made service strained. But I repeat, she was working hard.
Food. Mediocre at best. Remember, I keep trying to like this place. My wife's burger was about 2x the size if mine (all burgs were same size in menu) and did not come with accompaniments she asked for. Had to ask again and that took a while
We went for lunch on a Saturday. The server/bartender worked hard and was very nice... But I think she was the only server, period. This made service strained. But I repeat, she was working hard.
Food. Mediocre at best. Remember, I keep trying to like this place. My wife's burger was about 2x the size if mine (all burgs were same size in menu) and did not come with accompaniments she asked for. Had to ask again and that took a while
Mike N.
Jul 12, 2015
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I finally had a chance to visit Spats after having lived in Appleton a long time and driving by regularly. Being a beautiful summer evening with a group of friends walking downtown, we decided to eat outside on the Spatio. The staff was great in getting a few tables put together for us and putting in an umbrella to give us some shade. The servers were friendly and very knowledgeable, answering all of our questions easily and with charm. In fact, we had our kids with us, and I was a little concerned about bring them to what is seemingly a bar, but there was no problem, and our server took a
Kelly G.
Apr 07, 2015
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John J.
Apr 03, 2015
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Delicious food. Coconut shrimp. The fries are pretty standard, but the batter used for the shrimp was pretty savory.
Our waitress seemed, objectively, a bit aloof and not very personable, but she was also very busy. She had multiple tables who were needier than ours, so I give her a pass.
Ambiance is a bit outdated and the crowd was mostly 55+
Our waitress seemed, objectively, a bit aloof and not very personable, but she was also very busy. She had multiple tables who were needier than ours, so I give her a pass.
Ambiance is a bit outdated and the crowd was mostly 55+
Kristina P.
Aug 23, 2014
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