How to Spend Valentine’s Day in Downtown Appleton

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to treat that special person in your life, your friends and family, as well as yourself. The best part about Valentine’s this year is that it lands on a Friday so you can treat yourself all weekend! We will be going over different restaurants, activities, drink, and dessert spots located in downtown Appleton that you will want to check out!

As far as food goes, there are many different options depending on what kind of vibe you are going for this weekend.

If you’re looking for more of a casual classy vibe be sure to stop at Fox Cities Magazine 2019 Golden Fork Award winner for Best New Restaurant, Best Seasonal Menu, and Best Appetizer…. Fress Restaurant and Bar!  It’s the perfect place to stop for either before dinner drinks or for dinner itself. As far as drinks go, you will find an extensive wine list, craft beers, and cocktails. There menu changes frequently, but feature many different plates and dishes. The perfect place to try a couple of plates and share them with your date or friends.

Photo Credit: Fress Restaurant & Bar

If you’re looking for a dining experience, check out Katsu-Ya located next to the PAC! Once entering into their restaurant head over to the Hibachi side of things and have your food cooked right in front of you!

RYE is also a great spot to go to if you’re looking for a fine-dining experience. With a ride range of small, medium, and large plates, you’ll be sure to find something you like!

Photo Credit: RYE

If you’re looking for more of a casual vibe, downtown Appleton has you covered on that also. Bowl 91 is a more casual dining option with Asian inspired dishes including: ramen, curry, stir fry, fried rice, and more! If you or your date follows either a vegetarian or vegan diet, you will find many options here!

Photo Credit: Bowl Ninety-One

Cozzy Corner is another great casual option and even says cozy in their restaurant name.  You’ll also feel as if you’re being transferred down south with all of their southern inspired dishes.

Stone Arch Brewpub is also a great option for not only food but also beer! They are located in the oldest brewpub in Wisconsin, built over 150 years ago! At the brewpub, you will find a great range of all of your favorite pub foods with ingredients that are sourced from local and sustainable companies. You will also find their very own beers and sodas that are brewed right in the building.

Photo Credit: Stone Arch BrewPub

These are only a small amount of dining options that are found downtown Appleton. View the whole list of dining options downtown Appleton here.

If you’re looking for something to do after dinner stay where you are!

The Fire is a studio where you can explore your creative side by painting pottery, creating mosaics, and fusing class. Pinot’s Palette is another art studio located downtown where you can enjoy a glass of wine and paint! From 7-9pm at Pinot’s Palette, they are having an event called Confetti Forest (Date Night) where you and your date will create the painting together.

Board and Brush located on Durkee Sreet is also having a special Valentine’s Event called “Chocolates and Champagne! Pick your Project Workshop!” For this workshop you will be provided a variety of paint and wood stain colors to make a wood project. You can do this while enjoying some free chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Book your ticket online here.

If you’re looking for some live music on Friday, check out either Déjà Vu Martini Lounge at 9pm or McFleshmans Brewing Co., another local brewery, from 8-10pm.

Photo Credit: Deja Vu Martini Lounge

Player 2 Arcade Bar is just what it sounds like!  Challenge your date/friends to compete with you to many different arcade games while enjoying a beer or two from the long list of craft beers.

Continue your Valentine’s Day weekend celebrations by heading back downtown on Saturday to experience the Death by Chocolate event happening from 1-4pm. For this event, there are two different routes to choose from that will each take you to different businesses downtown to taste chocolate desserts whipped up by some of the best chefs in the area. For this event, you can call Appleton Downtown Inc at 920-954-9112 or stop by our office at 333 W. College Ave, Suite 100 Monday-Friday 9am-3:30pm. Tickets are $20 each. Click this link to buy yours now! 

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us over at ADI!

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