GREEN BAY – More than a half-century ago, the Green Bay Packers moved on from the Curly Lambeau era to, eventually, bigger and better things.
The restaurant inside Lambeau Field is now doing the same.
1919 Kitchen & Tap was announced on Tuesday as the replacement for Curly's Pub within the Lambeau Field Atrium, and the new restaurant will be decidedly different from its predecessor.
1919 Kitchen & Tap, named for the year the Packers were founded, will feature an open-kitchen concept in the center of the restaurant. It will include outdoor seating for up to 100 patrons that will push full capacity to 350, and expansive windows that overlook the 50-foot Lombardi Trophy that was erected last year inside the American Family Insurance Gate on the ground floor of the Atrium.
The Green Bay Packers and partner Delaware North Sportservice today announced details of the new Lambeau Field Atrium restaurant, 1919 Kitchen & Tap. Photos by Tyler Gajewski/Packers.com.
"We've developed what we really believe is going to become the premier dining experience in northeast Wisconsin," said Charlie Millerwise, general manager of Delaware North Sportservice, the Packers' food and beverage partner.
Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said the restaurant is scheduled to open in late July, in time for the start of training camp. It will also be open every gameday, with heaters in the outdoor seating area that will make the space a tailgating option throughout the season.
"We think it'll be a destination for great eating as well as tremendous atmosphere," Murphy said.
The open-kitchen concept will be the centerpiece of that atmosphere, with a menu featuring chefs' twists on local favorites, including some carried over from Curly's with a different presentation.
"It gives guests the opportunity to hear, smell and see their food being prepared right in front of them," Millerwise said. "We have developed a true gastropub in every sense of the word."
The windows overlooking the giant Lombardi Trophy will be in the bar area, where 80 beer taps and specialty cocktails will be available.
"There aren't many places that have a view like that," Murphy said.
He added that nearly 1,000 restaurant names were suggested, and two Packers employees had their ideas incorporated into the new restaurant.
1919 Kitchen & Tap is one of the last two pieces to the latest Atrium renovation, with the other being the new Packers Hall of Fame, also still under construction. Specific opening dates are still to be announced.
"We're finally hitting the home stretch in terms of the changes to the Atrium, and we think the work here with the restaurant and Hall of Fame will be really exciting," Murphy said.
