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Sucker Shack offers fish in fun river setting

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Robert and Deb Vavra stand next to the Sucker Shack, which opened at the Marquette marina last month. The restaurant has quickly gained a following for its Friday night catfish meal. (Photos by Audrey Posten)

Sucker Shack visitors can dine in or take a meal to go on Fridays and Saturdays. Owner Robert Vavra hopes people enjoy unique food in a unique river setting.

The Friday night fish fry includes locally caught catfish, homemade potato wedges, coleslaw and beans.

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

 

Enjoy locally-caught catfish while dining along the Mississippi River at Marquette’s Sucker Shack.

 

The restaurant, which opened on the Marquette riverfront in July, has long been a dream of Robert Vavra, who owns the marina as well as Maiden Voyage boat tours.

 

“My whole premise was the river and the commercial fishing,” he said. “Years ago, thousands of people worked the river—commercial fishing, trapping, clamming. Today, there are just a few. The Friday night fish is really designed to promote that.”

 

The fish fry started quietly, but has quickly attracted a following. The menu is simple: catfish, homemade potato wedges, coleslaw and beans.

 

“Instead of having a big menu and competing with the rest of the restaurants around that all have their thing, we have a smaller scale,” Vavra said.

 

The Sucker Shack came together with help from Vavra’s wife Deb, as well as couple Jeremy Hunt and Nikki Nieland. 

 

“[Nikki] has taken over the reins of the Sucker Shack, and Jeremy has been along this river for a long time,” Vavra said. “The city of Marquette has also been really supportive.”

 

In addition to the Friday night fish, the Sucker Shack has started serving food on Saturdays as well. Options include a chicken sandwich and what Vavra called a “pork bobber” along with nachos, chips and salsa, French fries and cheese fries.

 

“We wanted to have little appetizers for people coming on and off the river,” he said. “All of it is eat in or take out. And we’ve got a liquor license now, so you can grab some beers.”

 

Vavra hopes the Sucker Shack can complement his private charters in the future.

 

“Then you can not only come down and take the boat ride, but do a meal of some kind along with that,” he explained.

 

He hopes it can also complement the rest of what the Marquette, McGregor and Prairie du Chien area offers visitors.

 

“It’s all about the circle. We all are in the same thing together,” Vavra shared. “It’s going to be a unique setting with unique food and using local things as much as I possibly can. Local people working here. We try to make the circle go as much as we can.”

 

Friday night fish is available at the Sucker Shack from 4 to 8 p.m. The restaurant operates on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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