Braywood Bar & Grill in Eagle River under new ownership

Rich Palzewic

Staff

August 3, 2026

EAGLE RIVER –  A longtime Eagle River gathering spot has reopened under new ownership.

Braywood Bar & Grill, located at 4109 Braywood Lane, recently welcomed customers back after Brinton D’hondt purchased the business and reopened the historic establishment.

“The previous owners – who bought Braywood four years ago – are actually family friends of ours,” the 22-year-old said. “When they closed Braywood for the season last October, they knew they were selling the property. I didn’t reopen it until Memorial Day Weekend because I had to finish school [at the University of Colorado Boulder].”

D’hondt, who grew up in downtown Chicago, said typically, Braywood stays open year-round – something he will continue to do.

“Braywood’s previous ownership group was a group of three families – all local to the area,” he said. “They did not want the sale to be public, and with me loving Eagle River and not wanting to see anything change about it, I really didn’t want to see the property go on the open market.”

Though he recognizes the need for housing in some communities, D’hondt said he didn’t want to see Braywood become another property converted into apartments by a large company. – “many of which eventually might sit empty.”

“It’s a waste of money and a waste of space,” he said. “If that had happened in Braywood’s case, it would have taken away from what makes Eagle River special. This was the first time I’ve ever been involved in this type of process, and I can say I learned a lot along the way.”

Enhancements and upgrades

After officially closing on the property in January, D’hondt said Braywood has undergone several upgrades – including a new deck, upgraded electrical throughout the building, a new outdoor walk-in cooler, improvements to the indoor walk-in cooler and new docks. 

“With the help of Fox River Brewing Company in Oshkosh, we also created our own private-label signature beer – Braywood’s Bray Brew,” he said. “The beer is 4.5% ABV and a crisp lager featuring a pilsner malt, best served with a fresh lime.”

With much of his early focus on exterior and behind-the-scenes improvements, D’hondt said he was thankful the interior of Braywood was already in good shape when he took ownership. 

“It was basically just some cosmetic stuff – nothing major at all,” he said. “It pretty much looks like it did before I took over.”

Since reopening the bar and grill more than two months ago, D’hondt said things are going “amazing.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “We have been super busy, and people have been very positive. The weather has been sketchy at times, but that hasn’t stopped people from stopping by.”

More on the space  

D’hondt said the multifaceted property is centered around entertainment, lodging and waterfront access along Catfish Lake on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. 

In addition to three upstairs long-term rentals, he said Braywood features live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day.

D’hondt said the Eagle River Chain of Lakes – the largest connected freshwater chain in the world, consisting of 28 lakes spanning approximately 3,928 acres with more than 70 miles of shoreline on the Eagle River portion alone – are “definitely a big draw for Braywood.”

“We are right next to a public boat launch,” he said. “We have space for car parking, boat parking, etc. I would guess we have more boat traffic than car traffic. That’s obviously due to our location.”

D’hondt said the area’s natural amenities have long attracted visitors, including nationally known sports talk host Jim Rome, who has a home-away-from-home near Braywood. 

“The Jim Rome Show,” D’hondt said, mixes sports analysis, interviews and listener interaction.

“My mom and Jim’s wife are friends,” he said. “He recently came in, and I officially got to meet him – it was super cool. I think it’s awesome to have such a well-known media figure visiting Braywood.”

In addition to its great location and drinks, D’hondt said Braywood is known for its award-winning cheese curds, apple old fashioned and Bray Burger.

“We have a fish fry every Friday starting at 4 p.m.,” he said. “We also offer Alaskan whitefish, which is different – not too many places offer that.”

Moving forward, D’hondt said he’d like to gain more traction as a new business owner before making any wholesale changes.

“I have some ideas of things, but as of now, there are no immediate plans to change anything,” he said.

A lifetime of visiting the Northwoods

D’Hondt said his connection to Eagle River dates back generations, with his great-grandfather purchasing a home there in 1962.

He said he literally spent every summer of his life in Eagle River, as did his mom. 

“I love Eagle River and now [I] live here full-time,” he said. “It’s been great so far, but I’m a little nervous for my first winter. It was always a childhood dream of mine to live in Eagle River, but honestly, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen. Life has a lot of twists and turns, but things have worked out for me.”

D’hondt said Braywood started as a motel in 1949, created by a husband-and-wife team who had worked as professional dancers on Broadway.

He said the couple had visited Eagle River before building Braywood and stayed at the Jack O-Lantern Lodge.

Without private bathrooms at the motel, D’hondt said the experience helped inspire what they would eventually create.

“Because of this, Billy Bray and Frances Woods built Braywood,” he said. “It was one of the first places in the area that had private bathrooms in the motel rooms. We’re not quite sure how long it remained a motel, but our best guess is anywhere from 1972-78. At that point, it was turned into a bar…, [and] it’s stayed that way for more than 50 years. I think I am the 22nd or 23rd owner of Braywood.”

Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., for more on Braywood and what it has to offer, visit thebraywood.com or find it on Facebook.