Was in town for a doctor's appointment and drove by and decided I should stop and eat here. I have been wanting to for a couple of years. The place was clean and well-lit. We were one of the first ones there at 11:00am. Waitress was super friendly and very efficient. I wasn't sure what to order since it was my first time. I landed on the Wisconsin burger with fries. It was very good! I would definitely order it again but I'm anxious to try other things on the menu. This place has that home-town feel.. like everyone knows each other. That was refreshing to see. Excited about eating here again. read more

My favorite place for fish fry. HOWEVER they screw the customer on carry outs. Charged 20$ for two cups of soup! Spoke to owner and he pretty much said tough. Argued that help is expensive and cost of making soup high!! Beware of pricing!! read more

The food is always yummy and service is fast and friendly. The 10th street burger was perfect and I love the no salt on the fries!

We sat at bar. Not greeted nor waited on. Others that arrived later were waited on, It was like we weren't even there. So we left.

Stopped by this past week and was very impressed with the dumpling soup which I've heard so much about. Additionally, the fish and potatoes were cooked to perfection and delicious. Service was quick and friendly which is all you can ask for. The only piece that needs a little focus would be the salad bar. The ingredients were clearly sitting out there for hours - IE you could see a film on the top of the dressings and cheese etc. from sitting out. A little more focus given the price and frankly just didn't look clean.. Overall, I'd gladly go back just avoid that piece of the equation. read more

Nice Local Bar and Restaurant with good Food, Service and Atmosphere,,,was greeted as we walked in and seated right away!

Linda always is nice, talkative and makes me feel welcome after a long rough day Thank you!!! read more

Really good food -- our favorite Friday night fish spot. Soup and salad bar are fantastic. Granted, the salad bars, not the biggest, but they are certainly best homemade salads. Good chicken, hamburger steak, and walleye the few times I got something other than broiled or pan fried fish. Servers, and the bartenders as well, some of the best in town. read more

A perfect neighborhood pub / hangout, with delicious food and kind service. Everything seems homemade, and prices are extremely reasonable for the portion size and quality of the food. Houghton's batter-fried cod sandwich is truly EXCEPTIONAL - ample chunks of cod with a light, crispy batter, cooked in very hot oil so they're not greasy; a crisp leaf of iceburg lettuce; add-your-own tartar sauce; and a large, soft, very fresh roll. Perfection! Onion rings are excellent, too - hand-battered in the same beer batter as the fish, NOT the frozen kind from Sysco Foods! The salad bar is very nice (though limited), and everything seemed very FRESH when we visited in the middle of the afternoon (though we've seen the other reviews that say differently). But the best for last - Houghton's chicken and dumpling soup is THE VERY BEST we've ever eaten at a restaurant, by far!! The dumplings are HUGE, with large chunks of chicken and carrots, and the broth is rich and flavorful. Perfect spot for a comforting winter lunch, indeed. We'll come back in the summertime when we can enjoy the outdoor patio! read more

Amazing experience. As soon as we got here, we were greeted and helped. The man that took our order was the owner, and he was so upbeat and talkative! He checked in with us multiple times and was awesome. The food was great and I will be bringing my family back soon! read more

We ate here for the first time today. The dumpling soup was barely warm. It's winter, it's cold and the soup should be hot. The chips were stale. The tuna melt was the worst I've ever had. It was mushy, almost soupy and flavorless. The dumpling soup was so over salted I couldn't eat it. I'm guessing they get this soup out of bags from Reinhart foods, definitely not homemade. The service was terrible. And to make matters worse, this is a restaurant that has a lot of different sandwiches and they don't even have sourdough bread. This was our first and last visit. And lastly the prices are steep for what you get. La Crosse family restaurant is a much better deal and much better food. read more

Late lunch after the river cruise. Cheese curds were large, light, and luscious. Beef melt was dry. Burger was good, but not cooked according to request. The chicken plate special offered large serving of real mash potatoes, and somewhat dry white meat chicken. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt as we got the last two available servings. Prices were reasonable. Service was good. read more

The absolute best chicken dumpling soup. The dumplings are huge! They offer bottomless soup with a small salad bar with just the right amount of necessities. read more

The soup is great, the batter fried cod is always good, but avoid the BLT sandwich. It's dry, is very minimal, with tiny amounts of bacon, lettuce, or tomato. For $10 that BLT is a crime. read more

We went here for lunch today. Had the chicken sandwich and fries. Others had the fried cod sandwich and onion rings. All were good

I don't understand why most of the items on the menu are at market price. We paid 34.00 for 2 cheeseburgers and fries. For the prices that they are now charging, people could go to the Freight House for probably less. Until they go back to their normal pricing, will not be going there. I'm not the only person that feels this way. There is gouging and then there is gouging. read more

Eat here periodically. The menu is varied and the food is always good. Nice big bar with good beer selection on draft or packaged. Prices are very fair and the waitstaff always friendly. A great neighborhood establishment with a touch of Irish flair. read more

A La Crosse staple. Keith had BIG shoes to fill when he took over and he has done VERY WELL!! Best chicken and dumplings soup. Penny, nickel and dime dinners daily. If you've never been here, you gotta try it. read more

Who's got the best chicken dumpling soup on this side of the Mississippi? Houghton's without a doubt. I've been dining at this restaurant, off and on, since 1996. I've NEVER had a bad meal. Houghton's is my Mom's favorite spot for Friday night fish. The icing on the cake? Yeah the prices are very reasonable, with an aesthetically pleasing dining experience. Houghton's is one of my top 5 restaurants in the La Crosse area. read more

Like soup because good very good server nice no mean people and cool nice money and soup

New owner is not very nice it's his way or no way. We've been going there for years but sorry to say probably not anymore . served raw chicken sent it back then it was overcooked and he wouldn't replace it. staff is fine Most of the time the food is okay. Drink prices are higher than they should be. Went there many times with many people sorry not anymore. read more

Quality of meal can be inconsistent. I have received meals here from excellent to hardly fit to eat. Owner seems somewhat indifferent if you leave satisfied or not with your meal. There are too many other good restaurants for me to patronize this establishment. read more

Took the in-laws here for lunch and sat in the restaurant section on a Sunday. It was busy! The bar was packed with the lunch crowd and people starting to prepare for the music. We ordered burgers and a fish sandwich. Everyone was happy with their food. The portions were big and the food was well priced. There were 4 people with sandwiches, beer and wine for $42. Not bad. Still only come to take "old" people out to eat. read more

I forgot how bad this place was until I drove by again last week, and my stomach just turned as I remembered the first (and last) time our family ate here. Some foolish friend of my wife's (why did we listen?) told her that Houghton's had a reputation as being an old-time La Crosse favorite we should try. Man, I regret going there! The funny thing was that prior to going, I read several different reviews on TripAdvisor talking about the good food, big portions and quality of the food. Our experience was exactly the opposite. We went on a Saturday evening, about 6pm. We didn't visit the bar, I was there with my wife, two sons, and my oldest son's girlfriend. The dining room was nothing special, not too large, but we were seated after a pretty short wait- maybe 5 to 10 minutes. Food was bland. No great portions. Service was slow. I had a standard hamburger plate, and really cheap. Fries were lukewarm, nothing really tasted very fresh. No one in our party felt that the food was very good, in fact, my sons wanted to leave and go somewhere else. What was really an indication of how poor the quality and service is was that our guest, my son's girlfriend, ordered the "soup and salad" special- and when we reported that the salad bowl was empty, it took over 20 minutes for the staff to come out and just put lettuce in- after everyone had already finished the meal. And the waitress made a big deal out of it, like we should be gratefull! We'll never go back. Maybe the bar service is better, or maybe the food only tastes good if you're drunk. It sure didn't taste good to us. read more

The fish dinner is excellent, my favorite place to go! Clean environment and cold beer.

Just picked this place randomly. The food was so good! Really enjoyed the chicken dumpling soup.

This place is GREAT! Very simple and the people working there were really friendly and nice! The food was delicious and it was really cheap! Love this place and will come back next time I'll be in La Crosse! Highly recommended!!! read more

Terribly disappointed tonight.......haven't been here for quite awhile. So happy to just be out after two damn years of dang near isolation. Went to one of our favorites places prior to the pandemic and got in, sat down ordered some drinks and tried to just take it all in. We're out, we're enjoying the atmosphere and relaxing. Had a drink, which was a perfect old fashion and then moved to a table that had been left by a couple of women one who was, I'm thinking in her 80's and one who was in her 50's. We sat there for 10 minutes watching all the bartenders, waitresses's and owner having fun at the bar.... before a waitress came over and said what do ya need......I said ah, menus and water. She said oh, so sorry thought you were the same couple that were sitting here. She said she'd send over another waitress for help. Ok, this adorable waitress comes over and takes our order.......she's very helpful. We get what we ordered, I got pan fried cod, loaded baked potato, and coleslaw. Partner got batter fried cod and fries. Ugh, pan fried fish was bare of any markings of pan fried, almost mushy, and had to give back my potato's because they were lower then room temperature. Partner really enjoyed his dinner. We won't be back for fish there...... read more

I have been going to houghtons for about 7 years. Their homemade chicken dumpling soup is one thing that keeps me coming back. They also have a really tasty fish fry. Nothing too fancy here as far as the food, but it's quality and that's what I want. They have daily specials and are reasonably priced. They do not accept debit or credit cards but do have an atm on site. Otherwise bring some cash! read more

It's St Patrick's Day and they are closed. Stop claiming to be an Irish Pub if you won't open on the National Holiday. Absolutely shameful.

My wife and I go to Houghton's quite often and really like the service. The food is always great and the deserts are even better:) This is a good bet for a fun night out. read more

Love this place for great lunches. Servers are cheerful, and certainly pleasant. The food is good, and portions generous. Prices are very reasonable. This is a regular go to for me. read more

This is one on the very best restaurants in LaCrosse. You won't regret going there any day because of the quality of there food, and daily specials. We went once just to try something new. Now we come from Winona just to go there. You won't go away hungry, the portions are large. Also it's clean, great atmosphere, polite and curious staff. Did I mention fast, they are fast. ( That's for the unruly hungry husbands, like mine. read more

I like to eat after 8:00 at night. Houghton's new owner's want you to eat in the bar area not the dining room which is much quieter after 8:00. I don't go there for that reason. Also, the drink prices have go up to a level of high end restaurant's in downtown La Crosse. Think twice before you go there. It's not the same as lt was 28 years before!! Former customer read more

Great food and service. Chicken dumpling soup and baked chicken on Wednesday at lunch are favorites.

Our first visit and the food was very good and great staff! The dumpling soup and the ultimate burger were delicious. Restaurant was very clean and clearly well cared for! read more

Fish fry was decent. Salad bar small, but fresh and dressings were great. Good slaw and potato salad. Everyone said to try the chicken dumpling soup, it was really good. Twice baked potato isn't a twice baked potato though, it's smashed potatoes. Good service. Reasonable prices. Will return. read more

When it came time to pay, I was quite surprised to find that Houghton's does not take credit cards. They do have an TM on the premises (thankfully) but I need to charge my work meals to a work card and I prefer to charge my personal meals to a personal card. read more

This is the place. Guinness. Blackened walleye sammich and great service. Stop in just to say hi to Skip. Slainte

Houghton's definitely has one of the best fish frys in the area. I understand they get real busy, but service has never been very good. I have always had to physically go get someone if I needed anything, including a drink. The food is really good and the staff is friendly overall. I will be back as usual! read more